The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 16 Review: Pain
Kaitlynn Smith
at
.
Updated at
.
The Good Doctor returns with a refreshing episode that allows Shaun to make a genuine connection with one of his patients.
On The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 16, residents Murphy, Browne, and Park assist Dr. Melendez on a dangerous surgery. Meanwhile, Kalu and Reznick help Dr. Andrews with a woman who refuses to get a necessary surgery.
I was not here to write the review for The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 16, but Dr. Alex Park joined our group of residents while I was gone. I have to say I truly enjoy this addition to the group.
He is a complicated character, as we saw with the murderous donor in episode 16, and Will Yun Lee blends in well with the rest of the cast.
Dr. Park is caring and intelligent, and I love that he has a unique background.
He found his calling later in life, which is something we do not see often on network television. It is refreshing to see someone in their forties who is changing careers and finding a new path.
I especially enjoyed him doing a background check on Shaun's neighbor. I am also suspicious of Kenny, and I love that he is looking out for Shaun.
Unfortunately, the addition of Dr. Reznick is less satisfying for many viewers. When she first joined the show, I mentioned that she was fun to watch.
I still think she is a fun villain. I, at the very least, find her to be more entertaining than any of the other doctors when they are being horrible people. I feel like her shtick could get old quickly, though.
Jared: Does anyone like you?
Morgan: I like me.
I love seeing ambitious and brilliant women on television, and this show desperately needs another woman on it. At this moment, however, I am not sure that the Morgan we know so far is the woman I want.
I do feel like we saw a little bit of good in her when she tried to help Jared and when she spoke to her patient's husband.
I hope they continue to develop her into a complex and interesting character rather than always making her the bad guy.
Hunter is one of my favorite patients of the series. Of all the diverse patients they have paraded through St. Bonaventure Hospital in an attempt to connect them with Shaun, Hunter felt the most genuine.
He seemed to really care, and Shaun showed interest in learning about his experiences and applying them to his own life.
There were two moments between Shaun and Hunter, in particular, that I loved.
Shaun: The surgery isn't guaranteed to help you walk. Why would you risk losing a person who accepts you the way you are? You may not find another one.
Hunter: There are a lot of reasons to marry me, you know. I'm sure there are a lot of reasons to marry you.
Shaun: Yes. I'm organized. I have excellent visual-spatial memory, and Lea says I'm refreshingly honest and fair.
First, when Shaun asked about risking his marriage, it was clear that Shaun was emotionally connecting with Hunter. He was obviously wondering if he would ever find someone who loved him for who he was like Lea did before she left.
Related: The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 15 Review: Heartfelt
Second, I laughed out loud when Shaun interrupted the loving moment between Hunter and his wife by saying "That was nice."
We waste our time and energy trying to prove that we belong.
Hunter
Other patients probably would have been upset at the comment from their doctor, but Hunter understood Shaun. He knew how important it was for Shaun to witness that moment between him and his wife.
The Good Doctor has attempted to connect Shaun and his autism with a number of patients with diverse issues in the past, but for me, this was their best effort. It felt completely sincere from start to finish.
There is one thing that has always bothered me about this show, but for some reason, I have not mentioned it in my reviews until now.
Has anyone else noticed how every time a patient begins to code or have complications, they cut to commercial and do not show us the doctors working to save their lives?
There's a 15% chance that this surgery would kill you.
Dr. Melendez
I hope I am not the only one, but it is something that consistently annoys me. It seems like such an odd choice for a medical drama, especially because I believe it could be a good opportunity for us to see how Shaun handles these stressful situations.
When both Hunter and Emma began to code in their operating rooms, I was excited to see them performing CPR on Emma. I thought that maybe this would be the episode that broke this odd formula.
That was not the case, though. We did get to see Emma through to her heartbreaking end, but suddenly Hunter was awake in his hospital bed.
I think it bothers me even more now that I am rewatching ER on Hulu. I get a rush of adrenaline while watching the doctors and nurses fight to save a patient, and it feels anticlimactic to suddenly see the patient wake up after surgery.
Related: The Good Doctor: Renewed for Season 2!
While I do not want to be overwhelmed with too much medical information, I want the excitement that comes with watching a doctor attempt to save their patient's life.
More than that, though, I want the emotions that occur when we find out if the patient has survived or passed away.
Overall, I thought this episode was refreshing and sweet to watch. Each storyline was emotional and entertaining, including the interactions between Claire and her mom. I hope we see that relationship develop in the future.
Did you enjoy "Pain" as much as I did? You can watch The Good Doctor online! Once you do, leave your thoughts on the episode in the comments section below!
Kaitlynn Smith was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in May of 2018.
