The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 13 Review: Xin
Paul Dailly
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Your family doesn't have to be defined by genes.
That was the big takeaway from The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 13 which brought two more medical mysteries our way, and some more relationship drama away from the medical side of things.
We'll talk about Shaun and Glassman first. My heart skipped a freaking beat when Shaun showed up at Glassy's home in the dead of night, and his mentor was nowhere to be seen.
Given that this was the final scene, I figured we were in for the typical final-scene cliffhanger leaving a character's fate up in the air. Thankfully, the powers that be went with giving us the answer before the credits rolled.
Javi: I think I love you.
Anna: I think you do too. Do you wanna stay in bed with me after we have sex?
Javi: No.
If you watch The Good Doctor online, you know that Glassman has struggled with his diagnosis from the get-go. He's already admitted that he has no idea how to process his condition even though he spent his whole life performing the surgery to save others.
He strikes me as a character who doesn't want to lose his independence. While that's a natural instinct when your body is weakening by the day, he needed to be pushed to the brink to realize that he needed to accept the help of Shaun.
The argument between the pair was perfect. It showed us that Shaun had no idea how to support someone who doesn't want to accept it. It was uncharted waters for him, and it was great that he realized by the final scene that he would be there for his friend in any capacity.
Glassman lashing out was predictable, but we need to remember here that he's going through vigorous treatment. Shaun has all the qualities to be the person who cares for Glassman, and I dare say that's going to be weighing heavily on the former's mind after that closing scene.
Shaun wanted desperately to get to know the new man in Lea's life, and this is undoubtedly a tactic so that things don't need to be awkward between the trio.
I’d like Javi to come and have sex with me. I think an orgasm would help calm me. Do the blinds close?
Anna
Shaun and Lea shared a kiss around a year ago, but their relationship works better as a friendship, and I wish the show would stop trying to put these hurdles in between them.
Related: The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 12: Aftermath
Lea excels when she's open and honest with Shaun, and that's why her actions earned respect. She was all about being transparent, but Shaun thought that meant they could all be friends and do a lot of things together.
Whether Shaun will be able to get acclimated with the new man in Lea's life stopping by for several nights a week, I don't know. I do see a scenario in which Shaun moves temporarily out of the apartment to help Glassman.
The cases of the week were among the strongest of the season. Anna and Javi were so freaking cute that I struggled with the brain surgery scene. It was so blatantly obvious that there was a connection between them that went far beyond the friend zone.
I did chuckle when Anna said she wanted to have sex with Javi in the hospital room because it would calm her down. The major caveat to that, however, was that it could end her life.
It seemed like we were gearing up for heartbreak when Anna stopped talking during the surgery, and I didn't want to see Javi's reaction if Anna didn't make it out alive.
Morgan: It’s weird. They act like a couple, right?
Shaun: Yeah, I live with Lea, but we’re not a couple.
Morgan: Yeah, but you want to be a couple.
Javi liked to have things planned out, so I couldn't imagine he would have been able to cope with finding a new roomie who also enjoyed having sex with him because it was "convenient."
This whole plot was also a learning curve for Morgan. She was so adamant to label them a couple, but she failed to realize that the situation the pair had worked for them. If something works, then there's no need to change it.
Morgan has a knack for sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong and offering mean-spirited advice, but she was genuine here. That's why she started to quiz Shaun about the living situation with Lea.
The other big case with the mechanical heart had me shocked to the core. It was too easy to assume the heart monitoring equipment was malfunctioning, but I would never have expected the woman to have a mechanical heart.
Related: The Good Doctor: Daniel Dae Kim Lands Recurring Role
That gave me a lot of food for thought. I was busy weighing up the pros and cons to it vs. the real thing. The revelation that Teresa was not Sunny's daughter was similarly surprising.
I rolled my eyes because I thought it was going to turn out that Sunny had another child after the breakdown of her relationship with Grace, but the truth was that Teresa and Sunny got so close that people figured they were mother and daughter, so they let people believe it.
That had to hurt Grace, but Teresa rubbed me the wrong way when she started bringing up the things Grace supposedly did in the past.
There was a time and a place for that, and it was most certainly not the hospital.
That was a low blow, but it did highlight just how skewed Teresa's perception of Grace was based on how Sunny described her.
With the operation being a success, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the three women to become something of a family.
Teresa probably has many stories about her time with Sunny to share, and Grace could share some from before Teresa was around.
"Xin" was another solid installment of this ABC medical drama series.
With five episodes of the season left, the stakes have been realized, and it looks like the characters are in for a rough time of it.
What are your thoughts on the latest episode?
Hit the comments below.
The Good Doctor airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
