The Good Doctor Season 3 Episode 18 Review: Heartbreak
Jack Ori
at
.
For once, Morgan wasn't the most obnxious person in the room.
Her dilemma was sympathetic on The Good Doctor Season 3 Episode 18, while Shaun acted like a jerk for most of the hour.
There was a ton of drama in the penultimate episode before the season finale, too, but not all of it worked equally well.
Morgan's rheumatoid arthritis has been carefully built up over the course of The Good Doctor Season 3.
Her refusal to tell anyone but Glassman about her issues has been reckless and frustrating at times.
Nevertheless, Glassman's insistence that she forgets about being a surgeon and just find another passion was insensitive and unhelpful, to say the least.
He was speaking from experience. After his brain cancer scare, he gave up neurosurgery for his clinic.
But Glassman is an older man who had a full career before he had to make adjustments. Morgan is young and just starting as a doctor. So it's not the same at all.
Plus, Morgan saw how well her patient's prosthetic limbs worked.
The patient felt having to have his arms amputated was a loss, but for her, it was proof that there was still hope for her.
After all, by the time her hands began to fail her, there could be prosthetics or other technology that would allow her to keep doing surgery.
Glassman: I heard you're leaving surgery. It's not easy, but I think it's the right call.
Morgan: I don't. I love operating. I'm going to have the surgery on my hands.
Glassman: Well, that's stupid.
Glassman is about as blunt as Shaun is -- that's probably where Shaun gets it from-- but his reaction to Morgan was ridiculous.
You don't tell a patient who has decided on a treatment option you don't agree with that they're being stupid. You just don't.
At least Morgan hasn't mistaken mentorship feelings for true love, though.
I should have seen Claire's feelings for Melendez coming.
They were making such a big deal out of how they were just friends, and it wasn't anything inappropriate, and the first rule of drama is that the more you telegraph something like that, the bigger the lie.
But expected or not, it is irritating.
I wish that for once, a platonic relationship could have stayed platonic. What is so wrong with people being and having good, supportive friends that TV shows always have to turn them into some sort of twisted romance?
Plus, Melendez's romantic storylines never work out too well, and he is definitely off-limits as far as Claire is concerned. He's supposed to be mentoring her, for goodness sake.
Therapist: Want to tell me what's on your mind?
Claire: Not really. I think I'm in love with my boss.
Even if it's unrequited, which it probably is, it's going to be awkward as hell for Claire to spend time around Melendez, and she's throwing away a relationship that makes her happy for nothing.
Melendez gave Shaun the tough love he needed to give up his pity party and get back to work, though.
Melendez: So think outside the box.
Shaun: There is no box. That is a stupid expression and you are wasting time just because you want to be nice to her [Claire].
Melendez: I'm not being nice.
Shaun: You ARE being nice.
Melendez: No, I'm using my years of experience to make a recommendation. And you're being a jerk.
He was right -- Shaun was acting like a jerk, and it wasn't because his autism made him not know better.
Shaun was depressed and was making poor decisions because of it, just like Claire did after her mother died. Someone had to make it clear that continuing to act any way he felt like would have consequences.
Melendez did that perfectly, and Shaun took the first step toward getting past his double heartbreak as a result.
The bad news, of course, was that Shaun saw Natalie bust up Finn's car and thought that was a good idea.
At least he didn't go through with it, though the verbal lashing he gave Lea wasn't much better.
Lea: Shaun? What are you doing?
Shaun: I want to smash your car.
Lea: That sounds like a really bad idea.
Lea's response to Shaun wanting to smash her car windows made me laugh, but his tirade made me feel bad for her.
I'm not much of a Lea fan, but OUCH. Nobody wants to hear all the ways that they suck, especially not from someone they were close friends with once.
Now that Shaun's got that out of his system, the question is where things will go from here.
As The Good Doctor Season 3 heads toward an epic two-part season finale, will Lea take Shaun's cruel words to heart and try to change, and if she does, will it be too little too late?
After all, Shaun seemed to be hooking up with that nurse, or at least telling her that her eyes were beautiful.
I wasn't happy with that development. Shaun is already in the middle of a love triangle. He doesn't need to get involved with any more of his co-workers on top of it.
And seriously, if he is going to move on, can it be with someone who doesn't work at the hospital? There's more than enough relationship drama without that.
Besides, this woman is likely just a placeholder until either Lea or Carly (or both!) comes to their senses and gives Shaun another try.
Far more interesting was the dynamic between Lim and Andrew.
Hopefully, this relationship stays a work relationship, unlike the rest of the relationships on The Good Doctor.
But their mutual jealousy and admiration of one another, plus basically switching jobs, makes for compelling drama, especially when they don't see eye to eye on a case.
More of this, less of the soap opera stuff, please.
Your turn, The Good Doctor fanatics.
Hit SHOW COMMENTS and share your thoughts about Morgan's decision, Shaun's relationship woes, or the medical cases.
Want to see the episode again before you comment? Just watch The Good Doctor online right here on TV Fanatic.
The Good Doctor continues to air on ABC on Mondays at 10 PM EST/PST.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
