Sheesh, The Good Doctor. Did you want us to be depressed all summer?

It's not that The Good Doctor Season 3 Episode 20 wasn't well-written or well-acted, but in the middle of a pandemic the last thing viewers need are stories about people dying left and right despite doctors' best efforts.

Of course, it wasn't all bad news -- Shaun's patient survived somehow, and so did most of the doctors. But still.

Is it bad that I found Casey's death more emotional than Melendez's?

Melendez's death was sad, but he seemed to be at peace with it, and everyone had a chance to say goodbye.

But Casey was a young kid who was dealing with a lot of unearned guilt over his mother's death and died only with Park by his side because his dad couldn't get there in time.

He probably had been drinking in the brewery in the first place because he couldn't deal with his guilt over his mother's death, and he never got to talk it out with his dad.

Could his death have been any more tragic than that?

It led for some emotional stuff for Park, though.

Casey: Dr. Park. How did it go?
Park: Not good. We couldn't fix things. When we take this bar off you you're going to start bleeding and you're going to die.

Permalink: Not good. We couldn't fix things. When we take this bar off you you're going to start...

For a brief second, it seemed like he and Lim would be able to save Casey, and then Park was left to tell him he was dying.

After that, Park was the one who was there for Casey in his last moments because his dad, try as he might, couldn't get there in time and couldn't even hear Casey when he tried to talk to him over satellite.

Park was the one who helped Casey through his guilt and tried to get him to hold on so Casey could speak to his dad one last time.

It was unsurprising that after all was said and done, he reached out in tears to his son, in what was one of the most emotional scenes in a heartbreaking hour.

Meanwhile, Melendez's death was harder for the two women in his life than for anyone else.

It was a shame that the rest of the team was stuck at the earthquake site and didn't get to say their final goodbyes. Do Shaun and Park even know that Melendez is gone?

It didn't seem like it, and it'll be interesting to see their reaction when The Good Doctor Season 4 premieres.

Most of Melendez's final story was spent demonstrating why doctors often make terrible patients.

He was convinced he was fine because he knew the MRI scan hadn't shown anything before Claire said so, he didn't want to discuss the risks of his two treatment options because he already knew them, and he responded to the news about his injuries with the awareness that he was likely going to die.

He seemed to be able to detach and talk and think about himself as if he were a random patient he was advising. It's nearly impossible to be objective about yourself and your chances in this type of situation, but somehow he did it.

Claire: You saved my life.
Melendez: No. I just happened to be there at the right time.

Permalink: No. I just happened to be there at the right time.

And sure enough, he was dying just like he thought.

The moment when Claire told him his lactaid numbers had doubled was the saddest part of his exit story. That was the moment when he allowed himself to grieve that he would never again get to travel or do the things he wanted to do.

This isn't my usual place in a speeding ambulance.
Melendez

Permalink: This isn't my usual place in a speeding ambulance.

Sadder still was Lim's desperate attempt to save him. Her conversation with Glassman was heartbreaking, but if anyone knew when to let go, it was him.

In a way, that conversation gave me false hope. After all, Glassman was supposed to die of brain cancer and two years later, here he is practicing medicine and advising other doctors about letting go.

So there might have been a last-minute miracle for Melendez too, though of course there wasn't.

Melendez died after telling Claire he loved her, begging the question of what would've happened if he lived.

Would there have been a triangle? (Ick.) Would he have refused to act on his feelings because it was unprofessional? Would Lim have had a reaction?

While these are all interesting questions to ponder, Melendez's death makes the whole Claire-in-love-with-her-boss storyline pointless.

Claire: You saved my life.
Melendez: No. I just happened to be there at the right time.

Permalink: No. I just happened to be there at the right time.

Don't get me wrong, after the disaster that was Lim and Melendez, I'm happy to be spared that story, but why start it and then immediately kill off one of the principal players?

With all the emotion over Melendez's death, Morgan's tragedy got lost in the shuffle.

Morgan: I should have told you about my diagnosis earlier.
Andrews: The fact that you didn't told me that you were selfish and entitled and don't care about protocol or your patients. All you cared about was your career. And then what you did today showed me I was wrong again. Your first priority is saving lives. The sad thing is that you sacrificed your career as a surgeon to do it. You retraumatized the joints in your hands.

Permalink: The fact that you didn't told me that you were selfish and entitled and don't care about...

She saved a life at the expense of her career, which was unsurprising considering what a big deal Glassman made over how important it was she not do surgery.

But the sad part was that Andrews finally saw there was more to her than the selfishness that is so often at the surface, only for her to never be able to perform surgery again.

What's next for Morgan? I've never cared about her much before, but this loss made her suddenly 100 times more compelling, and I can't wait to find out.

The news wasn't all bad. Shaun was somehow able to save Vera even though it didn't look possible.

It was obvious Shaun would survive himself -- after all, the entire premise of the show is centered around him being a doctor with autism. So no Shaun means no Season 4 and The Good Doctor has already been renewed.

But Vera surviving was a surprise, especially since she looked dead when the rescue workers pulled her out of the water.

Shaun: I made Vera a promise...
[Lea kisses him]
Shaun: I don't know what that was. Was that a practice kiss or a pity kiss or....
Lea: It was an I'm an idiot kiss. I see how much you mean to me.
Shaun: Vera lived so the promise does not count.

Permalink: Vera lived so the promise does not count.

Of course, the whole point of the Shaun/Vera story was for Shaun and Lea to reunite.

That was obvious from the beginning of this earthquake story, but that didn't make it any less disappointing.

I've never bought that Lea is the true love of Shaun's life and I still think his relationship with Carly was healthier and more mature, but I guess we're stuck with Shaun and Lea for now.

What did you think, The Good Doctor fanatics?

Hit that blue SHOW COMMENTS button and share your thoughts on all of the death and destruction on The Good Doctor Season 3 Episode 20 as well as your hopes for The Good Doctor Season 4.

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