The Good Doctor: Season 6/ Episode 19 “Half Measures” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
As Dr. Lim and Dr. Andrews butt heads, Shaun continues to find faults in Dr. Glassman, and Morgan finds herself becoming a child advocate.
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As Dr. Lim and Dr. Andrews butt heads, Shaun continues to find faults in Dr. Glassman, and Morgan finds herself becoming a child advocate.
| Aired (ABC) | April 10, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Freddie Highmore |
| Writer(s) | David Renaud |
| Previously Noted Characters | |
| Shaun | Freddie Highmore |
| Alex | Will Yun Lee |
| Morgan | Fiona Gubelmann |
| Dr. Glassman | Richard Schiff |
| Dr. Lim | Christina Chang |
| Dr. Andrews | Hill Harper |
| Jared | Chuku Modu |
| Danny | Brandon Larracuente |
| Asher | Noah Galvin |
| Jordan | Bria Henderson |
| Nurse Villanueva | Elfina Luk |
Recap
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
What Are You Willing To Sacrifice? – Shaun, Alex, Morgan, Dr. Glassman
As Shaun gets closer and closer to having a child, he finds himself questioning how he will prioritize? Dr. Glassman is an example of so much regret for putting his career before his daughter. Then, between Alex and Morgan, the pull between family or else professional opportunities lead to the two being their usual opposing ends of a debate.
But, ultimately, Shaun chooses family and the opportunity to invest in his kid over moments that could advance or enrich his career. And as he makes that choice, Morgan makes a choice where she may end up foregoing getting pregnant and having a baby and instead adopting a recently orphaned child.
Does Dr. Glassman Have Cancer? – Shaun, Dr. Glassman
So, Dr. Glassman doesn’t have cancer, but something is wrong. Shaun doesn’t know what it is, but with Dr. Glassman not including two screws in a crib he and Dr. Glassman brought, he questions his decision-making to the point of damn near calling Dr. Glassman an idiot.
Either Trust Me Or Fire Me – Dr. Lim, Dr. Andrews, Jared, Danny, Asher, Jordan
It has been said many times that Dr. Lim has a renowned residency program that many competitively have tried to get into. Yet, despite the prestige Dr. Lim brings to the hospital, and her experience, Dr. Andrews questions her procedures and publicly overrules her in the ER when it comes to an especially tough surgery.
He notes it is because of the pressure he is under regarding the board, but the insult still stings. Particularly since he insults her in front of the nurses and ER staff and her choices of residents. Now, as Dr. Andrews notes, two are on probation, and one did return from being fired. But, questioning her decisions, overruling her, and playing down what she is hired to do doesn’t set up the potential of Dr. Lim quitting, but definitely becomes another reason for the hospital’s board to question Dr. Andrews’ leadership.
And as all that happens, Danny decides to squash the potential of a Jordan and Jared love triangle by nothing Jared is available and ready, and while he might be in his feelings, he just wants what is best for her. Also, despite Asher and Jared getting off on the wrong foot, because he does the work and proves that his network or money isn’t why he got a second chance, Asher joins Jared in his favorite pastime – karaoke.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- How good was that man’s insurance for one part of the surgery to cost $100,000?
- Why is the hospital board being so hard on Dr. Andrews? Is it strictly budget issues, or is morale also a sticking point?
- Is Morgan going to adopt the baby, Eden, and if so, how much focus will that storyline get?
What Could Happen Next
- Shaun pushing Dr. Glassman away by not giving him grace
- Alex continuing to be in Morgan’s business, especially if she adopts Eden
- The full extent of what Dr. Andrews is going through still being a relative mystery, considering we haven’t seen Allegra in forever, they cut having legal talk about procedures in season 2, and I don’t think we’ve seen a single board member in years.
- Jordan and Jared ultimately not working out
- I feel like a time jump could happen in season 7
Review
Notable Performances or Moments
Morgan Bonding With Eden
Morgan has long softened and become a bit mushy while occasionally showing she still has an edge. But, having a child brings a whole new side of her, and with the possible switch of her adopting vs. biologically having a child, it will be interesting to see what that does for her. The mother is dead, and the father is unknown, so there shouldn’t be a paternity/ custody battle. But can “The Good Doctor” juggle having two storylines of people with young children and give them both the time and effort they deserve?
Dr. Lim v. Dr. Andrews
Dr. Lim has never been much for authority, but she can usually respect someone’s title. Dr. Andrews, on the other hand, we’ve seen many times he’ll speak and do first and ask for forgiveness once emotions have died down. That doesn’t sit right with Dr. Lim and with her dedicating her life to her job and training residents, for Dr. Andrews to question her, embarrass her, and give a meek apology privately, despite what he said publicly? It should be interesting to see how their relationship moves forward.
Never mind Nurse Villanueva saw it all happen and with Dr. Andrews insulting two women, in two different positions, this could spark an accusation of him being misogynistic. Add in it was against women of color, Asian women to be specific, and it could even become a race issue – which isn’t something “The Good Doctor” touches upon often, but the possibility is there.
Highlights
Danny Potentially Tapping Out Of the Love Triangle
Love triangles have rarely been good for any story. There is usually one person or being who seems out of place and has nothing going on besides their futile attempt to insert themselves, and it is honestly a disservice to them, and the person trapped in the middle expected to manage both characters. Never mind, be interesting enough to justify two interested parties and your investment in what could be.
Now, to be honest, Jordan and Jared, like Jordan with Danny, isn’t a relationship I’m clamoring for since I don’t see the chemistry or find them cute together. But, to be frank, “The Good Doctor” is pretty mediocre when it comes to anyone being in a relationship beyond Shaun, and even him and Lea have had a very rocky road to get to this point. I’d even say, I more so accept Shaun and Lea as a couple than root for them or think of them as what the show should aim to create for others.
But that aside, I can only hope, considering Danny’s journey with sobriety, faith, and redeeming himself, stepping away from pursuing Jordan, and bowing to Jared, doesn’t mean we just watch him sulk in the background or pick fights.
On The Fence
Shaun’s Protectiveness Over His Feelings At The Detriment Of Dr. Glassman’s
Shaun’s emotions are at an all-time high, and it’s understandable. He is going to be a first-time father, has no biological family to support him, has a demanding career, doesn’t want to be a bad dad like his biological father, and also wants to be a more present dad than the man who partly raised him. Add in all the anxiety that comes from all the advice and conversations he has been part of or overhead, and you can see his autism fixating on problems is only natural.
The problem is that his fixation on Dr. Glassman’s mistakes, or not living up to what Shaun wants, needs, or expects, will drive a wedge. Now, already the show has faked us out with a potential cancer diagnosis, so Shaun harping on with there being something wrong, if it doesn’t lead to anything, it will feel like a cruel tease. Yet, if there is something wrong, that path isn’t much better than the tease considering how much of a rock Dr. Glassman is for Shaun that Lea still uses Dr. Glassman as a middleman.
So we’re left hoping for the best when it comes to this storyline, but also we’re expecting the worse no matter which way this goes.
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Surprising that you skipped the preceding episode: Ahh… Welp!
With the way this show has gotten since Season 4, probably for the Best. Jared alone can’t shoulder the weight of whole show, nor is it just to expect any one person to do so. So I guess it’s all:
So to cover a bit from the preceding episode: Hmmm.. Since when was the relationship between Andrews and Dallisay even hinted? It was totally out-of-the-blue. Guess the writers realised, just like I did, upon watching featurettes of the show for home-media such as “bloopers” that the potentially Filipino-origin actress is literally there since the 2nd season, so they decided to have her suddenly jump through a homicidal trauma — into dating with none-other-than the President of the hospital.
Speaking of that, let’s move on to this episode..:
Bwahahahahah!
Asher “I voted for Trump ‘cus he supports Is’rāel[ more so nakedly than any other POTUS before him]” Wolke being so judgemental about “rich {silence}” is the time when irony fell from Nirvāna to its death. How much time has passed since that good “judge[-of-character]” got himself rewarded with probation ‘cus he would rather be complicit in an outright ethical thing once that person asking a rather very measured-question retorted with nothing-but-a-glorified-argumentum ad hominem since her very first day. Get whom I’m referring to? Jared should have done the very same, ‘cus unlike her — his behaviour to somebody with Jared’s standing( may read credentials) makes his knee-jerk “sAsS” all the more perfectly-indefensible.
My, goodness…!
What a straight-out lie the synopsis for this episode was, if it was “human-error”( “Dr Lim” & “her” instead of ‘Dr Andrews’ and ‘his’) — that I wonder whether systemic-misogyny is at play.. At Sony®!
And many keyboard-warriors and
their glorified-counterpartscritics alike went “go girl!” to Lim rejecting Andrews’ apology mostly ‘cus: He undermined her in front of that whole OR, while quietly begging forgiveness in private. But if that is the horse you are gonna beat.. Then guess you have to continue beating long after its death given that Shaun’s very very rare apologies for something he has done in public, almost-always tend to be in private[ to the person he has hurt/offended]. So why not start from there, eh? Nevermind that he was going around calling a “M” patient ‘the T-word’ based on flimliest of conspiracy-thriller lines-of-logic and was never made to apologise — but I guess in both of that case and Asher’s superciliousness[ especially the “jUsTiFiCaTiOn” for voting 45th POTUS to Power], it’s all nothingburger since those oh-so-iconoclastic views ‘just happen to’ align with the “developer” of this adaptation, Mr David Shore.P.S. Also..
What’s with the sudden problem with the Board since the preceding-episode?
I thought guest character Salen had doled-out the entirety of hospital to Andrews’ name and we never heard of any ownership-changes/restructuring for 1½+ seasons until it getting suddenly reintroduced into the “Dallisay dating Andrews” subplot in the preceding-episode( “A Blip”) which, I reiterate: Came out-of-the-blue.
Last, but not the least: One of your peers aka fellow critics have drummed hard on the “misogyny” angle but more than that..
…They are reading into the fact that Andrews is particularly having problem with Asian ciswomen staffers only. Even as they conclude that the writers won’t have sufficient courage to go through with it, they are still trying to be edgy by euphemising contemporary-racism as a “grey-area” — any thoughts on that?
‘Cus.. Having seen all of that..
…Strikes I as reasonable-conclusion that: He’s going full control-freak ‘cus of the mysteriously resurgent “Board” after so, so, so many seasons.
If any thing: It’s more that he has problem with [broadly-defined ]Asian staffers in general — than something with misogynist-undercurrent.(
Cue Dr Jared Kālū.)