The Good Doctor (S07E03) Review/ Recap

Plot Recap

What’s Needed For Long-Term Relationships – Asher, Jerome

Being that Asher has gone through quite a bit of trauma with his family and faith, naturally, Jerome tries to be understanding. However, the longer the relationship goes, the more Jerome seeks out their individual lives, merging in various aspects beyond living together.

One prime example is that Asher often dodges Jerome’s family events. Again, Jerome understands why, but his family’s culture is tight-knit, where he, his brothers, aunts, and uncles, even if a small individual accomplishment, everyone shows up. Asher originally decided to miss yet another family event but finds himself giving in and being glad he attended.

The Remaining Doubts – Lea, Morgan, Alex, Dom

While it may seem like Morgan has moved past her worries regarding Alex and her relationship with him and him being a co-parent, that isn’t the case. She still sees him as her boyfriend, who may not be reliable regarding raising Eden since her connection to her is due to their relationship. Never mind, as a viewer, when was the last time you heard him talk about his biological son?

That aside, Morgan is not 100% sure about Alex. So She decides to approach Lea, whom she is growing close with, about being Eden’s guardian. She is honored, and Shaun approves, but Lea doesn’t like that Morgan is going to hide this all from Alex.

Luckily, it seems she may not have to worry about slipping or even Shaun doing so, and strangely, it is because of Dom. As shown, Dom’s hemophobia creates a notable challenge for him as a student. Understanding this, Alex gives him an out, but Dom powers through it. With Alex’s mentorship, while the exposure therapy isn’t taking quickly, at the very least, he knows someone has his back.

So, while Alex is doing a surgery to rescue someone’s hand, and Dom watches from a distance, Morgan swoops in and asks Dom probing questions – in a way only Morgan would. She is very much a straight shooter, and she tries to get Dom not to be fluffy with his response to what he thinks about Alex, and he says all the right things. This leads Morgan to put Alex down as a guardian for Eden if anything happens to her, with Shaun and Lea back up if she and Alex die.

We’re All Villains In Someone’s Story – Shaun, Charlie, Dr. Lim, Dr. Glassman

Despite it being only two weeks, Shaun’s frustrations with Charlie are starting to hit a boiling point. He goes to Dr. Glassman, and he says to exercise patience. Shaun goes to Dr. Lim, and she says to be assertive, and Charlie pushes the idea that she has a disability and that there are laws, so Shaun should be more accommodating. The three very different pushes he is given lead him to feel he will just go the hardline route.

Because of this, Shaun eventually makes Charlie cry by pushing the idea that, after she makes a notable discovery, she’d be better off in pathology than becoming a surgeon. As you can imagine, Charlie looks up to Shaun, but he does not give her approval and encouragement, as Dom is getting from Alex, but instead is discouraging. Dr. Lim and Dr. Glassman see Charlie in an elevator, crying after what Shaun said, and meet with him before he leaves for the day.

However, even when Dr. Glassman and Dr. Lim address Shaun for his behavior, he doesn’t stand down. Heck, the name “Dr. Han” is brought up, and Shaun is reminded of what he said and did to him. Yet, despite that ordeal, Shaun continues to double down on his belief and what he said to Charlie about her never becoming a surgeon and how she should pursue pathology.

This is hard to defend, but in Shaun’s defense, he really has tried to work with Charlie. It could be submitted that, considering what he had to go through to obtain the position, respect, and accommodations he got, he may not want Charlie to have a paved road. Shaun may not want her to benefit from what he had to go through or think anywhere she works will make it easy for her.

Never mind, with Charlie being unwilling even to feign the idea she made a mistake, read more, or use the various training materials Shaun has pushed her to do, it is hard for Shaun even to try to be understanding.

Other Noteworthy Information

1. Shaun notes he is 31 years old.

Collected Quote(s)

“Don’t be patient, be proactive.”
— Dr. Lim

Cast Guide

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Asher	Noah Galvin
Jerome	Giacomo Baessato
Lea	Paige Spara
Morgan	Fiona Gubelmann
Alex	Will Yun Lee
Dom	Wavyy Jonez
Shaun	Freddie Highmore
Charlie	Kayla Cromer
Dr. Lim	Christina Chang
Dr. Glassman	Richard Schiff

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

Shaun’s Handling of Charlie

Many see Shaun as a potential villain for following what Dr. Melendez and Dr. Han put him through. Shaun isn’t bending too much, can be disparaging, and certainly isn’t much for thanking Charlie or giving positive reinforcement, but in many ways, she’ll need that tough love.

Lest we forget, Shaun was often saved by Dr. Glassman, who has been in Shaun’s life for almost two decades. In addition to being a doctor at the hospital, Dr. Glassman was the president for a long time. Charlie doesn’t have the same safety net or privilege to coerce members of the hospital to adjust. In addition, Shaun had to earn the amount of leniency he eventually was given by having miraculous diagnoses, cures, or surgical procedures. Again, Charlie hasn’t had that.

So, is it wrong for Shaun to be so rough with Charlie, given that it has only been two weeks? To some, yes. However, I’m very much of the camp that remembers Dr. Lim noting that not everyone can be hired who goes through the hospital’s medical program. I’m also keeping in mind that even if ASD is considered a disability and there are laws made that are supposed to coerce an employer to provide reasonable support, laws are pieces of paper unless there is enforcement.

With that in mind, say Charlie leaves and works at a new hospital in which they never had a Shaun before – that would mean Charlie would have to pave the way for anyone neurodivergent who comes after. Now, can she threaten or pursue a lawsuit? Yes. However, as noted when Claire reported a more senior doctor, there are repercussions for both the accused and accuser. This could include, especially in the internet age, a permanent mark on Charlie, which shows her as a troublemaker and someone who needs the kind of accommodations that could be disruptive beyond what a hospital’s culture deems reasonable.

So yes, you may get rid of one bad apple, bigot, or whichever word you choose to use to describe someone. However, as shown by Shaun, you don’t change a culture by relying on laws to back you. Beyond having someone co-sign you are worth the trouble, you need to win over people and have results back you, and whether it is because Shaun was raised by Dr. Glassman or his own beliefs, I think Shaun realized having a sense of entitlement would never get him where he wanted to go. Which is going to be a lesson Charlie will need to learn to have a successful career in the long run.

Dom and Morgan’s Scene

While a part of me appreciates Morgan as a mother, and the softening of her character to a point, getting a bit of the Morgan we used to see when she was a surgeon, and not chained to the clinic? Oh, that was wonderful to see. How she interacted with Dom, to me, gave the balance between that ambitious med student who saw Shaun as competition to who Morgan is now.

Too bad we only get glimpses of that rather than the writers allowing her to hold steady from episode to episode.

Highlights

Alex and Dom’s Relationship

Understandably, Charlie is getting a lot of attention because lack of representation for women diagnosed with ASD but that doesn’t mean Dom is just a second fiddle. As shown, just like Shaun and Charlie have a connection, so do Dom and Alex. Both left drastically different career paths to get into medicine, and have their initial struggles.

In the beginning, Alex had issues regarding being older, the idea of treating criminals, and his family life, complicating his work. For Dom, his aversion to blood is a problem, and who knows if his brother or other family members may show up and create new complications. So, while their issues are far from the same, the key thing to look at is how both had to manage a career transition, and Alex is doing something Shaun is not. In many ways, he is acting as his opposite.

And I’d add, while we likely were never big fans of Alex, at this point, there is no denying the value he brings as a surgeon, a mentor, and to “The Good Doctor.” I may never be moved by his and Morgan’s relationship, since it seems born and kept on life support out of convenience, but there is still time to prove that Alex isn’t kept around as a back up plan for Eden. Never mind because Morgan doesn’t have the time or wishes to make the effort to meet someone new.

Asher and Jerome

It’s easy to forget Asher and Jerome are one of the longest-running relationships in the show since Jerome is a nurse, which means he isn’t notably featured. But I will say these two might be more adorable than even Shaun and Lea since they don’t have the baggage Shaun and Lea have, and it feels less obligatory.

Shaun’s dating life has largely felt like something a lead character was supposed to have in order to show them reaching new milestones in life. To me, since Asher and Jerome don’t need to exist, and their relationship isn’t heavily featured, it makes the mentions or the times it is focused on not feel crammed down our throats.

They are a couple who, because they are very different regarding family dynamics and religion, have their issues, but those issues don’t define either. Asher is still a doctor who has a good bedside manner, works well with his peers, and knows how to handle either patients or colleagues at their worst. The same goes for Jerome, in that, with his strength, he is a nurse who can handle the more labor-intensive moments and, compared to some of the other nurses, whether because of his relationship with Asher or not, seems to have the ability to be a bit more of a participant in patient care.

Background Information

Episode Title	Critical Support
Release Date	March 19, 2024
Network	ABC
Director(s)	James Genn
Writer(s)	Thomas L. Moran
Previous Episode	Season 7/ Episode 2
Series Page	The Good Doctor
Character Guide	N/A