The Good Doctor: Season 2/ Episode 10 “Quarantine” [Mid-Season Finale] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
The mid-season finale is all about building anticipation as people die left and right and you wonder, will a main cast member be written off?
The mid-season finale is all about building anticipation as people die left and right and you wonder, will a main cast member be written off?
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| Network | ||
| ABC | ||
| Director(s) | Mike Listo | |
| Writer(s) | Liz Friedman, Lloyd Gilyard, Jr. | |
| Air Date | 12/3/2018 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Tyler | Dan Byrd | |
| Kellan | Ricky He | |
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The Start of Something Beautiful: Tyler, Morgan, Dr. Lim, Dr. Melendez
Well, after all that bickering, and some drinking, Dr. Lim and Dr. Melendez have sex. The two rivals hash things out in the bedroom and, well Dr. Melendez may have caught feelings. Dr. Lim, on the other hand, seems to be playing off what happened though. Even making it sound like a mistake. Which, to save face, Dr. Melendez goes along with.
But, while things are awkward, and going in a slightly negative direction for them, the same can’t be said about Morgan. Apparently, one EMT, Tyler, has been talking to her and has interest. Something which sort of catches Morgan off guard a little bit but is appreciated – even liked! Making it seem Morgan may not be alone for the holidays as originally planned.
Commentary
I’m sorry but Dr. Lim x Dr. Melendez does nothing for me. Yes, it is an interesting idea but is also probably one of the laziest things this show has done for core characters. I mean, really? Granted, we know Dr. Lim isn’t above a drunken hookup, or hooking up in general, but this seems like a sad way to explore these two characters having a personal life.
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Luckily, this situation is compensated by Morgan and Tyler. Someone who, I gotta admit, I wish they built up a bit more, maybe him just, a few episodes, saying “Hi” and maybe occasionally talking to Morgan. You know, making it so he has some kind of development and isn’t just coming in hard and heavy. But, considering how Morgan came onto the show, guns blazing, a force to be reckoned with, and it worked, why not see if lightning strikes twice right?
Because, Why Let People Be Happy?: Tyler, Morgan, Lea, Shaun, Dr. Glassman, Dr. Lim, Dr. Melendez, Dr. Park, Kellan
The holidays are coming and everyone works in a major hospital. One which seemingly is fairly close to an airport. Leading to, when two patients come in with an airborne viral disease, it locks the hospital down. But, here is the kicker, people start to die. Both patients who come in die and then Tyler gets infected and Dr. Lim. It doesn’t end there! Kellan, Dr. Park’s adult, or damn near adult, son is placed in quarantine which means he could get infected.
But guess what? THERE’S MORE! Because Shaun is at the hospital, in the quarantine area, Lea has to pick up Dr. Glassman. Someone who already isn’t in good spirits since Shaun took his license away. So, add in Lea’s attitude, and her not enabling Dr. Glassman to go to the hospital to help and he isn’t a happy camper. Oh, and because there is some kind of buzzing noise, Shaun’s savant syndrome can’t be tapped into for he can’t focus.
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Commentary
.I don’t mean to make savant syndrome sound like a superpower. Like it is something he activates on will and then suddenly gets the answer he desires. Though, in a way, the show kind of does display his gift like that. If not in a Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes kind of way.
That thought aside, I feel torn. Patients comes in and out of the hospital weekly and some die, some live, some are treated but lose access to something in the process, but you can build up a tolerance to all that in time. So with someone like Tyler and Dr. Lim getting infected, I’m unsure how to feel about this. Should I see this as the show trying to up the stakes or see this as a desperate maneuver? Especially considering Tyler came out of nowhere and Dr. Lim? Well, let’s be real for a moment. Dr. Lim is expendable.
Which isn’t to imply she is badly acted or anything like that. More so, like most characters on this show, besides Shaun, and those close to him, as well as Claire, a lot of characters seem written so the actors could leave or be written off at will. If Dr. Andrews quit and decided to be a yoga instructor, outside of who would fill his role, it wouldn’t feel like a huge loss. Before this Tyler thing, if Morgan left, it wouldn’t be huge for it isn’t like we gotten to know her to the point of feeling attached. They are made important enough to have a place but only the noted exceptions, of which there are 4 really, seem to truly be secure on this show.
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As for the rest? Like Dr. Lim, you can see them become fodder for a ratings boost. Which will either lead to an uproar or, like when Jared left, seem for the best. At least if you, like me, took him leaving as a non-event.
The Grim Reaper Swings Out Far and Wide: Dr. Glassman, Tyler, Morgan, Dr. Lim, Kellan, Dr. Park, Shaun
Where to begin? Well, Dr. Glassman’s cancer is back. Tyler dies from the viral disease, meaning all the lovey-dovey stuff we saw between him and Morgan? Yeah, just to mess with our emotions and continue the process of humanizing Morgan. Dr. Lim? Well, it isn’t clear if she dies but she does seem to pass out while in seclusion so she might be dead.
As for Kellan, Shaun, and Dr. Park? Well, Kellan has an asthma attack but he lives. Making it so Dr. Park isn’t left in a pool of his own tears. In terms of Shaun? Well, he ends things in the fetal position. Why? Well, a combination of the buzzing light in the ceiling, the commotion from a diabetic patient passing out, plus Kellan having an asthma attack, and Dr. Park freaking out. Thus overwhelming him and with Morgan in surgery and Dr. Lim passed out – they can’t help.
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Oh, and in case it wasn’t mentioned, Dr. Melendez, Claire, and everyone else aren’t in quarantine so they couldn’t have helped at all. Shaun was left on his own when he had a bit of a meltdown.
Commentary
I enjoy a show being dramatic. There is even a certain appreciation when characters die, fall in love, love is lost, and etc. It’s just, when all that is loaded into a mid-season finale or season finale, well it feels cheap. For The Good Doctor in particular, not only cheap but kind of foreign.
One of the things which helps The Good Doctor stand out is that it didn’t really push your usual ratings maneuvers. The show, instead, rested on the emotional investment you had in Shaun, Claire, Dr. Glassman, etc. Yet, with how this episode is loaded, it feels like it is straying from that. Which, to me, isn’t really the best direction for this show. Bad enough the show isn’t so much an ensemble but more so a program which rests on Shaun’s shoulders, with periodic reminds that his peers do have lives of their own. However, making it so we’re now getting major viral outbreaks which threaten main cast members, kill love interests to boost characters, and things like that? This has me slowly raising a red flag.
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Not to say this show might have jumped the shark or is on its way to going downhill. It is just, there are many things this show can do better and the first half has been taking baby steps to address various issues. Some examples: we met one of Claire’s roommates from college; between the vaccine episode and this one, we found out Morgan has friends and can make friend; Dr. Park was given an entire past; we had an episode focused on a day in Dr. Lim’s life, and we met Dr. Melendez’s sister. Lots of baby steps, but in the right direction.
So, it should be interesting how the show handles Tyler’s death, Dr. Lim passing out, and Dr. Glassman’s cancer returning. Here is hoping these actions will be followed up with Morgan opening up more, Dr. Melendez realizing how much he misses being close to someone, and as for Dr. Glassman? Well, I’m still waiting for Shaun’s parents to show up so even if he doesn’t want to reconcile with his dad, maybe losing Dr. Glassman could push Shaun to find his mom – with Lea’s help of course.
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Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments
- Subtitles for the episode were wonky so I’m not 100% sure on the Dr. Park’s son’s name.
Highlights
- Morgan having a potential holiday boyfriend.
- Us getting to meet Dr. Park’s son.
On The Fence
- All the deaths, diagnosis, and fears of the episode have to be addressed properly and with oomph in the mid-season premiere. I’m talking about, in such a way, that episode could be what is used for an Emmy For the way things were handled in this episode, it is hard to not feel this show was using slightly cheap methods to drum up word of mouth. That is, rather than use what has already captured the attention of many towards this show.
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Hi Modomum! Glad to have you here, too! When the show returns, I’m ready to have their regular type of episode return as well. Poor Shaun! The stimulus overload (and that stupid light) was just too much for him. When you say you want Shaun and Claire’s friendship to last as long as possible, do you mean as opposed to them becoming a couple or just in general, don’t drift apart, terms?
I find myself on the fence about Lim and Melendez. My first urge is to ship them, but that’s not who Lim is at all, as you rightly point out. But then keeping them as FWBs doesn’t seem to be who Melendez is. I’m curious as to where this story line goes.
Glad to find some people with whom to discuss this episode. This episode was like none other in this series, and it gave me an unsettling *what-is-happening-here* vibe. No one gets a happy ending! Including the Dad who, for lack of good directions, stumbled into the ER by mistake, thus rendering the marrow transplant moot…maybe. Shaun is impotent to the point of fetal position by episode end. I felt the same. Don’t kill Dr. Glassman off, please! Keep Lim and explore her random hookup mode…why women who succeed at high pressure levels sometimes sacrifice the “only one man for me” image. No one questions powerful men and their dalliances. Morgan gets a lesson in empathy, after deriding Claire for her natural inclination toward the same. They had to fast forward the Morgan romance, “One Way Passage” style (1930’s movie), and I liked it. Keep Lim and Melendez as FWBs, until Melendez finds The One…and maybe he and Lim continue their thing in time….you know, like real life. And can’t someone just untwist the fluorescent and get Shaun back on track? And finally, I want the Shaun and Claire friendship to last as long as possible.
I think this is the first time I disagree with most of what you have written. I like Drs. Lim and Melendez together. And of course it’s much better then Claire and Dr. Melendez. Also, I really like Dr. Lim and I don’t feel she is expendable. I like her interactions with Shaun and when she is working with Shaun, and I would feel very sad if she died. (Side note: I was also sad when Jared left.)
I never watched ER or Grey’s Anatomy, but it seemed from the commercials that every 5th episode had some major calamity happening (i.e. a bomb goes off in the hospital, a helicopter explodes on the roof, a bus runs into the hospital, etc.). This is the first of that type of episode for The Good Doctor. It was different; it was strange; but it was very suspenseful and action-packed! As long as this kind of episode is limited to no more then once per season (and hopefully less then that), I’m o.k. with it because it was quite a ride!!
My issue is, we’re a season and a half in and a lot of the characters still feel underdeveloped. So with this viral outbreak storyline, it almost seems like a means to trigger either discard some characters or else make it so people feel pushed to take life more seriously. Like, for Morgan, losing Tyler could be considered a major turning point for her character. Dr. Melendez losing Dr. Lim, or her life being threatened, could mean him getting back in the dating game again.
And I think another reason for the expendable comment comes from shedding Jessica and Jared. They were on the show from the beginning and Jessica had ties to Dr. Glassman and his daughter, Dr. Melendez too, but was abruptly cut out of the show. Then with Jared, he did leave, with giving us closure, but considering how we got to know his whole backstory, it leads you to question what is this show trying to do?
Is it trying to shake things up, since the show has kind of gotten into a episode to episode routine? Or could it be that show wants to keep things realistic. That is in noting that sometimes people die suddenly, leave suddenly, and closure isn’t always something that can be delivered? Much less, just because someone has been there since the pilot, or in the first season, it doesn’t mean they’ll be on the show all the way until the series finale.
So maybe expendable was a bit harsh, but I do feel a slight Game of Thrones vibe being pushed that no character should be seen as permanent.
Starting with Jessica and Jared, I have wondered why the show cut Jared loose, too. It’s not like Claire has dated anyone else, but then maybe the writers liked having two interns per doctor. I don’t know. But with Jessica, I’m pretty sure they wanted to go in another direction with Dr. Glassman and his illness, from having Maddie appear for a whole episode to Shaun and Lea driving him to appointments. None of that is as easily done with Jessica there.
I thought this episode was their version of “the major calamity episode”, but maybe you’re right, and it is a quick way to shake things up and/or push things along. Or maybe it was meant to be both. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t bother me because 1) I really enjoyed the episode and 2) I don’t think any major character will die. Dr. Lim is the only one in jeopardy, but I think the CDC gets there in time and she is saved. Yes, Morgan will probably take life more seriously because of Tyler dying. But to me, Dr. Melendez was already dating because he slept with Dr. Lim, and I think he wanted to date her before he saw her sick but went along with her in the beginning of the episode when she first said that the sex was a mistake.
So after the quarantine is fixed and all of those story lines are taken care of, I can easily see the show getting pretty much back to the way it was.