The Good Doctor: Season 5/ Episode 13 “Growing Pains” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

In a feel-good episode, siblings, mothers, sons, Shaun and Lea, and Alex and Morgan make progress in their relationships through some healthy conflict management.

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Aired	4/4/2022
Network	ABC
Directed By	Cayman Grant
Written By	Jim Adler
Introduced This Episode
Kayla	Annalisa Cochrane
Justin	Mishka Thébaud
Trent	Zavien Garrett
Carrie	Cherise Boothe

Recap

Let’s Not Avoid The Hard Conversation(s) – Kayla, Morgan, Alex, Justin, Dr. Glassman

Morgan is at the point in her and Alex’s relationship where she thinks they should move in together. Note: not her move into his place or her move into his, but start fresh somewhere new. This causes some anxiety for Alex. Not due to taking the big step, but because he is in debt. Between his son’s tuition, college debt, and other bad choices that made his credit score tank, Alex is worried that Morgan’s taste won’t allow him to be an equal contributor.

These issues, at first, seemingly were going to spill over to Morgan’s case dealing with a young girl, Kayla, looking to get surgery to aid her depression and neck pain – A procedure that would require Dr. Glassman’s involvement. But, despite Alex being on the opposite side of the conversation, Kayla’s older brother, and conservator, Justin, ends up being the one Morgan focuses on.

But, just as Morgan tears down Alex’s defenses regarding moving in together, specifically into a place she likes, so does Morgan tear down Justin’s prejudice. Particularly regarding his fears that his sister would return to the booze, drug, and club lifestyle, which led to her neck injury in the first place. Thus, Kayla gets the surgery she needs, and Justin even talks about ending her conservatorship so she can regain control of her life.

Finding Your Tribe – Trent, Carrie, Jordan, Lea, Shaun

Trent is a young man into biohacking, and his recently divorced mother, Carrie, doesn’t like it. Which is why Shaun being intrigued, even mildly supportive of her 17-year-old son, complicates things. But in Shaun’s mind, their whole relationship is complicated. Trent is mad that his mom cares, and with Shaun’s mom choosing his dad over him, he’s unable to understand the situation.

But, he makes an effort that does allow for Trent and Carrie to talk out their issues and feelings regarding Trent’s dad leaving them. However, that fight might be the easy one compared to Jordan and Lea growing closer and becoming business partners. With that, Shaun is pushed to take note of people finding their tribe. Trent found his in the biohacking community, and when it comes to Jordan, she is to be considered the newest member of Shaun’s tribe.

Yet, even with such a privilege bestowed, there is one thing that bugs Shaun: new people in his living space. Like most of us, Shaun does get worn down from dealing with the politics and expectations of his workplace, which requires a tiresome level of compromise on his part. So when it comes to Jordan in his household, he has a set of rules made to enforce his boundaries and make it clear that she is in his home, so the hospitality might be at a minimum. Not because it is personal, but because he lives in her world most of the time, and he needs space to be himself and recover.

Things To Note

• Unexpected Content Advisory: Miscellaneous (we see inside Trent’s hand as they do the surgery)

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Is Nurse Martel the Jerome that Asher was talking about, or was that someone else?
2. Is Morgan still considered a resident, even though she seems to have a full-time job at the clinic?

What Could Happen Next

1. I feel like Shaun’s mom will show up by the season finale
2. Morgan proposes to Alex, and there being another discussion about gender dynamics
3. Shaun being pushed to have more than co-workers but have friends he spends time with – and Lea telling him that Dr. Glassman doesn’t count

Collected Quote(s)

Picky is fine, passive not so much.
— Dr. Morgan

Review

Highlights

The Development Of Lea and Jordan’s Relationship

Lea and Jordan have notably been close for quite some time, but it was something that often felt like a reminder, and as for how the relationship started? That was easily forgotten. But now it seems there is a real investment in this relationship, beyond when Lea is in crisis. For with their business, that has a strange 75/25 split in Jordan’s favor; now, the two work intimately together, with Jordan being the rare cast member to enter Shaun and Lea’s home.

But, the best part of this is that we also see some reciprocity here since Lea did previously go to Jordan’s apartment. This means we may finally begin seeing a friendship between characters that doesn’t solely exist within the hospital and isn’t geared towards becoming romantic in the future.

Shaun Establishing Boundaries

As noted above, we all have to compromise once we leave our household. Certain rules in society mean what you may like to wear, say, how you’d prefer to deal with people or not, are not up for discussion. Either you adapt or become a social pariah. Shaun knows this all too well as an autistic person, which made him laying down the law with Jordan comical in some ways but ultimately understandable.

In Jordan’s world, Shaun has to act like he is a guest in someone’s home, be on high alert for social cues, and have his brain work overtime to figure out ways to accept the abnormal and make it understandable. Who wants to do that in the place they walk around in pajamas? Why would Shaun, who has to deal with Jordan being one of the people who questions his thoughts and ways, decide to let her bring the outside world into his inner sanctum, and put his brain into overtime?

No. While Shaun has to make some accommodations, for it is Lea’s home too, it is still his home turf, and if they are to be a tribe, there has to be a recognition, empathy even, for Shaun needing to recover from a long day, just like anyone else. But rather than doing so through drinking, partying, or mindless entertainment, Shaun wants to be able to be who he is without apologies or adjustments.

Emotion Provoking Guest Stars

We still have fond memories of season 1 coming with top-tier guest star storylines episode after episode. Sadly, those days are long gone, but there has been a peak this season for every valley, and both the storylines featuring Kayla and Justin, alongside Trent and Carrie, could be considered peaks.

When it comes to Kayla and Justin, while there is a built-in sob story regarding their parents dying, the added drama of her being in a conservatorship brought quite a bit of interest. After all, from what we’re told, like Britney Spears’ former situation, Amanda Bynes, who just got out of a conservatorship, to Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols current situation, we see someone, usually, a man, take over a woman’s agency, and direct all of her movements, and control her assets. Now, all three of the aforementioned cases aren’t the same, but the key similarity is the feeling of helplessness the conservator deals with.

With her bangle and scrunchie business, Kayla was the money maker of the family, and for part of the episode, it was hard to tell if her “Bro-Dad” Justin was friend or foe? Did he want to maintain control, like Britney Spears’ father, so that he could benefit from her creativity and hard work, or was it more like Amanda Bynes’ situation, where she was burning herself out and needed someone to take the reigns?

Thankfully, from what we see, Justin was more so like Bynes’ parents, at least, from what those who haven’t followed the case may think (Mila Tequila goes into detail about Bynes’ downfall and conservatorship). So with him allowing the surgery and having faith in her, it seems he may finally graduate from being the father figure she needed at one time to just being her annoying big brother.

Then with Carrie and Trent, it is always complicated when a parent leaves home and managing the feelings surrounding that. Carrie tried to soften the blow by not damning Trent’s father, but like most mothers, she didn’t expect that she would become demonized in the process of protecting the father. After all, she is the one who stayed! Yet, even with the show not squarely focusing on these two, their dynamic represents the sad reality for so many mother and son combinations. Butt while the biohacking is what brought Trent and Carrie to the hospital, their healed relationship brought so much more to the show.

Heck, I’d even say, with all the talk of parents, it makes me wonder if Shaun’s mom may show up eventually. It’s almost like they want Shaun to see all these loving family moments and not just be thankful for the found family he has, but maybe seek a way to reconcile with the blood one that is left.

On The Fence

Alex and Morgan

On a recent episode of Ready To Love, a cast member noted that you shouldn’t confuse compatibility with chemistry, and I think that perfectly explains a lot of couples in media, such as Alex and Morgan. These two as friends are definitely compatible, as their opposite takes on many topics lead to interesting conversations and resolutions. However, as a couple? They remain awkward. This is mainly due to them feeling tethered to each other in a way that makes it seem we’re supposed to see this façade of growth, due to their relationship, as something likable.

Yet, as much as I can appreciate Alex sometimes being the Dr. Glassman to Morgan’s Shaun, especially when she is hyper-focused on a goal or stern in a position, notice how the first relationship that came to mind wasn’t something romantic.

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