The Good Doctor: Season 2/ Episode 3 “36 Hours” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

Things get a bit heated as Claire and Nurse Flores become assertive and the men in power positions not only question their judgement but say borderline offensive things.

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Network
ABC
Director(s)		Larry Teng
Writer(s)		Thomas L. Moran
Air Date		10/8/2018
Characters Introduced
Nurse Flores	Liza Lapira
Maddie	Holly Taylor

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How The Surgery Went: Dr. Glassman, Shaun, Maddie

From what it appears, Dr. Glassman’s surgery went well! The only problem is, despite being the exiting president of the hospital, someone who was given a private office, Dr. Glassman seemingly can’t get a private room. One away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the hospital or Shaun, mostly because he cares, popping in to check on him.

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However, with an older Maddie than we saw before popping up, so comes a red flag. One that brings the question of whether her appearance is because death is looming, maybe too many drugs (if not a bad reaction to them), or a side effect from the surgery?

Commentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGL5WX9FK80

With Jessica gone, the only person who can speak about Maddie, possibly reveal all the details of her death, is Dr. Glassman. And considering the way Maddie looks, a teenager rather than the child we saw in the last season, she is about the age when she died. So does this mean we’ll get to know what happened? Also, ghost Maddie seems kind of jealous of Shaun. Will this also provide us a bit more details on Dr. Glassman’s transition from someone worried about a homeless child to taking in this kid who experienced quite a bit of trauma at an early age? Possibly not too long after his biological child died?

Avoiding Inconvenient Conversations: Shaun, Lea, Morgan, Claire

Shaun said what he said to Lea about going back to Hershey, and that’s it. He doesn’t want further discussion, just her gone. For Lea, it’s not going down like that. She wishes to talk more, especially about why Shaun would say something like that as he did. Leading Shaun to seek out advice from Claire, first, who reminds Shaun how relationships work, platonic or otherwise, and they can’t be one-sided.

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Following that, he talks to Morgan, of all people, about it, and she makes it seem everything he has is out of pity. The kiss was pity, his friendships are because they may respect him as a doctor but personally see him as a pet, and she questions his manhood. Which, to my surprise, doesn’t trigger that memory from season 1 when a girl went to kiss Shaun but then things got awkward and he got laughed at.

But, in a way, I guess Shaun is getting used to Morgan making fun of him so while he may take note of what she says, he doesn’t take it to heart like he used to. Plus, with Lea coming down to the hospital to say what she needed to say, Morgan backtracks. Though we don’t learn if Lea decided to say what she did and still go back to Shaun’s apartment or find a hotel.

Commentary

I truly do love to hate Morgan. After a few episodes of her seemingly contemplating what Dr. Andrews said, calming it down a bit, nice and quiet Morgan has been thrown out the window. She had a DNR bracelet and was announced dead on impact. But, with noting my love for the mean Morgan, I feel like we need to get to know Morgan better. Not to humanize her, but more so to keep her from being one note. Though the show, in general, could do well with not making it about Shaun each and every episode.

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For example, Claire’s mom is still out there and it would be nice to see some progress there. Also, Dr. Melendez’s family could be introduced. Oh, and let us not forget, getting back to Shaun, his parents are likely alive. So you know, sooner or later, they have to pop up. I’m sure Dr. Glassman at least sent Shaun’s mom updates.

Learning To Pick Your Battles: Dr. Lim, Claire, Dr. Andrews, Nurse Flores, Morgan, Dr. Melendez

Let’s begin with Dr. Lim. While on call, trying to clock in more hours to be better able to compete with Dr. Melendez, she goes to traffic court. You see, Dr. Lim likes speeding on her motorcycle, somewhere close to 100mph, because the thrill of having people’s lives in her hand seemingly isn’t enough. So, she is all ready to argue her case but then she gets calls. Which, during her hearing, she takes. Leading to the judge feeling a bit miffed and in return, Dr. Lim battling it out with them until she gets held in contempt and is put in jail to cool off.

Leading to her saying something about how women in power are worse than men. Which she seemingly doesn’t say just to let off some steam. When Morgan decides to come at her in the OR, with a comment about how Dr. Lim was just laying on her couch all day, she decides to let it go. For while she could win this battle, there is the serious need to question is it worth it? Just because I can?

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A question Dr. Melendez doesn’t really ask as both Claire and Nurse Flores make comments during the surgery he does. Now, based on previews, you might have thought Claire was the one seriously in trouble. However, even though she is a bit riled up because Dr. Andrews supports 36-hour shifts for doctors, it wasn’t her asked to scrub out. It actually was Nurse Flores. Someone who may have been on the show before but, like most nurses, didn’t really say anything which made them stand out.

However, with her taking Claire’s venting over Dr. Andrews dismissing her and co-signing, it causes tension. The kind which snowballs as Claire asks why the patient’s husband has to be talked to by her and a potentially sexist comment is said about it being one of those days. And it continues, primarily from Nurse Flores, until it comes to the point Dr. Melendez asks of her to leave, she says no, and so Dr. Andrews has to get involved.

But, after all is said and done, and Dr. Melendez gives props where it is due, everyone chills out.

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Commentary

Is it bad Nurse Flores is perhaps the first nurse to actually seem interesting? The Good Doctor has thus far had 21 episodes but just now we get a nurse who doesn’t give a few lines and walks away. Not to say they are insignificant, but definitely seem to be as interchangeable as the patients sometimes. Minus a tear-jerking or comical backstory.

Which could possibly change with Nurse Flores, but who knows? The only thing we can know for sure is Claire definitely is getting beefed up this season and I cannot wait for the pending battle between her and Morgan. You know, with Morgan starting to distance herself from Dr. Andrews criticism, those two are going to have words. Not fight, but between her saying something to Shaun, Claire herself, or a question of judgement, since everyone is sensitive about that, there might be some yelling and screaming.

But another thing to watch out for is the fact sexism seemingly is going to be a big theme this season. With a possible focus on how men need to navigate a world which is ready, willing, and able to call them out as something is said vs. letting it fester. Because, it seemed Dr. Melendez being held accountable for how what he said could be perceived, that threw him off. Led him to, arguably, try to assert his authority to shut Nurse Flores down. However, with her part of a different department, possibly a member of a union, Dr. Melendez messed with the wrong one.

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Which might end up being said for Dr. Andrews too. For with us seeing how combative Dr. Lim can be with authority, twice now, imagine what will happen after Dr. Andrews tried to foster some healthy competition. You know, make it seem Dr. Lim could become Chief of Surgery only to give the position to a man. She almost got fired before, I think she may just quit to save face and then tell Dr. Andrews off. Especially if, as theorized before, Dr. Coyle ends up with the position. For Dr. Melendez getting the position is one thing, but Dr. Coyle? With everyone knowing what he is accused of, that would piss so many people off.

Though, taking note of how Dr. Melendez pissed off a nurse, and they likely stick together, I doubt his path to Chief of Surgery would be easy. Especially if Nurse Flores may have calmed down in Dr. Andrews’ office, but was still mad as hell. Which, who knows, between Dr. Lim’s attitude and Dr. Melendez seeming that he doesn’t work well with women, that could be how Dr. Coyle comes into play. If not someone worse.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Is it even worth being a doctor at a hospital if your hours can be up to 36 and you may not get paid as you like? Granted, Claire and the rest are in residency but I’m sure even with the pay boost, what would drive them to having a private practice would have to be crazy hours like that. Which the administration not only justifies but was part of the study saying it is perfectly fine.

Highlights

1. Morgan is the perfect villain for while she says malicious things, it’s like she doesn’t fully understand the impact of them. It’s like she has some form of autism herself but it is so mild it has gone undiagnosed. Because, I truly do feel she doesn’t see anything wrong with what she says. She just drops bombs on people and thinks it is no big deal.
2. A nurse being featured, name and all, rather than having a line saying this happened, asking what Shaun thinks he is doing, or the actor seeming like, “It’s a check, but I’m wasting my talent on these two lines.”
3. Claire being assertive more and more each episode.
4. Maddie’s return meaning some answers about her death.
5. Lim showing she has no issues going against authority and wondering how that might affect her pursuit of a promotion and her reaction if she doesn’t get it.

On The Fence

1. While having a sob story each episode built up a tolerance in the back half of season 1, I must say the patients this episode seemed generic? At least the hysterectomy one for as much drama as was there, why did their storyline feel so familiar?
2. Though I am glad Lea is back, I really don’t get much out of her and Shaun’s arguments. It is good for his character’s development but does Lea no favors. It just drives the idea that for men to develop emotionally, it usually has to be off the back of a woman.

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