Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Plot Recap
Too Much For One Day – Dr. Allen, Dom, Morgan
On the day of Asher’s funeral, someone drives through a community event, which is too much for multiple people. For Dom, handling a stream of people, bleeding, some with their eyes barely still attached, it is a real test of how he can handle blood and trauma. For Dr. Allen? With still reeling about Asher being attacked, it makes having to take care of the person who caused all this hurt and pain hard. But, as she sees the mother struggling, who has tried to steer her son in the right direction, she relents vicariously punishing one perpetrator in lieu of what she wants to do to another.
As for Dom? While Morgan was hard on him, similar to how Shaun can be on Charlie, she praises him for an idea he had to save a patient with a ruptured artery, and it helps Dom renew his faith in himself.
You Don’t Want To Wait Till It All Hits At Once – Shaun, Lea, Elaine, Dr. Lim
With Shaun being someone autistic, Lea worries about Asher’s death hitting him all at once and it overwhelming him. This especially becomes worrisome after the attack caused by Dr. Allen’s patient. But Shaun isn’t the only one who has a delayed response. Elaine worries that Dr. Lim is suppressing her feelings and wonders what could happen when she isn’t fueled by success or adrenaline.
Why? Because Dr. Lim’s father had clinical depression, and while he was the best when he was working and distracted, when that wasn’t the case, sometimes the trips he took that appeared to be for work were to a hospital. So, with that in mind, Elaine worries about Dr. Lim potentially being someone like her dad who functioned well despite their depression, but when it got the best of them, it really took them down. For with her about to leave, she can’t be right there when the moment potentially hits like she was with Dr. Lim’s father.
What Happens When You Adjust To Others – Shaun, Charlie, Dr. Glassman
Shaun is given the authority to be a team leader, and with that, he makes sure Charlie is out of the way, but this doesn’t help the complaint she filed. However, as time goes on, having Charlie just tag dead bodies is a waste of a resource, so she is assigned to help Dr. Glassman, who may think she is a bit much, but she is helpful for the most part.
However, as time passes, Charlie becomes an asset to Shaun and proves he can be a leader. For when he gets overwhelmed, with Dr. Glassman reminding Charlie that Shaun has challenges as well, rather than fight him, she helps him focus, leading to multiple people being saved and even a compliment from Shaun.
Mind you, only good enough to withdraw Charlie’s complaint for now, but his recognition she could be an adequate surgeon is far better than him saying she should stick to pathology.
Cast Guide
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Dr. Allen | Bria Henderson |
| Dom | Wavyy Jonez |
| Morgan | Fiona Gubelmann |
| Shaun | Freddie Highmore |
| Lea | Paige Spara |
| Elaine | Bess Armstrong |
| Dr. Lim | Christina Chang |
| Charlie | Kayla Cromer |
| Dr. Glassman | Richard Schiff |
Review
Notable Performances or Moments
Charlie Realizing She Can’t Expect Everything And Everyone To Adapt To Her
While you cannot discount Charlie having ASD affects her life, as shown through Shaun, having a disability doesn’t mean all accommodations should go one way. Yes, it would be right and nice for people to adapt and adjust to you, but it’s a two-way street. Charlie, remembering Shaun has ASD, as he was feeling overwhelmed, I think is the first time she gave the empathy she has demanded from Shaun from the get-go.
Now, whether Charlie keeps this up or not, and understands she isn’t in the power position, so she needs to actually listen and learn from Shaun, not always challenge him left and right, is hard to say. Lest we forget, it took Shaun a notable amount of time to find a balance with his peers, which sometimes gets rocky. So, with Charlie being at the hospital for maybe a month, perhaps a few months, it is still too soon to think she’d have the rhythm needed to know when she needs to assert herself or just take orders.
Highlights
Elaine Revealing Dr. Lim’s Father’s Diagnosis
Often, on “The Good Doctor” and shows like it, patients are the catalyst for having a character, or even the viewer, make realizations about their lives. In this episode, with Elaine presenting to Dr. Lim that her father was clinically depressed and used success and hard work as their medicine, it’s easy to imagine that not only being hard to hear for Dr. Lim but viewers.
After all, many of us live in a hustle culture where we work to exhaustion and feel like the exhaustion is our reward, as long as the results are there. But then comes the times you don’t need to work hard and are frazzled as the brain isn’t distracted. Then there are the failures, and because your identity is so wrapped up in something, you can’t easily move on and take it on the chin.
I’m not saying that Eileen is going to be the one to finally get Dr. Lim to evaluate her personal life and really take note of how she has used work as a crutch to not work on her personal life, emotions, and mental state, but I think it could cause a shift.
Heck, who knows? Morgan may have spoken to Dom about quitting when he thought he couldn’t handle working at the hospital anymore, but maybe it could end up being Dr. Lim who quits, and Dr. Glassman becomes the sole president of the hospital? For between the pandemic, mentally ill serial killers, and more, maybe this line of work isn’t something she is meant to do all her life, and she has just been letting this chapter go on for too long?
On The Fence
Still Unsure How To Feel About Them Killing Asher Off
I still don’t know how to feel about them killing Asher off. While the focus has spread across two episodes and seemingly will be a catalyst for Dr. Lim taking her mental and emotional health more seriously, it pushes you to recognize how weird it is for shows like this to have it where someone’s trauma or even death, is pushed to be some kind of life lesson.
With patients, it is easy not to dwell on it, for you barely get to know most of them, and they don’t have lingering effects on you. However, with Asher, it just becomes weird, and with how shows are planned out, it makes you wonder how long was his purpose supposed to be acting as the change agent for another character?
Background Information
| Episode Title | MCE |
| Release Date | April 9, 2024 |
| Network | A.B.C. |
| Director(s) | Mike Listo |
| Writer(s) | David Renaud, Tristan Thai |
| Previous Episode | Season 7/ Episode 5 |
| Series Page | The Good Doctor |
| Character Guide | N/A |
How To Watch
Watch The Good Doctor: Season 7/ Episode 6 via its official site or on Prime Video.
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