While “The Good Doctor” deftly probes into unique medical and personal situations, the drama also portrays the dilemmas of daily life with a masterful touch. Already this season, Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) has had to learn the consequences of poor courtroom behavior the hard way, losing her driver’s license for a year. In this week's November 5 Episode 6 of Season 2, “Two-Ply,” Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea’s (Paige Spara) dream of sharing living space has turned to reality, and Lea is discovering that her genuine feelings for Dr.
Murphy don’t keep his obsessive need for household routine and order from grinding on her nerves. Those tendencies serve as an anchor for the surgical resident, like many people with autism. He times his day down to the minute, including showers and tooth-brushing, and his compulsions drive the free-and-easy Lea to seek counsel from Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff).
Dr. Glassman is dealing with his own relationship issues. He is delighted by the possibility of deeper feelings with Debbie (Sheila Kelley), but when the reality of recovery from his brain surgery makes itself very apparent, he pushes her away.
Two difficult and distinctly different cases involving young women demand a deep investigation, and Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann), for the first time, identifies deeply with the feelings of a patient beyond the life-saving intervention.
Simple only on the surface
When a dedicated concert violinist, Jas (Supinder Wraich) comes to the ER with what seems to be an infected finger from a “bad manicure.” Dr. Reznick almost instantly attributes the condition to an abscess, and both she and Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) prescribe removing the infection, packing it, and prescribing pain medication to handle the problem. Dr. Reznick immediately identifies with the performer’s passion, herself being familiar with strings and rosin due to her time as a competitive athlete in archery.
Shaun is concerned and recommends taking a small portion of finger tissue to ensure that a bacterial infection is not spread throughout her body.
Dr. Brown (Antonia Thomas), Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee), and Dr. Lim are on the case of a teen who presents with only a severe nosebleed, and her treatment, too, appears routine to the team. Her parents inform the team that she often uses medical issues to bring her divorced parents together, and interrupt their bickering, if only for a short time. Dr. Brown is sympathetic to the girl’s motives and suspects that much more may be at play medically.
Lea and Shaun are sorting out the usual things between roommates that are not that unusual. If Oprah Winfrey can devote an entire show to the way the toilet paper roll should hang, then so can “The Good Doctor.” Lea is doing her best, but when Shaun tells her that she “has to” start doing things in particular ways, she has a meltdown.
She tells him that she is going to forget things, make mistakes, and behave like every other person at times. Shaun has shut down moment of his own under the heated discussion, and she goes to Dr. Glassman for advice.
Dr. Glassman empathizes with her feelings and situation at the same time that he knows Shaun’s behavior. He tells her to give hard thought to the circumstances, and decide if she can handle living with Shaun or not because many of these habits will not change, while others will, as he learns and matures. He also recommends that if she cannot handle being with Shaun, leaving sooner rather than later, however painful, would be best.
The stakes escalate
Both medical cases take dark turns because the repaired nosebleed reverts to coughing up blood and not being able to breathe.
Jas’ infection begins to spread throughout her body and become septic. Dr. Brown insists on a deeper surgical probe, which ultimately leads to the necessity to “crack her chest.” Fortunately, the fears of cancer, or another fatal condition, are allayed, and a long-ago swallowed Lego block ends up being the culprit. The parents promise to be better at their relationship with their daughter, and with each other. Dr. Brown feels that she has made both a tremendous emotional and surgical difference, but Dr. Park warns her not to think that these parents have really changed.
What Claire Brown still cannot bring herself to do is apologize to Dr. Melendez. She has her chance in an elevator, but stands firm in being right, simply not able to say “I was wrong.”
Jas not only has to undergo life or death surgery from the infection but also, to endure the loss of her arm.
Because the infection risk remains so high, Dr. Reznick offers to stay in a special, cryogenic-like chamber with her after surgery. She has to tell the aspiring musician that her arm is gone. Jas still feels sensation from the appendage, and the only way she accepts the situation is to see that the arm is no longer there. Dr. Reznick is forced to hear her sobbing and sense her despair beyond the tears.
In a very powerful scene, Dr. Melendez finds Morgan all alone in a waiting room. He watches for a long time before joining her. She describes how Shaun knew all about her condition, but didn't care “about her dreams.” For the first time, Dr. Reznick's voice is shaky, and trails of tears are on her face.
It was hard not to be reminiscent of the episode last season when Dr. Melendez cautioned her that he hoped someone would be there for her when she lost a patient. He tells his own story of a resident he studied with, who was known for her quirky habits. That resident wound up being one of the best trauma surgeons in the country. Melendez noted that despite what he thought, her only competition was against herself. This experience is bound to stay with Dr. Reznick and make her appreciate human connection over being the top contender. She had to admit that Shaun was right about saving Jas sooner if tissue had been taken.
Dr. Glassman is having a delightful evening with Debbie, discussing why “Raging Bull” is so romantic to her, and sharing a tender kiss.
When he gets up, he is woozy and falls. She runs to him, but he insists that he is fine. She tells him that she is fine just “being like this,” but he tells her to go. It hurts to see his false pride and need to preserve reputation ruin this true relationship.
When Shaun returns home, Lea asks if he is okay. “I'm fine now,” he replies. She then describes how much harder moving in together has been than she supposed. He cringes, “you're moving out how?” She answers no, but adds, “I do need you to know that you are annoying as h*ll.” She reminds him that she still is going to forget it and do things wrong. She doesn't expect him to change but she asks that he try to compromise. She's not moving anywhere.
In response, Shaun says he doesn't think he can adjust to one-ply toilet paper (or the way it hangs, having done a “study” of every bathroom in the hospital). She agrees that two-ply is worth the extra $1.50. Everything is unpacked, and the roommates can work on putting things in the right places together. If only everything in life were as easy as the right toilet paper.