Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and all his fellow residents at San Jose St. Bonaventure hospital are learning continuous lessons in life and medicine. In this week's (November 19) eighth episode of Season 2, “Stories” on “The Good Doctor,” the surgical resident is delighted to be brought in on a case of a car crash involving a married couple, but dismayed by the complicated feelings and actions that come to impede their love, and one particular emotional reaction that surprises him.

Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) and Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) are dealing with a difficult case of their own, involving a young teenage boy with a double spinal cord condition, an infection, and parents who do not support vaccinations.

When both his doctor (Lisa Edelstein) and Shaun suspect that Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) is having more difficulties with memory than he is able to confront, they both utilize unique ways of assessing the issue. Beyond the surface issues, this episode masterfully presents the consequences of evading the truth, for any reason, and how that tactic never reaps any good outcome.

Inconvenient Truths

Mr. and Mrs. Williams (Reggie Austin and Christine Horn) are rushed into the ER following a car accident, and it soon becomes very clear that Dawn Williams has significant internal bleeding and must be rushed into surgery. Mr. Williams has severe immediate pain from his dislocated hip, which Dr. Murphy swiftly resolves, and the patient begs Dr.

Murphy to tell the team that his wife cannot die, because “she's my everything.” Shaun relays the message exactly, just as the team discovers a ruptured fallopian tube from a fetus attached outside the tissue.

Dr. Brown (Antonia Thomas) and Shaun left husband know that his wife is going to be fine, but they could not save the pregnancy.

He assures them that that possibility is a mistake, since he had a vasectomy before they were married, 10 years ago. Of course, what they corrected surgically is not an error, quickly declared by Shaun, who adds that his wife is most likely “pregnant from someone who is not you.” The husband is in a tailspin, insisting that his wife is extremely moral and conscientious and that their sex life has been like a second honeymoon in recent months.

Testing proves the vasectomy did not fail, showing a zero sperm count.

During his follow-up exam, Mrs. Williams plants a fairly passionate, and completely unexpected, kiss right on Dr. Murphy's lips. He is taken aback, naturally, and she insists it was only her way of thanking him for saving her life. He reports the incident to Dr. Lim (Christina Chang), who tells him to “keep the kiss to yourself” unless he decides to make a formal report. With further investigation of her coordination issues, the good doctor deems that a tumor may be at the root of her issues, and feels great relief, until he discovers that there is no tumor, and confronts her as a liar. Dr. Brown’s instinct to have Mrs. Williams draw the face of a clock gives definitive proof that there is a medical cause for her impulsivity problems, but that is only the surface of what comes to be revealed.

Another couple, the Tiley’s (Marc Valera and Elyse Levesque) think that their son, Finn (Elliott Sancrant) is about to have surgery for a simple hernia. When he describes fatigue and neck pain, Dr. Park suspects it may be polio, especially after the parents firmly defend their decision not to vaccinate their son.

Calling a truce

Dr. Reznick vehemently calls out the parents’ decision not to vaccinate their son, but to send him to school with “vaccinated kids” as a defense. She counsels Dr. Park to send them away, but he will not abandon Fin In the situation. She relates a story of a good friend with a toddler who opposed vaccination. Many doctors turned her away, but there was one, like Dr. Park, who took a stance of “do no harm.” Dr.

Park defended that once he had their trust, he could convince the parents to vaccinate. Dr. Reznick ended the story by saying that the little boy died a month after contracting whooping cough.

In the meantime, Mr. Williams has discovered a complete disaster as a result of his wife's deception. Medical insurance has been canceled, there is only $400 left to their names, and their retirement account is drained. When he confronts her, she confesses that she is responsible, but not in the way he thinks. The majority of the money went to charities, as Dawn describes that she could not resist any television commercial appeal. As for infidelity, she admits to four affairs, but there were never any romantic getaways, only a flickering, momentary satisfaction.

She never wavered in her love for her husband. He is devastated, she is crushed, not knowing when or if they will restore their relationship.

There are two touching moments that stand out in this one. One comes when Shaun can't understand why Mr. Williams can’t love his wife again. “The world is sad and very complicated,” he tells Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown reflects on that assessment and makes a decision of her own. Knowing that she is being courted by other hospitals and that Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) has been asked to “have a talk” by Dr. Andrews, she apologizes to her boss by saying that she never should have undermined his authority in the way that she did. She further elaborates that she knows he is in a terrible place, either being seen as weak or heartless, so she extends him “cover” for his action.

“I'll see you in the morning,” he says as he departs. Claire proves, at last, that she can be the bigger woman.

Finn does not have polio, but he does have a serious spine disorder. Dr. Park steels Dr. Reznick's story verbatim to the parents. Finn comes through his surgery but never sees his parents together. His mother secretly asks Dr. Park to vaccinate their son, without telling his father. Dr. Park doesn't know that the instruction isn’t mutual. The father feels betrayed, and Finn blames the doctor for his parents’ rift. Dr. Park tries a truthful story of the family’s real situation, to little effect. When Dr. Reznick learns that the ex-cop blows off steam after a bad day at the shooting range, she asks to go along.

In light of the whiskey bet made between the two, he tells her that she will be paying for her own ammunition. This could be an interesting relationship.

In the closing minutes of this installment of “The Good Doctor,” Shaun and Claire witness affection between the Williams’ again after the wife comes through another surgery. Dr. Glassman comes to Shaun’s apartment with a folder full of test batteries, but Shaun asks more personal, direct questions, the last of which really hits hard for them both. “What's my brother's name?” Dr. Murphy inquires of his mentor, showing him the beloved photo. Dr. Glassman responds, “Your brother's name is Sam.” Credits roll right after this blow of truth. Nonetheless, facing truth together makes the battle a winnable effort,
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