![Star Christina Chang of "The Good Doctor" teeters on the brink of destruction after the crisis of the pandemic. [©ABC-YouTube]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2021/1/12/660x290/b_502x220x82/star-christina-chang-of-the-good-doctor-teeters-on-the-brink-of-destruction-after-the-crisis-of-the-pandemic-image-sourceabc-youtube_2568622.jpg "Star Christina Chang of \"The Good Doctor\" teeters on the brink of destruction after the crisis of the pandemic. [©ABC-YouTube]")
The return of “The Good Doctor” on the second Monday of 2021 was a welcome gift to millions of loyal fans after the very extended holiday hiatus of the drama. Another gift was seeing the January 11 Episode 6 of Season 4, “Lim,” steered by the immaculate skills and on-screen intuition of Christina Chang.
Many fans have followed Christina Chang's rise from recurring roles on the TV Shows “24,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “CSI: Miami,” and another ABC drama, “Nashville.” It wasn't until David Shore and the slew of talented writers of “The Good Doctor” drew the actor as a fully-faceted, flawed, fabulous, and often fearless character.
January 11 features by Newsweek and TV Fanatic also focused on the strong portrayal in this episode.
The unyielding stress and pressure that Dr. Lim pushed past through the pandemic are proving too insistent to be ignored in this winter premiere. Meanwhile, Dr. Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and other residents at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital are distracted by other matters on “The Good Doctor.”
Disturbing patterns and a vessel of peace on ‘The Good Doctor’
It's no wonder why Dr. Lim is finding her days more and more difficult on the job. She's up all night, barely eating, and returning to demanding duties day after day. Topping off the load, Dr. Murphy declares to his supervisor that he is no longer going to teach residents since he is “not good at it.” Dr.
Lim, of course, advises him that training those under him is not an option. The brilliant surgeon’s attentions are turned elsewhere. He knows that his first birthday gift to Lea as her “boyfriend” must be “awesome” (wide eyes intended). An assortment of stuffed frogs fails to meet any criteria of approval, and “The Good Doctor” continues to bring in an assortment of items for the judgment of his coworkers.
It all becomes unneeded clutter for Dr. Lim.
Even her late-night motorbike rides aren't making it any easier for Dr. Lim to speed away from her, PTSD anxiety. She comes to the aid of a victim hit by a car near dawn one morning. She and Dr. Browne (Antonia Thomas) perform extensive surgery on Ben (David Del Rio), but his physical injuries pale in comparison to his own mental affliction after tours in Afghanistan.
This is the kind of story that “The Good Doctor” weaves so well. The patient-doctor saga may unfold through more episodes.
Rose Babcock (Sheila McCarthy) is an elderly patient down the hall from Ben. She is much more concerned about Ben’s condition than her own cardiac issues one evening when he is fraught and out-of-control in the hallway. The powerful scene portrays perfectly that Dr. Lim is only shades away from the same condition if she doesn't reach for help. In the moment, she only wants help for the patient, who has tried every avenue of group therapy and medication. Rose becomes the therapist of choice for the staff attending to her. Shaun Murphy even seeks her guidance on empathy, finding it “curious” that she rates curiosity so highly.
Dr. Lim scolds Shaun for spending time with a patient who is not under his care and neglecting his training of junior residents. “The Good Doctor” is not behaving up to standards.
The pain behind a routine procedure on ‘The Good Doctor’
“The Good Doctor” viewers have not seen the character of Dr. Lim as such a powerful presence since Season 2’s “Quarantine” winter finale and premiere episodes. In those episodes, a mysterious contagion was rampant through the hospital, and Audrey Lim literally guided her staff until she dropped from the illness.
The supervisor who constantly champions for women and women of color meets resistance from Dr. Jordan Allen (Bria Henderson). The junior resident defends that her Christian faith makes a D & C procedure oppositional to her beliefs.
Dr. Lim explains that there are times when the procedure must be done to save a mother's life. She also reinforces that her job is to teach residents how to do all forms of surgery. Dr. Jackson (Summer Brown) volunteers, even though she has already done that procedure. “The Good Doctor” simply says he will do it himself. As the boss, Dr. Lim instructs that Dr. Allen will do the procedure. Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) differs in his opinion, telling Lim that ordering Jordan to do the procedure is poor form. He also informs Audrey Lim that the reason his niece came to St. Bonaventure was because of Dr. Lim's reputation for “technique, professionalism, and empathy.” At the moment, those qualities are failing to shine through.
The echoes of “pronounced dead” are becoming louder and more penetrating in the physician’s mind.
Jordan does a fine job of preparing the patient for the procedure. When it comes to completion, however, the resident balks and Lim completes the process, furious with Jordan. Jordan later explains that she chose her career in medicine over her baby, having an abortion herself. Allen promises that no such incident will ever happen again. Dr. Lim shows her caring side with Dr. Asher Wolke, too. In a beautiful scene in the stairwell, the surgeon-in-training asks her about her own experiences in losing a patient. She mentions a situation soon after the virus outbreak. When he asks how to move past that pain, she responds with "That’s what surgeons do, and I think you're a surgeon.” When the team decides to do a risky but life-changing procedure of amygdale ablation on Ben, “The Good Doctor” has a breakthrough in training Dr.
Wolke. The simple words of “You have to feel it,” beyond seeing a structure on-screen, did all that was needed to calm the resident.
Signs of passion and the truth on ‘The Good Doctor’
Ben is willing to try anything after hitting his wife during an outburst. Zoe (Kim Shaw), of course, was instantly forgiving, but her husband realized that more cars were to come if something drastic wasn't done soon. The surgery was a success. Closing scenes of “The Good Doctor” showed the couple feeling the emotions without being in fear and bondage by them.
In preparing for the surgery, Claire shared with Dr. Lim about her journey with PTSD. Dr. Lim, though, is still clearly in “run” mode. After Lim tells Rose that her heart issues can be easily treated, the patient cautions the doctor, “Don't run from your pain.
It will kill you.” Meanwhile, Shaun isn't the only one with romance and sweet nothings on the brain in “The Good Doctor.” Doctors Park and Reznick (Will Yun Lee and Fiona Gubelmann) demonstrate their kismet connection with dental grills and bedazzled shoes.
While out for another twilight ride, Dr. Lim narrowly escapes a deadly fate. She dodges a direct hit but crashes to the pavement. She gets up and hobbles to the bike as credits roll. The journey for the doctor in charge of “The Good Doctor” will likely encompass a full season of restoration and healing. It happens much faster in TV land than it does in real-life for those sacrificing every day to save lives. Fortunately, Christina Chang will be staying with the series to see her character’s recovery take hold.
Life gets more complicated as a couple for Shaun and Lea on “The Good Doctor.” The revelation of an ex-husband surfaces next week.
