Many faithful fans of “The Good Doctor” will welcome this week's Episode 15 for Season 4 “Waiting” because the storyline returns to the real-life life-saving of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Lea (Paige Spara) is in the waiting room to receive the results of her tests for gestational diabetes when the day takes a traumatic turn for her, Shaun (Freddie Highmore), and everyone in the ER.
Different mothers, different sons, and common ground on ‘The Good Doctor’
Taryn (Italia Ricci) wants her son, Ethan (Knox Hamilton) to learn about being heard at an early age.
He just feels bummed about being late to his friend’s birthday party and playing the latest war games on video. Even finding a parking spot seems to turn like a political vendetta at a protest, where mother and son are supposed to tag cars with their signs. The day is anything but a peaceful party on “The Good Doctor” in this case.
Carina (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is there in solidarity, as they chant, with her son, Mason (Dominic Mariche). His enthusiasm for social change and his maturity move his mom, and they both wear bracelets to signify the day. As a breaking news bulletin notes from a TV in the waiting room, however, things turned violent quickly-- the two young boys are shot and battling for their lives.
“The Good Doctor” and everyone available suits up to receive these precious and surely never-intended victims. The CheatSheet gives an overview in an April 27 feature.
Many times through past episodes, “The Good Doctor” portrays the chaos and yet stunning decision-making to spare lives upon receiving patients in dire conditions.
No matter how many times the superb cast depicts this very real-life ordeal, the medical drama captures the rapid and wrenching experience like few medical TV Shows. Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas) takes the lead with Mason, who has severe internal injuries throughout his torso. Her expertise buys the boy enough time to make it to surgery.
Ethan, on the other hand, has wounds to the head. “He's leaking brains,” one nurse declares. Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) leads the team with Dr. Murphy and Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) to save his life. Dr. Allen (Bria Samone Henderson) is also on board. “This is not a happy brain,” Lim says before the young patient has a crash. “The Good Doctor” steps in, saying that half of his skull needs to be removed due to the swelling.
Lea soon realizes that both numb from pain parents enter the waiting room with her. Their clothes carry their sons’ blood, but they sit distant from one another. When a staff member presents the inescapable paperwork for insurance, Lea graciously offers to help. She aids Carina first, telling her that the other person in the room is “the other mom.” At first, the greeting is amicable, until Taryn sees the bracelet on Carina’s wrist.
“You're one of them,” she accuses. “Get away from me.”
The waiting room on ‘The Good Doctor’ isn't the only heated place
Dr. Browne doesn't hold back her opinions in the OR regarding the disaster for the boys brought on by the degree of division. She’s also not very willing to hear out the differing stances of Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) and Dr. Wolke (Noah Galvin) in their social and political decisions. Both made their choices based on personal experiences and heritage. Asher even admits that he doesn't discuss his vote because of the ostracizing effect it brings. Andrews quickly redirects attention to the patient. Operating outcomes literally have to trump politics for “The Good Doctor” in this scenario.
Mason is losing blood rapidly, and all area hospitals have none to give. The loss of blood may cause brain damage. The doctors inform Carina of the situation. They have to bring Mason out of anesthesia to do a brain function test, letting them know it's safe to continue surgery. Carina tells them to wake her son, and she wants to be there. In a touching mother-son exchange, this installment of “The Good Doctor” conveys the palpable faith that only a mother possesses. The surgery proceeds, but blood supply remains an issue.
Taryn is torn to bits because she is not getting any real choices with her son. Lea close to the operating theater, interceding that “someone needs to tell her that her son is being taken care of.” “The Good Doctor” and Dr.
Park arrive to say that while some bullet fragments and harmful debris have been removed from Ethan's brain, another bullet is too deep. Shaun recommends that it stay put. Taryn is beside herself, but Lea assures that she can trust the doctors. Further discovery reveals that another bullet is even deeper in Ethan’s brain, and removal seems impossible until Dr. Park reads “Hansel and Gretel” to be inspired on another solution. “The Good Doctor” rejoices in his colleague’s research.
Humanity and a heart-stopping scare on ‘The Good Doctor’
What “The Good Doctor” hopes will be a surgical consult with Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) turns into a parental preparation talk. Shaun frantically inquires “What did I miss?” of his mentor, facing that Ethan likely will die.
Glassman concedes that the advice is “all I've got.” The conversation centers on the one job of every parent, keeping your child alive, during the “emotional advice about me” that Shaun receives. What makes this probable loss more devastating to “The Good Doctor” is that he's feeling the loss as a parent.
Dr. Park would never have come to his design to save Ethan without Morgan's (Fiona Gubelmann) very direct scolding that now was not the time to let his parental devotion distract him from saving the young boy. The “How would you feel?” role-play worked, thankfully, for all concerned. Reznick relates that Park’s burden is not “1/100th” of that felt by these parents. By the end of the day, though, Park tells Morgan “You’re good for me, but just sleeping with you is not.” He decides to give Heather a chance.
Morgan holds up her hard shell but clearly is heartbroken.
Through Lea’s discovery of good news from her test, Taryn and Carina discover that they are both single moms, one through the death of a spouse and the other through a painful divorce. They disclose stories of their sons’ birth and learn that despite different socio-political views, devotion bonds them. Taryn takes a swing at Lea after learning that she and Shaun are a couple. In the end, though, Ethan mom’s follows her human calling on “The Good Doctor” donating twice the normal amount to help Mason pull through his operation.
