This week's May 31 Memorial Day turn on “The Good Doctor” takes Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and the surgical team volunteering from San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital to Guatemala. Once there, they not only confront wrenching medical choices in a very sparse and unforgiving environment but also, they must tackle playing God in deciding which patients among hundreds have the most viable potential for healing and survival. Lea (Paige Spara) wants to do her part, too, in “Venga,” Episode 19 of Season 4 and Part 1 of the season finale. Sadly, no matter how she strives to rally and rise in spirit, she can't escape her consuming grief.
Fans no doubt will savor the treat of hearing Freddie Highmore demonstrate his fluency in Spanish, sans subtitles, to which the May 31 TV Fanatic took exception. The leading man took an entirely Spanish-speaking role in Jaume Balaguero’s film, “Way Down,” last year. “The Good Doctor” is always at the forefront of TV Shows putting the human face at the forefront of medicine. This episode immediately pulls viewers into some of the most emotional moments of the season and adds unexpected surprise along the way.
Some are more prepared for travel than others on ‘The Good Doctor
Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) plays the dutiful chauffeur in getting “The Good Doctor” and Lea to the airport. The elder surgeon more than hints that he's not referring to only the luggage when she assures him that it's not too much to lift.
Sean's mentor clearly hasn't disclosed his current marital woes. Shaun asks if he wants rum from the duty-free shop.
Glassman gives Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) some ribbing over bringing his own toilet seat. Andrews counters that only someone who's never gone on a mission trip like this questions bringing this item. At the outset, Dr.
Lim (Christina Chang) and Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) seem most frazzled. By the time viewers see the team on the bus destined for their remote location, Lim’s bag is lost and Morgan Reznick already looks dismayed. “The Good Doctor,” on the other hand, offers his extra supplement of B-12 to Dr. Browne (Antonia Thomas). Dr.
Murphy seems buoyant about the adventure. Along their travels, “The Good Doctor” identifies a fungal skin condition on a friendly sheepherder who moves his flock out of the road. The next day, Dr. Murphy hand delivers an ointment for relief.
Life-and-death come down to a dozen on ‘The Good Doctor’
Upon arrival at their rustic clinic, the doctor in charge (Osvaldo Benevides) reminds the noble-minded volunteers that only 12 patients can be selected. No matter “how sick or how sad” the situations of the remaining hopefuls, they are sent home. The process likely omits the sickest, the elderly, and those with the most severe conditions, because their survival options are already so poor. The gravity of the mission becomes blatantly apparent on the face of “The Good Doctor” and the other team members as they call names from the throng in a courtyard.
One of the most touching encounters occurs between Dr. Andrews, already greeted as “Dr. Toilet Seat,” because he packed the same item during his residency visit, and a young boy with a facial tumor. It is so refreshing to see a surgical boss become simply a caring doctor. The rapport between Andrews and the precious baseball fan was palpable, as real people, as well as actors in character. Andrews is cautioned that a surgery could be fatal since so many arteries are involved. Nonetheless, he is determined to change this life forever. There will be more on this storyline in “The Good Doctor” next week.
Another father and son are not so fortunate in their news. They are sent away because heart issues make surgery too much of a risk.
Morgan looks on as the parent clutches his cherished child. Here, her character shows the same heart that she had when she risked the use of her hands forever to save a patient. When she's brave enough to let her walls break down, Morgan is such a redeemable soul. Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) witnesses her response from afar. As for “The Good Doctor,” he discovers the problem for his patient, but repairing it may be out of reach.
Dr. Murphy examines a patient presumed to have an embolism in the lung. When a nurse proposes turning him and listing for circulation a different way, “The Good Doctor” realizes that the blood clot is in the brain. His mind begins to lay out the surgery as usual. In this case, however, the availability of usual supplies and treatments is nonexistent.
He begins speaking Spanish in rapid-fire, before saying “I'm not good at communication, in two languages.” The nurse proposes that a snake venom treatment works the same as a needed blood thinner, so surgery can go forward.
The same caring nurse approaches Claire Browne during an uncommon emotional breakdown with a tissue. The dedicated surgeon apologizes, and the nurse insists that being human is the only way to save lives in the circumstances. “You have to focus on the miracles,” she offers. “Otherwise, you won't help anyone.” Browne’s patient becomes a single-parent mother with a gallbladder problem. Near the end of this first part of the Season 4 finale, Claire comes to tell the daughter to wake her mother up, because she will be next for surgery.
A maternal kidnapping on ‘The Good Doctor’
Dr. Lim wonders about the flirtatious moves she sees from Dr. Andrews at the bar. He tells her that he just being kind. She responds with raised eyebrows and soon decides to take a cab to her hotel room. Without apprehension, she jumps into what she thinks is a hired vehicle, and the host doctor hops in right behind her. They are well into this ride on “The Good Doctor” when Dr. Mateo suspects they are being kidnapped. He urges Audrey Lim to stay calm.
They arrive at a darkened room, finding a woman in labor. Lim checks to be sure she is fully dilated, but the baby is caught in the birth canal. Mateo suggests a technique of grabbing the infant’s finger to release the shoulder.
The successful move allows for a blissful welcome. Not everything is dark during this adventure on “The Good Doctor.” Dr. Lim doesn't feel like sleeping after their remarkable shared experience. Following a passionate kiss, Mateo goes into her hotel room.
Speaking of mothers, Lea is doing her best to soldier on and be of any help she can. Still, nothing conceals her desperate grief and suffering from the loss of her unborn daughter. She witnesses the arrival of baby Isabella with her parents through a window. Later, she comes to congratulate the mother and give knitted goodies. She calls the darling girl “perfecta,” but understandably, she cannot bring herself to hold the baby.
Claire Browne is still learning about processing grief.
She finds Lea in tears and tells her that Shaun needs to know the whole truth. Lea rightly says that “The Good Doctor” cannot fix this pain. Together, though, the two can be present to bear it. The June 1 Daily Express confirms that the ladies take the tearjerker of the night.
That evening, Lea shares her excruciating pain. “The Good Doctor” reaches for her hand. Lea adds that her mother wants her to come home for a while to Hershey, Pennsylvania. She tells Shaun that some time apart might be good for her. “I want you to be happy,” he replies. These internal scars are beyond what Shaun can do with the scalpel. “I can't even look into your beautiful blue eyes,” she admits, “because I wanted our daughter to have them.”
Hurt boils to the surface for Park and Reznick, too.
When he reveals that he saw her reaction to the little boy with his father, she lashes back. She declares that he can't play the sensitive good guy right after demanding that the two keep things strictly professional. She has a reason to be hurt, but let's hope they don't throw something good away. “The Good Doctor” thrives on hope.
It appears that hope happens in the OR next week on the medical mission. The nitty-gritty of dire health conditions meet the brilliance of “The Good Doctor” surgeons, and per the final episode previews, Shaun and Lea “move forward” together.
