S03.E09: Incomplete

[AriAu]

Quote

 If they show Shaun/Carly doing other couple stuff, maybe I could see what she sees in Shaun.  But all I see are his rejections of everything she's trying to do to make it work.

To me, this is one of the bigger issues-they are not SHOWING us anything other than the inability to have sexual relations. Lots of telling....not much showing. We might view it differently if we saw him helping her in the lab and the 2 of them laughing and being happy together like other couples do. Then the physical part would not seem as out of left field. I think the view of him as the 14 year old and her as the teacher taking advantage because we are not getting to see the "relationship" part. She  must have actual feelings for him or she wouldn't be able to deal with what is clearly the hurt that she is feeling.

Speaking of things we are not seeing, how about some actual medical stuff rather than lectures about how sex ruins relationships and the rock bottom that Claire just hit? 

[amarante]

I recognize that the clitoral amputation has been discussed but what an over simplification it was to focus on a vagina and a clitoris being necessary to have a satisfactory intimate life. The body and human beings have multiple erogenous zones and I would have thought that someone actually versed in human sexuality would have been brought in to discuss that with the couple rather than doctors providing their advice based solely on their good or bad experiences with boyfriends.

And while this week's episode did attempt to explain Carly's "attraction" to Shaun, it was an epic fail because it would also describe a good platonic friend supporting one in a crisis situation. And the issue of having intercourse is secondary - at least it would be for me - as it relates to Shaun's inability to have emotional intimacy with another human being. Yes he is not a bad person at all but I would certainly find it ultimately unwilling to have a life partner who was that emotionally absent even if the sex was out of this world. :-).

[Blue Plastic]

Well, I kind of hated this.  A bit tedious to keep the "will they or won't they?" question going this long IMO.  I felt so bad for Carly after she "finished" her "incomplete" tattoo and sounded so happy about it, then he just bolted out the door anyway.  She looked really hurt.

Kind of interesting how both of Shaun's female co-residents, Claire and Morgan, have said or done things that kind of ticked Carly off.  I wish they could have a better relationship and kind of bring Carly into the friend group but oh well.  It's not like they have to hang out all the time or be best buddies but it'd be nice to see Carly and Claire + Morgan have a friendly relationship.

I thought Carly had a good point to what Morgan said BUT still don't quite know what makes Carly interested in Shaun.  I feel bad to say that.  But he is pretty difficult in personal relationships of any kind.  Not that relationships between neurotypicals are easy either, but Shaun presents a special challenge.

WTH was up with the case of the woman with the tumor in her clitoral area?  I think I missed something there.  If she kept the tumor she would risk death whenever she had sex, but if she got it removed her whole vagina would be destroyed or something and she'd never have sex again?  I wonder if that is based on a real condition.

[catrice2]

I agree with up thread.  Although I do not enjoy the Shaun and Carly relationship ( I actually like more medical issues on medical shows....call me silly! )  I also do not think it is all Carly's fault nor do I think it is creepy that she , a grown woman wants to be in a relationship with a man she likes and admires.  I  I am not really invested in anyone's romantic relationship.  As someone said, this has to be very damaging to her self esteem and very frustrating.  She is putting a lot of time and effort into trying to find what pleases Shaun and how he sees things and he is spending little time trying to understand her and her motives. It is very one sided which cannot be fulfilling.  Who wants to be rejected like that?  In truth instead of worrying so much about her motives someone should be a real friend and tell Shaun how unfair he is being. Of course he can't change who he is or how he feels and reacts, but he can work on trying to understand how that affects others

Unlike others I don't think Shaun HAS to be with anyone and I certainly hope it is not Leah. Although I am not enjoying it, I do admire that the show is not making it seem as if it is always that easy.  So Shaun has little flirtations with Leah, has a little adventure with her and of course she is the love of his life!  Nothing has indicated that she would be able to maturely handle some of the situations that Carly and Shaun have navigated together.  But of course, television is fantasy so they have to give the audience what it wants if they want it loudly enough...Shaun with Leah just because it was his first kiss/crush.  Clearly she could not see him as a man or she would have pursued a relationship with him.  I actually think it is growth to show that he can have a platonic relationship with her sharing a space. 

Resnick does not interest me at all, and the thing I like about Park so far is that they showed a little of his personal life and moved on.   They need to show Melendez dating and Claire finding a healthy relationship if they want to show personal details.....and less of Glassman and his issues.  

I didn't like Andrews as a character, but I enjoyed him. I don't like how the show is currently using him.  Although I like Lim, I actually hope she does take a job at another hospital.....somebody has to go at the end of the season and right now it is between her and Andrews. 

[bros402]

8 hours ago, Blue Plastic said:

WTH was up with the case of the woman with the tumor in her clitoral area?  I think I missed something there.  If she kept the tumor she would risk death whenever she had sex, but if she got it removed her whole vagina would be destroyed or something and she'd never have sex again?  I wonder if that is based on a real condition.

The way they explained it was that she had multiple lesions in the groin region that had to be excised. I am guessing one of them was caused by her full bladder when she was getting the CT scan. Removal of another one of the lesions would've resulted in the removal of her clitoris.

I am also wondering if it was based on a real case.

[rmontro]

23 hours ago, AriAu said:

To me, this is one of the bigger issues-they are not SHOWING us anything other than the inability to have sexual relations.

Excellent point.

20 hours ago, Blue Plastic said:

A bit tedious to keep the "will they or won't they?" question going this long IMO.  I felt so bad for Carly after she "finished" her "incomplete" tattoo and sounded so happy about it, then he just bolted out the door anyway.  She looked really hurt.

Almost every scene they have together ends up with her looking hurt.  Despite her protests about Shaun's condition not bothering her, she seems to have expectations that don't match what she says, because she is always looking disappointed.

[Beezella]

I was stunned (as was Claire!) when the guy's daughter looked a lot like Claire. She could have been Claire's daughter.

I thought Shaun and Carly did make some progress. They ended up holding hands completely, even all four hands! Albeit briefly.

This was such a heartbreaking episode. Maybe Carly's incomplete heart was a broken heart? I am very curious about the history of that tattoo. I am also curious that she had so much self doubt about being a pathologist.

[aemom]

On 11/26/2019 at 7:20 PM, KaveDweller said:

I kinda wanted more details about what she was having removed. Cause her ovaries weren't going to be impacted so she would still menstruate. But I thought they said she couldn't have intercourse, not just that she wouldn't have orgasms.

They said she could have kids with a c-section, so that suggests there wouldn't be a full opening. But there has to be a way to get her pregnant.

This whole plotline bothered me a lot.  My understanding was that they would have to remove her clitoris and that she would no longer have a proper vagina - there would still be some sort of opening for menstruation, but that was it.  So no more intercourse or orgasms for her and I'm guessing that she would have to get pregnant via artificial insemination?

But - and this is probably a limitation of what you can discuss on network television - it's not like her fiancé would have to spend his life sexually unsatisfied.  There are hand jobs, oral sex, and even anal sex if she were game for it.  If you can't fully discuss all the real options, then maybe scrap that plotline and come up with something else?

I hope Claire has now finally hit the wall and gets some help.  I really hope that they do not put Claire and Melendez together because after the whole thing about him still pining for Lim, it would look very cheap and unrealistic.

Carly really has her work cut out for her.  Someone upthread mentioned a sex therapist, and that would actually be a good idea.  Because right now, if he can barely handle 15 seconds of cuddling, actual sex is way, way, WAY down the road.

Edited November 29, 2019 by aemom
Typo

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, aemom said:

I really hope that they do not put Claire and Melendez together because after the whole thing about him still pining for Lim, it would look very cheap and unrealistic.

And after he was convinced that Lim couldn't be objective as his supervisor, he would be a really hypocrite to get involved with someone he supervises. It's always wrong, but he KNOWS it's wrong and it's been a PLOT POINT that he knows it, and the Chief of Surgery also knows it, so....

[bros402]

12 hours ago, aemom said:

But - and this is probably a limitation of what you can discuss on network television - it's not like her fiancé would have to spend his life sexually unsatisfied.  There are hand jobs, oral sex, and even anal sex if she were game for it.  If you can't fully discuss all the real options, then maybe scrap that plotline and come up with something else?

I mean, even on network TV, they could get away with a sly "Well, that's not the end of the world, there's always other stuff we could do!"

[Dreamboat Annie]

Hi all - first time poster on this show.  The show, while not totally depressing to me, seems darker, a little sad, and not as much fun as it's been at times.

At first I liked the way Carly put Shaun's friends "in their place" (if that's the correct term) when they were, what she thought, sticking their noses where they didn't belong.  But then I wondered why she wouldn't be at least a tad glad that Shaun has friends who genuinely care about him, and have legitimate concern (after all he does have special needs), and not only that - if they care this much perhaps they can help?  Maybe she doesn't want that, but I don't see why every exchange has to result in what seems like a put down by her. 

In this episode, I got the feeling that "incomplete" meant that Shaun just doesn't trust Carly.  When Shaun and Lea kissed (no, I don't want Shaun and Lea together, I feel that ship has sailed and I enjoy their friendship), I certainly got the impression that he wanted more, including the physical relationship.  Shaun trusts Lea. 

I actually liked Morgan in this episode*.  Couldn't stand her when she first showed up but ever since last year's mid-season finale, I have gotten to like her more.  I find her to be mean with some people, but not to Shaun, rather I see her as understanding, kind, patient and helpful to Shaun. Could it be? Could it?  Given Morgan's complete disdain for sex and Shaun's discomfort with sex... .  That, combined with their blunt honesty, they could really enjoy each other's company while not having sex together.  Then, after a time, there could be, um, maybe... trust?  Well, at least it could inject some much needed fun back into this show.**

*   Ducking under my computer chair.

**  Now ducking under my computer table, and shielding myself with my chair.

[Diana Berry]

On 11/26/2019 at 2:42 AM, bros402 said:

I felt bad for Carly in this episode, but I liked how Resnick and Carly pretty much had the conversation some people have been having here for a few weeks.

I hope Lim and Melendez get back together, they were great together.

I just hope Melendez providing comfort at the end doesn't mean they are gonna get together. I hope everyone realizes something is up with Claire and it finally comes out that her mom died.

Also, as an aside - Jasika Nicole actually has a sibling with autism. I remember reading that at some point when Fringe was on.
 

I don't understand why they made him so socially impaired either - they could've focused more on sensory issues, but then they can't physically demonstrate sensory difficulties well. They have shown sensory issues in the past, but not often.

Freddie Highmore is 27. Jasika Nicole (Carly) is 39.

She’s a gorgeous 39.  I wasn’t sure if there was a big age difference or just that Highmore looks so young.