S03.E17: Fixation

[Trini]

A patient with a mysterious and undiagnosed illness that has baffled other doctors for years forces Dr. Shaun Murphy and the team to take some big risks. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Brown and Dr. Neil Melendez continue to cautiously navigate their feelings for each other as colleagues and friends.

"Fixation" was written by Jessica Grasl and Debbie Ezer, and directed by Lisa Demaine.

Airdate: 3/2/2020

 

Edited March 2, 2020 by Trini

[The Wild Sow]

Da-BREED, not Dee-BRIDE.

[Annber03]

Wow, that ending with Lim and Max really got to me. I figured one of them was going to offer to donate a kidney, and I understand Lim's hesitation to approve the transplant, but still, poor kid. I think he made quite a compelling argument. I like to think they were able to ultimately find a kidney in the end, though :).

Yay for them finding a solution for that woman as well. Her husband saying he'd leave if she went ahead with that surgery, though...dang. I mean, I get that he doesn't want her to put herself at any further risk, but still...

Shaun, listen to Claire. She always gives you sound advice. I know he's frustrated, and I can sympathize with that, but I really appreciate Lea not giving in to his persistence. This just further proves what I've been saying, that he needs time to just focus on himself and sort through his own feelings in his own way. 

Getting the feeling Park's son has some deeper secret he's afraid to tell his dad. 

So Claire and Dash reuniting, eh? Interesting. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Annber03

[catrice2]

Who is Dash? Missed most of the first season and this is not must see tv for me.  Is he the husband of the friend that was dying and wanted them together? 

 

I am sooooooooo tired of Shaun. 

[Annber03]

19 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

Who is Dash? Missed most of the first season and this is not must see tv for me.  Is he the husband of the friend that was dying and wanted them together? 

Yes :). 

[preeya]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Getting the feeling Park's son has some deeper secret he's afraid to tell his dad. 

Me too. I thought he was going to tell his father he is gay.

[statsgirl]

In today's episode of Trying To Get The People We Love To Do What We Want:

I understand the husband's desire not to lose his wife but wow, threatening to leave her and take their child if she goes ahead with the operation is ridiculously manipulative.  So she should live a half-life because there's a chance that she could die?  Let's ask anyone with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia if they were be willing to take that chance.  (I notice that both David Cubitt and Ever Caradine are both looking fine.)

I like Lim but I think she was wrong here.  Yes, as an adult she needs to look after Max and make sure that he doesn't make a mistake but she didn't think at all of what Max would lose if Wes died now.

I don't even want to get into Shaun trying to change himself for Lea.

Melendez won this episode, supporting Claire to date or not date as she wished.

Park was also good, supporting his son to get a therapist although points to the kid for pointing out that Park just wanted to know that he was okay and go back to work.

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

 I like to think they were able to ultimately find a kidney in the end, though :).

Me too.

[preeya]

42 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

I am sooooooooo tired of Shaun.

Me too. He should just stick to doctoring.

[Kleav]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

that ending with Lim and Max really got to me.

Yes. That kid's a terrific actor.

[bros402]

Shaun is spiraling - I sort of hope this season ends with Shaun having a full blown meltdown where the result is that he is required to have therapy, because he *needs* therapy with how he is hyperfocusing on Lea. He needs to learn how to regulate his emotions and understand that no means no.

 

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Getting the feeling Park's son has some deeper secret he's afraid to tell his dad. 

So Claire and Dash reuniting, eh? Interesting. 

Oh yeah, he is definitely hiding something. I hope Claire & Dash become a solid couple and Melendez and Claire never become a couple.

1 hour ago, preeya said:

Me too. I thought he was going to tell his father he is gay.

I was thinking transgender - since Park seems like he'd be okay with gay, but he doesn't know how his dad feels about trans people, so he might be hiding it from both parents.

Also, why would his kid do the vape cartridges? He was visiting his dad in California (He sure got there quick from Phoenix, unless he was with his dad for the week?), it's fully legal there, he could've at least gotten some gummies. I only vape weed because the only edibles here in NJ are for pain. Of course, I only vape dry herb, I don't trust the cartridges - even before people got vaping illnesses..

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I understand the husband's desire not to lose his wife but wow, threatening to leave her and take their child if she goes ahead with the operation is ridiculously manipulative.

Threatening to take the child was horrible. I thought they were going to reveal that she wasn't actually sick, she was just so afraid of her abusive husband that she wanted to stay in the hospital as long as possible just so she'd be safe.

 

[thuganomics85]

My first thought is that Kellan/Park's son secret was definitely something to do with his sexuality or being transgender.  Now, I don't think Park himself has shown signs of being homophobic or anything like that, but I can see why a son might think that his somewhat rigid, former cop dad might have a problem with it: especially since their relationship is still mainly a bumpy one (even though Park has been trying to fix things.)  But I could be wrong though.  As usual though, I'm just always happy when Will Yun Lee is allowed to show off his dramatic chops.

Feels like it has been a while since Shaun and Claire worked a case together, so that was nice (especially along with Melendez.)  They really are a great pair, and I liked how both of them really worked together as a team.  Still, Shaun practically inventing a new surgery delighted me, because it randomly made me think of former Chief of Surgery Han/Daniel Dae Kim from last season, and just picturing him hearing about it, and being all "Oh, come on!  That little bastard!"

Always great to see Harold Perrineau and I enjoyed the Wes character, and his little group.  Too bad it didn't workout.  Kind of feel like Lim should have let Max make the call, but I guess I can see why she didn't.  Their final scene was heartbreaking.

Claire is going to try something with this Dash character, I see.

Sigh... dammit, Shaun.  I love him, but he really is not handling this well at all.  Being way too pushy and aggressive with trying to make him and Lea happen, and it is not a good look.  If anything, he might end up losing Lea as a friend, if he keeps going at this rate.  And we're already seeing it effect his job performance on some levels.  He really needs to learn that if someone tells him no, he needs to accept it and move on.  Not sure what is going to come out of this, since even Glassman didn't seem able to get through to him.

Was it just me or did Andrews' voice sound more gravelly compared to normal?  Someone needs to tell Hill Harper they've already got someone else playing Batman!

[Prower]

I mean you can reject anybody for any reason, sure. But is it just me or are Lea's reasons dumb as hell? They were already best friends who successfully lived together. How much more demanding can a relationship get? I mean it's at least worth a try, right? She gave Shaun fair warning that she was difficult and he wanted to go ahead with it anyway. What's the problem here?

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

Shaun was giving off some serious stalker vibes. I HATE nothing more than guys who don't take a No for No.

Last week someone had said that Lea didn't want to change to be with Shaun and that it was bad, but why should she? If a show had one of the couples change who they inherently are just to be coupled up, everyone would be up in arms and rightly so

Shaun knowingly or unknowingly is selfish. It was all about him and how he felt. It is worse because it had to be pointed out to him and even then, he still wouldn't let go. He likes a toy and must have it at all cost. 

I thought Claire's friend urging Claire to date her window was creepy and still creepy. I am sorry of all the people she could try a relationship with, the show picked him

[Lady Calypso]

17 minutes ago, Prower said:

I mean you can reject anybody for any reason, sure. But is it just me or are Lea's reasons dumb as hell? They were already best friends who successfully lived together. How much more demanding can a relationship get? I mean it's at least worth a try, right? She gave Shaun fair warning that she was difficult and he wanted to go ahead with it anyway. What's the problem here?

Not necessarily dumb. She was kind of dancing around the real answer, which was that she simply cannot handle dating someone who has autism, because that would require HER to make sacrifices. Glassman made a very good point to Shaun at the beginning of the episode; Lea's rejection is about Lea, not about Shaun. It's Lea who has to put in the effort here, because she's the one saying no. 

Even Morgan said the right thing; sure, you want to be a better version of yourself for your partner, but how is Shaun going to change his autism and be a better version for Lea? He simply can't.

I do think that Shaun was wrong in this episode. Lea kept making very valid points and Shaun shut them all down. That's why I'm ok with her having to be extremely blunt with him at the end, even if it hurt Shaun. She may have some feelings for him, but it's not enough for her. Her issue is with his autism; for Lea, his autism is the dealbreaker. You can like someone enough and also realize that it would never work because of one simple, yet major factor. 

And yes, Shaun is so hyper-fixated on Lea that he clearly needs time to figure out his own feelings. He's not doing that at all. He absolutely needs to learn boundaries, and this is why he needs to be single and in therapy. If he didn't have autism, this would set off some red flags. I think Shaun needs to learn that his actions are way too pushy and that it's making Lea feel uncomfortable, to the point where she needed to deliver a harsh reality to him.

Kellan and Park's subplot was fairly well done, but I get the feeling that Kellan is hiding more than he's saying. Is it really just about his dad working long hours? I did think, for a minute, that maybe this is the start of Park's departure from the show. Maybe he quits as a doctor and moves to be closer to his son. I hope not, because I genuinely like Park, but they planted those seeds. 

I totally forgot about Dash, not gonna lie. I'm glad Melendez is being a supportive friend..for now, at least. He can't really claim any jealousy later on when he encouraged Claire to go for it.

I feel bad for the Wes/Max case. I get where Lim is coming from, but in that moment, I had hoped that maybe she would have changed her mind.

[preeya]

3 minutes ago, Deputy Deputy CoS said:

I thought Claire's friend urging Claire to date her window was creepy and still creepy. I am sorry of all the people she could try a relationship with, the show picked him

And what was up with the last scene where they were eating food that looked really disgusting?  You don't have to be Gordan Ramsay to make a casserole. That scene went totally over my head.

[Prower]

12 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Not necessarily dumb. She was kind of dancing around the real answer, which was that she simply cannot handle dating someone who has autism, because that would require HER to make sacrifices. Glassman made a very good point to Shaun at the beginning of the episode; Lea's rejection is about Lea, not about Shaun. It's Lea who has to put in the effort here, because she's the one saying no. 

I mean, yes it's about her. But it doesn't seem like she would have to change much. They already worked as best friends who lived together. What more obstacles are there?

Maybe you are right, maybe it isn't dumb, but rather contrived, contrived writing.

16 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Even Morgan said the right thing; sure, you want to be a better version of yourself for your partner, but how is Shaun going to change his autism and be a better version for Lea? He simply can't.

And I didn't say he should.

16 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I do think that Shaun was wrong in this episode. Lea kept making very valid points and Shaun shut them all down. That's why I'm ok with her having to be extremely blunt with him at the end, even if it hurt Shaun. She may have some feelings for him, but it's not enough for her. Her issue is with his autism; for Lea, his autism is the dealbreaker. You can like someone enough and also realize that it would never work because of one simple, yet major factor. 

Yes, his autism is a dealbreaker for her. But I don't get why. The show hasn't really shown what the problem would be.

So I'm left with, either Lea has some unreasonable fears we don't know the reason for, or the writing is bad. 🤷

17 minutes ago, preeya said:

And what was up with the last scene where they were eating food that looked really disgusting?  You don't have to be Gordan Ramsay to make a casserole. That scene went totally over my head.

They are both horrible cooks and that was supposed to be some kind of cute bonding moment. I also can't understand how you can be so bad at cooking, but some people can burn water. 🤷

[Lady Calypso]

4 minutes ago, Prower said:

I mean, yes it's about her. But it doesn't seem like she would have to change much. They already worked as best friends who lived together. What more obstacles are there?

Maybe you are right, maybe it isn't dumb, but rather contrived, contrived writing.

It's different when you're dating someone, rather than just living with them. When you're dating someone, there are different stakes involved. That's why Lea was able to handle some of Shaun's quirks as roommates; there wasn't the added bonus of having a romantic relationship.

And I say this as someone who has second hand experience, having lived with roommates, where two of them were dating (never ever doing that again, btw). Lea would absolutely need to change, in the sense that she'd need to be more accepting of his quirks and realize that what she would want out of an ideal relationship likely wouldn't be what she would get from Shaun.

 

12 minutes ago, Prower said:

Yes, his autism is a dealbreaker for her. But I don't get why. The show hasn't really shown what the problem would be.

And maybe we'll get more of an explanation from her down the road, especially since I'm still pretty certain that they'll end up together at some point. But, for now, Lea just doesn't want to date someone with autism. I don't necessarily think there needs to be a deeper reason than that. Lea's answer is still "no" and Shaun needs to respect that. It's actually why I was on Lea's side in this episode, which never happens. 

But my opinion is that she's not willing to sacrifice and put in the work to give it a go. She doesn't want to try to compromise in a relationship because that's too much work. She wants what she wants and, at this stage in her life, that's plenty for her. We've seen her in short term relationships before and it seems like it's because she doesn't want to commit to something more serious. Maybe down the line, she'll be willing. But right now, her answer is 'no'. 

[Evagirl]

9 hours ago, preeya said:

Me too. I thought he was going to tell his father he is gay

Ditto.

[Evagirl]

4 hours ago, Prower said:

5 hours ago, preeya said:

nd what was up with the last scene where they were eating food that looked really disgusting?  You don't have to be Gordan Ramsay to make a casserole. That scene went totally over my head.

They are both horrible cooks and that was supposed to be some kind of cute bonding moment. I also can't understand how you can be so bad at cooking, but some people can burn water. 🤷

I think it was one of his deceased wife's recipes.  He brought Claire some of her recipes she had asked him to to give Claire before she died. I think the deceased wife had expectations that "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  Although either the recipe was a disaster or Claire's technique.

I personally didn't see anything wrong with the deceased wife trying to find someone for her husband before she died. She didn't want him to spend his entire life grieving for her and she let Claire know that if the feeling was mutual, she would be pleased.  Even the dying wife could see that Dash and Claire were kind of attracted to each other.  In my mind, the ultimate gift you can give a surviving spouse is to tell them to find love again before you leave this world.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Evagirl
typo

[vibeology]

10 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Park was also good, supporting his son to get a therapist although points to the kid for pointing out that Park just wanted to know that he was okay and go back to work.

I was bothered that Park assumed there was some big thing going on. There might be. But sometimes you just have anxiety and everything is what is going on in little ways. I just wish Park had dealt with that differently.

5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sigh... dammit, Shaun.  I love him, but he really is not handling this well at all.  Being way too pushy and aggressive with trying to make him and Lea happen, and it is not a good look.  If anything, he might end up losing Lea as a friend, if he keeps going at this rate.  And we're already seeing it effect his job performance on some levels.  He really needs to learn that if someone tells him no, he needs to accept it and move on.  Not sure what is going to come out of this, since even Glassman didn't seem able to get through to him.

If I was Lea, I would want a long friendship break. This is exactly what her worry was last season before they moved in. No is a complete sentence and she isn't interested in dating Shaun.

1 hour ago, Prower said:

Yes, his autism is a dealbreaker for her. But I don't get why. The show hasn't really shown what the problem would be.

I feel like we saw what the problem would be in this episode. Shaun is only focused on himself. He refused to accept no for an answer, dragged her away from work in the middle of the day and was insistent that he could "fix" the situation. It was exhausting watching it so I can only imagine that being his romantic partner would also be exhausting. Shaun needs to take some time to work on himself and not pursue relationships where the other person has clearly said no multiple times.

[preeya]

 

2 hours ago, Prower said:

They are both horrible cooks and that was supposed to be some kind of cute bonding moment. I also can't understand how you can be so bad at cooking, but some people can burn water. 🤷

I always say "if you can read and follow directions you can cook" and I'm not referring to gourmet meals, just simple stuff (like a casserole).

[Driad]

Shaun may feel that he puts in a lot of effort to get along with other people, while most others (say, Lea) do very little.  He may consider that this is unfair, and that others should do more to get along with him.

The bad casserole in the aluminum pan appeared to contain tomatoes. Tomatoes should not be cooked in aluminum.  Tomatoes are acid, so the food absorbs some of the aluminum and may gain a bitter taste.  This is not necessarily why the casserole tasted bad, but aluminum is not especially good for you.

[marcee]

It could just be that Lea is simply not attracted to him, whether it's autism related or his appearance or whatever. That should be enough of a reason. Why should she try to make it work if she just doesn't want to - even if the reasons seem thin?

[SassyCat]

1 hour ago, marcee said:

It could just be that Lea is simply not attracted to him, whether it's autism related or his appearance or whatever. That should be enough of a reason. Why should she try to make it work if she just doesn't want to - even if the reasons seem thin?

Exactly! She just doesn't have that all essential Spark of attraction for him in a romantic way! You can't pressure anyone into developing one. Why should she surrender that and give herself to someone in a one-way spark situation? Just to be "nice"? Nope. It doesn't work that way and the person they are trying to love, but can't, ends up getting hurt even worse in the end after their hopes are raised from a false pairing on the person's part who's just trying to be nice, and had to TRY to develop a reciprocal spark. To be "nice".

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, marcee said:

It could just be that Lea is simply not attracted to him, whether it's autism related or his appearance or whatever. That should be enough of a reason. Why should she try to make it work if she just doesn't want to - even if the reasons seem thin?

This is fine and I agree. But then if there isn't going to be a relationship why is she even there?

Either they did a pivot on her and decided that they really aren't going to pursue a relationship between the two (which again... why is she there then?) or they are settling in with some long drawn out torturous romance that we are going to have to suffer through.

[Fable]

I see no reason for Leah to give into Shaun, and I’m glad she didn’t.  She gave into becoming his roommate because he couldn’t take no for an answer, and look how that worked out for her.  Whatever her reasons are, she clearly doesn’t want to change to accommodate a relationship, nor should she have to.  If Shaun wants to work on changing that is up to him.  It doesn’t stand to reason that Leah is going to feel the same.  Even if Leah was able to live with him and be good friends with him, it is possible that there is no physical chemistry which is important to a lot of people. 

I’m relieved they seem to be hitting the brakes with Claire and Melendez. 

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, SassyCat said:

Exactly! She just doesn't have that all essential Spark of attraction for him in a romantic way! You can't pressure anyone into developing one. Why should she surrender that and give herself to someone in a one-way spark situation? Just to be "nice"? Nope. It doesn't work that way and the person they are trying to love, but can't, ends up getting hurt even worse in the end after their hopes are raised from a false pairing on the person's part who's just trying to be nice, and had to TRY to develop a reciprocal spark. To be "nice".

So, that's fine, but, why did Leah seem to get so interested in Shaun and Carly when they were together?  All that hitting on him in front of others, flirting and acted offended that Carly wasn't jealous of her.  Then, when his dad died, trying to get him off alone, sleeping with him (not sexually), the kiss, ......she sends a strong signal of one thing, but then protests she wants him.  I totally get it and hope that Shaun sees her for what she is. He will learn that there are people that you can't trust your heart to.  She is horribly insensitive and should have some skills of dealing with Shaun by now. I guess they'll keep her around as a thorn. 

I would think that the Park would know more about anxiety and panic attacks than to presume his son has some horrible secret that is causing them.  There can be many reasons and sometimes, you aren't even aware of why they happen.  

I agree with Lin's decision.  It was a tough call, but, I think she did the right thing.  He is still a very young man.  You never know what lies ahead for someone.   

Edited March 3, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[racked]

Wasn’t Kellan trapped in the quarantine from last season? That traumatic experience would be enough to give someone panic attacks, but it didn’t seem to occur to Park. 
 

I’m glad they have Lea standing firm in her not wanting to date Sean. I don’t think she’s attracted to him at all, I think she has feelings for him because she cares for him. I hate the storyline of a guy sticking around and badgering a woman until she gives in and dates him and I’m glad the show doesn’t seem to be going in that direction. Still feel like the real victim here is Carly. 

[rmontro]

Looks like they really kicked Flaming Hot Cheetos under the bus.  I don't think they'll be getting any sponsoring from Cheetos in awhile.

Is it wrong of me that I enjoyed Morgan getting on Shaun's nerves when she was "ewww-ing" over the pimple popping pictures?

I like Shaun, but I don't want him to get with Lea.  Part of it is I just don't see them together.  And another part is what Glassman said on the preview for next week:  "This is something every young man goes through".  Well, not every young man, but a lot of them.  You can't have everybody you want.  I would rather see Shaun learn a hard life lesson here, than see magic TV Hollywood romance come up with a happy-ever-after.   

Interesting to see Claire and Dash bond over his deceased wife's recipes.  It looked like it was burned, and that she pulled it out of the oven.  Maybe Claire's oven runs hotter than the one Mrs. Dash had (no pun intended).  If that was Claire's oven.

Nice to see Park getting some storyline for a change.

I would have liked to have seen some sort of closure on Wes.  Either that he got a new kidney or that he had died.

[statsgirl]

The Shaun/Lea storyline is interesting in the sense that Ahaun has had to overcome many barriers and people shutting him down to get where he is. He thinks rhat this is another one he xan overcome if he just puts his mind to it, as hw was successful in the end in his relationship with Carly.

I don't even rhink that it's Shaun's autism that  is the problem for Lea although that's a big barrier.  She just doesn't want to settle into a relationship with anyone when there are so many men and so many parties to go to. Her possessiveness of Shaun has really messed him up though.

37 minutes ago, racked said:

Wasn’t Kellan trapped in the quarantine from last season? That traumatic experience would be enough to give someone panic attacks, but it didn’t seem to occur to Park.

Good point.  It didn't occur to me either.

[KaveDweller]

11 hours ago, Prower said:

I mean you can reject anybody for any reason, sure. But is it just me or are Lea's reasons dumb as hell? They were already best friends who successfully lived together. How much more demanding can a relationship get? I mean it's at least worth a try, right? She gave Shaun fair warning that she was difficult and he wanted to go ahead with it anyway. What's the problem here?

I really think the problem is that Lea is just not that into him. She's making excuses to Shaun but I think that's really the issue. If she really wanted to be with him, she'd make the effort to see if it could work.

Shaun's obsessing over wanting to be with Lea is making him a bit unlikable. I like seeing him focus on patients.

[Kdawg82]

16 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Always great to see Harold Perrineau and I enjoyed the Wes character, and his little group. 

Thanks for dropping the name! I was like "where do I know his face from!?" He was Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo & Juliet." I never saw a lot of his other roles but he played well in R & J. I found him lovable and this episode I felt the same. Good actor. His daughters are gorgeous, too.

[Kdawg82]

I don't think they'll necessarily revisit Kellan's panic attacks but I had two theories- 1) he got a girl pregnant or 2) he sees his father's achievements and feels pressured to live up to expectations but is not a great student or has no direction.  I got panic attacks around junior/senior year and part of it was that I didn't know which direction I wanted to head in at all. 20 yrs later, I still don't know lol but the attacks are gone. 

I'm growing fonder of Morgan. Claire meanwhile took a turn downward for me after her mom storyline. Can't explain it but something with her personality bugs me. 

I feel like Leah and Sean aren't meant to happen. She knows she'll need to behave more controlled around him if they become an item & after all, her quirkiness is what he sort of fell in love with to begin with in a way. She never coddled him. But if that should disappear,  the adoration on Sean's end may, too.

[possibilities]

17 hours ago, Prower said:

What's the problem here?

The problem is that she's not attracted to him. She sees him as a little brother or something like that. She loves him, but she considers him a lot of work and she's not into it.

 

11 hours ago, DearEvette said:

if there isn't going to be a relationship why is she even there?

They were friends. It also is an opportunity to show Shaun dealing with his heartbreak and boundary issues.

I thought Lea should have told him more bluntly right away that she didn't want him to fix it, that she said no and she meant it, and that it wasn't going to change, and that his unwillingness to drop it was a violation of their friendship. Take the autism out of it because that's an excuse, really, and describe the behavior. Set her boundary the same way she would with someone who didn't have autism, i.e. firmly and without leaving any doubt.

She could tell him she loves him, but not "that way"-- that she wants to keep their relationship the way it was, that more was not appealing to her, that she finds it exhausting the way he tries to change her mind, and that she wouldn't tolerate being lobbied and pressured from someone else, and she's not going to accept it from him, either. That, in fact, that's not how people treat people they care about and respect.

All of that is true, whether he has autism or not. I've seen people act like Shaun was acting, and not all of them had autism.

---

Lim lied to the kid in the chapel, right? That was the favor the dying mentor asked of her, off-screen-- that she make up some reason why the kid was not actually a match, so he wouldn't feel as angry and upset by not being allowed to donate?

---

If Park's kid is just having anxiety, with no underlying issue, there's less story there than if he actually does have a deeper issue he's not talking about. There's no reason he couldn't get help with the anxiety, there are treatments for that. Why would he hide it from his parents? Why wouldn't he have already told his mother, if dad wasn't around?

---

I like that Shaun doesn't give up on diagnostics. His persistence is more helpful there, because the patient WANTS that. She had been told she had dysautonomia of unknown origin. Any one of them could have continued to analyze the situation until they came up with the reason. But very often, if it's not one of the obvious ones, doctors will shrug and give up. And the patient is left with the mystery.

One thing I will say for the patient's husband was that at least they didn't have him devalue her after she became disabled. Often, the story is "your diagnosis changes how I feel about you" and at least he didn't do that. No excuse for him to use threats to control her, though.

[bros402]

17 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

And yes, Shaun is so hyper-fixated on Lea that he clearly needs time to figure out his own feelings. He's not doing that at all. He absolutely needs to learn boundaries, and this is why he needs to be single and in therapy. If he didn't have autism, this would set off some red flags. I think Shaun needs to learn that his actions are way too pushy and that it's making Lea feel uncomfortable, to the point where she needed to deliver a harsh reality to him.

It sets off red flags full stop. Glassman should've prepared Shaun for the possibility of Lea not being interested, and stuck to him like glue to make sure he didn't do something restraining order worthy.

12 hours ago, DearEvette said:

This is fine and I agree. But then if there isn't going to be a relationship why is she even there?

Either they did a pivot on her and decided that they really aren't going to pursue a relationship between the two (which again... why is she there then?) or they are settling in with some long drawn out torturous romance that we are going to have to suffer through.

She's there to provide a neurotypical non-doctor friend for Shaun that pushes him out of his comfort zone (Sometimes in very bad ways, like when she stayed under the water while drunk to try to get Shaun to go in)

[Trini]

Maybe it was just me, but I was noticing the editing in this episode - which isn't a good thing. Like, a scene and/or subplot would just end, instead of conclude. To me it felt ike there was supposed to be more but they didn't show it. Not sure if it's a writing, directing or editing fail; or all of the above.

UGH - did they really break up Shaun and Carly just so that Lea could reject Shaun again and we could watch him be more sad about that than losing the woman who was much more understanding and accepting of him? This better be the last time they play with Lea being his love interest; a third round of this and I will seriously consider dropping the show.

Well, now I know why they had Lea move out; this whole storyline would be even more awkward if they were still living together.

Cases of the week were good; of course one of them had to be super sad, though. But Harold Perrineau! The father threatening the 'nuclear option' of leaving with the daughter was not cool, though.

Finally got some Shaun/Claire crumbs. I don't know if the show is really backing off Claire/Melendez, but i don't mind her dating someone else for now.

Yay! They remembered Park also has a personal life! It's been a while, Kellan. I wonder what issue they're going to give him? 'Cause you know it's probably not just vaping and panic attacks. Will Yun is pretty good in his father scenes.

[Lady Calypso]

5 hours ago, Trini said:

UGH - did they really break up Shaun and Carly just so that Lea could reject Shaun again and we could watch him be more sad about that than losing the woman who was much more understanding and accepting of him? This better be the last time they play with Lea being his love interest; a third round of this and I will seriously consider dropping the show.

I guarantee that it'll come back up next season, just with the way they left Lea's feelings for Shaun very open ended. They could have shut it down completely by having Lea tell him that she doesn't think of Shaun as a romantic option ever. They didn't do that; they had Lea make excuses as to why they aren't good together, but never shut down the idea of Lea also loving Shaun.

Which is very annoying and I dislike it....but I honestly expected it to come back up. I remember feeling like Lea/Shaun would continue to be an annoyance since early season 2, when she came back. Lea/Shaun isn't dying any time soon. They'll eventually date; it's just a matter of when, as they've been dragging this out since season 1.

[vavera4ka]

16 hours ago, rmontro said:

 

Interesting to see Claire and Dash bond over his deceased wife's recipes.  It looked like it was burned, and that she pulled it out of the oven.  Maybe Claire's oven runs hotter than the one Mrs. Dash had (no pun intended).  If that was Claire's oven.

 

but how do you burn something that badly when it was covered? It's not just an oven running hot. it's complete failure to follow the temperature and time directions of the recipe.

like some said, it's not a fancy French culinary school recipe. It's "take what you have in the pantry, toss it into a dish and bake it at 350 for an hour"... rocket science this is not...

I'm still hoping that Dash is just one more step towards Claire and Melendez romance. She kissed a few frogs, now she'll try with a good guy, but it'll still feel wrong. I WILL have my couple on the screen, dammit!!! lol

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

I like that Shaun doesn't give up on diagnostics. His persistence is more helpful there, because the patient WANTS that. She had been told she had dysautonomia of unknown origin. Any one of them could have continued to analyze the situation until they came up with the reason. But very often, if it's not one of the obvious ones, doctors will shrug and give up. And the patient is left with the mystery.

At first I was thinking this would lead to a deeper discussion/storyline about the issue many women have where doctors dismiss their symptoms as no big deal only for it to be something more serious down the line. It wasn't really touched on here, but I do think there could've been something to that with this woman. 

[statsgirl]

Shaun and Lea are increasingly reminding me of House and Cuddy.  Both couple were attracted to each other sexually, at least Shaun is to Lea, but shouldn't be together because of  real reasons, both couples were in a good place in season 3 of the show (3a for House) and then the showrunner decides to push the envelope and work to getting them together.  House and Cuddy ended up a mess, and it looks like Shaun and Lea will be headed in the same direction if Lea decides to give in and start dating Shaun.

14 minutes ago, vavera4ka said:

I'm still hoping that Dash is just one more step towards Claire and Melendez romance. She kissed a few frogs, now she'll try with a good guy, but it'll still feel wrong. I WILL have my couple on the screen, dammit!!! lol

I tend to think so, that Melendez telling Claire that she deserves to have a good life (or something like that) and then stepping back so Claire can explore if she has something with Dash is a contrast to Shaun pushing so hard for a relationship with Lea. I don't think Dash and Claire are going anywhere, we know too little about him and I think enough people will find it squicky for her to date her dead friend's husband who she was gifted that the show won't go there.  i think that Claire will decide that she and Dash are better off as good friends but unlike Shaun with Lea and the husband with his wife, she will get to make her own decision without being pressured by a partner.

Stall is if end-of-season Lim decides she wants a child and ask Melendez to father it.

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

At first I was thinking this would lead to a deeper discussion/storyline about the issue many women have where doctors dismiss their symptoms as no big deal only for it to be something more serious down the line. It wasn't really touched on here, but I do think there could've been something to that with this woman. 

That would be awesome.

[TurtlePower]

What the heck, Lea? We’ve known her to be mindless, silly, flaky, needy and selfish but I’ve never seen her behave purposefully cruel towards Shawn like she did. 

[beyondthezone]

2 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

What the heck, Lea? We’ve known her to be mindless, silly, flaky, needy and selfish but I’ve never seen her behave purposefully cruel towards Shawn like she did. 

She wasn't being malicious, she snapped, Shaun was ignoring her words and being being selfish and stalkery- he needed to hear it even if it hurt him

[nlkm9]

On 3/3/2020 at 4:44 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

So, that's fine, but, why did Leah seem to get so interested in Shaun and Carly when they were together?  All that hitting on him in front of others, flirting and acted offended that Carly wasn't jealous of her.  Then, when his dad died, trying to get him off alone, sleeping with him (not sexually), the kiss, ......she sends a strong signal of one thing, but then protests she wants him.  I totally get it and hope that Shaun sees her for what she is. He will learn that there are people that you can't trust your heart to.  She is horribly insensitive and should have some skills of dealing with Shaun by now. I guess they'll keep her around as a thorn. 

I would think that the Park would know more about anxiety and panic attacks than to presume his son has some horrible secret that is causing them.  There can be many reasons and sometimes, you aren't even aware of why they happen.  

I agree with Lin's decision.  It was a tough call, but, I think she did the right thing.  He is still a very young man.  You never know what lies ahead for someone.   

She doesn’t want him but doesn’t want anyone else to have him. Selfish.

[mojito]

I think Shaun's autism is a good reason for Leah not to be romantically interested in him.  In a relationship with Shaun, you have to be the initiator of conversation and even at that, it'll rarely be fun or interesting or free-flowing. You have to nudge him to do most things. You can't even joke around with him.  It would be exhausting trying to keep this awkward relationship going, and yes, I think most of the work would be yours. You can admire how far he's come and the person he is, but he's just not good company.

I'm glad that Shaun is getting a reality check. Just because she is good for him doesn't mean he's good for her. He needs to find someone who's okay with silence or watching TV or whatever it is he likes to do. Work on your medical and everyday interpersonal skills, Shaun. First things first.

I'm impressed that someone as young as Carradine is okay with gray hair. Own it, girl.

From the way she treats Shaun, and how she handled the situation with the little adopted girl last show and the teenager this show, Lim shows some good maternal chops.

[rmontro]

22 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I really think the problem is that Lea is just not that into him. She's making excuses to Shaun but I think that's really the issue. If she really wanted to be with him, she'd make the effort to see if it could work.

That's the way it comes off, that she's just not that into him.  But her words say something else, she said she loves him.  Not "I love you as a friend" or "I love you, but not in that way".  Which makes me think at some point they're going to stick them together, which is not something I want at all.  I'd prefer that she just say she likes him as a friend, like she already did before, and leave it at that.  But then they can't play their will they, won't they game.

Carly wasn't in this episode, I wonder if she is off the show now?

 

8 hours ago, vavera4ka said:

but how do you burn something that badly when it was covered? It's not just an oven running hot. it's complete failure to follow the temperature and time directions of the recipe.

That's what I was thinking.  You have to be almost intentionally negligent to burn something like that if you're baking it.  Maybe if it was a delicate dessert I could see them burning it, but not whatever that was.

I noticed Shaun seemed to be practically leading the medical team in this episode.  He was basically running the case, he came up with all the ideas, and everyone else followed suit.  They've positioned him as being leagues ahead of everyone else diagnostically, which makes him seem more like House.  Earlier on it seemed like the show was about the struggles of an intern who had autism, which helped make him uniquely and especially gifted in some ways.  Now they seem to be turning him into more of a super genius.

Edited March 5, 2020 by rmontro

[statsgirl]

13 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Claire wasn't in this episode, I wonder if she is off the show now?

Carly?  I'd be surprised if she was although I expected her to be recurring rather than main cast now.

34 minutes ago, mojito said:

From the way she treats Shaun, and how she handled the situation with the little adopted girl last show and the teenager this show, Lim shows some good maternal chops.

Lim's one-dimensional thinking in her decision about the teen drives me crazy. Yes, there are medical risks in donating a kidney but lots of people do it and lead healthy lives afterwards.  (A friend of mine did it last year.)   But the cost of not doing it is Max losing the only person who cares about him and is helping him  get past his background of abandonment, drugs and jail.  Max said that if he becomes a good man and a good father, it will be because of Wes.  But his growth isn't done yet, he's going to need a lot of support especially as he's aging out of care now. As Hill said, if this was a biological parent and child, it wouldn't be a quesiton.

The possibility of medical issues down the line versus the almost certainty of losing the man who is helping Max become a functioning, loving person -- I can't agree with Lim and her high horse of judgement.

[rmontro]

30 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

Carly?  I'd be surprised if she was although I expected her to be recurring rather than main cast now.

Oops, yes I meant Carly.  Fixed it in editing.  I always get those two names mixed up.  They both start with a C, you know.

[KaveDweller]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

Lim lied to the kid in the chapel, right? That was the favor the dying mentor asked of her, off-screen-- that she make up some reason why the kid was not actually a match, so he wouldn't feel as angry and upset by not being allowed to donate?

Yeah, my impression was that she was lying to make him feel better (at the dying guy's request).

[TomGirl]

7 hours ago, mojito said:

I think Shaun's autism is a good reason for Leah not to be romantically interested in him.  In a relationship with Shaun, you have to be the initiator of conversation and even at that, it'll rarely be fun or interesting or free-flowing. You have to nudge him to do most things. You can't even joke around with him.  It would be exhausting trying to keep this awkward relationship going, and yes, I think most of the work would be yours. You can admire how far he's come and the person he is, but he's just not good company.

 

This.  Thank you.