S03.E20: I Love You

[possibilities]

That episode felt like a series finale. I realize it almost certainly isn't, but it had such a "done and done and DONE!!!" feeling to it.

It's starting to feel like masochism to watch this show. The best and most interesting characters get booted off the show, and they double down on the most irritating and dysfunctional ones. I still like Claire and Lim, but Lim gets nothing to do and Claire is the show's punching bag.

It's disappointing, because they DO know how to create people to like and find interesting, but it's like the show just hates them and sets them up only to throw them away.

[CheetaraThunder]

So they had all the potential and juicy material to build towards Claire/Melendez navigating their feelings and their work situation throughout season 4. Especially with great actors in Antonia and Nick. All the while, you could have kept working with Lim/Melendez friendship and have Lim/Claire too. But, nah let’s shove a happy ending to Shaun x Lea part 10.

Hell, you had Vera right there that you could bring back and have her build something with Shaun. She is a 💯 times better then Lea.

And hearing that Nick was actually saying goodbye to his fellow cast members (Antonia, Christina) and it was not acting was even more heartbreaking.

[CarpeFelis]

WTF did I just watch?! They abruptly kill off my favorite character AND reward Shaun’s recent horrendous behavior at the end, too? I was really hoping he’d push Lea away after that kiss and tell her he was keeping his promise to Vera to move on because Lea is such a flake. But noooooo... BTW, show writers, you are complete morons. These two are still completely incompatible, sudden “realization” or not.

Really looked forward to Dr. Melendez every week. I’ll miss Park, too, if they go ahead and have him leave San Jose. I hope Will Yun Lee will be back in Altered Carbon, at the very least, and Nick Gonzalez gets to star in something way better than the crapfest this show has turned into.

The only things I’m up for seeing next season would be Lim being both a friend and mentor to Claire, and a blowout breakup for Shaun and Lea after they drive each other completely insane with all their personality clashes and Lea flaking out over and over. Oh, and Glassman retiring (and I hope Mrs. Glassman is never seen again—she’s almost as irritating as Lea).

Hey, writers, you suck!

[CheetaraThunder]

Though, we all should have seen this coming with the way Shore fucked over “House”.

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

I was really hoping he’d push Lea away after that kiss and tell her he was keeping his promise to Vera to move on because Lea is such a flake.

I could almost hear Vera from wherever being like,' I did NOT sit trapped in rising water with you all that time for you to completely ignore my advice!" 

Also, I said this elsewhere, but speaking of patients, uh, so whatever happened with Noreen and Marta? Did Marta make it through her situation okay? Are she and Noreen going to be off to live a long and happy life together? I was really invested in that story last episode, and Claire came up with that awesome solution to try and help Marta, so it would've been nice to get some closure on that. 

[Guest]

Melendez has become my favorite character so of course they had to get rid of him. 

[Good Doctor Fan]

I really liked Shaun's story line with Vera.  He saved her and it had nothing to do with his brilliant brain and everything to do with his humanity.  He talked to her to comfort her, calm her, and distract her from her pain and the danger of her situation.  He could have amputated her leg earlier, but he waited until the last possible second, giving every opportunity for her leg to be saved even though it put him in grave danger with her.  Despite his autism, he really was able to connect, communicate, comfort and ultimately save Vera.  Bravo!

[AriAu]

Quote

Though, we all should have seen this coming with the way Shore fucked over “House”.

oooooh good point. Shore did bring on some really interesting people in House over the years, like Cut-throat Bitch (oh yeah, he killed her off) and Thirteen (ummm, yeah, killed her off too) and I guess that is what he likes to do. 

It will be interesting to see how he pivots and what we get next.

That being said, that was a painful hour of TV and was NOT saved by Shawn and Lea making out at the end!

Edited March 31, 2020 by AriAu

[CheetaraThunder]

Yeah, I felt like Shaun and Lea making out in the end was like a slap to the face to Carly, Claire/Melendez, and Lim/Melendez fans. Basically used Carly to prop this true love shit with Shaun/Lea, and now she won’t even be a series regular next season (probably never see he again).

[Rajesh Singh]

12 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Any chance this is a red herring and he isn’t really dead?  I mean they didn’t call his time  of death.   

Ty for the twitter link.  Yea I saw retweeting.  He’s not happy.  Looks like fans are also giving the writers twitter feed heck, too.

This is absolute bullshit -- I followed this show for years since its premier date - made me do medicine in the first place and now they kill off the best character in the show -- I didnt really care much for Shaun at all be honest i couldnt have given a shit if he had died but killing iff Melendez was too much -- although it would be a creative masterpiece if they bring him back because they didnt call the time of death and I would continue to watch -- park is gonna leave aswell and resnick is gonna be out of a job or something i couldnt really take it and just upset as hell

[catrice2]

Things I have learned by watching the Good Doctor 

If you are a woman, you cannot have a happy life.  You are not able to be in a stable, relationship of any type, and you display your "strong independence" by having sex with men  (both Lim and Claire) you barely know while being awesome at work!  

According to the interview with the showrunners  "15" years ago they could have had Claire and Melendez, but not now.  Hmm there were options to not have Claire working with Melendez, and newsflash, regardless of recent events people will continue to have relationships with co workers, and not all of them will be an abuse of power.  It's called writing a good story. Yet they are still living in the 15 years ago land where we were still selling this fairytale myth that a person gets happily ever after with the first person they had an interest in.  

If you are a successful doctor, chances are you had horrible parents.  You cannot come from a well adjusted, caring family that nurtured you....and if you do you may possibly get killed off because you have no drama. 

All minorities, and I am counting Shaun as a minority-  either have bad family lives and cannot have a stable relationship or both....Claire, Park, Jared, Shaun and Melendez 

A truly mature woman such as Carly is ridiculed for being patient, smart and self sacrificing, and an immature, selfish,  prejudice person is the girl of everyone's dreams...

Characters that are not having negative drama in their personal life cannot be interesting. This one is important because I believe that is what the younger generation believes from watching TV and reality shows.  You have to be over the top, have family or romantic drama.  Just being a normal well adjusted person is "boring" and on one is interested in that.  It's the "other" people who get the attention.  God forbid we write someone who is good at their job, likable and well adjusted....at least on this show. 

Tragedy can take away prejudice. 

And for the person who said it....they still killed off the black man.  The two white victims of the week made it.....

You don't have to be emergency personnel to have access to their private communications. 

I'm still thinking....

 

 

[CarpeFelis]

3 hours ago, CheetaraThunder said:

Yeah, I felt like Shaun and Lea making out in the end was like a slap to the face to Carly, Claire/Melendez, and Lim/Melendez fans. Basically used Carly to prop this true love shit with Shaun/Lea, and now she won’t even be a series regular next season (probably never see he again).

Exactly.

We’ve all heard of hate-watching—well, these writers seem to be hate-writing. “Oh, the fans love Melendez? DEAD! Park too? He’s outta here! Claire? Hmmm, what can we throw at her next to keep her as miserable as possible? Shaun’s been a real asshole lately so let’s make sure he gets exactly what he wants! The fans hate Lea? Let’s make her a BIG part of next season!”

[CB-LXX]

Add me as another who is calling it quits. I rolled my eyes when Lea kissed Shaun and said she loved him. I thought "Yep, someone here called it." It's not the only reason for me to quit, but there's nothing compelling me to keep watching. They are just going to keep treating Shaun as someone they treat with kid gloves who never learns a damn thing.

Part of me is not really that sad about Melendez's death. I know, terrible of me, but all I could think of is "thank goodness, the shipping can stop..." because you know the only way they could go now is ghost sex (*paging Denny Duquette...*).

[CarpeFelis]

After all the adrenaline from the earthquake wears off, I can just see Lea waking up next to Shaun and going “What the hell have I done” and then flaking out again (hopefully disappearing for good). Hell, I write code for a living and even I could do a better job than the hacks who wrote this mess of a finale.

[Trini]

42 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

A truly mature woman such as Carly is ridiculed for being patient, smart and self sacrificing, and an immature, selfish,  prejudice person is the girl of everyone's dreams...

I knew she was temporary, but it was still ridiculous how they screwed her over, then she vanished.

The showrunner said we might see her again, but I highly doubt that. And I kind of don't want her to come back because they'll probably just use her to cause drama between Shaun and Lea. ugh

[SunnyBeBe]

4 hours ago, CheetaraThunder said:

Yeah, I felt like Shaun and Lea making out in the end was like a slap to the face to Carly, Claire/Melendez, and Lim/Melendez fans. Basically used Carly to prop this true love shit with Shaun/Lea, and now she won’t even be a series regular next season (probably never see he again).

I have a great idea. Next season, how about Leah stand Shaun up at the alter, when she finally realizes that she can't marry a person with autism, after all and he really looses it.  These writers are so full of crap.  I don't know what is wrong with them. 

Plus, writing for medical shows is going to be very different moving forward.  It'll be difficult to create substantial hospital drama, in light of reality right now and it might even seem disrespectful to try.  So, who knows if medical dramas really have a future.  

[rmontro]

The main feeling I felt after watching this was "Well, that was unpleasant".  Not much fun watching any of this.  

I admit I felt happy for Shaun for a fleeting moment when Lea told him she loved him, but that was quickly replaced by revulsion, because I don't want to see them together.  Too cliched.

Don't like that they killed Melendez, because he was one of the best characters.  I kind of wonder even still if Claire's feelings for him were reciprocated.  Yes, he said "I love you, too", but that could mean anything, especially under the circumstances.  He also told Lim he could drink whiskey with her forever, or whatever it was. 

Melendez gone, Carly apparently gone, looks like Morgan may be gone.  A very David Shore-like thing to do, to reboot his supporting cast like he did with House.  He didn't wait so long this time.  

Funny thing.  I've always hated medical shows.  The only ones I've ever really watched was House and this one.  For all the complaints about David Shore (which I share), he found some way to get my attention.  I also saw a couple of episodes of Diagnosis Murder in a doctor's waiting room.

[CarpeFelis]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I have a great idea. Next season, how about Leah stand Shaun up at the alter, when she finally realizes that she can't marry a person with autism, after all and he really looses it.  These writers are so full of crap.  I don't know what is wrong with them. 

Plus, writing for medical shows is going to be very different moving forward.  It'll be difficult to create substantial hospital drama, in light of reality right now and it might even seem disrespectful to try.  So, who knows if medical dramas really have a future.  

Better yet, let her run off with a DIFFERENT guy with autism. I hate Lea but I still don’t think it’s his autism per se that she has a problem with. It’s that it presents as personality traits/quirks that very clearly clash with her own. She’s a slob, he has to have everything just so... etc.

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

A very David Shore-like thing to do, to reboot his supporting cast like he did with House.  He didn't wait so long this time.  

He waited exactly as long.  The season 3 finale was when he dropped the original fellows and brought on a new cadre of less interesting ones. Lots of crocodile tears just like now with the death of Melendez.

Can't have any healthy relationships so Amber was killed, just as Melendez is here. Pain upon pain piled on the female ingenue. (At least Claire is still alive, in House viewers kept calling for Cameron to come back so much, he finally booted her off the show.)

I had hoped that Shore had matured in the intervening decade but given that it appears that he didn't, it's not surprising that he put Shaun with Lea since it has the potential to be as dysfunctional and House/Cuddy were. Come to think of it, Shaun's brilliance and lack of people skills + Lea's immaturity add up to make Greg House.

Shore says that they're working to find ways to keep Park on but he also said that Cameron and Chase would be back on House too.

2 hours ago, catrice2 said:

A truly mature woman such as Carly is ridiculed for being patient, smart and self sacrificing, and an immature, selfish,  prejudice person is the girl of everyone's dreams...

Characters that are not having negative drama in their personal life cannot be interesting. This one is important because I believe that is what the younger generation believes from watching TV and reality shows.  You have to be over the top, have family or romantic drama.  Just being a normal well adjusted person is "boring" and on one is interested in that.  It's the "other" people who get the attention.  God forbid we write someone who is good at their job, likable and well adjusted....at least on this show.

I'm still thinking....

 

@catrice2I wish I could upvote that whole comment 100 X but mostly these two poins.

Also:

You can present an ethnically diverse cast but the ones who leave (Jared, Carly, Melendez, Park, Jessica, Allegra) are mostly the minorities.

Viewers don't know what's good for them. They ask for happy but you have to give them misery.

[catrice2]

Let's face it, Nicholas Gonzalez was the lead character in many people's eyes and they could not have that as it was called the Good Doctor. There are many characters he could have killed that people "felt something for," including Lim, Glassman and even Claire.  They tried to correct the terrible writing that forced many people to turn off Shaun for the rest of the cast so that they can try to bring the focus back to him and away from the other male character that was stealing the scenes.  I honestly can remember most of his scenes and very few of Shaun and not because he was attractive.  He was professional and caring, and right now no one else on that team fills that description as well. 

The showrunners interviews and explanations make him sound like an idiot. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by catrice2

[tennisgurl]

Well, this fucking sucks. 

I cant believe they killed Melendez, I cant believe that they could be getting rid of Park, I cant believe that they are making Claire suffer even MORE so soon after losing her mom. I really have no clue where the show goes from here, and I cant even pretend to care as much as I would have before this episode. I guess I can kind of appreciate the bravery to kill off such a major character, but after watching many, many shows kill off beloved major characters for no reason but to be "shocking" and "brave" and to "shake up the show", I find it less brave nowadays and more lazy. "We cant possibly imagine writing two characters in a happy relationship, its much easier to have one tragically die and leave the other one grief stricken and miserable! Thats much easier!" 

So yeah, this fucking sucks. It sucks that a show that I really loved has gone downhill so quickly, and this could end up being the nail in the coffin. 

But, hey, we do get Shaun and Lea finally hooking up! It turns out that, when someone says no, they really DO mean yes! What a fun lesson! So now we lose half our cast, but we do get to keep this boring and stupid romance for the next season! So excited for that! *Sarcasm* 

[rmontro]

49 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

He waited exactly as long.  The season 3 finale was when he dropped the original fellows and brought on a new cadre of less interesting ones. 

My mistake, I was thinking it was later.  Must have been thinking of when they brought Amber Tamblyn in.  Plus I keep thinking we just finished season 2 of The Good Doctor instead of season 3.  

I was thinking maybe David Shore was getting more kind hearted, since he put Shaun with Lea.  But from what you say, maybe he's just keeping her around to torture him lol.  I have no interest in seeing Shaun and Lea together, but oddly I did want to see House with Cuddy.  Oh well.

[statsgirl]

4 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

after watching many, many shows kill off beloved major characters for no reason but to be "shocking" and "brave" and to "shake up the show", I find it less brave nowadays and more lazy. "We cant possibly imagine writing two characters in a happy relationship, its much easier to have one tragically die and leave the other one grief stricken and miserable! Thats much easier!" 

If they had to have one original character killed to affect Shaun, it would have been more interesting to have it be Glassman, Shaun's father figure and the person he goes to for advice and support. His interactions with Melendez weren't that much different than those with Lim or Andrews.

It would have given Shaun a chance to show how much he's grown over the past three years,and opened him up to other mentoring relationships.

27 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

Let's face it, Nicholas Gonzalez was the lead character in many people's eyes and they could not have that

So another "When is Cameron going to be back?" situation, and the only solution Shore can think of is to get rid of the character.

[catrice2]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Well, this fucking sucks. 

I cant believe they killed Melendez, I cant believe that they could be getting rid of Park, I cant believe that they are making Claire suffer even MORE so soon after losing her mom. I really have no clue where the show goes from here, and I cant even pretend to care as much as I would have before this episode. I guess I can kind of appreciate the bravery to kill off such a major character, but after watching many, many shows kill off beloved major characters for no reason but to be "shocking" and "brave" and to "shake up the show", I find it less brave nowadays and more lazy. "We cant possibly imagine writing two characters in a happy relationship, its much easier to have one tragically die and leave the other one grief stricken and miserable! Thats much easier!" 

So yeah, this fucking sucks. It sucks that a show that I really loved has gone downhill so quickly, and this could end up being the nail in the coffin. 

But, hey, we do get Shaun and Lea finally hooking up! It turns out that, when someone says no, they really DO mean yes! What a fun lesson! So now we lose half our cast, but we do get to keep this boring and stupid romance for the next season! So excited for that! *Sarcasm* 

And this is part of my problem. You use enlightenment from #METOO to justify why you couldn't have Melendez and Claire together, but in the same breath you condone  a relationship where a woman doesn't really know her own mind......NO means yes!   Add to it the man subjects her to a violent outburst and that incident  and some kind  overheard words makes her see the error of her ways!  Hurt or not, Leah tried to be respectful in her rejection of Shaun and he responded by showing up with a bat in in the dark.  He has proven that Autism doesn't make you stupid and I know enough to know it doesn't necessarily make you violent.  So....a really empowered #METOO representation would be Leah sticking to what she said, especially after he confronted her that way. So what happens the next time something doesn't go his way? 

I find nothing brave or even shocking anymore in killing off popular characters.  As you say, it is predictable, lazy and not respectful of the fans that are invested in the story. I missed most of the first season so I never got the Melendez hate.  He seemed to be a decent man who was trying to be professional.  In real life supervisors would not be running to manage Shaun because of his social deficits in a profession where patient care and professionalism is just as important as skill and knowledge.  I think Gonzalez acted his role brilliantly and he wasn't too sexualized which I appreciated. 

I also agree with the person who said they left the "I Love you" ambiguous.   I am mad they had her say it first and then you didn't know if it was a romantic love or a friendship love. I will consider his words to her in a previous episode as verifying it as romantic...but man they have had some brutal writing for the character of Claire.

I was hesitant about coming back this season because I was still mad about Jared. Season 2 was ok, but three has been awful from start to finish. 

[mikem]

Most of the episode was cutting between Melendez, who we knew was going to die, and Park's patient, who we knew was going to die.  It was brutal.  Almost torture porn.  The Shaun stuff felt very secondary.

I re-watched the episode, and towards the beginning, after Melendez talks about his long-ago trip, he says, "How high?," then turns away from the camera towards Claire.   There's no cut while she talks, and when he turns back, there's a tear in his left eye (that wasn't there when he turned away in this unbroken shot).  And the expression on Park's face when his patient is calling for his dad was remarkable.  Great acting all around by Nicholas Gonzalez, Will Yun Lee, and everyone else.

[Annber03]

17 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

And this is part of my problem. You use enlightenment from #METOO to justify why you couldn't have Melendez and Claire together, but in the same breath you condone  a relationship where a woman doesn't really know her own mind......NO means yes!   Add to it the man subjects her to a violent outburst and that incident  and some kind  overheard words makes her see the error of her ways!  Hurt or not, Leah tried to be respectful in her rejection of Shaun and he responded by showing up with a bat in in the dark.  He has proven that Autism doesn't make you stupid and I know enough to know it doesn't necessarily make you violent.  So....a really empowered #METOO representation would be Leah sticking to what she said, especially after he confronted her that way. So what happens the next time something doesn't go his way? 

My exact thoughts as well. 

[CarpeFelis]

28 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

And this is part of my problem. You use enlightenment from #METOO to justify why you couldn't have Melendez and Claire together, but in the same breath you condone  a relationship where a woman doesn't really know her own mind......NO means yes!   Add to it the man subjects her to a violent outburst and that incident  and some kind  overheard words makes her see the error of her ways!  Hurt or not, Leah tried to be respectful in her rejection of Shaun and he responded by showing up with a bat in in the dark.  He has proven that Autism doesn't make you stupid and I know enough to know it doesn't necessarily make you violent.  So....a really empowered #METOO representation would be Leah sticking to what she said, especially after he confronted her that way. So what happens the next time something doesn't go his way? 

If we’re really, really lucky, Shaun threatens her with the baseball bat again and she runs away, never to be seen again.

[Trini]

4 hours ago, rmontro said:

Melendez gone, Carly apparently gone, looks like Morgan may be gone.  A very David Shore-like thing to do, to reboot his supporting cast like he did with House.  He didn't wait so long this time.  

Morgan's the show's pet Jerk. She'll be here forever.  😕

[ElectricCityy]

Wait, David Shore really tried it with #MeToo in regards to Neil and Claire? That's laughable. It really makes me think Melendez was ultimately killed off so that they would never have to follow through with what would inevitably happen with Melendaire. They don't need anything rivaling the epic love story they are trying to sell with Shaun and Lea. *rolls eyes*

I wouldn't have cared if Melendez and Claire never got together, as long as he was alive. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by ElectricCityy

[catrice2]

12 minutes ago, ElectricCityy said:

Wait, David Shore really tried it with #MeToo in regards to Neil and Claire? That's laughable. It really makes me think Melendez was ultimately killed off so that they would never have to follow through with what would inevitably happen with Melendaire. They don't need anything rivaling the epic love story they are trying to sell with Shaun and Lea. *rolls eyes*

I wouldn't have cared if Melendez and Claire never got together, as long as he was alive. 

I agree. I don't care about the romance but I do care that you kill the best character....when the actor was not trying to leave.   Also I have been more than annoyed about the way they are portraying autism on this show. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by catrice2

[Annber03]

25 minutes ago, ElectricCityy said:

I wouldn't have cared if Melendez and Claire never got together, as long as he was alive. 

I wasn't a Melendez/Claire shipper, but hell, yeah, I'd take the show exploring that relationship if it meant he could still be on the show. 

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

I find nothing brave or even shocking anymore in killing off popular characters.  As you say, it is predictable, lazy and not respectful of the fans that are invested in the story.

It was kind of cute and groundbreaking for awhile there, when The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones was doing it.  But it got old real fast.  It's not really a good idea to get you invested in someone, just to kill that character off.

This is purely opinion, but I was kind of thinking that Melendez didn't reciprocate Claire's feelings.  I'm sure he was tempted, and he cared about her and all, but I think he still loved Lim.  In fact, I thought it was kind of stupid that they broke them up.

 

1 hour ago, mikem said:

Most of the episode was cutting between Melendez, who we knew was going to die, and Park's patient, who we knew was going to die.  It was brutal.  Almost torture porn. 

Don't forget to lighten the mood, they had Shaun saw off Vera's leg with no anesthetic.  With the risk of drowning thrown in for good measure.  I kept thinking about the risk of infection, there's no way that water was clean, let alone sterile.  

It also crossed my mind that there's no way they would pair Vera with Shaun after that, because they wouldn't want to spend the money to CGI out her leg next season.

[vavera4ka]

yup.

i'm out.

[thuganomics85]

If David Shore really was worried about #MeToo being an issue for Melendez/Claire, all he had to do was have the show acknowledge it.  Have Claire admit her feelings, but Melendez basically say that it is a no go due to not being on equal footing.  That would have been fine and if they still wanted some drama, they could always have Claire point out that he and Lim still dated despite her being his boss.  In short, there are several things they could have gone with Melendez/Claire, if they didn't want to go full-blown romantic (and this is coming from someone who wasn't wild about them being an actual couple.)

But I guess we'll never really know why Shore and company were under the belief that they ran out of story to tell for Melendez.  Either way, if they really felt a death was needed, there was so many other options.  I feel like Glassman would have had a more impact for Shaun and everyone else.  Hell, as much as I love Will Yun Lee, Park the show could probably get by fine without him (although I certainly would have missed him!  And his reaction shots!)  But I really worry that Melendez dying is going to leave a void that the show won't be able to recapture.

Either way, between this and 

Spoiler

Ray's exit on Legend of Tomorrow (although, at least he is still alive, so a return could happen someday)

2020 certainly seems to be the year of questionable character exits on television shows I watch.

Edited April 1, 2020 by thuganomics85

[dogdays2]

Until now, I thought the most poorly written and acted medical show on TV was Chicago Med.  This ep of TGD changed my view.  

it was unwatchable. I literally fast forwarded through it.  Every single cliche in the book.  I totally called the patient with the crushed legs saying he murdered his mom only to find out it wasn’t really murder and then having the doctor play the missing relative.  Never seen that one before. 

And the only place in the entire city that seems to have any issues is the brewery   And doctors have nothing better to do than sit with dying patients for hours on end.  It’s like a 1970s bad made-for-TV movie.   

I kind of hoped all of the characters would die just to end the misery of the episode.  The only one I rather wanted to live died. 

Had we skipped this finale, I would have continued to watch. Not now.  Can’t take more of this garbage.  
 

 

[KLovestoShop]

Well, I’m done too.  Removed this show from my dvr.  

[mikem]

I thought it was weird when Lim was talking to Glassman about the Hail-Mary surgery on Melendez, and Glassman said something like, "Even if he survives the surgery, he will be diabetic, on a tube feed, and waiting for a liver transplant.  What kind of outcome would that be?"  I was thinking, "Well, it's better than dying, isn't it?" 

Being diabetic, on a tube feed, and having a liver transplant would not be a walk in the park, but Melendez is very healthy and would probably do well, better than most people in that situation.  After the transplant, he could live with those conditions for many years.

Edited April 1, 2020 by mikem

[Diana Berry]

I keep thinking that it could be a dream. Claire figures it out.  Melendez lives.  Shaun dumps Leah.  Parks stays.  Resnik’s hands are ok.  

 

Or

 

Colin Donnell comes on as a new Doc.   Gonzalez goes to Chicago Med as a new doc.

[ForReal]

I thought, too, of House and how the original team was replaced after the third season. Seems Shore is keeping to form.

My husband early on (before he knew Melendez was going to die) said he must be going to make movies, because he is that good.

I also thought Melendez told Claire he loved her too, because why not, it was kind and he did care about her. It will hopefully help her heal.

Shaun and Lea...yuck.

[catrice2]

Add insult to injury when interviewed he have the nerve to make a little joke about maybe next year there will be some happiness for Claire or something to that effect.. Even the showrunner knows that they have done that character dirty since the start of this show. At this point Park Melendez and Lim would be the only doctors I would trust. If they are not going to use Hill Harper let him go.

[JenMcSnark]

20 hours ago, possibilities said:

That episode felt like a series finale. I realize it almost certainly isn't, but it had such a "done and done and DONE!!!" feeling to it.

It's starting to feel like masochism to watch this show. The best and most interesting characters get booted off the show, and they double down on the most irritating and dysfunctional ones. I still like Claire and Lim, but Lim gets nothing to do and Claire is the show's punching bag.

It's disappointing, because they DO know how to create people to like and find interesting, but it's like the show just hates them and sets them up only to throw them away.

I wish I could like this post 1000 times.  

[bros402]

23 hours ago, Trini said:

I guess I kind of appreciate that they didn't make his death overly dramatic, but on the other hand, it was kind of a let down that he dies of sepsis on this show that finds a 'miracle' solution to save lives every week.

Well, that's why they had Shaun trapped in the ground, otherwise his Magical Autism would've found a way to fix it!

11 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Things I have learned by watching the Good Doctor 

If you are a woman, you cannot have a happy life.  You are not able to be in a stable, relationship of any type, and you display your "strong independence" by having sex with men  (both Lim and Claire) you barely know while being awesome at work!  

According to the interview with the showrunners  "15" years ago they could have had Claire and Melendez, but not now.  Hmm there were options to not have Claire working with Melendez, and newsflash, regardless of recent events people will continue to have relationships with co workers, and not all of them will be an abuse of power.  It's called writing a good story. Yet they are still living in the 15 years ago land where we were still selling this fairytale myth that a person gets happily ever after with the first person they had an interest in.  

If you are a successful doctor, chances are you had horrible parents.  You cannot come from a well adjusted, caring family that nurtured you....and if you do you may possibly get killed off because you have no drama. 

All minorities, and I am counting Shaun as a minority-  either have bad family lives and cannot have a stable relationship or both....Claire, Park, Jared, Shaun and Melendez 

A truly mature woman such as Carly is ridiculed for being patient, smart and self sacrificing, and an immature, selfish,  prejudice person is the girl of everyone's dreams...

Characters that are not having negative drama in their personal life cannot be interesting. This one is important because I believe that is what the younger generation believes from watching TV and reality shows.  You have to be over the top, have family or romantic drama.  Just being a normal well adjusted person is "boring" and on one is interested in that.  It's the "other" people who get the attention.  God forbid we write someone who is good at their job, likable and well adjusted....at least on this show. 

Tragedy can take away prejudice. 

And for the person who said it....they still killed off the black man.  The two white victims of the week made it.....

You don't have to be emergency personnel to have access to their private communications. 

I'm still thinking....

 

 

Yeah, pretty much all of this. Shaun is a type of minority, but different from racial minority. I usually see disability more put in with representation of LGBTQ people

9 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Let's face it, Nicholas Gonzalez was the lead character in many people's eyes and they could not have that as it was called the Good Doctor. There are many characters he could have killed that people "felt something for," including Lim, Glassman and even Claire.  They tried to correct the terrible writing that forced many people to turn off Shaun for the rest of the cast so that they can try to bring the focus back to him and away from the other male character that was stealing the scenes.  I honestly can remember most of his scenes and very few of Shaun and not because he was attractive.  He was professional and caring, and right now no one else on that team fills that description as well. 

The showrunners interviews and explanations make him sound like an idiot. 

I did not see Melendez as the lead (That would be Shaun) - he was definitely one of the stars, alongside Claire. Maybe Reznick and Park - but they weren't there from the start

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

It was kind of cute and groundbreaking for awhile there, when The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones was doing it.  But it got old real fast.  It's not really a good idea to get you invested in someone, just to kill that character off.

Don't forget to lighten the mood, they had Shaun saw off Vera's leg with no anesthetic.  With the risk of drowning thrown in for good measure.  I kept thinking about the risk of infection, there's no way that water was clean, let alone sterile.  

TWD and Game of Thrones at least based a chunk of the deaths off of the source material - so they could at least go "well we are trying to follow the books/comic books!"

At least he gave Vera some morphine? I imagine the risk of drowning was much higher than the risk of dying of sepsis - since one was a near certainty.

I am wondering how Shaun and Vera got out - that tunnel he crawled through was flooded by the time he finished cutting her out

[Robert Lynch]

Do you think Freddie Highmore made the decision because he seem to have creative control this season with directing and such.

[Gemini Gipsy]

On 3/31/2020 at 1:15 AM, possibilities said:

That episode felt like a series finale. I realize it almost certainly isn't, but it had such a "done and done and DONE!!!" feeling to it.

It's starting to feel like masochism to watch this show. The best and most interesting characters get booted off the show, and they double down on the most irritating and dysfunctional ones. I still like Claire and Lim, but Lim gets nothing to do and Claire is the show's punching bag.

It's disappointing, because they DO know how to create people to like and find interesting, but it's like the show just hates them and sets them up only to throw them away.

It was certainly a series finale as far as I'm concerned.  

One of the best written budding romances I've seen grace my screen was obliterated.  Not only that but the most interesting dynamic and stellar character development. 

Killing off Melendez was FUCKED UP. 

I feel like throwin shit.

I was not watching the show because of Shaun's pussy whipped ass. 

Done done and DONE is RIGHT.

 

Ps- I literally just finished watching so I am a little bitter.  When cooler heads prevail I'll contribute in an eloquent  manner. For now, I'm going to be mad as hell. 🙂

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Gemini Gipsy

[possibilities]

Saying there was no story left, or complaining that #MeToo is spoiling all their fun, is such bullshit. It's on them that they couldn't figure out how to write a decent story and imagine anything that wouldn't be too offensive to air. They're supposed to be writers. They wrote the story they wanted to write, period.

They're not only crappy writers but they're also cowards and don't want to own it.

[Annber03]

49 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

Do you think Freddie Highmore made the decision because he seem to have creative control this season with directing and such.

He did that last season, too, though, so I don't know that that's really a factor here. From what I've heard about Shore and his typical style with prior shows, this seems more like his sort of thing. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Another issue that I had with the show was how they rewarded poor behavior and normalized unacceptable behavior. Recall how stalker like Glassman was with his girlfriend and how she kept telling him to leave her alone and he kept on going to her house, calling, contacting, professing his love, like a real psycho?  In the world of TGD, it turned into a fairy tale ending with true love winning out, but, that's not normal.  It's saying that if a controlling and manipulative person comes after you, you better submit. 

Then they had Leah treat Shaun disrespectfully, which he was well aware of and told her so, but, then he is rewarded for acting out in a threatening manner with a ball bat, AND she is rewarded too. So, they both treat each other horribly and that leads them to true love.  Just so f'd up.  I can't take crap like that. 

Also, apparently, the writer really loves the Leah character, but, he was so disillusioned that he didn't realize how his writing of her character was BS and how the viewers perceived her.  Uggghhh....

Edited April 1, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[tennisgurl]

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Colin Donnell comes on as a new Doc.   Gonzalez goes to Chicago Med as a new doc.

And then it cuts to an autistic kid starring into a snow globe....

[dogdays2]

IF the Melendez thing was somehow related to #MeToo, here's what we've all learned:

Don't deal with the issue.  Don't report it.  Don't sort out alternatives.  No . . . what you should do is hope that one of the principals gets unexpectedly sick and dies -- really fast.  Seriously???

Of course, they had two surgeons romantically involved with Melendez doing his surgery.  Really?  That creates its own ethical issues.  

Did the lady in the water Shaun live or die?  I FF'ed because the story was so lame.  You can see that two days later, I barely care.  Just want to tidy up the loose end. 

Essentially, I hoped Leah had died when that thing fell on her and was crushed to see her not only alive but uninjured.  I knew then she and Shaun were going to be back together and hated the thought of having to endure that story line.

I knew that the guy with the legs trapped was going to die and just wished they'd get on with it and kill him off.  I didn't care if lady trapped with Shaun died b/c she was merely a plot device.  I kind of hoped the lady who owned the brewery would die just so that the plot ended because it was going nowhere (and it was forgotten in Part 2).  I hoped the surgeon who'd had the hand surgery would never operate again so we wouldn't have to endure that plot any longer.  

Mostly, I just wanted the miserable episode to end, which I helped along with my FFing.

It's a shame b/c, until this 2-parter, I thought the writing was generally strong and the acting more than decent.  It's as if the writers didn't know where to go next so (as I once heard a TV writer describe it), they threw a bomb in the middle of the room.  Unfortunately, the collateral damage may be the viewers/fans of the series. 

[Lady Calypso]

14 minutes ago, dogdays2 said:

Did the lady in the water Shaun live or die?  I FF'ed because the story was so lame.  You can see that two days later, I barely care.  Just want to tidy up the loose end. 

She survived.

It was definitely confirmed also by Shaun at the end, when Lea kissed him and his response was "I promised Vera I'd move on if she died...but she didn't die." 

15 minutes ago, dogdays2 said:

It's a shame b/c, until this 2-parter, I thought the writing was generally strong and the acting more than decent.  It's as if the writers didn't know where to go next so (as I once heard a TV writer describe it), they threw a bomb in the middle of the room.  Unfortunately, the collateral damage may be the viewers/fans of the series. 

Season 3 was genuinely better than season 2 for me for a lot of different reasons, so it IS a shame that this finale ruined a lot that they built up.