S07.E03: Critical Support

[DanaK]

Quote

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT

Shaun continues to be tested by Charlie when their newest case prompts her incessant stream of questions - all in pursuit of an answer. Meanwhile, Morgan struggles on who to name as guardian for Baby Eden should anything happen to her.

 

[Annber03]

Oof, well, that was an uncomfortable ending with Shaun and Charlie. Indeed, she has a few things to learn, for sure, and I get that people can get especially tense when trying to work on a patient and that can affect their demeanor and attitude with others as well. 

But yeah, Shaun saying people didn't give him any breaks is...quite an interesting bit of selective memory. Yes, his co-workers were quite tough on him, but he also got a lot of leeway and sympathy that other people didn't always get. And people like Glassman were always going to bat for him as well and defending him in the moments when he was struggling. 

I trust Shaun will eventually come to that realization himself and will figure out a good way to better interact with Charie going forward, though, so I do hope we get to see more of that over time. 

I did like the case that Shaun, Charlie, Jared, and Asher were working. Very strange and interesting. And I like Jared's interaction with Charlie, he seems to know how to connect with her and balance being honest with being friendly. I also like the rapport between Park and Dom. I can't say I blame Dom one bit for his reaction to the patient they were working, 'cause yeow, but yes, he'll need to figure out that whole "getting queasy" thing sooner rather than later. 

Asher and Jerome's story was cute. And Morgan picking Shaun and Lea is a sweet choice. I like how Morgan and Lea have hit it off. 

 

[possibilities]

Charlie annoys me, but Shaun had total meltdowns in the beginning, so he's out of his mind if he thinks nobody helped him. Also, that's way too soon to decide she can't be a surgeon.

Charlie needs to respect boundaries, though. She doesn't get to override everyone else or claim that she doesn't have to make any adjustments. Everyone needs to do that, and if she can't, she will run afoul of not just sexual harassment policy but also HIPAA.

I can't drive a car. My reflexes are too slow. I have never passed the test. So I know there are jobs I can't do, because they bottom line require driving, and there's no accommodation that would make it do-able. So sometimes you have to face reality. But it's way too soon for Shaun to come to that conclusion with Charlie. 

Shaun seems to be the only person who has trouble dealing with Charlie, so that's more about him than her at this point. 

Park's patience with his student shows a big contrast. I don't think he would have been that patient in the past, either. It seems like he and Morgan have had total personality changes. They're both a lot more likable now, so I'm fine with it. But it's really strange all the same.

I can't remember his name, but Park's student had a white circle on his neck when he was talking to Morgan. I thought maybe it was supposed to be some device to help his nausea (like the wristband), but then it wasn't there the next time we saw him. Also, I thought Park was going to suggest the guy try hypnosis to overcome his problem, but I guess that's not Park's style, even with the personality change.

[bros402]

God, Shaun is so annoying with him thinking he got no accommodations. He literally had the president of the hospital watching his back.

Charlie is pretty much asking the same questions Shaun asked a few years into him being at the hospital. It's better that she's asking it early (if she has to ask them at all), so it'll be corrected earlier.

 

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I can't drive a car. My reflexes are too slow. I have never passed the test. So I know there are jobs I can't do, because they bottom line require driving, and there's no accommodation that would make it do-able. So sometimes you have to face reality. But it's way too soon for Shaun to come to that conclusion with Charlie. 

reflexes too slow to drive high five!

[Driad]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I can't drive a car.

I can't either, because of my vision problems.  Sometimes people have been angry at me because I need a ride or can't get somewhere at a particular time.  Just another thing to deal with.

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I can't remember his name, but Park's student had a white circle on his neck when he was talking to Morgan. I thought maybe it was supposed to be some device to help his nausea (like the wristband), but then it wasn't there the next time we saw him.

I thought it was a patch containing medication to help with his nausea.  Maybe he didn't need it when he was not watching surgery.

[thuganomics85]

Certainly did not have "Dominick being able to go toe-to-toe with Reznick in snarky blunt talk" on my bingo card!  Man gets my respect, right there!  Loved that Reznick herself kind of loved that as well.

Yeah.... Charlotte is a lot to take at times; and will become a walking H.R. violation if she doesn't listen to Jared's "Hey, maybe don't ask your co-workers about their sexual positions"; but Shaun saying that he had to fight his way through everything and got no breaks from anyone is... a choice.  Man had full-blown meltdowns at times, and his team members had to bust their asses to save him.  Both Glassman and Lim went to bat several times for him.  Hell, freaking Andrews threw down with the the board for him (and that was when he still wasn't a huge fan.)  In short, plenty of people showed him grace because they could tell that he not only had the makings of a good doctor (sorry!), but knew he was a good person despite some of his aloofness and awkwardness.  I can understand him thinking he needs to be firm at times with her, but he crossed some lines here.  Really did become Dr. Han, which is ironic. 

Also thought it was interesting that he brought up Melendez as a barrier and how he made him to scut work all the time, because while Melendez did start out as an obstacle in a lo of ways, he was someone who actually seem to realize the error of his ways and actually ended up being a good mentor for Shaun, in my opinion.  Funny that Shaun doesn't see this.  Let us hope he ends up more like Melendez than Han.

Intentional or not, I do think the contrast between this and how Park worked with Dominick was interesting.  Early season Park really would have been more petty and arrogant, and would have eye-rolled his way through Dominick's issues.  But the Park we see now is actually being supportive and trying to be there for Dominick.  In this aspect, Park has actually grown compared to Shaun.  Seems to be more level-headed in general (almost going to pretend that whole breaking up with Reznick last season never happened, because that was just dumb all around on his part.)

Glad that Asher did go with Jerome to meet his family in the end, even if it took his dumb frat patient almost dying to make it happen, heh.  Oh, and Jared's word of advice.  With Andrews gone, Jared's almost becoming the new voice of reason on this show. 

At least Glassman and Lim now have a pool table to take out their frustrations with the job (and one another.)

With respect to the generally awesome main cast, Baby Steve and Baby Eden are almost stealing the show.  Those are some expressive little performers right there!

[circumvent]

reading this before watching and oh man! Shaun should have been fired so many times! and he should have been arrested at least once for destroying property when the trashed the medication room because he had a sad. Boo hoo.

As for how they are showing Charlie, it is just another disappointment. They hire an actual autistic person to play the character but don't have a consultant to oversee the writing of the part. I mean, by reading this, I can conclude that she would not be where she is if she had not learned which boundaries she cannot cross. Another disservice to the community, making the quirk seem just like annoyance. And if they do have a consultant, the person probably also needs to assist  the  writers with the specific character. While autistic people can overstep and cross certain lines, the character is someone who needs to follow laws and rules to be able to advance. Having an autistic person just giving the thumbs up that Charlie portrays well some autistic people doesn't take into consideration the context. 

Obviously, I am speculating about consultants and all. It is just annoying that an autistic person is playing an autistic character and the writing is still not realistic, in the context of a resident in a hospital setting.

 

[possibilities]

I also thought Glassman was being an obnoxious pain in the ass refusing to cooperate with Lim on the co-president duties. The whole co-presidents arc is itself annoying, but if they are going to do it, they need to do something more subtle than: They are two extremes in their approaches! Aaron refuses to communicate because he's an arrogant schmuck! But Lim eventually takes some of his advice and is better for it! Because obviously the rude obnoxious guy knows more than the respectful, dedicated, woman!?

The actress playing Charlie had a much better role on her previous show. I can't remember what it was called but it was much better. It drives me crazy that I can't remember the name of it. Everyone should watch it because it was actually making an attempt to be reasonable and respectful and not just making a mockery of things. But of course if I can't remember the name, that's not really helpful advice.

 

Oh, yeah, and Asher finally figured out that he has to do something for his partner now and then, and not just be a recalcitrant baby. That's a relief. I like Jerome.

Edited March 20 by possibilities

[meira.hand]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

The actress playing Charlie had a much better role on her previous show. I can't remember what it was called but it was much better. It drives me crazy that I can't remember the name of it. Everyone should watch it because it was actually making an attempt to be reasonable and respectful and not just making a mockery of things. But of course if I can't remember the name, that's not really helpful advice.

Was it "Everything's Gonna Be Okay"?  Just checked her (Kayla Cromer) IMDb entry and this was the only credit for a main role.

[tennisgurl]

While people were certainly were hard on him and he received some real pushback at first, Shaun saying that no one ever made accommodations for him is ridiculous. He had tons of people going to bat for him and plenty of accommodations made for him, especially when he had the occasional meltdown, Shaun really needs to remember that and be more understanding towards Charlie. That being said, Charlie really needs to figure out how to work in a professional environment, a lot of people wouldn't be so chill about asking what their favorite sexual position is in the middle of the work day. People can take her being on the spectrum into account, but she has to do some work too. 

I'm glad that Asher went to spend time with Jerome's family instead of pitching a fit, if the worst thing about your partners family is that they like hockey, your doing pretty good. 

Both of the cases were good, Park was really good with his student, he really has come a long way.

[jacourt]

It is possible now that park has gotten a secure position he does not have to be competitive and is able to instruct others because they are not his competition?  

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, meira.hand said:

Was it "Everything's Gonna Be Okay"?  Just checked her (Kayla Cromer) IMDb entry and this was the only credit for a main role.

Yes!! Thanks!!!

 

48 minutes ago, jacourt said:

It is possible now that park has gotten a secure position he does not have to be competitive and is able to instruct others because they are not his competition?  

That's probably part of it. I remember him being a bit of an asshole, though, in general, unsympathetic and kind of in a cop mentality, but maybe the job security has mellowed him.

[Rapunzel]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Shaun saying that no one ever made accommodations for him is ridiculous. He had tons of people going to bat for him and plenty of accommodations made for him, especially when he had the occasional meltdown, Shaun really needs to remember that and be more understanding towards Charlie. That being said, Charlie really needs to figure out how to work in a professional environment, a lot of people wouldn't be so chill about asking what their favorite sexual position is in the middle of the work day. People can take her being on the spectrum into account, but she has to do some work too.

I’m getting really sick of Shaun in general. He has this great memory yet conveniently forgets times when he was wrong or needed advice or help. The original Korean version is much better and the autistic doctor is way more likeable. Shaun always looks like he just ate something rotten and constantly looks down on everyone else. They have never helped him to accept his own weaknesses and when someone else might be right. With all that Glassman has done for him, basically raising him and getting him a job, he is quick to always put the blame on Glassman. Glassman was right about Shaun ratting out his medical condition. There are HIPAA issues and he should have gone to Glassman first instead of telling everyone else. 
 

So far I am not a Charlie fan. She is capable of staying quiet, despite her autism, and she needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. I can see lots of HIPAA violations from her and perhaps telling a patient the absolute worst case scenario as a given when it is rare and unlikely to happen. 

[KaveDweller]

Shaun was so mean to Charlie at the end. Yes, she is a little irritating and has made mistakes, but she is still a student, so she has time to learn. Ridiculous of Shaun to act like he didn't have to learn or that no one made accommodations for him. 

I did like that when Leah told Shaun that Morgan wanted them to be her baby's guardian, he was like, "okay." No questions or doubts or anything. And that Leah refused to lie to Shaun.

[possibilities]

You'd think that Han being wrong about him would mean Shaun would not want to be like Han.

Edited March 21 by possibilities

[Pepper the Cat]

I see Asher is now a super nurse. First he works in ER, and then he assists in the OR. 

Where will we see him next?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the guy. He’s one of my favourite characters. But ER nurses don’t also work in the OR

[jacourt]

Asher is a doctor. 

[bros402]

16 hours ago, circumvent said:

reading this before watching and oh man! Shaun should have been fired so many times! and he should have been arrested at least once for destroying property when the trashed the medication room because he had a sad. Boo hoo.

As for how they are showing Charlie, it is just another disappointment. They hire an actual autistic person to play the character but don't have a consultant to oversee the writing of the part. I mean, by reading this, I can conclude that she would not be where she is if she had not learned which boundaries she cannot cross. Another disservice to the community, making the quirk seem just like annoyance. And if they do have a consultant, the person probably also needs to assist  the  writers with the specific character. While autistic people can overstep and cross certain lines, the character is someone who needs to follow laws and rules to be able to advance. Having an autistic person just giving the thumbs up that Charlie portrays well some autistic people doesn't take into consideration the context. 

Obviously, I am speculating about consultants and all. It is just annoying that an autistic person is playing an autistic character and the writing is still not realistic, in the context of a resident in a hospital setting.

 

One thing Charlie has over Shaun - she didn't have a meltdown when Shaun decided to become Dr. Han. She ran away crying like a neurotypical might have and then she shut down in the elevator (like someone on the spectrum might).

You think the writers would at least ask Kayla Cromer for input. Or have brought in an autism consultant like Lillian Carrier (Drea on Everything's Gonna Be Okay) seasons ago to be like, "no, that is not realistic. If you want to take some artistic license, play x up." Since they obviously want the character to overstep and cross some lines, but they should be different ones - like how Charlie started asking the patient questions, then Shaun told her that med students don't gather histories. Not crossing lines in the vein of, "are you a top or a bottom?"

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

The actress playing Charlie had a much better role on her previous show. I can't remember what it was called but it was much better. It drives me crazy that I can't remember the name of it. Everyone should watch it because it was actually making an attempt to be reasonable and respectful and not just making a mockery of things. But of course if I can't remember the name, that's not really helpful advice.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay. I loved that show - the first season finale had the most realistic depiction of sensory overload ever. Most realistic portrayal of autism I have seen on TV (and it was serendipitous that Josh Thomas was diagnosed with autism!)

[Driad]

I still wish they had started the series with Shaun as a medical student.  Freddie Highmore looks young enough.  Shaun's behavior could still go through the same changes that it has in this series, but it might be more believable that his professors etc. would be tolerant and supportive, given his occasional flashes of brilliance.  

When Shaun started at this hospital, he was very fortunate to work with people who tolerated his behavior and even went to bat for him.  If he had started at the hospital the way he is now, he probably would have had a less difficult experience.

ETA:  I have said this before, but I'm repeating it because Shaun does not realize how lucky he was.  I'm glad his coworkers appreciated him, but not everyone would be allowed to stay.

Edited March 21 by Driad

[circumvent]

11 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

I’m getting really sick of Shaun in general.

I have been sick of Shaun for a while

I will walk back just a tiny bit on the comment I made before I watched the show. I do think Charlie was inappropriate with the questions and needs to stop interrupting people because "that's how she learns". While this is pure bullshit, the way it was written should have been something like "take notes of your questions and we will discuss after this consultation is over. That is a reasonable accommodation. But Shaun was awful and completely unprofessional, he is the one needing accommodations if he can only teach people who agree with him, or who can ACCOMMODATE his style of teaching.

And it is all on the writers and "consultants". All this makes me almost certain that the consultant, if there is one, is only a token title, someone they call in for a few details but nothing that would make this whole story more realistic. They have been writing Shaun unrealistic for all these seasons, I don't see them all of a sudden doing anything different because they are so full of themselves - maybe even more now that they have an autistic actor. They probably think that this nod the the community makes them so inclusive and respectful, so that's enough for them

Not enough for me.

So, last episode Park had this ultra complicated surgery that he did all by himself (brain? cannot remember) This time he was operating with ONE resident and ONE nurse, on bones, veins, arteries and ligaments, plus whatever else is there. This is not something I can ignore. That surgery would take a huge team and each team would tackle one specific area. I hate when shows do this, things that are just impossible to suspend disbelief. WTF writers? The way it is just give him a cape and superpowers. The character is nothing less than a superhero at this point, just add the costume

 

 

[Pepper the Cat]

15 hours ago, jacourt said:

Asher is a doctor. 

Oops. My bad. I meant Jerome!

 

[bros402]

17 hours ago, circumvent said:

I have been sick of Shaun for a while

I will walk back just a tiny bit on the comment I made before I watched the show. I do think Charlie was inappropriate with the questions and needs to stop interrupting people because "that's how she learns". While this is pure bullshit, the way it was written should have been something like "take notes of your questions and we will discuss after this consultation is over. That is a reasonable accommodation. But Shaun was awful and completely unprofessional, he is the one needing accommodations if he can only teach people who agree with him, or who can ACCOMMODATE his style of teaching.

And it is all on the writers and "consultants". All this makes me almost certain that the consultant, if there is one, is only a token title, someone they call in for a few details but nothing that would make this whole story more realistic. They have been writing Shaun unrealistic for all these seasons, I don't see them all of a sudden doing anything different because they are so full of themselves - maybe even more now that they have an autistic actor. They probably think that this nod the the community makes them so inclusive and respectful, so that's enough for them

Not enough for me.

Agree with you 100% on that first paragraph - the second Shaun said "She's my med student! I handle my med students!" Lim and Glassman should've been like, "No, you are breaking the law by treating her this way."

I think that in one of the earlier seasons, they said they had an autistic writer on staff - I looked it up at the time and I believe the writer was only credited with one or two episodes. One of those episodes was the one where he and Carly are going to have sex, but Shaun has issues with it (iirc he gets distracted when he sees she has a tattoo on her chest). From what I remember, that was one of the better episodes autism-wise... but that isn't a big accomplishment for this show.

I think their autism consultant is someone from Autism Speaks, so... yeaaaaaaaaah - that shows how much they care.

[possibilities]

15 minutes ago, bros402 said:

I think their autism consultant is someone from Autism Speaks, so... yeaaaaaaaaah - that shows how much they care.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!

That explains a lot, though.

[circumvent]

funny not so funny story:

yesterday I  cut my hand so badly, it cut the tendon. Not as serious as the story as the episode, obviously, but still specialized care.

had emergency surgery after waiting 7 hours, the surgeon was a plastic surgeon, there were hand specialists involved

this show is way too far from reality when it comes to surgeons and how it works

[Bobcatkitten]

Obviously Shaun is being too harsh on her but I also feel like she uses her diagnosis as a bit of a crutch. Some accommodation is necessary but also on her part. The fact that she won't take responsibility for any mistakes is where she lost me. 

[circumvent]

19 hours ago, Bobcatkitten said:

The fact that she won't take responsibility for any mistakes is where she lost me. 

That's the problem I  have too, and it is what the writers did to Shaun: real autistic issues that don't match the story they created for the character. Any autistic person that is so passionate about a profession, would at least try to work out a series of self regulation actions, or peer support, to be able to work because accommodations don't mean ignoring laws or demanding that everyone else just do as the disabled person wants them to do, that they see things in the same way. That's just brattiness 

[bros402]

10 hours ago, circumvent said:

That's the problem I  have too, and it is what the writers did to Shaun: real autistic issues that don't match the story they created for the character. Any autistic person that is so passionate about a profession, would at least try to work out a series of self regulation actions, or peer support, to be able to work because accommodations don't mean ignoring laws or demanding that everyone else just do as the disabled person wants them to do, that they see things in the same way. That's just brattiness 

Yup - that's exactly what I did when I was going for my education degree. During pre-professional field and student teaching, I found times and places when I could stim and what reasonable accommodations i could come up with (and backups for those accommodations)