S01.E08: Apple

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

When the grocery store where Shaun is shopping gets robbed, his communication limitations puts lives at risk; Aaron worries he's not doing enough to help Shaun.

[Calibabydolly]

Anyone else notice in the credits before the show that Nestor Carbonell (the Sheriff on Bates Motel) directed this episode? I really like this show and this was another good week. I was blown away at the end with Shaun letting Leah give him that hug! I was praying to God he wasn't going back to her door to say the green apple was not as large as the one she ate half of! It was smaller though.....just saying!

[TomGirl]

A very sweet episode.  I like all the characters, but Claire seems to be the breakout star.  I also like how they’re starting to give hints re: Shaun’s relationship with Dr. Glassman.

[possibilities]

Melendez is totally a Shaun fan now. I love it.

36 minutes ago, Calibabydolly said:

I was praying to God he wasn't going back to her door to say the green apple was not as large as the one she ate half of! It was smaller though.....just saying!

I didn't notice about the apple being smaller, but that's awesome!

I like that she likes his blunt honesty. It's part of what I like about him, too. There's something comforting about knowing you don't have to wonder about hidden agendas and other convoluted BS. WYSIWIG.

[Annber03]

Good lord, there was a LOT going on this episode. They did well at juggling and intertwining the storylines, though. 

Claire has the patience of a fucking saint. I actually gasped a little when the creep threw his tray at her. I loved how she handled that whole situation in general. though, and I'm hoping we'll get to learn more about her life with her mom down the line (maybe even have her mom show up someday?). 

She needs a break, though-poor girl lost a patient recently and now she has to put up with a freaking Nazi. 

Also deserving of a break is definitely Shaun. Man, I felt for him so much during the robbery scenes, and with the way he was trying so hard to move past that experience by focusing on the job. I did like him admitting to Jared that he was wrong, though, and Jared was right. A nice subtle way to show how the stress of the day kinda affected his ability to focus and make proper judgment calls, and it was just a sweet little moment on its own. 

And I'm glad he got his apple back at the end, too*, and got to spend a bit of time watching his TV :D. And a hug from a friend is always a nice way to end a stressful day, too :). 

*His fridge looked awfully bare, though :(. 

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

Melendez is totally a Shaun fan now. I love it.

Yes :). His character has been developing really nicely these past few episodes, and I like the direction they're taking him.

12 hours ago, Calibabydolly said:

Anyone else notice in the credits before the show that Nestor Carbonell (the Sheriff on Bates Motel) directed this episode?

Yep! And I loved his directing-the scenes in the market were so intense, to the point where I almost felt like I was there and staring down the barrel of the gun! I also liked the whole back and forth bit showing Shaun's morning routine versus Glassman's. 

(On the note of Glassman, okay, so that end conversation between him and Jessica sounds like the beginnings of a very intriguing story. Hoping we'll get to learn more about this girl they're referring to as soon as possible.)

Really liked how they handled the tension surrounding saving that woman's life. Every time the machines started beeping I got all nervous. It'd be fun to see her and her date again someday, too. I kept thinking throughout the episode that this would make for quite the "how we met" story for them to tell their friends, and perhaps even their children someday :p. 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Annber03

[sheetmoss]

I know it's bad, but when Shaun went to Lea's apt and knocked on the door, I was expecting... Knock,knock, knock "Lea", knock,knock, knock, "Lea"...

Edited November 21, 2017 by sheetmoss

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

(On the note of Glassman, okay, so that end conversation between him and Jessica sounds like the beginnings of a very intriguing story. Hoping we'll get to learn more about this girl they're referring to as soon as possible.)

For some reason I thought it was Glassman's daughter who died late high school or early college.

[luna1122]

I am still holding onto this show, despite some requisite eye rolling every episode. I do think there is some awfully predictable and too twee stuff, but I also think it's improved since the pilot. I hold on mostly for Freddie, and I loved that Nestor Carbonell directed this episode. I also loved that Hannibal's Abigail Hobbes played the girl who got shot in this episode. That poor actress has had a lot of violence done to her on various tv shows! She's had a lot of practice lying in hospital beds.

I have been guilty of not paying much attention to side stories that don't involved Freddie and figured I missed something we already knew with Glassman and Jessica...no? yes? Definitely sounds like he lost his daughter...did we know that he and Jessica have known each other since she was a kid?

6 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I know it's bad, but when Shaun went to Lea's apt and knocked on the door, I was expecting... Knock,knock, knock "Lea", knock,knock, knock, "Lea"...

baha. Literally laughed out loud reading this. I really hope they never go the romance route between these two.

[Good Queen Jane]

I really like the fact that Shaun isn't perfect in the medical diagnosis. This is the second time that someone else caught something that Shaun did not. It makes it more realistic that Shaun isn't infallible. But I also liked how impressed the other doctors were about Shaun's technique in tying off the bleeder. I still want Shaun to be a superior doctor. Finally, I am impressed with Shaun's growth in social interactions. When he told Lea "I made a mistake" I thought he was referring to missing the diagnosis, but when he added "and someone got hurt" it was clear he was talking about his actions in the store.

[possibilities]

Everyone on the show is growing. I am finding it much more enjoyable to watch growth than the usual wallowing and chronic shittiness of both fiction and real life.

I hope they have a long term plan, because the growth is part of what I enjoy, and if they top out on that, and wind up being solely a run of the mill procedural, it will get boring very fast.

[bounnatalie]

Anyone else silently yell "Mask!? Shield?!" when Claire was cutting the patient's neck?

[Calibabydolly]

54 minutes ago, bounnatalie said:

Anyone else silently yell "Mask!? Shield?!" when Claire was cutting the patient's neck?

I was only looking through my cracks in my fingers over my eyes as she went to cut. No way was I looking at the neck! I only saw the upper left corner of my TV screen and that was bad enough! It seems there is at least 1 of these bloody scenes in each episode, thank goodness!!!

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

For some reason I thought it was Glassman's daughter who died late high school or early college.

I was thinking that, too. Certainly would make sense, given his getting up so early to go sit in the bleachers and reminisce. But there were moments it also sounded like this girl was closely tied to Jessica somehow, too. So yeah. Little mystery there to ponder.

29 minutes ago, Calibabydolly said:

I was only looking through my cracks in my fingers over my eyes as she went to cut. No way was I looking at the neck! I only saw the upper left corner of my TV screen and that was bad enough! It seems there is at least 1 of these bloody scenes in each episode, thank goodness!!!

Yeeeeeeeah, that whole scene had me cringing hard, too. For the most part I've been able to kinda shrug off the surgical stuff thus far, but that was just...ick. One of many, many reasons I could never be a doctor. 

[Pop Tart]

Quote

 I like all the characters, but Claire seems to be the breakout star.  

I disagree with this. I thought she was being an idiot through much of the episode. She's a resident - you do what you're told when you're told and she just kept arguing about things. When she and the female doctor were first discussing what had happened before getting the shooter up to the OR (with Claire seemingly wanting the victim to go first because she was working on the shooter), it was clear that the surgeon was trying to train her/impart some wisdom about treating the patients no matter who they are or what they've done. Then Claire says she doesn't think she was doing that (being influenced by who the patients were), okay fine. She's just responding. But then the doctor explains why the shooter's injury was worse and needed more immediate treatment and Claire told her she was wrong and kept on insisting on the point. In front of nurses and anesthesiologist and whoever else was in the room. You do not call out one of your bosses that publicly in any job, but especially if you're in an OR.

And then when the woman surgeon gave her the punishment assignment of taking care of the guy for the night she argued about that (very childishly I think) and again did so in front of others if I remember right. At that point she should just be saying, yes ma'am, whatever you want. Just like Shaun had to take scut work when Melendez assigned it to him. That's how the hierarchy works.

I didn't even like when she came in at the end and gave a public apology to the surgeon - she's still bringing other people into the drama even if she's saying that she wants to publicly respect the woman surgeon like she publicly disrespected her. By making her grand speech in front of others, she's still putting her boss in an awkward situation.

Didn't like any of that. 

Did like Shaun's progression, in fits and starts, from the beginning of the episode to the end. And I too appreciate that sometimes he's wrong. I liked too that when he said he was wrong about the treatment for the shooting victims, he credited Aaron (?) as being right, and Melendez even said, sure you were wrong but you also realized a critical thing so they could find the bleeder.

[TomGirl]

11 minutes ago, Pop Tart said:

 

Quote

 I like all the characters, but Claire seems to be the breakout star.  

I disagree with this. I thought she was being an idiot through much of the episode.

Actually, I was referring to the actress, not the character.  I should’ve used the actress’s name, but I don’t know what it is.

[Pop Tart]

Quote

Actually, I was referring to the actress, not the character.  I should’ve used the actress’s name, but I don’t know what it is.

Ah in that case I agree. I do think she's doing an interesting job with the character - just don't like a lot of the way she's being written (this goes back to earlier episodes) where it's all about emotion for her (as opposed to her male colleagues). 

[Annber03]

19 minutes ago, TomGirl said:

Actually, I was referring to the actress, not the character.  I should’ve used the actress’s name, but I don’t know what it is.

Antonia Thomas is her name :). This is the first I've ever seen her work, but maybe others know of other things she's been in, too.

[tennisgurl]

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

kept thinking throughout the episode that this would make for quite the "how we met" story for them to tell their friends, and perhaps even their children someday :p. 

And thats how I met your mother :) I hope we get a scene in a later season where the couple invites Shaun to their wedding. 

Poor Shaun really needs some nice time at the beach or something, because he is just having a really tough time of it lately. His attempts at processing his guilt (and the date processing his) was really well done, and I loved the last scene with his neighbor. He actually let her hug him! That is a really big deal! His social skills are really coming along, even if he still clearly has his struggles. He can admit that he made a mistake and can better understand why people are reacting the way they are, and is working at understanding them. I also really love that he doesn't always get it right the first time, and that he isn't a perfect doctor, even if he is a really good doctor. It makes for more drama if we dont know that Shaun will always be right the first time. He is super impressive, but still a person who is learning. It was also nice when he gave credit to Jared for figuring things out first.

Claire had an interesting episode, and while I feel really bad for her (losing a paitint, than having to babysit an asshole Nazi), she was totally in the wrong this episode. She should have just taken that doctors quick reprimand as a leesson and moved on, instead of getting all defensive. She was being very innopropriate and disrepectful to her supperior, and she is lucky she just got reamed out for that. Glad she learned a lesson in the end and saved the asshole guy though. She ended up handling that really well, and I loved when she was like "you got arrested robbing a corner grocery story for $30 while high out of your mind and got your ass kicked by the middle aged grocery store clerk. Some mast race." and later when she saved his life and told him all calmly how hard she had worked to get to the point where she could save his life, and that his crappy life was his own fault. I also continue to like her friendship with Shaun, and how honest she is with him and vice versa. 

It seems like Dr. Glassman had a daughter who died in high school or college, and he sometimes meets up with his daughters best friend to talk about her. Maybe thats why he is so invested in Shawn and has such paternal feelings towards him?

I first saw Antonia Thomas back when she was boozy party girl juvenile delinquent Alicia on Misfits, so its still a little weird to me seeing her as a responsible doctor (and an American!) here. She is doing a great job with it though, so its not too hard. 

[Annber03]

17 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

And thats how I met your mother :) I hope we get a scene in a later season where the couple invites Shaun to their wedding. 

Haha, exactly :D. I thought of that show, too. 

That'd be a lovely gesture if he got to attend their wedding. Aw. Now I want to see that someday. 

One of the things I most liked about Shaun's interactions with Lea is that he could be the trusted ear for somebody. Thus far we've seen others hearing him out when he's struggled with something, and offering advice when needed, so it's neat that Lea trusts him enough to where she feels comfortable venting to him about some problem, or talking to him about this and that, and that he feels comfortable offering her advice, too (even if she's bothered by said advice at first :p). We've seen a bit of that with Claire as well, with him taking notice of some of her struggles and commenting on what he can sense is bothering her. It's just really nice to see this growing level of trust and support from everyone here. 

[slasherboy]

13 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I know it's bad, but when Shaun went to Lea's apt and knocked on the door, I was expecting... Knock,knock, knock "Lea", knock,knock, knock, "Lea"...

I'm not cool enough to understand this, but apparently it's pretty funny.  Could someone enlighten me, please & thank you?

[Annber03]

It's a "Big Bang Theory" reference. One of the characters on that show, Sheldon, does that when he's knocking on somebody else's door (I want to say he does that specifically with Penny? I've only seen a handful of episodes of the show, so I don't know if it's become a thing for him and the characters in general or not. Regular watchers, feel free to clarify).

[Pink-n-Green]

16 hours ago, Calibabydolly said:

Anyone else notice in the credits before the show that Nestor Carbonell (the Sheriff on Bates Motel) directed this episode?

That opened up my Bates Motel to Good Doctor thought process!  Imagine an episode where a tourist from White Pine Bay, Oregon is admitted to the hospital because she's having trouble with her transplanted lungs!  The mind reels :)

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Pink-n-Green said:

That opened up my Bates Motel to Good Doctor thought process!  Imagine an episode where a tourist from White Pine Bay, Oregon is admitted to the hospital because she's having trouble with her transplanted lungs!  The mind reels :)

YES :D! That'd be awesome. 

[Lady Calypso]

Man, this was such a good episode. And Nestor Carbonell directed it? Even better, because there were some really good details in the camera work (for example, the shot of Shaun's perspective in the store). 

I can't stress enough how realistic it feels to have Shaun wrong once in a while. For some reason, so many medical shows find it so hard to have their main characters be wrong for more than some very special episode. So yeah, it sucks to see Shaun wrong, but it feels so realistic that he'd slip up once in a while. This is twice so far, and I find it super refreshing, especially since it gets the other doctors to pick up the correct diagnosis. It also goes to show how emotional Shaun really is. He may have trouble showing it, and he may be less emotionally driven toward his work than others, but he can still clearly feel for patients and situations, even if he doesn't fully understand it. 

I thought Claire was downright rude and obnoxious to her superior, and am glad she shot Claire down twice. I found it a little off for Claire to then apologize in front of the other nurses just because she wanted to show some respect after disrespecting her, as what else could Dr. Lim say in front of others? However, I absolutely see why Claire couldn't separate her emotions and probable experiences from the job in this case. I think that's all what Dr. Lim wanted her to admit, but Claire just couldn't let it go. I can't even fully blame her, since she's not an experienced doctor and this is the first encounter she's had with a racist patient, and it's unlikely to be her last. She managed to do her job at the end, but not without some hiccups along the way. I do like Claire, but I do think she was wrong in the way she handled things, and I also cannot blame her for reacting the way that she did. I'm sure Dr. Lim has also encountered patients like that in her years, so she's learned how to deal with these patients, which is what she wanted to teach Claire before she got defensive. 

I'm not sure who Dr. Glassman is talking about. Maybe another patient, maybe he had a daughter, but it's clear Jessica knew her as well. I'm sure we'll get answers soon enough. 

I did enjoy Lea this episode. I thought she was getting upset because it's rare for someone to be so honest, but I like that she went back to apologize as well. I think her and Claire really are working to understand Shaun. Oh, and Melendez, as well, though he's taken some time to get there. Speaking of Melendez, his support for Shaun is astounding. I love his facial expressions every time Shaun does something that probably isn't the norm for him. Shaun admitting he was wrong, Melendez looked shocked and proud, even behind the mask. 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Lady Calypso

[thuganomics85]

Kacey Rohl!  Always love seeing her, even if she spent the majority of this episode being bed-ridden and unconscious.  I did like how it ended up being her and the guy were only on their first date (and neither one really had a good first impression with the other), and it wasn't some kind of "You have to save the love of my life!" kind of story, but the guy stayed with her out of both guilt and the need to at least have someone with her throughout it all.  Kind of reminded me of The Big Sick on some levels.  I liked how the case played out with Jared being right about a bleed and Shaun being wrong, but Shaun did figure out where the bleed was. But I like that Shaun is fallible despite his smarts, and this is why the entire team/ensemble is effective.  Plus, even with the mask covering his face, I loved Jared's reaction when Shaun gave him credit.  I'm kind of warming up to old Jared now!

Claire's patient was the worst, but she really took the absolute wrong approach by being so confrontational and disrespectful towards Dr. Lim.  Looking past all the moving parts (to be fair, I feel like Claire might have done the same thing with Melendez, so I don't think it was totally a gender thing, although I still think Lim at a point), at the end of the day, Claire as to expect and accept that she will have to deal with horrible people as patients, and still treat them thoroughly.  That is no doubt hard, but that is her job.  Hopefully her apology at the end means she is ready for this.  And she can always takes solace over the fact that the racist asshole probably is infuriated that a black woman saved his sorry ass.

Melendez really seems to have improved.  I like that it isn't a complete about face, and he still can be blunt and confrontational with Shaun, but now it feels like he is actually trying to make him a better doctor, and isn't just being a dick for the sake of it.

Curious to see what was going with that final conversation between Glassman and Jessica.  They clearly seem to have history as well.

Lea/the neighbor was so obnoxious at first; especially just grabbing and eating Shaun's apple like that; but maybe interacting with someone like her is a good thing for Shaun? 

Love that Nestor Carbonell directed this episode.  I'm all for Freddie Higmore's Bates Motel co-stars showing up here in some form.  Vera Farmiga for season finale stunt casting sweep, please! 

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, thuganomics85 said:

Vera Farmiga for season finale stunt casting sweep, please! 

Season finale or otherwise, I want this to happen so badly :D. It'd be so fun to see her and Highmore together again in an episode (or heck, more than one, depending on the story and the character she would play). 

Edited November 22, 2017 by Annber03

[Lady Calypso]

7 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Love that Nestor Carbonell directed this episode.  I'm all for Freddie Higmore's Bates Motel co-stars showing up here in some form.  Vera Farmiga for season finale stunt casting sweep, please! 

I'm personally hoping that this show can save Max Theriot from his godawful show so he can stop playing an unlikable dickhead and come over onto this show instead. Mostly so I don't have to give SEAL Team another try just for a couple of the actors. 

[Annber03]

Ahaha, yeah, I've not seen "SEAL Team", but I've heard the complaints about his character on there, which is a shame, because he was so good on "Bates Motel", too. I'd be cool with him showing up on this show as well :). 

[Driad]

What was wrong with Nazi guy's neck (aside from the fact that nobody wrung it)?  Looked as if he was bleeding inside his neck and it was compressing his windpipe etc., but what is the condition called?

[Pink-n-Green]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I first saw Antonia Thomas back when she was boozy party girl juvenile delinquent Alicia on Misfits, so its still a little weird to me seeing her as a responsible doctor (and an American!) here. She is doing a great job with it though, so its not too hard. 

I wonder if Antonia and Freddie sit around between takes speaking to each other in their English accents about soccer (er, I mean football!)?

53 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I'm personally hoping that this show can save Max Theriot from his godawful show so he can stop playing an unlikable dickhead and come over onto this show instead. Mostly so I don't have to give SEAL Team another try just for a couple of the actors. 

I love, love LOVE David Boreanaz but I couldn't sit through more than the first ten minutes of SEAL Team.  I didn't even know that poor Max was in it as well.

[SnarkyTart]

I'll always associate Nestor Carbonell as the actor who played Richard Alpert on Lost.  I thought it was cool that  EP Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jin on Lost, would have Nestor as a director on The Good Doctor.  They were my two favorite Lost characters.  Also, from Daniel Dae Kim's twitter:

I haven't rewatched the episode, but this is what I got from the closing conversation between Glassman and Jessica: Glassman's daughter died tragically, in some way that causes him guilt for not having spent more time with her.  I had the impression it might be suicide, or perhaps a drug overdose. Glassman's daughter was on the track team with Jessica, and usually beat her.  Jessica said that she herself spent so much time at Glassman's home (presumably as the daughter's friend) that she also felt guilty for not having done something to help.

I also thought that, between Dr Glassman telling Shaun he needed some kind of help to navigate his life, and Jessica's comment to Glassman regarding his relationship with Shaun, "You're there for him", that perhaps Dr. Glassman is overestimating/overcompensating for how much help Shaun really needs.  At least that's what occurred to me when Shaun was able to tell Lea about his mistake and then receive a hug from her.  Shaun is growing and learning, and he may be capable of more in his life outside of work than Glassman is prepared to realize. 

What I really like is that the show makes me ponder and analyze these relationships.  It's raising the bar every single week, and that's a refreshing rarity in a network TV series that's still in its infancy.  I love this show!

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Lea/the neighbor was so obnoxious at first; especially just grabbing and eating Shaun's apple like that; but maybe interacting with someone like her is a good thing for Shaun? 

On the one hand, she's disruptive and obnoxious. On the other hand, she's up front and easy to read. I actually like being around people who are strong enough to be open about who they are, and to handle the same from others. But I also think she's got some work to do on the obnoxiousness, because really, blasting her music in a thin-walled apartment isn't the kind of thing someone should have to tell her not to do. Shaun's advice was not a sign of genius on his part, the way some of his medical insights can be.

Maybe she can grow and learn better social behavior, in a different but somewhat equal degree to what Shaun is doing. She can't be impatient with him because she requires a lot of patience herself. And they're both honest and blunt. And he has something to offer her in that department, because not only does he understand about not blasting music, but he also isn't put off by her directness, the way a lot of people would be.

[aemom]

7 hours ago, Annber03 said:

It's a "Big Bang Theory" reference. One of the characters on that show, Sheldon, does that when he's knocking on somebody else's door (I want to say he does that specifically with Penny? I've only seen a handful of episodes of the show, so I don't know if it's become a thing for him and the characters in general or not. Regular watchers, feel free to clarify).

Sheldon does that when knocking on anyone's door. He knocks, and says the person's name 3 times and performs the sequence 3 times.

Though the show has never come out and said anything,  the character of Sheldon is widely believed to be on the autism spectrum, hence the jokes of Shaun knocking on Lea's door.

[Cinephile54]

I'm wondering if Jessica herself has known Shaun since before he worked at St. Bonaventure. They way that she told Shaun in the trauma episode that he needed to focus was spoken in a very maternal tone.    

[chocolatine]

I misread the opening credits and thought the handsome Nestor Carbonell was going to guest-star in this episode, so I was a tiny bit disappointed that he didn't appear. He did a great job directing though.

While I like that Lea seems to draw Shaun out of his shell, I'm still not 100% on board with the "free spirited woman changes rigid man" trope this storyline seems to be going towards. I hope the show proves me wrong and takes in a more surprising direction.

I'm trying to work out how Glassman's daughter - if that's who she was - fits in with what we've already been told. Glassman was living in Wyoming (or was it Montana?) when Shaun was 14. But he was living in the San Jose area when his daughter died. His daughter would have been the same age as Jessica, who is supposed to be how old? I'd say at least mid-30s, since she appears to be the hospital's chief (only?) lawyer. Shaun's probably in his late 20s, 28 if he's the same age as Jared. So my theory is that Glassman's daughter died when she was in high school, and because he couldn't cope with his grief he gave up everything he had in San Jose and fled to Wyoming/Montana, where he met Shaun and Steve a few years later.

Edited November 22, 2017 by chocolatine

[Brown12051]

Glad to find a TGD discussion group.
Apple made it almost necessary for me to write something somewhere.

I am a House fan, and can't help but notice the similarities between the two shows.  I guess you have to expect it, in view of their having the same show creator.

There was a contemplative scene in the first season of House that involved him looking back into his past while being alone besides a sports field.  Now there is Glassman on a track field thinking about his apparently dead daughter, and we learn that the attorney was a friend of hers.  The time sequence seems to be that Shaun is like his surrogate son.

Freddie seems to make up for not being Hugh (I know that sounds unfair...but Hugh Laurie is a master at facial expression) by making sure that while Shaun looks away autistic-ly, he often looks toward the camera, and we get to see him expressing Shaun's feelings, which he does not reveal to others easily.  He shows himself to be a really good actor, which has been my impression ever since the first episode.

The apple business is almost biblical (sort of, it didn't say it was an apple).  Apparently Shaun and Lea are growing in their friendship with one another, and she eats the apple first, and then later gives one to Shaun, after which they hug each other for the first time.  

There have been at least two dozen House references in this show in the episodes so far, which is ok with me, but those are just a few.  But the show also stands on its own, as very well written.

Edited November 22, 2017 by Brown12051

[TomGirl]

Welcome, Brown12051!  

[Annber03]

Adding to the welcome :). Hope to hear more of your thoughts on the show!

I'd be interested to hear those of you who watched 'House" continuing to note any similarities (or differences) between this show and that one. That sort of compare/contrast could make for good discussion as well. 

[Bobbin]

17 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I can't stress enough how realistic it feels to have Shaun wrong once in a while. For some reason, so many medical shows find it so hard to have their main characters be wrong for more than some very special episode. So yeah, it sucks to see Shaun wrong, but it feels so realistic that he'd slip up once in a while. This is twice so far, and I find it super refreshing, especially since it gets the other doctors to pick up the correct diagnosis. It also goes to show how emotional Shaun really is. He may have trouble showing it, and he may be less emotionally driven toward his work than others, but he can still clearly feel for patients and situations, even if he doesn't fully understand it. 

It would be nice if real patients were always this compassionate and forgiving with real doctors who aren't Freddie Highmore.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I'd be interested to hear those of you who watched 'House" continuing to note any similarities (or differences) between this show and that one. That sort of compare/contrast could make for good discussion as well. 

I watched House, though not religiously and a long time ago, so I don't remember all the details. Shaun is a much more sympathetic character to me than House. House was a misanthrope and drug addict. He was a very senior and reputable diagnostician and didn't have to/feel like he had to try to find common ground with anyone. Shaun having to push against his limitations because his career depends on it gives us more character growth. I'm not saying that The Good Doctor is a better show - Hugh Laurie is in a league of his own, acting-wise - but like @Brown12051 said, it stands well on its own.

[jhlipton]

On 11/21/2017 at 2:22 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I thought Claire was downright rude and obnoxious to her superior, and am glad she shot Claire down twice. I found it a little off for Claire to then apologize in front of the other nurses just because she wanted to show some respect after disrespecting her, as what else could Dr. Lim say in front of others? However, I absolutely see why Claire couldn't separate her emotions and probable experiences from the job in this case. I think that's all what Dr. Lim wanted her to admit, but Claire just couldn't let it go. I can't even fully blame her, since she's not an experienced doctor and this is the first encounter she's had with a racist patient, and it's unlikely to be her last. She managed to do her job at the end, but not without some hiccups along the way. I do like Claire, but I do think she was wrong in the way she handled things, and I also cannot blame her for reacting the way that she did. I'm sure Dr. Lim has also encountered patients like that in her years, so she's learned how to deal with these patients, which is what she wanted to teach Claire before she got defensive.

Exactly.  Much has been made of doctors not wanting to treat patients' requests because of their religious belief -- if belief is that important, don't practice in public.  Otherwise, swallow your feelings and give the best care possible, even to a Nazi.

EDIT: I wonder if having a woman much loved and who seemed like a decent person die due to Claire's actions while this swcum lived may have influenced her actions.

23 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

This is what I got from the closing conversation between Glassman and Jessica: Glassman's daughter died tragically, in some way that causes him guilt for not having spent more time with her.  I had the impression it might be suicide, or perhaps a drug overdose. Glassman's daughter was on the track team with Jessica, and usually beat her.  Jessica said that she herself spent so much time at Glassman's home (presumably as the daughter's friend) that she also felt guilty for not having done something to help.

That's what I got too.  That looked more like a college track than a high school track, but Glassman said "You were both teenagers", so his daughter must have died (from suicide or drug over dose -- or similar "bad choice") when a senior in high school or just starting college.  I like the idea of him fleeing to Wyoming and having Shaun as a "surrogate son".
"

Edited November 22, 2017 by jhlipton

[Pink-n-Green]

5 hours ago, jhlipton said:

 I like the idea of him fleeing to Wyoming and having Shaun as a "surrogate son".
"

I think the writers did a good job with the way they drop little hints here and there about the past.  At this point, I am as curious about Dr. Glassman's backstory as I am about Shaun's.

[Rustybones]

I noticed this episode was directed by Nestor Carbonelli. 

[Misslindsey]

Quote

Antonia Thomas is her name :). This is the first I've ever seen her work, but maybe others know of other things she's been in, too.

She is a main character on the UK show Lovesick on netflix. I watched the first two seasons. I am not sure when season three will appear on Netflix, but I enjoyed the show.

[Ohmo]

On 11/21/2017 at 11:49 AM, Annber03 said:

I was thinking that, too. Certainly would make sense, given his getting up so early to go sit in the bleachers and reminisce. But there were moments it also sounded like this girl was closely tied to Jessica somehow, too. So yeah. Little mystery there to ponder.

Did I dream something?  Isn't Jessica related to Glassman?  I thought they had a conversation (in the pilot, maybe?) where he mentioned that he would not always be around to support her in terms of hospital politics and such.  I thought somewhere in that exchange it was established that Jessica was Glassman's daughter, which would tie this mystery character to both Jessica and Glassman.  Maybe I handwaved that relationship, though.

 

On 11/21/2017 at 5:51 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I'm personally hoping that this show can save Max Theriot from his godawful show so he can stop playing an unlikable dickhead and come over onto this show instead.

That show is called SEAL TEAM, and I happen to think it's not godawful.  However, several of us in the SEAL TEAM forum do agree with you in terms of Max's character.  We would gladly unload Clay (played by Max) if given the choice to do so.

[Morrigan2575]

6 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Did I dream something?  Isn't Jessica related to Glassman?  I thought they had a conversation (in the pilot, maybe?) where he mentioned that he would not always be around to support her in terms of hospital politics and such.  I thought somewhere in that exchange it was established that Jessica was Glassman's daughter, which would tie this mystery character to both Jessica and Glassman.  Maybe I handwaved that relationship, though.

I don't think they ever established a relationship between Glassman and Jessica. I know he mentioned something about Jessica not relying on her father or grandfather's donation to the hospital to keep her on the board/in her position and that he won't always be around to back her.

From the bleacher conversation it sounds like Jessica was best friends with Glassman's daughter and pretty much "lived" at the Glassman's house in HS. I'm not sure if Glassman's daughter committed suicide or Over Dosed on Drugs there are allusions to both in the conversation.

Suicide - Glassman talking about giving her space and Jessica saying she should have known/seen it.

Over Dose - Glassman saying Jessica and his daughter were just dumb teens, Jessica got lucky his daughter didn't.

[Pink-n-Green]

"Geez, Romano, how many times to I have to kill you?"

[Brown12051]

On 11/22/2017 at 9:37 AM, TomGirl said:

Welcome, Brown12051!  

Thanks TomGirl!!

[ForReal]

This observation is a rather indirect comparison to House (which I loved), but when Claire had problems treating the punk, my husband thought that was probably very realistic and I thought (based on House) that it wasn't, because House often disregarded the details of the patient's life and treated the medical mystery. Yes, the details often tied into the story line on the show, but House was able to separate his feelings from his diagnostic skills, and I would think doctors do that day in and day out.

I am interested to learn more about Glassman and Jessica, and I agree it is well done how they are dropping hints as they go.

I think the neighbor could be a good amateur life coach for Shaun, particularly if he thinks of it himself instead of Glassman suggesting it.

[jhlipton]

15 hours ago, ForReal said:

House was able to separate his feelings from his diagnostic skills, and I would think doctors do that day in and day out.

Doctors should separate their feelings from what's best for a patient, but they are human, and will have a natural reaction.  Consider how many doctors can't separate their religious beliefs from those of their patients.  In the end, Claire was able put aside her feelings to help the punk.

Also, too, House put aside everyone's feelings, not just his own, because he was an asshole.  A brilliant one, which is why he got away with it, but still.