S01.E14: She

[Miss Bones]

Dr. Shaun Murphy is surprised to learn that his young cancer patient identifies as a girl while being biologically male. Shaun must quickly learn to understand his patient, her medical needs and how to work with her family, who all feel they know what is best for her.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Miss Bones
Edited to Episode Format

[orza]

This episode was another annoying after-school special. The show is getting to be like season 1 of Designated Survivor, in which each episode tried to teach us a lesson in tolerance or whatever and came off preachy and condescending.

Edited February 6, 2018 by orza

[Miss Bones]

I mostly agree.  I typically love the "warm and fuzzies" that this show leaves me with.  This was the first time that my head hurt from them knocking me over the head with their agenda the entire episode. 

 

That ending with him floating in the pool-- "What are you doing?"  "Understanding"--was a little over the top, especially.  He could have just said "Seeing what it feels like" or something of the sort, if they really felt we, the audience, weren't intelligent enough to put it together with his earlier conversation with the trans girl.

[vibeology]

I enjoyed Claire's plot and I love that Melendez is continuing to be a good mentor to her. (Please never hook them up show! Please!) I also like the new doctor. She competitive and underhanded at times, but she isn't wrong. There are two spots in theory but only one in practice and she's clearly worked hard to get this far already. Getting herself out there on a new team is important. Plus that conflict was the only thing that made this feel different from an afterschool special.

I knew the moment he blamed his wife that Andrews would be the problem with her getting pregnant. That's some obvious TV writing but I loved seeing him get knocked down a peg all the same.

As for Quinn, that writing was so heavy handed. I do think the parents ultimately made the right choice. From the way the character was written, I doubt Quinn will change her mind about transitioning surgically once she's an adult but she might feel differently about kids and might want to set aside a sample first. Taking that option away from her because of something she wants at 13 is wrong.

[Annber03]

I can see where the message would read that way, and I agree the bit with the pool at the end could've been worded a little differently.

But I still liked the overall storyline with Quinn. I felt for her with all the stress she was going through, and I liked how the team in general was supportive and wanting to work with her, while also trying to keep the peace with her family. I like that Shaun learned how to properly address her, too.

I also liked Shaun and Jared working together in general. They make for an interesting team.

As for Reznick, hoo, boy, all I'll say is Claire handled dealing with her far better than I think many would've. I'll be curious to see if she settles down the way Neil did with time, or if she'll continue to be antagonistic. I'd have no problem with the latter, 'cause that could make for some good conflict, but hopefully if they go that route, she'll get a little more depth and a better understanding of why she behaves as she does. 

On a lighter note, Shaun explaining how and where he got all his furniture and trinkets and such was fun and sweet :). I'm curious where they'll go with his friendship with his neighbor. 

[Lady Calypso]

My first thoughts about Reznick were: "Oh boy, she's a sociopath." Reznick got on my nerves multiple times, but my overall feelings for her are that she's a fascinating antagonist. I always feel bad for Claire when she gets stuck in the worst situations, and here is no different. She had to deal with Reznick, who was far from a nice person and the total opposite to Claire. I was pleased that Melendez was really on Claire's side. Their friendship works really well, and I can only hope it stays a friendship. Back to Reznick, I just had a problem with her competitive nature, because she took it too over the top. As much as I'd like for her to just go away, if she did stick around, keep her as an antagonist. She's kind of interesting as an antagonist (though one I do not want to see a whole lot of, nor do I want her taking screen time away from someone like Claire). 

I did think this episode was heavy handed, but it's better than the Islands episodes. I thought Quinn was a good patient of the week. It helped open Shaun up to more than just science and biology, so kit was some growth on his end (and I always love when this show allows Shaun to learn something, rather than him always being right). Plus, him and Jared working together is always a treat. 

So, we learn more about Andrews, who has been mostly underdeveloped and still my least favourite character. I couldn't even muster up much sympathy for his fertility issues with his wife. I just think the guy's been a jerk from the few times we've actually seen him, so they'll need to pull a Melendez to get me to care for him. Melendez, meanwhile, is becoming one of my favourites. 

I don't get the purpose of Shaun's neighbour. He brings virtually nothing to the show, nor to Shaun's character. Maybe he'll add more depth later on. 

[DearEvette]

I found Reznick to be late addition antagonist 101.  She's abrasive!  She's competitive!  She's not here to be your best friend because in the vernacular of reality tv this is not 'Residents best friends race.'   In that sense I feel like I've seen her character 100 times on tv before.  What would have been a fascinating character beat for her, imo, was for her to be friendly and warm and still be cut-throat and competitive.  Someone that Claire wanted to raise her game for because she was a person worth raising your game for, rather than someone she has to raise her game for because she feels threatened.  But it gave us another nice mentoring moment for Melendez.

I like Shaun's dynamic with his new neighbor. I could easily see how Shaun could be off putting  upon first meeting, people are just not used to such literal interpretations of everything.  But this guy just seems to go with Shaun's flow with no judgment and their vibe is already very easy. 

I actually liked the case Shaun and Kalu were on.  Not necessarily because it was a great story or anything but it is yet another sort of exposure for Shaun.  He is there to learn and this was a learning opportunity for her.  He is going to come into contact with a lot of things that need to be considered outside of the science and medical boxes.  Gender is a big one because it really should be as simple as XX vs. XY but Identity is a much more complex thing that even people who aren't on the spectrum have a really hard time grappling with.  Even liberal, well meaning people have a hard time learning the vocabulary of gender identity and even can resent it to some extent.  So yeah, the writing here isn't the best -- again like the Reznick it borders on clumsy --  but I could appreciate what they were trying to do there.

ETA: On a shallow note, Hill Harper and Marsha Thomason make a very attractive couple.  But I kinda wish their marital strife wasn;t also baby based like Melendez' and .... God what is her name???

Edited February 6, 2018 by DearEvette

[Annber03]

8 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

ETA: On a shallow note, Hill Harper and Marsha Thomason make a very attractive couple.  But I kinda wish their marital strife wasn;t also baby based like Melendez' and .... God what is her name???

Jessica :). 

[DearEvette]

Thank you.  I feel so bad I blank on her name all the time.

[Annber03]

Eh, it happens-I've had that with a few shows in the past myself :D. Especially tough when the character in question isn't on as much as some of the others. 

[Bobbin]

Give Reznick this, she's upfront and honest, leaving Claire with no doubts about their relationship. Melendez gave Claire good advice: know your enemy; and act -- don't just react. In the tradition of Mary Perkins, I wonder how Claire will manage to keep Reznick from constantly upstaging her.

I still like Shaun's new neighbor, the B&E specialist! So does Shaun. He violates Shaun's boundaries and ignores Shaun's control issues, and yet Shaun never gets upset. They trust each other, respect each other. That's big.

LOL, Andrews got his macho ego wounded. It can't be my fault! I'm a man! Would he also blame his wife for bearing girls instead of boys, in the royal tradition?

The Quinn storyline could have been developed better. I suppose the emergency surgery was necessary because they only had an hour to wrap up that plot. Never mind that the emergency had nothing to do with removing either the cancerous testicle or the healthy one. The family dynamics would have been more interesting if it was grandma who was accepting and the parents who were not. In the spirit of PSA storylines, the show could have run a pop-up tag at the end referring viewers to PFLAG.org, et al, for more information on gender dysphoria.

[notcreative enough]

This might get a bit ranty so bear with me.

• Why does Melendez always look like he just stumbled into work. Sorry did this patient interrupt date night or something. Seems like Jessica was the one to pick up the dry cleaning and dress him.
• New doctor lady can go at any time. There is a difference between strong independent no nonsense woman and a bitch. This show decided to go the shady bitch route. 
• Please god don't put Claire and Melendez together. No one wants that.
• First Shaun learns about how a Muslim might not be a terrorist and that transgender people are not the sum of there chromosomes. Wonder what quagmire he will find himself in next. 
• Andrews wife is a lot more mature than I am. After he all but blames her for them not having kids and finding out it's his sperm. I would have given him a look and a head shake. 
• It's your own fault you pushed him away Glassman. You could have been honest about your feeling and explained that you view Shaun as a son/family and that's why you can't be just friends. 
• Stop breaking into Shaun's apartment weird new neighbor. You used your criminal powers for good to help Shaun "understand" but stop with all the B&E. I do love that he doesn't mind Shaun needing to knock on the door as he passes and even says hello through the door.
• Grr Olympics. I don't like the NBC overly edited coverage and now all TV is pushed until it's over. 

Edited February 6, 2018 by notcreative enough

[Suzysite]

3 hours ago, orza said:

This episode was another annoying after-school special. The show is getting to be like season 1 of Designated Survivor, in which each episode tried to teach us a lesson in tolerance or whatever and came off preachy and condescending.

Exactly.   I don't want or need to be taught a 'very special lesson' from my tv shows.   Honest to Pete, I've dumped 3 long-standing shows from from my DVR this week alone, and I'm not in the mood for shenanigans from any more of them.  

[sinkwriter]

There's something I don't trust about the new neighbor. I like that he goes with the flow in regard to Shaun's unusual characteristics, but in last night's episode I got a gut feeling that he was up to something. When he asked Shaun about being a doctor, he looked a little too thoughtful about it... my first thought was, is he going to be some sort of drug seeker?

Edited February 6, 2018 by sinkwriter

[thuganomics85]

The first thing that popped into my head during all of Reznick scenes was David Shore decided he wanted to give this show it's own version of House's Amber "Cutthroat Bitch" Voakis.  Because she basically felt like the same person.  The actress was fine in the role, but no Anne Dudek.  Hopefully she'll get better, or Claire will destroy.  Why does poor Claire keep getting the short end of the stick?

So, another episode where Shaun has to overcome his initial assumptions and stereotypes, and how he views things going forward.  To be fair, from what we've seen of Shaun, I definitely seem him as someone who would be baffled by the idea of transgenders and identifying as a different gender then your biological one.  Still got heavy-handed at times, but I enjoyed his interactions with Jared.  I'm really enjoying those two together.  Also cracked up at Dr. Lim's reactions, because she really had no idea what she was getting herself into.  She thought he was just the "boy genius" and it would be easy!  I was also completely distracted that Quinn's father was played by Murphy from Z-Nation.  Another thing I love about the Canadian acting pool: you can be a lead/regular on a cable show, and then just show up in a minor guest role on a network show!

Speaking of which, fun seeing Kristin Lehman pop up as Andrews' fertility doctor, while currently having a regular role on Netflix's Altered Carbon (safe to say, she is wearing way more clothes here.)  Other then that, I just come away thinking that he's a dick and Isabel deserves better.

JoBeth Williams!  She's still be Diane from Poltergeist to me!

Quit pouting, Glassman.  You pushed Shaun away first, so don't act surprised that he has taken your actions to heart, now.

[windsprints]

Quote

Give Reznick this, she's upfront and honest, leaving Claire with no doubts about their relationship. Melendez gave Claire good advice: know your enemy; and act -- don't just react. In the tradition of Mary Perkins, I wonder how Claire will manage to keep Reznick from constantly upstaging her.

I think they will eventually move on from being adversaries. The point was made that she worked for Dr. Creep (sorry, can't recall his name). I think at some point she will join Claire in going up against him.

I understand why Shaun behaves as he does in front of patients. What I find false is that the senior doctors do not immediately bring him outside of the patient's room and at least try explaining that his behavior is unacceptable. Jared tried but he's Shaun's peer. This is the second episode in a row where Shaun went on and on in front of the patient with barely a blip.  Of course not all doctors have good bedside manner but there's still a line.

I like Melendez in a mentoring role with the younger doctors. I find he & Shaun's dynamic just as interesting as Shaun & Glassman, at times moreso since it started at zero and the respect (both sides) has grown as time goes along. I really hope if there's any romantic pairing with Claire its down the road. Everything doesn't need to happen in season 1.

[TwistedandBored]

I really liked Claire's story much more than Shaun/Kalu's story. I think Claire getting the worst cases and people to work with might be some sort of a running gag in the writers or something. I did like Melendez being on her side and actually telling her to, "Rise and play the game on her own terms". I also wouldn't mind if he and Claire did get together down the road. They have some major chemistry together. 

 

I didn't like Shaun and Kalu's case because of Shaun need to keep calling the patient a "he". I understand he is Austistic and everything. However, every medical school and work orientation classes now days include an education on the subject of transgender and self identification. I am sorry but it is not a class you can skip. It is inserted into your med/surge classes and into the fundamental classes we all take in medical and Nursing classes. It is also part of your orientation class when you get a job in the Hospital or anywhere you have to deal with clients. So, that just whole thing fell flat to me. 

Edited February 7, 2018 by TwistedandBored

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Speaking of which, fun seeing Kristin Lehman pop up as Andrews' fertility doctor, while currently having a regular role on Netflix's Altered Carbon (safe to say, she is wearing way more clothes here.) 

Oh man, That was her?  I binged the first three eps of Altered Carbon Monday and not three hours later watched this show and totally didn't recognize her.  The hair was radically different in this one and I think I too was distracted by her nipples in AC.  To be fair, they did enter the scene a good five minutes before she did.  She inhabited both roles so differently though. Good acting.

[Whimsy]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Speaking of which, fun seeing Kristin Lehman pop up as Andrews' fertility doctor, while currently having a regular role on Netflix's Altered Carbon (safe to say, she is wearing way more clothes here.)  Other then that, I just come away thinking that he's a dick and Isabel deserves better.

 

 

52 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Oh man, That was her?  I binged the first three eps of Altered Carbon Monday and not three hours later watched this show and totally didn't recognize her.  The hair was radically different in this one and I think I too was distracted by her nipples in AC.  To be fair, they did enter the scene a good five minutes before she did.  She inhabited both roles so differently though. Good acting.

I binged Altered Carbon over the last two days and was taken a little aback to see her just because the roll was so different. 

I thought the neighbor was up to something shady too, but I think for me it’s just my predisposition to not like Chris D’Elia. Maybe he’ll be ok, too. 

[Pink-n-Green]

8 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

transgender people are not the sum of there chromosomes.

I don't know if you made this line up or if you've seen it somewhere else, but I love it.

Bitchy, undermining female doctor is such an archetype and I was disappointed when she showed up.  Surgery is still an old-boys club; why couldn't they have them being supportive of one another?  And it sounds like she wants a cardio-thoracic fellowship?  Is she competing with Claire for that?  I'd never heard Claire say she wants cardio-thoracic.

Am I the only person here who really likes Dr. Andrews?  I was actually watching some hour-long bio on Whitney Houston last week and Hill Harper was narrating it.  I was going nuts trying to remember where I knew him from!  Maybe a white coat is the medical equivalent of Clark Kent's glasses?

Also, I finally got to see the entire run of Bates Motel and, to tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of Shaun at this point!

[Brown12051]

I wonder if anyone here got out House's "The Softer Side" (Season 5, episode 16) after seeing this.  I notice that the patient here (Quinn) had a lot more to say than House's Jackson, and up to then, was allowed to make a choice.  Having a grandma that wanted Quinn, who chose to be a girl, to keep the male parts and who was willing to even go to court against the wishes of the parents was unique.  In the House episode, the mom did not want to tell Jackson that there were two sets of DNA, and in that case the difference was not as obvious, and Jackson was being raised as male.  With Quinn, it was apparently obvious.

I sure hope that this is not something that is increasing in this drugged society.  I think it might be, and the choices are definitely not easy.

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, Pink-n-Green said:

Am I the only person here who really likes Dr. Andrews?  I was actually watching some hour-long bio on Whitney Houston last week and Hill Harper was narrating it.  I was going nuts trying to remember where I knew him from!  Maybe a white coat is the medical equivalent of Clark Kent's glasses?

No, yeah, I'm interested in him, too. Yeah, he definitely didn't show himself in the best light for much of last night's episode, to put it mildly, but he has had some good moments, too, and he's clearly got his own pressures he's dealing with, and I like when we get to explore that. Plus, I'm not familiar with Harper's work in general, but he just seems like a likeable guy from the little bit I've heard and read about him, so I think that makes it easier for me to deal with Andrews' not-so-great moments as a result.

Quote

Also, I finally got to see the entire run of Bates Motel and, to tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of Shaun at this point!

Ha :p! 

[Fake Britt]

7 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

This might get a bit ranty so bear with me.

• Why does Melendez always look like he just stumbled into work. Sorry did this patient interrupt date night or something. Seems like Jessica was the one to pick up the dry cleaning and dress him.
• New doctor lady can go at any time. There is a difference between strong independent no nonsense woman and a bitch. This show decided to go the shady bitch route. 
• Please god don't put Claire and Melendez together. No one wants that.
• First Shaun learns about how a Muslim might not be a terrorist and that transgender people are not the sum of there chromosomes. Wonder what quagmire he will find himself in next. 
• Andrews wife is a lot more mature than I am. After he all but blames her for them not having kids and finding out it's his sperm. I would have given him a look and a head shake. 
• It's your own fault you pushed him away Glassman. You could have been honest about your feeling and explained that you view Shaun as a son/family and that's why you can't be just friends. 
• Stop breaking into Shaun's apartment weird new neighbor. You used your criminal powers for good to help Shaun "understand" but stop with all the B&E. I do love that he doesn't mind Shaun needing to knock on the door as he passes and even says hello through the door.

1. There have been times that Melendez has looked tired after a long complicated surgery, but I noticed that he was looking rather seedy in this episode.  I'm guessing that he's pulling extra hours at the hospital (a/k/a PBWIS = Post Breakup Work Immersion Syndrome).

2. If you mean Dr. Blondie Bouncycurlz, here's hoping that it was a one shot guest appearance.  They made the character so distasteful in her nastiness towards Claire, the acknowledged virtual empath on the Starship San Jose, no redemption is possible.

3. Agreed, Claire and Melendez are not a match.  Love 'em both, but not together.  Great colleagues though.

4. Next up:  Shaun learns that the emergency gun shot in the gut might not be a member of MS13.

5. Andrews wife is a bigger person than her husband.  She loves him enough not to hit him back, and it was played in a deft and subtle manner.

6. Too bad Shaun wasn't floating in the pool trying to understand Glassman and the concept of forgiveness, rather than wasting mental energy on that spoiled brat Quinn.  Boy, I couldn't stand that character, which brings us to...

7. ...another character I couldn't stand, namely, Shaun's new neighbor.  I can't bear to look at that guy.  The breaking/entering cr@p is like *I can't*.  What gets me aggravated is that I've been waiting all these weeks for the cat to come back (remember the cat on his patio that Shaun left the food for), and the writers left the poor kid bunnyless, brotherless, catless, and Lea-less, and all he got was the t-shirt (= Cro-Magnon neighbor).

In conclusion, I couldn't stand the doctor, Spoiled Brat Quinn, cave dweller (you cable tv me cable tv).  I won't be willing to see their faces ever again, and I refuse to soak in my bathtub in order to understand why they're ruining what started out as an excellent and unique little show. 

[auntiemel]

Wow. Between having an on-the-record meeting at the beginning of the season where they blatantly debate whether or not to hire Shaun because of his autism, and now having the hospital play official host and mediator to a meeting where one of the viewpoints is that the patient's stated gender identity is possibly not real thing, is "just a phase," referred to as "playing pretend" and "playing dress up"--and that viewpoint is treated as equally valid...just...I'm at a loss. WOW, this hospital is really not concerned about potential discrimination lawsuits, is it?

[statsgirl]

How sheltered was Claire that she grew up never having encountered someone like Reznick?  How stupid was she that after the first time Reznick stabbed her in the back, she still continued to trust her and share ideas with her?  Blech. I didn't enjoy that at all.  Reznick may be real to life but it's not something I want to give my attention to.

In what universe is fecal transplant a radical treatment for C. Diff?  It was SOP treatment back in 2010 when my mother was being treated.

If they scheduled a meeting for the parents to reach an accord with the grandmother about the surgery, why didn't they have someone from psychiatry or social work there?  You know, the people who are trained to handle those kinds of situations. Was the grandmother's problem really the fact that her genes wouldn't be reproduced by her grandson?  Frozen sperm can still be viable after 40 years. There, problem solved.

[izabella]

27 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

How sheltered was Claire that she grew up never having encountered someone like Reznick?  How stupid was she that after the first time Reznick stabbed her in the back, she still continued to trust her and share ideas with her?  Blech. I didn't enjoy that at all.  Reznick may be real to life but it's not something I want to give my attention to.

I was really surprised by that, too.  Claire went to med school, so she should not be new to ambitious people who see everyone as competition.

[Driad]

28 minutes ago, izabella said:

I was really surprised by that, too.  Claire went to med school, so she should not be new to ambitious people who see everyone as competition.

Old joke:  How many medical students does it take to change a light bulb? 

Two: one to change the bulb and one to pull the ladder out from under the first one.

[tennisgurl]

I guess Dr. Reznick will be our new "Dr. Bitch Face" of the show. She reminds me a lot of that female surgeon that showed up on Scrubs a few seasons in, who was constantly mean and aggressive and petty, and eventually was written out because even the writers realized she was a horribly done stereotype. Not a fan. Claire just cant catch a freaking break can she? At least Melendez has her back. They have a nice chemistry too. 

And on a very special The Good Doctor...yeah, the stuff with the trans teen was pretty not subtle, and seemed to at time be more of a lecture than a show, but if someone did learn some more about trans people and was inspired to show more empathy, than I guess thats worth it. I do kind of find the running theme of "Shaun doesn't get social issues and acts insensitive without realizing", while also hoping it doesn't become a thing every other week. It is interesting to see someone who really doesn't get why certain things are offensive, because he has such a logic based mind that doesn't really get nuance (I mean, identity politics can be confusing even for people without autism) and have people explain to him WHY certain things are offensive, and why certain things arent, but it also has the potential to get old super fast. I thought the pool was laying it on a bit thick. We got the point when he finally called Quinn She at the end. It even looks like grandma might be coming around. Maybe. 

Dr. Glassman needs to do more work to get back on good terms with Shaun. They both made mistakes, but he needs to admit he was wrong in how he treated Shaun, and how he told him he didn't want to be friends. I can see why I said that and what they may or may not have meant, but Shaun doesn't. 

I like Shaun's neighbor. He seems like a chill guy. 

[mookster]

The writing in this show is getting so heavy-handed. I'm with everyone who thought this was "a very special episode." The new bitchy doctor - or the actress - was over the top and poorly written. A little subtlety would make the storyline more believable/watchable. And I can't believe Andrews would be that stupid/insensitive/clueless to use the word "fault" when talking about what he thought was his wife's fertility issue. Very ham-handed. And yeah, saw that it was going to be his problem from miles away. Not sure about the new neighbor - wonder what his story is. I'm not feeling the show lately. 

[aemom]

I've always thought Andrews was an ass, and this episode did nothing to reverse that opinion. His wife was WAY too nice and understanding to him when they went back to the specialist and found out about the low sperm count.

I like when Shaun is exposed to people who are "outside of the boxes" that he's familiar with. I thought that the experience with Quinn was a good learning experience for Shaun.

I hated Reznick, and I know that we were supposed to, but I hope that Claire gets to take her down a peg in a future episode. 

I think that Shaun and Jared worked well together.  I liked that the winning doctor received a whole dollar as their prize!

Edited to add that I think that it's good that Shaun's neighbor is so chill with him, perhaps they will have an interesting friendship.  I don't get a creepy vibe, but I wish that he would stop with the B&E.

Edited February 8, 2018 by AEMom
Forgot my notes on the neighbor

[jhlipton]

On 2/6/2018 at 6:27 AM, vibeology said:

I doubt Quinn will change her mind about transitioning surgically once she's an adult but she might feel differently about kids and might want to set aside a sample first. Taking that option away from her because of something she wants at 13 is wrong.

A good friend of mine had her sperm saved before she trans and her baby boy is the cutest thing.  Both trans-ing and saving sperm have made her so happy!

[possibilities]

There are consequences of going through puberty without blockers, too-- some irreversible, and some extremely psychologically distressing if you're trans. So I actually disagreed with the way they presented the way they presented the decision as "the safe choice" when clearly it was going to be extremely stressful for Quinn and something that would affect her negatively for the rest of her life.

[jhlipton]

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

There are consequences of going through puberty without blockers, too-- some irreversible, and some extremely psychologically distressing if you're trans. So I actually disagreed with the way they presented the way they presented the decision as "the safe choice" when clearly it was going to be extremely stressful for Quinn and something that would affect her negatively for the rest of her life.

It's the "safe" choice in that it means "no action".  Quinn would be going through puberty without the doctors doing anything if the blockers were stopped for any reason.  From a strictly legal point of view, it is "safer", even if it's not truly safer for Quinn.

[theatremouse]

Melendez said "rise up" and "wait for it" in a span of 30 seconds. Either he's a Hamilton fan or the show's writers are. (or both)

[Happytobehere]

On 2/6/2018 at 11:26 PM, statsgirl said:

How sheltered was Claire that she grew up never having encountered someone like Reznick?  How stupid was she that after the first time Reznick stabbed her in the back, she still continued to trust her and share ideas with her?  Blech. I didn't enjoy that at all.  Reznick may be real to life but it's not something I want to give my attention to.

 

This episode had me questioning Claire on two fronts and neither set of questions made her come off looking good.  First, is she stupid, to have not seen that witch coming from fifty miles away.  To continue to treat her as she were more than the creature she presented herself to be was just plain dumb.  Has she never her the famous Maya Angelou quote, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”  Second, does Claire live in a delusional bubble where she’s not black because every black woman I know recognized peak WW when blonde walked on camera.  Claire is really go8ng to have to work to earn back my respect becuase damn!

[jhlipton]

11 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

every black woman I know recognized peak WW when blonde walked on camera. 

What is "peak WW"?

[QuinnInND]

I loved to see a character named Quinn! And my grandma used to call me "Quinnie" once in a while. Good memories. 

The while B&E neighbor is up to something. Please, Shaun, for the love of God, secure that sliding door better. And am I the only one who thinks that the neighbor is pirating cable and ran an illegal line to Shauns? 

And Dr Blondebitch can go diaf anywhere in here. I hope she's not going to be a permanent character. 

[vibeology]

10 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

Cutthroat Bitch from House was so good at this. She was a well-rounded character who was also unapologetic in her competitiveness, but whereas I had fun watching her, this new girl is TOTALLY every reality TV villain who "isn't there to make friends." The minute one woman uses the phrase "braid each other's hair" to another woman, they're pretty much dead to me. 

To be fair to this show, Cutthroat Bitch wasn't well-rounded and developed her first episode. She was still fairly shallow and stereotypical. I'm willing to give the writers a chance to deepen Reznick's character because there's just no way to create a whole person, have the medical plots with all of their attached characters, service Shaun who is the star and keep up on the other character development. Melendez started off very flat too and now he's one of my favourite characters. I'm willing to give Reznick a bit of time.

[mojito]

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And am I the only one who thinks that the neighbor is pirating cable and ran an illegal line to Shauns? 

Exactly what I thought, so I'm not trusting this guy. I think he's going to take advantage of Shaun and cause a major problem for him.

[LisaM]

Nice to see Christina Chang in a recurring role. I hope she continues to show up. 

[Trini]

Catching up on this late, but this is the first time we've seen Andrews' wife, right? I found it really odd that they'd introduce her, and their relationship, with a major conflict.

[Mikita]

No. We saw her in one previous episode. Episode 9 Intangibles.

[Trini]

3 hours ago, Mikita said:

No. We saw her in one previous episode. Episode 9 Intangibles.

Okay, thanks! Even skimming through the episode thread, I hardly remember anything in that episode, and nothing about Andrews' wife.

[Chas411]

I kind of like Sean's neighbour - who's the actor? I like the idea of him having a new neighbor every half a season.

They are so going there with Claire and Melendez. The looks between them are enough to give it away but the minute he called her special my eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head. Not looking forward to the love triangle when Jared cops it.

[wayne67]

Personally this second half of the season seems to be trending downwards in term of quality. 
I still don't care about Andrew or remember his name most of the time. I don't care about his fertility issues. I don't care about his wife who has been in two episodes.
I don't find anything interesting about Jessica so far except that one laundry scene for about 3 seconds where she showed a bit of life...

I find the heavy handed social political commentary tiresome, sexual harassment, gender identity and racial politics are complex subjects that are divisive and not particularly fun or lighthearted to shoe in at every possible opportunity and it's getting old quickly.

The only thing I like about this show at the moment is the friendly rivalry/friction between Shaun and Jared, they work well together while not feeling too chummy. Claire seems like she need more hand holding about dealing with conflict than Shaun does some of the time which seems odd. 

[doctor destiny]

I think the understanding part was understanding how to let go and be himself, not understanding Quinn.  And obviously the being different on the outside than on the inside comment pertained to Shaun as well.  The show takes us along as secret interlopers into his mind.  Claire and Glassman are really the only people at the hospital except the viewers who have insight into how wonderful that mind is. 

The nice thing about knowing a lot of autistic people is that you surround yourself with people who don't generally care about other peoples' differences.  It's quite refreshing.  There are all sorts of people out there who are in the out group including many on the spectrum or trans or both or whatever.  The whole premise of the show is acceptance.  Even the infinity sign at the beginning of the show is the sign for the autism acceptance movement.  Shaun learns and grows in his understanding of a child who has been pushed by ostracism to the point of suicide.  I think meeting Quinn is a nice rounding addition to his new experiences and the point is not made too hamfistedly.

[circumvent]

Very late to this discussion because I just started watching tis show a few days ago. The theme of autism is one that I am usually suspicious of. This show has a lot of the stereotyping and the robotic speak, but has some good moments.

I think the issue with the transgender girl was resolved in the only responsible way for the situation. She had to go into surgery fast and a decision of surgically changing the anatomy of a child requires a lot more than just love and understanding. She is still pre pubescent, she has a therapist, since she cannot have the hormones she was taking, they needed to go through all the possible scenarios.

The c-diff story bugged me. Totally false. There is an antibiotic for c-diff, I had it and I took it. It gets complicated and it is very serious when there is recurrence, but i think that it was the patient's first time. And fecal transplant is not radical, but it is expensive and insurance will not cover for a first time c-diff occurrence. It s not done everywhere either. It is possible that that hospital would b e able to do it, but the bureaucracy would get in the way. I believe it takes more than one enema/pill, and several days to see the results, but that's typical TV hospital, the solution comes after the break.