S01.E16: Pain

[SnarkyTart]

Quote

When the team treats a patient who has to decide between a dangerous surgery that could change his life or remain the same, he asks Dr. Shaun Murphy what he would do if he had that same choice.

[Annber03]

Claire's going to totally regret giving her mom that money down the line, isn't she? Eek. Did like the scenes we got with her and her mom, though. Hopefully that's a storyline they can continue to explore further, be it in the remainder of this season or next. 

And Shaun and Kenny. That ending. Agh. Some of you here guessed right with your suspicions about him! When Park revealed he'd looked him up, I was like, "Damn, he really doesn't play around with his cop bonafides, does he?"Little odd that he'd just look up a co-worker's friend like that, though. 

So glad that the guy survived his surgery. I really liked that whole story. He had a good back and forth with Shaun, I liked how Neil interacted with his wife (the sister reveal was interesting), and the guy's scenes with his wife (who looked a LOT like Sally Field, holy crap) were sweet. I loved Shaun's "That was nice" comment at one point :). Sad about the other woman, though. But it was interesting to see how everything with her affected Reznick. Her reaction to the woman dying...I felt for her! And I was thinking the same thing she was about why the lady was so resistant to her surgery. I'm glad her husband wasn't having an affair, though, that they avoided going the predictable route. 

On a lighter note, the little conversation between Shaun and Claire was good :). I like it when they get to have their little talks. 

[rhys]

Did I blink and miss if wheelchair dude's surgery was successful?

[thuganomics85]

Whelp, I now have a new web series I want to see: Shaun commentating over Mortal Kombat games.  I can just see him pointing out all the ways characters should have gotten killed after the first few button mashes, and how unrealistic everything is.

The Character Canadian Actor League was strong tonight!  Ryan Robbins shows up as Melendez' patient, Stephen Lobo as Andrews' new fertility doctor, and while not from Canada, Sharon Leal has been hanging around on Supergirl for a bit, and here she pops up as Claire's likely good for nothing mom!

The more everyone acts like Jared is doomed, the more I suspect he'll somehow come out ahead.

I had a bad feeling one of the patients was going to die.  I'm glad it wasn't Ryan Robbins at least, but I felt bad for the woman, and I can only imagine the guilt the husband would feel over letting his pride and need to hide his gambling addiction from her, inadvertently cause their marriage to become troubled, and now its too late to reconcile completely.  At least he did finally come clean, so she knew that he truly did love her and wasn't cheating before she passed.

Looks like Kenny might not be all that he is cracked up to be, and could even be using Shaun.  That would suck.  And, damn, you really can't take the cop out of Park, I see! Still loving Will Yun Lee here.

My favorite minor moment was when Claire told Shaun she would be there in a minute, and you briefly see Shaun glancing at his watch.  I wonder if that was scripted or if Freddie Highmore ad libbed that?

Edited March 13, 2018 by thuganomics85

[methodwriter85]

38 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Claire's going to totally regret giving her mom that money down the line, isn't she?

Claire already regretted it the moment she gave it to her. It's the same thing that goes through the mind of every child who has a user parent, at varying degrees. You help even though you know it isn't really helping.

When someone says they're bi-polar (which seemed to be what the mother was saying) that pretty much means they're going to go off their meds and have an episode. I've never seen a drama that didn't do that to a bi-polar character.

38 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

So glad that the guy survived his surgery. I really liked that whole story. He had a good back and forth with Shaun, I liked how Neil interacted with his wife (the sister reveal was interesting), and the guy's scenes with his wife (who looked a LOT like Sally Field, holy crap) were sweet. I loved Shaun's "That was nice" comment at one point :). Sad about the other woman, though.

I really liked their story. I loved that their relationship happened AFTER he got paralyzed, and that she never knew him as the Alpha Male that he so clearly was before he got injured. This couple and the surviving conjoined twin are the two cases that are really going to stick with me.

Quote

I had a bad feeling one of the patients was going to die. 

This show really does seem to follow the format that at least one person is going to die every episode, I feel like.

Edited March 13, 2018 by methodwriter85

[DearEvette]

I don't believe that Claire's mom is really on her meds, or even that she was telling Claire the truth that she was really actually diagnosed.  The very first scene is of her singing and dancing in the hall with an audience.  Felt like a very 'up' moment and not really an 'even' moment.  Also she seems manipulative so she could be playing Claire by making her believe she is getting treated.  Poor Claire.  I wonder if she just thought , hey let me write her a check so she'll just go away?  Always nice to see Sharon Leal though and she looks barely old enough to be Antonia Thomas' mother.

Y'all have already mentioned two great Shaun throwaway moments from the episode: When he looks at his watch when Claire says she'll be a minute and also when he says "that's nice" after the husband gives the really nice speech to his wife.  I like the Claire and Shaun friendship and am glad they were on a case without that other super competitive chick.  And I liked this case.  But did we get a resolution?  He came out alive but will be get mobility?

Speaking of competitive chick....gah, she is such a broadly written character.  She is rather poisonous and everything about her is always calculating.  She is just exhausting to watch. I hope she isn't a permanent character.  Cop Doc is way more interesting, he can stay.

[izabella]

12 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

And I liked this case.  But did we get a resolution?  He came out alive but will be get mobility?

I got the impression that yes, he will walk again, eventually.  They were able to remove the growth, even the parts that were "stuck."

 

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

And Shaun and Kenny. That ending. Agh. Some of you here guessed right with your suspicions about him! When Park revealed he'd looked him up, I was like, "Damn, he really doesn't play around with his cop bonafides, does he?"Little odd that he'd just look up a co-worker's friend like that, though. 

I think I missed this part.  What did Park find out about Kenny?

[Annber03]

43 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I really liked their story. I loved that their relationship happened AFTER he got paralyzed, and that she never knew him as the Alpha Male that he so clearly was before he got injured. This couple and the surviving conjoined twin are the two cases that are really going to stick with me.

Agreed :). I felt for his wife with her conflicted feelings, too-I like how they let us see and sympathize with both their stances regarding the surgery. 

20 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Y'all have already mentioned two great Shaun throwaway moments from the episode: When he looks at his watch when Claire says she'll be a minute and also when he says "that's nice" after the husband gives the really nice speech to his wife. 

I also loved Shaun rattling off all the reasons why he would make a good husband :D. He's so adorable. 

5 minutes ago, izabella said:

I think I missed this part.  What did Park find out about Kenny?

That he has a history of committing a lot of thefts, and has built up a pretty good rap sheet. 

And given he's had access to and knows about all the important, meaningful items Shaun has in his home now...if Shaun wants to make another big purchase anytime soon, I'd recommend a big ol' safe. Fast. 

[tennisgurl]

Wow, Park really never gets out of the cop mindset does he? Kenny better watch his ass, we all know what Park does when he runs into ex cons! Poor Shaun.

Glad that paralyzed guy survived the surgery, I really liked him. He had some great conversations with Shaun, and I liked his relationship with his wife a lot. I liked Shaun talking with someone with a physical disability about his own neurological disability, and how those are similar and different. Also, Shaun listing all the reasons people would want to marry him was adorable. "I am organized..."

On the other hand, it sucks that the other lady died, and all based around a tragic misunderstanding. That poor woman, and her husband. If only he had been honest and swallowed his pride, and this all could have been averted. This show always hit you with the gut punch. 

Its really impressive how much this show gets me to care about the random patients of the week, and how much they seem like real people who have lead whole lives before coming here. I really get invested in their stories. 

Love whenever Shaun and Claire have their little conversations. Claire is already regretting giving her mom that money, and I dont blame her her. That is so going to end badly.

Edited March 13, 2018 by tennisgurl

[izabella]

6 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

That he has a history of committing a lot of thefts, and has built up a pretty good rap sheet. 

Thanks - that totally makes sense.  Kenny seemed to have a lot of "friends" who gave him stuff.  Plus, he's breaking into Shaun's apartment all the time. He probably is using Shaun in some way, but I think Kenny's offering some friendship, too.

[Bobbin]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Claire is already regretting giving her mom that money, and I dont blame her her. That is so going to end badly.

"I found this really cool place that's just perfect. All I need is for you to pay all of the rent and utilities and to furnish it." O-kay.

i have the impression that everything Kenny has and everything he gives Shaun is stolen, including Shaun's Hi-Def cable TV service and the video games. Didn't he just glibly mention that he even stole $20 from Shaun to buy dinner "for the two of them," dinner that Shaun doesn't like so that he is left with plain white rice to eat? With friends like this....

Edited March 13, 2018 by Bobbin
Added comment

[Trini]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The Character Canadian Actor League was strong tonight!  Ryan Robbins shows up as Melendez' patient, Stephen Lobo as Andrews' new fertility doctor, and while not from Canada, Sharon Leal has been hanging around on Supergirl for a bit, and here she pops up as Claire's likely good for nothing mom!

Heh, yeah; I didn't even know this show filmed in Vancouver. No wonder!

I know Shaun is autistic and bad at social situations, but even he should know that "You married a guy in a wheelchair?" was a rude thing to say.

I'm not sure why they thought they needed a cop in the cast, but he still way more interesting than Grating Blonde.

I interpreted the last scene with Claire and her mother as Claire being disappointed, not regretful. She was hoping her mom had really changed, but she hadn't.

About the cases: wasn't really interested in the implant-enhanced wife and husband; I'm glad the brain stem tumor guy and wife had a happy (or at least hopeful) ending.

[Pop Tart]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Love whenever Shaun and Claire have their little conversations. Claire is already regretting giving her mom that money, and I dont blame her her. That is so going to end badly.

Claire knew as soon as her mom asked her for the money that nothing had changed with her. So she wrote the check knowing full well that it was lost money and she was accepting the fact that this is who her mother is, an untrustworthy user. That’s not to say she isn’t heartbroken over what she hoped could be, just that she’s looking at her mom with eyes wide open.

And though I’m a cynic, I’m hoping that despite Kenny’s criminal background, he’ll turn out to actually be just Shaun’s friend, and not trying to use him or take advantage. I do think there’s a chance he’s on the up and up (in terms of his relationship with Shaun) given how that relationship seemed to have been juxtaposed with the one between Claire and her mother in the episode. 

Edited March 13, 2018 by Pop Tart

[frogzapper]

Could someone do me a favor and fill in a couple of gaps for me? My DVR recording that I was watching kept jumping ahead by several minutes during the episode so I missed a good chunk of it! The biggest jump was from the scene where Dr. Melendez was telling Claire, Shaun, and Park about the patient with the spinal issue to the scene where Dr. Andrews was talking to the female patient about needing to remove her implants. So I missed most of the initial introductions of both couples. Also, what was the thing about Reznick giving Jared credit for spotting the problem in the female patient? Then I was confused later when they were prepping for surgery and she gave Jared credit for changing the patient's mind, then Jared said, "You make the call." I didn't get what that was about. Thanks in advance!

I agree with everyone who likes the little conversations between Shaun and Claire.

I felt so bad for Claire, her eyes brimming with tears, after she left her meeting with her mother. 

I also hope that Kenny isn't just using Shaun and taking advantage of him. He does seem to have some genuine affection for Shaun. But he needs to stop breaking into Shaun's place and spending random money that he finds in Shaun's drawers! Boundaries, man!

[Lady Calypso]

It's definitely going to suck when Claire's mom inevitably disappoints her yet again. I feel so bad for Claire this season. She just keeps getting bad break after bad break. I really didn't want her to give her mother that cheque because it just opens the door to her continuing to give her mom money, and that's a bad situation all around. I was hoping Claire would just walk away and keep her distance. But it looks like Claire is at least aware of her mom using her yet again. I just wish she had the strength to tell her mom no. Hopefully, she can learn to do that because Claire can be too nice. 

Shaun and Claire have a really good friendship going on, and I definitely think they're setting up a romance down the line for them. Which....for a rare time with a TV show with a pre-determined couple, I'd actually love them together. 

I don't think Kenny is just using Shaun now. Perhaps, at the beginning, he thought he could use Shaun for his own gain. But the last scene made me feel like it's actually becoming a friendship for him (though likely on top of using Shaun). I'm surprised Shaun didn't call him out after he found out about Kenny, but it was sweet to see Shaun decide to play with him. I think Shaun just really wants more friends. It was nice of Park to look into Kenny. I know it was more of his cop mindset, but it did seem like he did it for Shaun, which I don't mind too much. They basically didn't include the shady Park from his last episode, so he felt more like a character. 

Reznick, on the other hand, still feels off as a character. I just can't find it in myself to muster up any positive feelings toward her. Even when she's being nice, it feels altruistic. She's still fascinating as an antagonist, but I'm waiting for them to give her something sympathetic for me to root for her. I know there's a lot of comparisons to Cutthroat Bitch from House, but even Amber had some likable qualities early on. Reznick hasn't had that for me. 

I really liked the case of the week with the paralyzed patient and his wife AKA Lindsay from CSI:NY. I didn't mind their increased screen-time because his story was interesting, and I did like his conversation with Shaun. I'd love to see a follow-up episode to his story. I'd actually love if this show brought in some recurring patients from time to time. That would be cool because there are a couple I'd love to see return. 

I'm growing to tolerate Andrews more, but he's still far from being my favourite character. That being said, he had a solid storyline this episode with connecting it to his infertility and his final scene with his wife. I did chuckle at her opting against the surgery because they could find other ways to have kids but not other ways to enjoy sex. 

[Madding crowd]

I liked the final scene with Shaun and Kenny because it looked like Shaun was made aware of Kenny's past, yet he made the decision he still wanted him as a friend for now. I didn't get the impression Kenny was trying to pull off anything beyond taking Shaun's money out of the drawer. I really hope it won't go sour for Shaun-he needs friends.

The last couple of episodes it seemed like the focus is slowing pulling away from Shaun. All medical shows turn into ensemble shows but this show is so unique in that it is showing a person with autism finding their professional way and I hope the focus can be mostly on Shaun. I felt bad for Claire and her mother (and that actress didn't look old enough), but I think Claire knew that her mother was never going to be more than a user.

Still hate Reznick and wish she were a bit more circumspect in her ambitions. True villains are usually not so blatant. I enjoyed the two patient stories and always good to see William Moses again. 

Edited March 13, 2018 by Madding crowd

[notcreative enough]

9 hours ago, frogzapper said:

Could someone do me a favor and fill in a couple of gaps for me? My DVR recording that I was watching kept jumping ahead by several minutes during the episode so I missed a good chunk of it! The biggest jump was from the scene where Dr. Melendez was telling Claire, Shaun, and Park about the patient with the spinal issue to the scene where Dr. Andrews was talking to the female patient about needing to remove her implants. So I missed most of the initial introductions of both couples. Also, what was the thing about Reznick giving Jared credit for spotting the problem in the female patient? Then I was confused later when they were prepping for surgery and she gave Jared credit for changing the patient's mind, then Jared said, "You make the call." I didn't get what that was about. Thanks in advance!

Reznick said that no matter how great of a doctor Jared is he burned his bridges with the way that he got his job back. She told him that she knows someone at a different hospital and could put in a good word for Jared. She was "experimenting" by telling Andrews that Jared was doing everything right to see if he would give Jared a chance. But Andrews asked Reznick to assist in the surgery. In the end Jared realized he is never going to be picked to stay at the hospital so he asked Reznick to help with her contact.

I missed Shaun and Claire together. It seems like forever since the worked together. 

Does Park actually care about Shaun or does he just like running back round checks on people.

Um so how do this kids out of medical school have all this disposal income. Claire can afford to give her mother money and Shaun buys a flat screen and a tux that can be no less then 2 grand. 

[DearEvette]

18 minutes ago, notcreative enough said:

Um so how do this kids out of medical school have all this disposal income. Claire can afford to give her mother money and Shaun buys a flat screen and a tux that can be no less then 2 grand.

How much does a resident get paid?  I guess if you have really low overhead and no real expenses other than food and rent and maybe student loans (unless they're still deferred) you can save a lot of money.  It doesn't seem as if Claire or Shaun own a car so no car payment or insurance.  No kids -- so no childcare expenses.  Shaun at least would not be spending a lot of money on a wild social life -- and from the looks of it neither would Claire.  If she was able to save 1,000 bucks just from baby-sitting then it speaks to someone who has a lot of restraint when it comes to money and doesn't spend just because she had money in her hands.

When i was in grad school, I always thought of myself as a poor, impoverished grad student.  But truthfully, i had a fairly healthy savings account.  If I needed to I could have withdrawn a couple grand quickly.  Couldn't do it regularly or anything,  because it would have depleted me real quick (and I definitely would not have done it for formal wear), but I had a full time job at the time and lived in a rather ratty apartment with a roommate, no car and learned to go to any department event that served free food, LOL.

[catrice2]

I guess that would depend on if you received scholarships, grants, fellowships, sponsors,etc. and what else you are spending your money on.  Maybe that was her only savings to connect it to the mother taking all of the money in high school.    I came late to this series so other than Jared I don't know if parents were wealthy or even if any could have received an inheritance.  I am slowly learning some of the background of characters.  I also love Marsha Thomson. 

I could see Claire with anyone on the show, but I hope this does not turn into a revolving romantic life of the people who work there where everyone has slept with everyone else.  I keep seeing at least a one night stand with Claire and Melendez...perhaps the season finale. 

I hope Jared does not leave, especially if that means keeping the new girl. 

Edited March 13, 2018 by catrice2
add sentence

[milner]

Has Dr. Glass disappeared I liked him with Shaun. I forgot to look for  Richard Schiff in the credits 

[Annber03]

He's still there, yeah. Just wasn't in this particular episode.

2 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

She was "experimenting" by telling Andrews that Jared was doing everything right to see if he would give Jared a chance. But Andrews asked Reznick to assist in the surgery. In the end Jared realized he is never going to be picked to stay at the hospital so he asked Reznick to help with her contact.

I liked this bit of the episode 'cause it seemed like a good, subtle nod to the still lingering tension between Andrews and Jared in regards to Jared getting his job back. I wonder if those two will eventually come to terms with that whole situation, or if that tension will carry on for a while. 

[possibilities]

I realize that the woman with the infected implants was trying to hold on to her husband, but it's hard to look at her as someone with no choices. She could have chosen to confront him when she thought he was cheating, or to leave him, or to decide that she wasn't risking her life dying from sepsis if he preferred her dead to scarred. Yes, the husband was wrong to hide things from her, but ye gods, that woman had options, and zero self-esteem. They were both a mess.

Claire could have taken more time with her mother, told her that she needed to regain Claire's trust and not ask for money. She could have insisted on seeing the lease and giving the money directly to the landlord instead of to mom, if she wanted to help her right away. She wanted to love her unconditionally after what she said to Shaun about people with disabilities, but that doesn't mean being an enabler, either. So, again, I feel her sorrow, but she has options.

At some point, you have to decide to be healthy, and that being healthy does not mean being unloving, but love does not equal feeding a problem. It means giving up the feeling of martyrdom and victimization when you blame the other person for your choices and pretend that you are stuck for reasons other than your own behavior.

[frogzapper]

3 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

She was "experimenting" by telling Andrews that Jared was doing everything right to see if he would give Jared a chance. But Andrews asked Reznick to assist in the surgery. In the end Jared realized he is never going to be picked to stay at the hospital so he asked Reznick to help with her contact.

Ahhh, thank you NotCreative Enough for clearing that up for me!

3 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

Does Park actually care about Shaun or does he just like running back round checks on people.

I like to believe that Park actually does care about Shaun. There were a couple of quick glances that he gave Shaun that make me feel that way. One was right after he forwarded the info on Kenny to Shaun's cell phone and one was at the beginning of the episode where Shaun pointed out that if the male patient had previously had spinal trauma it could have accounted for someone as young as him being in his current condition. Park kind of looked at Shaun like he admired his ability to quickly come up with these kinds of insights. I really like the addition of Will Yun Lee to the cast so far.

3 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

Um so how do this kids out of medical school have all this disposal income. Claire can afford to give her mother money and Shaun buys a flat screen and a tux that can be no less then 2 grand. 

I wondered about that too! I know I wouldn't be able to just write a check for ~$2500 on the spot without doing some shuffling between my checking and (also meager) savings account. And who still carries around checkbooks? lol! 

[frogzapper]

A couple more questions to fill in the gap in my DVR recording - what was it that originally brought the female patient and her husband to the hospital? 

I gather she had some sort of infection that necessitated removing her breast (?) implants, but was there some other reason that originally brought her in? And why was she so reluctant to have the surgery? Was she afraid it would make her "ugly" to no longer have enhanced breasts? Or were replacement implants down the road not an option?

[izabella]

24 minutes ago, frogzapper said:

A couple more questions to fill in the gap in my DVR recording - what was it that originally brought the female patient and her husband to the hospital? 

I gather she had some sort of infection that necessitated removing her breast (?) implants, but was there some other reason that originally brought her in? And why was she so reluctant to have the surgery? Was she afraid it would make her "ugly" to no longer have enhanced breasts? Or were replacement implants down the road not an option?

She had lots of implants.  The infection that brought her in was one of her cheek (face) implants.  They wanted to remove it and give her antibiotics, but she insisted they replace the cheek implant and that caused the infection to jump to her back (or butt implant).  That's when they said they'd have to remove ALL her implants, including her breast implants, butt, cheeks, everything.  It is possible she could have had them replaced in the future, but she'd need a lot of time without them to heal properly.  And she didn't want that because she'd be scarred and ugly, and she thought her husband wouldn't be interested in her anymore.  She thought her husband had had an affair at some point, which is when she started getting the implants to look better.  Instead of an affair, he was gambling.

Edited March 13, 2018 by izabella

[Efzee]

I liked this episode.

Don't like the blonde resident at all, but she did well to prove to Jared that transferring might be the best option. I suppose it speaks to her character (or the writing) that she was so sly about it that I didn't realize she was doing it for that reason (well, and removing competition&being proven right) up until she got chosen over Jared to assist. Unfortunately, that slyness also annoyed me more and not even the reveal made me like her better.

Unlike many posters here, I don't think the cop resident ran the background check as a favor to Shaun and/or out of friendship. To me, he comes across as someone so jaded by his previous line of work that he can't possibly fathom people aren't always "bad" - in his mind, a criminal is a criminal and everything they do is done with the purpose of committing a crime. Also, I think he wanted to prove he was right. He was quick to slam Kenny (+gf) as taking advantage of Shaun and then run a background check on him, apparently all on the info of him being a friend (or neighbor?) of Shaun named Kenny. Hmm. A bit shady that he even considers running a background check, that he manages one with so little info and that he (or an old coworker) managed to perform one and he so casually shared the (confidential?) rap sheet with someone else.

As for Claire, the moment her mom asked for money she knew what was up. The next scene with her out in the rain, tears in her eyes, confirmed her disappointment with both her mother (for not changing) and herself (for being unable to refuse her) and I don't think she's expecting to see her mom again anytime soon. I really like Claire's character as well as all the crap she's gone/going through so far. She's also a good friend to Shaun and generally good with patients, but also has things she's not so good at.

I liked how Shaun decided to ignore the rap sheet and choose to be Kenny's friend. As for Kenny, I genuinely think he's just being a friend. Albeit a bit of an odd one, always entering Shaun's apartment, using his TV and apparently stealing cash to order food. But considering his background, that's probably what friendship is about for Kenny. And it seems like Shaun is deciding not to judge right away and instead giving Kenny a(nother) chance, something cop resident is incapable of. If Kenny really had bad intentions, he probably would have stolen the money and the TV rather than choose to have a meal and play computer games with his alleged victim. I mean, it's not like Shaun gives the impression of being great company, so Kenny probably just likes him for who he is. And the fact that Shaun lost a bet (and therefore had to pay for the amusement park) might seem shady, especially to the cop resident, but if Kenny really was playing him, he probably would have come up with a lame excuse for why Shaun had to pay for the three of them instead of making a supposedly fair bet that Shaun lost.

[Calibabydolly]

I think you can find out if someone is a criminal (or at least has a mug shot!) just by knowing their name. Did the x cop have Kenny's last name as well? You do need the FULL NAME though, lol!

I think at the very end of episode where Shaun sits down to play the game he decided at least for today that having a "criminal" friend is better than no friend at all! This made me sad.

[vibeology]

I think Kenny is a mooch and he recognizes that Shaun is vulnerable. That doesn't mean he doesn't like Shaun or care about him, but for Kenny part of friendship is getting and not giving. 

Claire already knows that her mom used her. It's a pattern that isn't ever going to be broken. Again, a mooch who takes instead of gives. Only problem is that's not fair coming from a parent. 

Both medical cases bored me. Plastic surgery wife was especially unreasonable. Being dead and pretty is pointless. 

[LisaM]

CSI:NY reunion with Anna Belknap and Hill Harper.  

[Zoe]

Oh, no no no. Sharon Leal is too young to be playing her mother!

(she still looks amazing)

[Mikita]

Sharon Leal is only 14 years older than Antonia Thomas. So possible, but Sharon  looks really young to be playing her mom. If the back story is that she did have her at a very young age I might buy it . Sharon  looks great, wish she had sang a bit longer though.

[Emma9]

On 3/13/2018 at 2:12 AM, Trini said:

I know Shaun is autistic and bad at social situations, but even he should know that "You married a guy in a wheelchair?" was a rude thing to say.

I kind of wish he'd been on the other patient's case; that one could have done with less tiptoeing around and more of Shaun's brand of loud unfiltered 'your choices make no sense'.

Also weird in that storyline - the patient had a daughter. It was mentioned only once as a throwaway, to the point that I doubted my memory of it even happening and had to go back and check. After the line about dropping her off at college, nothing; why did no one discuss involving her to try and convince her mother to have the surgery, or come and say goodbye when it was likely she wouldn't survive? If they didn't have room for her in the episode, they could have handwaved it off as she couldn't get there in time, or was estranged, etc, but it felt really weird that she was never referred to at all.

[Babalooie]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 1:03 AM, izabella said:

but I think Kenny's offering some friendship, too.

Shaun made a choice of companionship, although he was very conscious of the rap sheet, which, by the way, I've been guilty of obtaining for people, too.  To Park it was just the natural thing to do.   It's only a matter of time before the situation blows up for Shaun... in 3, 2, 1.

Edited March 15, 2018 by Babalooie
subject and verb must agree

[frogzapper]

23 hours ago, izabella said:

She had lots of implants.  The infection that brought her in was one of her cheek (face) implants.  They wanted to remove it and give her antibiotics, but she insisted they replace the cheek implant and that caused the infection to jump to her back (or butt implant).  That's when they said they'd have to remove ALL her implants, including her breast implants, butt, cheeks, everything.

Thank you izabella! That's the piece I was missing - I didn't realize she had implants all over the place! 

I hope Shaun's friendship with Kenny doesn't blow up in his face. I thought the way Shaun's face lit up when he said, "That sounds like fun" when he decided to sit down and play Mortal Kombat with Kenny was so adorable! I hope he got something to eat other than just plain white rice for dinner though, lol!

[sinkwriter]

Quote

Whelp, I now have a new web series I want to see: Shaun commentating over Mortal Kombat games.  I can just see him pointing out all the ways characters should have gotten killed after the first few button mashes, and how unrealistic everything is.

I laughed out loud at Shaun's commentary: "That looks like a spinal fracture... you're dead." LOL.

That said, I still don't trust his "friend" Kenny. He broke into Shaun's apartment and stole $20 from Shaun's drawer to buy them both dinner? With Shaun's money? Without asking him? And this so-called "bet" they made involved an amusement park jaunt that cost $300? How? Amusement park trips can be expensive but not that expensive. I don't trust that the bet was legitimate or fair, and I think that's why Park raised his eyebrows at the story and decided to do a background check on the guy. 

I mean, I hope I'm wrong. They certainly turned me around on Melendez, who I thought was a stereotypical jerk after the first episode or two, but now whom I actually like as a character. So maybe they'll show another facet to Kenny that will show he's actually not messing with Shaun, that he really thinks his behavior is okay. But for now, he acts suspiciously, and I don't like it. I don't like someone taking advantage of Shaun. 

Edited March 15, 2018 by sinkwriter

[candall]

Claire knew.  She handled the situation with her mother like someone who has had a lot of painful experience.  Just give her the money or don't--you won't see her again, either way, until "the next time."  There's no point wrangling around demanding to inspect the lease, etc.

I also liked the way Shaun dealt with Kenny.  I think he's uncertain whether Kenny's playing him, but in the meantime. . . let's play videogames!  Booting Kenny out the door and sitting alone so his pride stays intact isn't any fun.  Assess the situation tomorrow.

 

Agree with Emma9 that the 50-year old woman who had multiple plastic surgery procedures and is willing to die before reversing them, all due to a misconception, would have benefitted from some Dr. Murphy spectrum candor.

Edited March 16, 2018 by candall

[vibeology]

3 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I believe Park did that for Shaun out of the goodness of his heart. Shaun clearly stated at the beginning that he paid for everyone to go to the carnival because he "lost the bet." I'm sure Park realized Kenny was manipulating him because Shaun is autistic. 

Not just the carnival either. Kenny convinced Shaun that the terms of the bet mean that Shaun had to pay for Kenny and his date to go out to a movie even though Shaun didn't want to go. Kenny may like Shaun (and I think he does) but he's clearly also comfortable using Shaun.

[Virtual]

I guess this show wouldn't be realistic if it didn't have someone die nearly every episode, though this case was sad. The husband made her think he was cheating so she went and "fixed what she thought was wrong" with her looks, so to say. Unfortunately that also displays a lack of confidence/self-esteem in yourself, so the husband's lie wasn't 100% the cause (though he should have come clean to her way before this; she would still be alive if he had). But he also needed to help her with that, though that may just be the way some people are.

I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, we find out that everyone Dr. Park grew up around was unreliable and not worthy of trust/only looked to get their own personal gain from people, or perhaps was treated really bad by people like that when he was young. It would explain his view of the man in jail who wanted to donate his organs a couple of episodes ago, as well as his view of Kenny (though in all fairness, Kenny is using Shaun by getting him to pay for a movie he didn't even attend, and stealing $20 from Shaun's apartment without saying anything, not to mention there's the sketchy way he always enters Shaun's apartment when he visits).

Shaun does have one glaring weakness, and it has NOTHING to do with his autism. He has trouble confronting people if he thinks a friendship with someone around his own age is in jeopardy because of it (though the show might surprise me and he might do it in a later episode). I imagine Shaun wasn't looking to be friends with Melendez when he told him off in the pilot episode, and he was extremely upset that Glassman even suggested to him to meet with a therapist earlier in the season, so it made it easier for him to lash out.

At least we got a successful surgery (thus far) for the man who was in the wheelchair. I liked his conversation with Shaun before the surgery, as it seemed he wanted even more to take the chance for a mobile life afterwards.

I agree with the majority of comments on Resnick; she has seemed to be a verbal bully since she was introduced to the show. She also seems manipulative; she's mentioned that Claire is her main competition for who gets hired on to a permanent spot in the hospital, but it wouldn't surprise me if getting Shaun and Jared out of the way is also on the agenda for her, to make her chances easier. I question if Resnick really had a contact at the other hospital or if she was just saying that (and then proving to him that THIS hospital is a bridge he burned) so he wouldn't be any competition for her. Man, she would really be an unlikeable character if she were deliberately tricking someone into giving their job up and not caring what happened to them.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Virtual
Wanted to add a paragraph

[topanga]

2 hours ago, Virtual said:

I agree with the majority of comments on Resnick; she has seemed to be a verbal bully since she was introduced to the show. She also seems manipulative; she's mentioned that Claire is her main competition for who gets hired on to a permanent spot in the hospital, but it wouldn't surprise me if getting Shaun and Jared out of the way is also on the agenda for her, to make her chances easier. I question if Resnick really had a contact at the other hospital or if she was just saying that (and then proving to him that THIS hospital is a bridge he burned) so he wouldn't be any competition for her. Man, she would really be an unlikeable character if she were deliberately tricking someone into giving their job up and not caring what happened to them.

And I agree with your comment on the comments. I'll add that I'd enjoy Resnick more if she had some amount of nuance. But the writing for her (and possibly the performance) is so one-note, she comes across as cartoon-ish. She hasn't even convinced me that she's a great surgical resident. She can quote studies, and she was the co-author on a published paper, but can she operate? Can she diagnose surgical problems? IMO, her assessment of the implant lady's risk for sepsis was a guess. It didn't sound like a thought-out assessment. Or Resnick didn't present it in a way that convinced me she knew the medicine behind what she was screeching at the patient and Jared. 

I'd rather see her be a good surgeon who happens to be an asshole (Eriq LaSalle on ER or Dr. Bailey in Grey’s Anatomy’s first season), rather than an annoying bully who people keep telling me is a good surgeon. 

But all is not lost. Melendez and Hill Harper's character were one-dimensional at the beginning of the season, but they've become more complex as the season progressed. 

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, Virtual said:

Shaun does have one glaring weakness, and it has NOTHING to do with his autism. He has trouble confronting people if he thinks a friendship with someone around his own age is in jeopardy

I think this shows he's lonely as hell.

[ForReal]

I think this episode was about weighing the pros and cons of a situation and then deciding what risks you are willing to take. Shaun considered that Kenny might be up to no good, and considered that he's good company, and decided to continue the friendship. Claire considered that her mom might have changed, knew that she probably hadn't, gave her the money and moved on. 

I'm waiting for someone on the staff higher up to pick up on what a miserable bitch Resnick is. I can't imagine any of them would want to work with her down the road. I hope she doesn't start telling people Jared asked her to call her contacts at another hospital to make him look even worse. I can only hope that the writers are planning to have the tables turn on her down the road. Otherwise, I'm not really enjoying her addition to the show.

One thing I didn't get about the plastic surgery couple -- he was distant because he was keeping his gambling a secret, but once she started spending his winnings on looking younger, he was all in. No wonder she didn't believe he would stay if she looked old. He was possibly more shallow than she was, and I don't think he showed much love for her no matter what he said. Resnick will continue to believe that she made him apologize for cheating and will never know how wrong she was. And I wondered, too, why they didn't mention contacting the daughter when it became a life or death matter.

With the wheelchair couple, I liked that she was able to admit that she might not be as happy with him if he changed, but he was able to show her that he still needed her and that she made him feel brave. 

I don't really blame Andrews for hesitating in his situation (and I thought the doctor he consulted handled the whole thing abominably). Love how his wife agreed with him -- she really is too good for him -- and thought she was right about other means of achieving a family/pregnancy. Seems like they could afford that route.

[renatae]

Oops, wrong thread!

Edited March 20, 2018 by renatae

[janey99]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 1:10 PM, DearEvette said:

How much does a resident get paid?  I guess if you have really low overhead and no real expenses other than food and rent and maybe student loans (unless they're still deferred) you can save a lot of money.  It doesn't seem as if Claire or Shaun own a car so no car payment or insurance.  No kids -- so no childcare expenses.  Shaun at least would not be spending a lot of money on a wild social life -- and from the looks of it neither would Claire.  If she was able to save 1,000 bucks just from baby-sitting then it speaks to someone who has a lot of restraint when it comes to money and doesn't spend just because she had money in her hands.

When i was in grad school, I always thought of myself as a poor, impoverished grad student.  But truthfully, i had a fairly healthy savings account.  If I needed to I could have withdrawn a couple grand quickly.  Couldn't do it regularly or anything,  because it would have depleted me real quick (and I definitely would not have done it for formal wear), but I had a full time job at the time and lived in a rather ratty apartment with a roommate, no car and learned to go to any department event that served free food, LOL.

New to the forum and binge watching - hi all!  I had to look up how much early surgical residents get paid.  I was sadly shocked - I thought they made a couple of hundred thousand a year, but it turns out resident salaries range from $60,000 - $80,000!  I guess the big bucks start rolling in after a few years and a specialty are determined?

[Annber03]

Hi, @janey99! Welcome aboard :). 

[wayne67]

Unpopular opinion: I like Reznick, I find her candor about being ruthless far more entertaining than if she pretended to be nice to her coworkers and stabbed them in the back. 

I doubt her plan is to get Jared in trouble for looking for other work, they don't want him around and they'd probably be happy to get rid of him what with him essentially blackmailing them with charges of racism in order to get his job back after assaulting a doctor because of his relationship with a coworker.  Getting him a new job is an easy way to further her agenda to get a job in this hospital after residency is over, though I am curious why she would want to work in this particular hospital if she has an 'in' at another hospital. 

Her higher ups already know she's a pain, I think that was the first thing we heard about her, said by Melendez to Claire if I remember correctly. 

As for Kenny he may be a user but I doubt he'd steal anything substantial from the guy that lives next door to him, he's more likely to siphon money from Shaun over a long period of time by having him 'buy' dinner and entertainment. Shaun probably thinks that Kenny is using him but he's willing to tolerate it for the moment because he provides male companionship and other than the general moochiness treats him fairly well. It's not uncommon for people to have friends that take more than they give. 

It's kind of funny that Park has had one episode with prominence and I like him more than most of the senior management of this hospital, his cynicism (IMO) counterbalances the more idealistic nature of trying to fix people.

[doctor destiny]

Loved the phrase where Shaun talk about his mom's pancakes.  Another one of those viewers-know-more/different on the outside than the inside situations.  What happened after those pancakes with Glassman at the diner in Wyoming after Steve's death?  Overall I think the show has done a pretty good job of balancing the pros and cons of autism.  For many autism advocates, autism is seen as just another genetic variant.  It's a nice progression for Shaun from "you can never get rid of it" to accepting that his eidetic recall and skills help him be a better doctor, even a good one.  So much of his arc has been getting away from self-loathing towards his own personal self-acceptance.