S01.E17: Smile

[renatae]

Dr. Shaun Murphy questions the need for an elective surgery that will allow his young patient to smile for the first time; Dr. Claire Brown and Dr. Morgan Reznick discover that their patient lied about her identity.

 

[possibilities]

Kenny needs to die.

[renatae]

I want to beat up that slimeball opportunist. I wanted Shaun to tell him to give him back his TV. Then he had the nerve to take the pizza.  I hope Shawn changes his locks before sending the police after his TV. That pretty much eclipsed the rest of the episode for me.

[Annber03]

Echoing the general sentiments about Kenny. Fuck that guy. Ugh. 

I was initially thinking that we'd end the episode with Shaun entering his apartment to discover that not only had Kenny taken his TV, but all the other things from his home, too. It says something about how devastating the actual ending of the episode was that I would've preferred the ending I'd imagined instead :(. Oh, man. Poor Glassman. They sure went from, "Aw, this date is so cute" to "...oh, shit..." in no time flat. Next week is going to be rough.

The thought of Jared possibly looking to move on to another job makes me sad, too. I don't want him to leave, either! I'm hoping that his wanting to get to know Celeste better means he'll stick around, though. Unless she's totally cool with agreeing to move to a whole other state with a guy she's just getting to know, that is. 

I'm glad they brought Celeste back and let us see how she was faring, though, and I was so happy to see Jared taking a chance with her. Perhaps a bit soon, given he just broke up with Claire, but they really do have a nice chemistry, and provided he stays, I would like to see where things go with them :). I liked Shaun offering to hear Jared out about his dilemma, and Jared opening up to him a bit. That was a nice moment. 

Also very glad that they were able to save the girl with the facial issues. No need to add even further to the depressing atmosphere towards the end of the episode. And I got a real kick out of Shaun's incredibly awkward attempts to try and encourage his co-workers to smile, and trying to fix Glassman up. Oh, Shaun :D...

I can't believe next week's the last episode of the season already. Sure looks like a doozy-I'm so not ready for what'll unfold :/. 

[Brown12051]

I had wondered why Glassman could not answer to Shaun about being a friend a few episodes back, I thought that it was some kind of audio error, he was obviously speaking, and the subtitles recorded nothing.  Maybe this is why - and it is within the story, not audio problems - there is something wrong with Glassman.

Now with this lady with whom he had something in common, he began to talk about doorstops.  Wow...

Maybe this is why Glassman earlier was trying to get Shaun to stop depending on him emotionally, and tried to get him to accept an aide.

Notice that Shaun played matchmaker with two of his friends.  It was really cute.

[DearEvette]

I really liked the case Claire and Reznik  worked on.  The case was interesting and Claire was really on the ball that Rezick didn't piss me off as much.  But her bedside manner is terrible and Claire is right, their main responsibility is to treat the sickness not to call people liars and cheats and scare them away from treatment.  And her excuse for being such a bitch on wheels is that she's from a rich, privileged background and nobody respects her?  Yah.

I loved Shaun's little hand flourish when he "presented" Glassman to the coffee lady after triumphantly enumerating all the ways they were compatible.  IIRC, she is actually Richard Schiff's real life wife.  I also loved Shaun's small voice when he said to Kalu "I'm a person" that prompted Kalu to confide in him.  Like everyone else Kalu has grown on me and I really hope he does stay and pursue a relationship with Dualla. (I am still bitter about her character on Battlestar Galactica).

Man, Kenny is such a user.  I hope this doesn't cause a setback for Shawn creating relationships.  And I hope Shaun gets him arrested.

[Babalooie]

I know this show is fiction and I am very much a realist.  That being said, I have never been so angry at a fictional character,  and had to restrain myself from throwing the remote at Kenny.  PLEASE call the cops.  Kalu and Park need to  help Shaun.

[vibeology]

When Kenny took that fucking pizza after taking Shaun's TV, I died laughing. A bad reaction, I know but it was just such a step up from being a mooch to being a total dirtbag. He's total trash. Now Shaun has to go sit in his apartment without dinner and without his primary source of entertainment. Fuck off, Kenny!

And I think this week highlighted why Shaun was willing to stick with Kenny even after he was a poor friend last week. Glassman said they can't be friends, so Shaun felt a need to make a friend to prove something to himself and Glassman. So even faced with evidence that Kenny wasn't a good friend, he was willing to stick with it. But now, I hope Shaun realizes he can have actual friends like Jared or Claire or even Park who did something to look out for him, without settling for a shitty user.

As for Glassman, there's been enough speculation that it wasn't surprising but it was very sad. Richard Schiff is a hell of an actor and he sold that frustration and fear so well in those brief seconds.

I really liked both cases this week. The smile girl was the right level of mature. She's old enough that she gets money and I loved that she didn't want to burden her dad. I also love that everyone (except Shaun) understood the power of a smile, or a frown or anything else. And that actress did a really good job of holding her face. I can't imagine that would be easy.

The stolen identity case was even better for me. Claire didn't get a win, in that her patient died, but she had a good week. She was compassionate and understanding and showed that she's a great doctor. Reznick is still a caricature to me. The pain meds seeking patient was so obvious so I am surprised the doctors didn't pick up on it faster but otherwise that worked for me too.

Jared dating an ex-patient bugs me. Sorry. I still don't think that's appropriate even if he's passed the treatment on to Shaun.

[DearEvette]

17 minutes ago, vibeology said:

The pain meds seeking patient was so obvious so I am surprised the doctors didn't pick up on it faster but otherwise that worked for me too.

I think it was the identity theft that muddied the waters so they couldn't see it as quickly.  The real Lucy sold it so well because she immediately used the identity theft to make it seem like that was the reason she couldn't get her prescriptions filled.  And they had no reason to disbelieve her because the fake Lucy had already filled the role as the likely meds seeker just by her suspicious actions and her disappearing act.  But to Claire's credit she discovered it rather quickly after the real Lucy left.

[AriAu]

Well, this show is not always a lot of fun or upbeat or even hopeful (I know, I know, neither is life or life in a hospital) but watching Toby/Glassman die will really, really not be fun. Yes, we are to assume that Shaun will come up with some way to save him, but at this point we just don't know since, following the trend ER started (I think) sometimes the .patient of the week actually dies and they don't always get saved.

This had the most House like cases yet. First of all, "Everybody Lies" seems to be more prevalent than before. Secondly, it was vintage House to have Park figure out that Gretchen was still asleep from anesthesia and not just brain dead at literally the last moment . I felt like David Shore has kept away from that, but not so much in this episode.

On the upbeat side, I look forward to cheering when Kenny goes away....altho I will cheer a little less when Kalu goes away!

And the Jewish holiday of Purim is pronounced "poor m" or even "purr m" and not anything close to how they were both badly saying it. At first I thought it was Toby/Glassman's way to find out if she was Jewish, but then he did it as well.

Edited March 20, 2018 by AriAu

[Bobbin]

1 hour ago, vibeology said:

Richard Schiff is a hell of an actor and he sold that frustration and fear so well in those brief seconds.

He did as well on West Wing in the scene alone with President Bartlett after the shooting.

[tennisgurl]

I must echo the previous thoughts. Fuck Kenny, that piece of shit. Can Park turn his crazy cop mode on towards Kenny please? I dont want him to die, but at least end with him getting sent to the local police station. 

More of Claire being awesome this week, and her awesome only stands out more when she is next to Reznik, who continues to suck. Her bedside manner isn't great, and while she seems to be an ok doctor, she also has messed up views on the place of the doctor. She seems more interested in "winning" than in actually heping people or doing actual work. I actually let out a real, out loud "oh my God of course" when Claire called her out on her made up sob story. Oh yeah, it must be a HUGE struggle to be from a happy, comfortably upper middle class family, I can see why you would make shit up to people who have actually had a hard life. Reznik, wouldn't people be less likely to respect you when they easily find out your lying about a dead parent than when people find out your an asshole even though you've had a good life? Really, it makes sense to me. Plenty of people from happy upper middle class families are lovely people who work very hard for their success, but there are also plenty who have a massive sense of entitlement and really truly think that they have it tough because of their happy life, and that because of that, they deserve to succeed more than anyone else, and, on another level, they think that they should stay on the top and thats the right way of the world. I do appreciate that they bucked the cliche by avoiding giving her the typical sob story. And she seemed conflicted by the woman dying at the end, so maybe she can still develop, to at least not be such an asshole about her ambition. 

Oh no, Dr. Glassman! I hope they pull off some last minute bullshit to keep he around, I would miss him if he was gone, and I think there is more to do with his character. And Shaun would just fall to pieces, especially after so many changes in his life, and one friend leaving him, and another betraying him. 

In the midst of all the sadness, I did enjoy the lighter moments, especially with Shaun trying to smile, and only succeeding in creeping people out. Especially with Kalu, who I think has an underrated relationship with Shaun. He and Claire are the most obvious friend pair, but I like their relationship too. He gets more snarky with Shaun, but it never comes off as mean, it comes off as him just treating Shaun like another guy, which I think is a good thing. The "I am a person" scene was quite cute. Also, Shaun trying to hook Glassman up with the cafe lady was adorable, especially his awkward hand gesturing towards them. Of course, with Kalu possibly leaving, and Glassman possibly on deaths door, even those happy scenes are retroactively sad. 

At least the girl with the smile problem was ok, it was nice to see her connecting with Shaun. We needed one win here at least.

Edited March 20, 2018 by tennisgurl

[Virtual]

Apparently Resnick will even lie about her backstory. We found out she was telling Jared the truth that she had a contact at another hospital, since he did get an acceptance letter, but her lying about how she grew up validates my suspicion that she was tricking Jared into leaving his job and lied about having a contact at the other hospital. Yeah, it's true that some people from privileged backgrounds don't have respect, but to use her own words regarding Shaun, she uses that a an excuse to act the way she does.

I really wanted Shaun to call Kenny out on his shit when Kenny trashed him for having quirks and had taken his TV without asking, and even told Shaun "no sense in both of us having a big screen TV when I can just use yours." Shaun really needs to start standing up for himself with him; he's done it at work. I know he's probably lonely and wants friends his own age, but he's better off with no friends than having Kenny as his only friend. He does have co-workers at the hospital who like him for who he is, after all.

I'm glad the smile girl ended up being ok, it'd have made for a sad episode if two deaths had happened.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, vibeology said:

And I think this week highlighted why Shaun was willing to stick with Kenny even after he was a poor friend last week. Glassman said they can't be friends, so Shaun felt a need to make a friend to prove something to himself and Glassman. So even faced with evidence that Kenny wasn't a good friend, he was willing to stick with it. But now, I hope Shaun realizes he can have actual friends like Jared or Claire or even Park who did something to look out for him, without settling for a shitty user.

Sad but true. Shaun telling the girl about how he used to be called "Shaun the Moron" when he was younger further drove home just how lonely his life has been overall, too. My heart broke for him at that part. Poor guy. 

I definitely hope we get to see him leaning on Jared and Claire and the others big time going forward, too, though, yes. Especially given everything with Glassman. He'll need all the support and friendship he can get. And I hope he lets Lea know about what he's going through as well. A few comforting and reassuring words from her will help him a little, too. 

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Especially with Kalu, who I think has an underrated relationship with Shaun. He and Claire are the most obvious friend pair, but I like their relationship too. He gets more snarky with Shaun, but it never comes off as mean, it comes off as him just treating Shaun like another guy, which I think is a good thing. 

Agreed. Both Jared and Neil have that whole big brother thing going on with Shaun, and I would love to see that dynamic explored more :). 

[tennisgurl]

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Agreed. Both Jared and Neil have that whole big brother thing going on with Shaun, and I would love to see that dynamic explored more :). 

Normally I would want Jared to punch Kenny in the face, but we`ve very much established that Jared punching assholes tends to create more problems than it solves, so maybe just a very stern talking to? ;)

[catrice2]

I did not watch at the start of the season so I am glad Jared's patient is a continuing story and not just someone they just introduced. It does confuse me though how he could have feelings for her if he was seeing and hung up on Claire.  I felt for him when he said all he has known is unrequited love, and mentioned his parents.  I hope the actor does not leave the show as he has grown on me.  I am not necessarily interested in his dating a former patient. 

Generally I like all the characters and I am interested in their individual stories.  I am actually glad the broke up Melendez and is girlfriend. I don't thinks she adds anything to the show and if someone has to leave I hope it is her. 

Vented about Shaun's neighbor in another thread. 

Edited March 20, 2018 by catrice2

[Zoe]

Man, as soon as I heard "doorstop" I thought of that stupid blind item :(

And goddammit Kenny, I thought you were cool after the end of last week.

 

On a shallow note, Kalu sure has a type, hehe.

[notcreative enough]

Man I'm such a child I had to cover my ears because I knew Kenny was going to be mean to Shaun and I just couldn't listen to it. 

Shaun's "I'm a person" with Jared and having him take Shaun's advice was so sweet. I know Shaun wants outside work friends but he does have work friends. Plus Jared being just as vulnerable as Shaun when it comes to people and relationships.

So no one thought to call Beatrice's son and tell him that his mom is going to die. Why wait until after she is dead I'm sure he would have liked to say goodbye.

In the middle of Glassman's date all I could think is they spent alot of time on this so something bad has to happen soon. And it did. I dont want him to die. They sure aren't leaving any suspense with this. The promo for next week makes it seem like all hope is lost. Fingers crossed for some Shaun magic. I remember from years ago the actor in Son's of Anarchy made a comment about how people with terminal cancer don't always die right away in hopes that he wouldn't gets killed of the show.

[Annber03]

13 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Normally I would want Jared to punch Kenny in the face, but we`ve very much established that Jared punching assholes tends to create more problems than it solves, so maybe just a very stern talking to? ;)

Haha, good point :p. But yeah, seeing somebody tell Kenny off once and for all would be very satisfying indeed. I'd watch that. 

[Zoe]

20 minutes ago, notcreative enough said:

Fingers crossed for some Shaun magic.

I'm expecting to at least see more of his "3D mapping" ability.

[Sarnia]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

Kenny needs to die.

Slowly and painfully, please (and alone).

52 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Normally I would want Jared to punch Kenny in the face, but we`ve very much established that Jared punching assholes tends to create more problems than it solves, so maybe just a very stern talking to? ;)

Maybe Parks could punch Kenny in the face?

[thuganomics85]

Hey, Captain Singh... err, Patrick Sabongui was the father of the girl who couldn't smile!  Always good to see him, and he was great here.  As was the actress playing the girl. Glad it worked out for them, even if Andrews looked like he was this close to losing it on Shaun and even at the end, it seems like he has some regrets over how it almost fell apart.  Luckily for them, Park was able to figure it out.  Kind of interesting that out of the newbies, Reznik is trying so damn hard to get wins and pretty much isolated everyone, while Park just quietly doing his job, and is just as effective, it not more.  Still unsure if either of them will sticking around next season though.

Even with the patient dying, this was actually a good week for Claire, which is kind of saying something.

I'm still surprised over how much I've come to enjoy Shaun and Jared's relationship.  Cool that they brought back the former burnt patient, but I do wonder if Jared dating her will cause issues, even if he's no longer treating her.

Sucks that Kenny really does seem to be just a scumbag that is using Shaun.  Hope at the very least that Shaun changes his locks, but Kenny really deserves worse.

So, Glassman's sickness comes roaring back come finale time.  Yeah, Shaun will not take this well.

Shaun/Freddie Highmore's fake smiles were hilarious!

[sinkwriter]

Quote

Normally I would want Jared to punch Kenny in the face, but we`ve very much established that Jared punching assholes tends to create more problems than it solves, so maybe just a very stern talking to? ;)

Maybe Park knows a guy who can do it for Jared.  ;)  Because Kenny needs to go, Shaun needs some justice and Kenny needs some comeuppance. After everything he's done, he needs to move out, he needs to not be there, he needs to leave Shaun alone. What an asshole. Not only did he turn Shaun away, essentially saying he was too weird / "quirky" to hang out with his friends, but he broke into his home, stole Shaun's money and belongings, and then after all that he takes his pizza right out of his hands? Are you fucking kidding me??? (LOL) 

Switching gears... it was fun to see Sheila Kelley (Richard Schiff's in-real-life wife) playing his potential date in this episode. That was really sweet, and I liked when they got past the awkwardness and found a point of connection with the car thing.

It was also really powerful to see Richard Schiff get to do something emotional, in those moments when Glassman couldn't find the right word he needed. That hurt to watch. (And I love him so much from The West Wing, so it's great to see him get to do something more in-depth.)

Shaun's quiet "I'm a person" to Jared just gutted me. 

Quote

So no one thought to call Beatrice's son and tell him that his mom is going to die. Why wait until after she is dead I'm sure he would have liked to say goodbye.

I wondered about that as well. When Claire asked her to write her name down, I actually thought she was going to ask her to write down how to contact her son. It seems they missed their own detail with that one. To say she's got family and then not contact him (even if he doesn't need to be a speaking part, just a figure in the room with her in the end) just seems a little sloppy.

Edited March 20, 2018 by sinkwriter

[Bobbin]

No one has yet described what happened to Glassman at the end of the episode. Apparently he experienced a TIA, transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke. They're temporary and can be frustrating, and either inconsequential or portents of a life-threatening stroke. It's good that Glassman had the ability to ask for an ambulance. And not a coathanger. The teaser suggests that he may have an inoperable brain tumor. But by now we know that to Shaun, nothing is inoperable. We shall see -- next season.

[vibeology]

23 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sucks that Kenny really does seem to be just a scumbag that is using Shaun.  Hope at the very least that Shaun changes his locks, but Kenny really deserves worse.

Changing the locks won't do it, Kenny's been coming in through the patio door. Shaun needs a security bar.

Also, I want Shaun to be the one to tell Kenny off. It's his problem and I want him to deal with it. He doesn't need someone else to come along and take care of him, that's the whole point. Shaun needs to put his foot down and not be taken advantage of. Learning that skill here, when the stakes are relatively low, will be good for the rest of his life.

[frogzapper]

11 hours ago, renatae said:

I want to beat up that slimeball opportunist. I wanted Shaun to tell him to give him back his TV. Then he had the nerve to take the pizza.  I hope Shawn changes his locks before sending the police after his TV. That pretty much eclipsed the rest of the episode for me.

And he gave Shaun a partially used bottle of milk. "Best Bro" indeed. Ugh.

[frogzapper]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

In the midst of all the sadness, I did enjoy the lighter moments, especially with Shaun trying to smile, and only succeeding in creeping people out. Especially with Kalu, who I think has an underrated relationship with Shaun. He and Claire are the most obvious friend pair, but I like their relationship too.

The "I am a person" scene was quite cute. Also, Shaun trying to hook Glassman up with the cafe lady was adorable, especially his awkward hand gesturing towards them. Of course, with Kalu possibly leaving, and Glassman possibly on deaths door, even those happy scenes are retroactively sad. 

I totally agree. If Kalu really does leave, I'll miss the little interactions between him and Shaun! Kalu has really grown on me since the beginning of the series.

 

40 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Shaun/Freddie Highmore's fake smiles were hilarious!

I laughed out loud when he poked his head in Glassman's office, then I laughed even harder when he came up behind Kalu! I couldn't help but have thoughts of Norman Bates whipping out a knife and stabbing him to death, lol!

This was certainly a roller coaster episode with its hilarious moments and tragic or near-tragic moments and the going back and forth with the Lucy and fake-Lucy patients.

[Babalooie]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I dont want him to die,

To quote South Park, "Oh my God!  They killed Kenny!"     Pretty please????

[Fable]

I was on the fence about Kenny before and had pegged him as a bit of a mooch, not an utter and complete asshole.  Ugh!!!  He wouldn’t even let Shaun in to watch his own TV, even after Shaun offered that he wasn’t really interested in playing poker and then on top of that took the pizza.  Double Ughhh!!!!

Cue to Glassman on a very nice date, only to have it end in the manner it did was devastating, and I’ll be heartbroken if we lose this character.  Once again, Ugh! 

The last couple of scenes in this episode were painful to watch.  

[sinkwriter]

Quote

Also, I want Shaun to be the one to tell Kenny off. It's his problem and I want him to deal with it. He doesn't need someone else to come along and take care of him, that's the whole point. Shaun needs to put his foot down and not be taken advantage of. Learning that skill here, when the stakes are relatively low, will be good for the rest of his life.

Oh yeah, definitely. I'm hoping that this week's episode Shaun just needed to absorb the surprise of it, and next week he'll tell off Kenny, take back his TV and kick him out of his life for good. I really want him to do that. He doesn't seem to have trouble telling people when they did something wrong, but I'm afraid this is getting a little muddled for him, because they were supposed to be "bros" and don't "bros" lend stuff to one another? Then again, his former neighbor took an apple or something (batteries?) from him, and he had no trouble telling her she owed him one back and he was there to get it. So I hope he'll find a way to suss out that Kenny's behavior is definitely not "bro-like" and he needs to stop taking Shaun's stuff.

Edited March 20, 2018 by sinkwriter

[izabella]

4 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

I wondered about that as well. When Claire asked her to write her name down, I actually thought she was going to ask her to write down how to contact her son. It seems they missed their own detail with that one. To say she's got family and then not contact him (even if he doesn't need to be a speaking part, just a figure in the room with her in the end) just seems a little sloppy.

Maybe her son's college was too far from the hospital for him to come in time (I don't remember if they mentioned that), but they should have called so she could talk with him, and could hear his voice. 

[sonyab]

Oh no!!! Why are they killing off Dr. Glassman?!?!!?! :(  Man that Kenny is a piece of work!!! I hope Shaun isn't going to be friends with him anymore!!!

14 hours ago, Annber03 said:

 And I got a real kick out of Shaun's incredibly awkward attempts to try and encourage his co-workers to smile,

Hahahahaha. His smile was really creepy!! Especially when he was smiling to Jared!! ROFL!

[A.Ham]

Noooo! Not Toby!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[aemom]

I was thinking all along that Glassman knew that there was something wrong and that's why he was pushing Shaun to get someone to help him, but now I'm wondering if this is a surprise diagnosis.

I loved Shaun fixing up Glassman with the coffee lady and his interactions with Jared. The smile experiment was hilarious.

Kenny is a first class asshole and I hope that Shaun gets a deadbolt, a bar for his patio door, and also gets Park to hand Kenny his ass.

Edited March 21, 2018 by AEMom
Clarification

[possibilities]

I'm surprised they didn't add more episodes to the short season order, since the ratings are so high.

I'm trying to formulate an adequate response to Kenny. Is it enough to just get his TV back and get better locks? I want a satisfying emotional response of some kind, and I don't know what it would be. Just yelling at him and calling him a piece of shit doesn't really help. And it's not Shaun's style. What can you really say in the face of someone that shameless and cruel. I mean, he took the tv, he grabbed the pizza, he was mind-bogglingly rude and unkind on top of being a bully and a thief. It's just really a lot to emotionally detox from. I guess you have to just let go and move on sometimes, but in the moment, in that scene at his door, I was trying to imagine what Shaun could have said to him that would have made me (or Shaun) feel better. Maybe there isn't anything. "You're mean and you're using me" "Fuck you" "Why are you like this?" I don't know what the centered and empowered in the moment reaction would have looked like.

Shaun is actually a very good friend.

I did wonder if him being pushy with Glassman about the date was sort of a kind of a way of trying to rebalance the dynamic by making a nod to how Glassman had been being pushy with Shaun about hiring an aide.

[frogzapper]

5 hours ago, sonyab said:

Hahahahaha. His smile was really creepy!! Especially when he was smiling to Jared!! ROFL!

Someone needs to capture that and make of GIF of it, lol! :)

[Lady Calypso]

Oh...well, my hopes for Kenny being Shaun's friend were just shattered. Yeah, he can go, and I hope Park gets his cop friends to arrest this slimeball asshole. What an absolute jerk. Taking Shaun's TV, telling him he can't come in to play games on HIS TV, and then taking his pizza? 

Also, the reveal during Glassman's date was rough to watch. I thought that maybe, Glassman had known previously, but the end does make it seem like it's as much of a surprise to him than to us. 

I really liked the cases of the week.

But I'd love if this season ended on Kenny being arrested. 

[orza]

It was clear from the first time Kenny appeared and made a comment about Shaun's nice TV that we would end up here. This comes as no surprise. Kenny has never been any kind of friend to Shaun. It was shown repeatedly that Kenny is one of those people who always sees other people in terms of how they can be useful to him and what he can get from them. He broke into Sean's apartment and helped himself to his cable service. He conned Shaun into spending $300 on entertainment for him and his girlfriend. He again broke into Shaun's apartment and rifled through drawers and cupboards to see what useful stuff he could find and found $20 which he spent on dinner for himself. He broke into Shaun's apartment too get some milk because why buy his own groceries when Shaun has what he needs. Now he again broke into Shaun's apartment and helped himself to Shaun's TV that he's had his eye on the whole time. Kenny has no intention of giving back the TV voluntarily. At some point he will move out, taking Shaun's nice TV with him.

How much breaking and entering and stealing does Shaun need before he calls the cops and presses charges? Getting upset and yelling at Kenny will have no effect and is a waste of time. People like that are immune to emotional outbursts. They just wait a bit for things to cool down, then carry on in their usual style, and when that no longer works they move on to the next mark.

[possibilities]

Oh, definitely nothing anyone would say would make Kenny change. I was just trying to think of how to handle the emotional part of it, for Shaun's sake. The practicalities of getting the TV back and preventing further abuse is also needed, but seeing Shaun just kind of absorb it was painful, and I couldn't think of any other way for him to react that would have been less so, but I wished there was.

[theatremouse]

On 3/20/2018 at 7:35 AM, AriAu said:

And the Jewish holiday of Purim is pronounced "poor m" or even "purr m" and not anything close to how they were both badly saying it. At first I thought it was Toby/Glassman's way to find out if she was Jewish, but then he did it as well.

I thought that was the point though. They were both revealing how not-Jewish they are since she mispronounced Purim and then he mentioned a tradition that is associated with Pesach, not Purim. So they were both just wronging up the joint until they admitted it.

I really really really loved the way Schiff played it going from the first "doorstop" pause "how silly am I saying the wrong word" transitioning very quickly "oh shit. oh no. I'm a doctor and I know exactly what must be happening here."  The expression was all in his eyes each time he said it. It sort of echoed the moment when Murphy went into the girl's room and was telling the father it had been too long and he asked what that meant and Murphy said something like "something bad is happening" or "this is not good" or I forget how he phrased it, but those moments of recognition were mirrors to me. Murphy walked into the room and knew something was very wrong, and Glassman as he stood there with each passing second realized something was very wrong.

[sheetmoss]

Noticed Chris D'Elia's(Kenny) dad Bill  D'Elia, directed this episode

[Trini]

So Kenny's just a straight up user. UGH. Yeah, what everyone else said, plus Shaun should get better security for his apartment.

Grating Blonde who doesn't even have a sad backstory can still leave any time.

Nice to see a follow-up on the burn patient. She and Kalu have nice chemistry, but I wonder if it will actually go anywhere.

I don't want to see Kalu leave, but on the other hand, I don't know if they should tease him leaving AGAIN without following through.

Cases of the week: the identity theft twist was interesting; sad that fake!Lucy was the death this week. Hey, Captain Singh Patrick Sabongui! Not cool with the "brain dead" fakeout! My heart! Speaking of....

Dr. Glassman, NOooo!

On 3/20/2018 at 10:35 AM, AriAu said:

And the Jewish holiday of Purim is pronounced "poor m" or even "purr m" and not anything close to how they were both badly saying it. At first I thought it was Toby/Glassman's way to find out if she was Jewish, but then he did it as well.

Okay, thanks; because Iwas over here like 'have I been saying it wrong this whole time??'

[TomGirl]

Toby’s deadpan “Shalom” was the best line of the night.

[LisaM]

I really liked how the show hired Schiff's real life wife, Sheila Kelley from Sisters, to play his potential girlfriend. 

Looking forward to Park helping Shaun get rid of Kenny.

Thought it was foreshadowing when Tamlyn Tomita's character (whose name I cannot remember) told Andrews that he was acting "presidential". 

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

 I also loved Shaun's small voice when he said to Kalu "I'm a person" that prompted Kalu to confide in him. 

His delivery was perfection.  I just love this character so much.  I finally got my 14-year-old daughter to watch with me, and at the end she said how invested she was. I said, "I told you!".  Now she has to go back to the beginning of the series. 

The smile experiment ... hilarious. Anyone watch The Middle?  Sue Heck did a smile experiment a few years ago.

[Trini]

I really hope they flesh out Dr. Park beyond "when I was a cop" anecdotes/insights.

[janey99]

On ‎3‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 7:34 PM, izabella said:

Maybe her son's college was too far from the hospital for him to come in time (I don't remember if they mentioned that), but they should have called so she could talk with him, and could hear his voice. 

Although she said she had a son earlier on, she didn't even tell Claire her real (first) name until she couldn't speak any more and was likely dying.  I assumed she never said more than that she had a son (and not his name or any other details) while she was "healthier" because she was hoping she would recover enough to sneak away again and remain unknown.  I don't think they even knew more about the son except that he existed.

Oh, and like everyone else, I believe Kenny needs to DIAF.  Someone upthread said that last scene was the most gutting one in the episode and I agree. :-(

[blpalv]

11 hours ago, janey99 said:

 

Oh, and like everyone else, I believe Kenny needs to DIAF.  Someone upthread said that last scene was the most gutting one in the episode and I agree. :-(

I have said this on other boards, but I do not think that Kenny is a legitimate tenant.  I think he is squatting there. 

[shksabelle]

On 3/20/2018 at 5:10 PM, A.Ham said:

Noooo! Not Toby!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

LOL. I came here to say just that!!

[wayne67]

Well that got dark, Kenny turned out to be not only a mooch but a plain old manipulative con man taking Shaun for everything of value he could get. Kenny has no shame, he 'borrows' Shaun's tv and essentially tells him to get lost because he's too quirky to hang out with when there are other options. 

Hopefully Shaun will figure out a way to deal with him. 

On a more positive note, Shaun's smile experiments when he looks like a demented nut job and his setting up Glassman with a date were hilarious. They toned down the special patient of the week a tad so it didn't come across as heavy handed and preachy as some of the other Patient of the Week.