If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: 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. (IMDB)
Writer: Simran Baidwan
Director: Seth Gordon
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 41mins
One of the most compelling parts of the Good Doctor is watching Murphy learn about the world around him. Just as the previews revealed, Murphy was challenged once again where he was tending to a patient who identified as a girl despite being biologically male. The problem with the episode was that it had to throw in a bunch of extra subplots in which didn’t quite work together as well as they could have.
After Coyle was transferred, Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) joined the team. With two seemingly straightforward cases on the docket, Lim suggested they have a competition between her and Melendez. Each chose two interns with Lim choosing Murphy and Kalu and Melendez choosing Browne and Reznick.
We know that Murphy’s case involved the transgender patient named Quinn and he could simply not understand why she would identify as a girl despite being a male. The other team’s case involved a man named Howard who had severe stomach pain. Also, Andrews and his wife went to a specialist for help to conceive a child.
Murphy kept asking Quinn questions so he could try and understand her better but it was becoming a little too much. He kept referring to her as a he rather than a she. Quinn’s problem was that she had testicular cancer, however, it was early enough to be treatable. She also had a low bone density that was due to her taking puberty blockers.
Reznick took the competition very seriously as she took every opportunity she could to impress Melendez so she would be chosen as resident, thinking that it was between her and Browne. Her bedside manner left much to be desired so she saw Browne’s decency as further competition. She bribed the lab tech to get Howard’s test results before Murphy and Kalu’s. Howard had a super bug which was resistant to the antibiotics he was being administered. Browne didn’t appreciate not being informed about the test results but it was just more competition within the competition. She suggested they try an experimental treatment in order for Howard to avoid surgery.
The solution for Quinn was to remove the cancerous testicle. Worried about who she would become, Murphy’s suggestion was to remove both testicles which was not well received by Lim. Both were given scout work as a punishment but only Kalu saw it that way, Murphy thought they were being helpful. Kalu took their competition seriously as it would place him back in the good graces of the hospital. Browne pitched the experimental treatment to Melendez but Reznick got credit for her sentimental overselling.
Quinn’s grandmother made a child abuse claim against her parents so Glassman put both parties in a room so they could talk about it what was best for Quinn. Murphy continued to ask Quinn questions to better understand and they looked to bond. Meanwhile, Quinn’s parents and grandmother still were deciding on the appropriate course of action but it didn’t matter as complications with Quinn’s tumor forced them to remove the cancerous testicle. The surgery encountered complications, however, Kalu was able to diagnose the problem as internal bleeding in the pelvis. Howard’s treatment was a success. Melendez continued to give Reznick praise.
Reznick and Browne won the competition but Browne wasn’t as thrilled. Murphy finally accepted Quinn’s gender identity. Melendez gave Browne a pep talk and encouraged her to compete on her own terms. Glassman offered Murphy a ride home and some food, however, he refused because he said that he couldn’t be his friend. He didn’t need a new friend because he was growing closer to his new neighbor Kenny (Chris D’Elia).
Overall, this was a decent episode that simply tried to do too much. It was definitely fun to watch Murphy try to understand and finally accept Quinn for who she was but it could’ve gone without the speed bump with her family. Reznick was a nice addition to the dynamic as it showed it for what it really was and had always been, a competition to become a resident in the hospital. The contrast between her and Kalu showed two people with two different motivations. The Andrews subplot treaded too familiar ground with Preston and Melendez. The relationship between Murphy and Kenny was fun to watch, however, it’d be great if he mended his relationship with Glassman.
Score: 7.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
