The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 16: Believe Review

Keith NoakesFebruary 25, 201916779 min

For our review of the last episode of The Good Doctor, click here.

Synopsis: The new chief of surgery, Dr. Jackson Han, believes Dr. Shaun Murphy is a liability and works to keep him out of the operating room permanently. (TV Guide)

Writers: Sam Calleros and Karen Struck

Director: Alrick Riley

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 41mins

Airs: Mondays at 10pm on CTV (Canada)/ABC (United States)

Time for some believing.

The episode started with Murphy getting ready for his day though he was unwilling to accept his new position. Meanwhile, Melendez, Browne, and Reznick were treating a pastor with a tumor pressing against his spine. He was experiencing pain but he wanted that pain. Leaving it would make the doctor’s work increasingly more difficult but the pastor believed that the pain was punishment for killing someone. Park and Lim were treating a climber experiencing numbness in her extremities and who also claimed to have a premonition of her death. Glassman rang the bell at chemotherapy which meant he was finally done.

The pastor believed he was responsible for the suicide of one of the parishioners he counseled. Browne thought it was ridiculous and that they should go against his wishes. She would try to make sure he understood the risk he was about to take. He remained firm in his beliefs and would open up about the man who committed suicide. Meanwhile, the climber’s brain scan showed that there was in deed something wrong with her, she had what appeared to be a malignant tumor.

Murphy arrived at pathology and was starting to turn around after seeing what he had to work with and what he had to do. Park would pay him a visit to see how he was doing and deliver him a specimen for him to analyze. He encouraged Murphy to stand up for himself if he was unhappy. Lim tried to stand up to him with Han but he was adamant that Murphy shouldn’t be a surgeon.

Surgery to remove the pastor’s tumor would encounter complications but he wanted them to try again. Though Murphy wanted to be more involved with Park and Lim’s case, he was told he had to move on (though we know that it’ll be tough for him). Browne tried to stand up to Murphy with Han, however, she failed as well. Feeling confident, Glassman asked Debbie out on a date so of course she would have to tell him that she was already seeing someone. This wasn’t exactly true though she did not think they were a good match as she feared that bad things would happen.

The second attempt to remove the pastor’s tumor showed that it magically shrunk. The doctors were at an impasse and decided against doing anything for the moment. When sharing the results with the pastor, he was delighted. They couldn’t find a scientific explanation for what happened. The pastor wanted more tests. Browne would set him straight and he finally allowed them to treat his pain by stabling his spine.

Murphy shared his opinion on the climber’s tumor with Lim. He thought it wasn’t malignant and wanted to talk to the patient, however, he was warned against hit. Murphy was also becoming open to speaking to Han himself. Meanwhile,Glassman visited Murphy and Lea at home. He was trying to cope with his helplessness but it wasn’t working. Glassman would encourage him to stand up for himself. At the hospital, Murphy would try to find a way to treat the climber without talking to her but Han stopped him. They spoke in his office where Murphy shared his theory. Han conceded that it may be right, however, he was going to pursue it instead of Murphy. Murphy was right and Han made sure to give him credit for it.

Murphy would stand up for himself with Han but it didn’t work. He watched as the other surgeons removed what would be a worm from the climber’s brain.

Overall, Believe was a good episode of The Good Doctor where a few doctors would either gain or regain their belief funny enough. The religious debate in the episode wasn’t anything new by any means but it was compelling to watch Browne having lost her faith and then getting it back. However, the strongest of the two belief stories was Murphy believing in himself and finding the courage to stand up to Han. While it didn’t work, this saga is surely not over. Watching him get used to his new surroundings while still finding a way to be involved in a case was also compelling to watch, however, it’s clear that he won’t be there for too much longer. Glassman is done with chemo so hopefully he will find some happiness since he deserves it. With two episodes left this season, hopefully the others find a satisfying resolution as well.

Score: 8/10

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