The Good Doctor (4×05) Fault Review

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

Synopsis: Shaun questions his decision to give the new residents autonomy when one of his intern’s misdiagnosis of a patient has dire consequences. Morgan and Park bond over failed relationships. (IMDb)

Now this was some great television as this latest episode of The Good Doctor is up there with the spectacular Season 1 finale. Murphy’s learning period as a teacher hit tragedy that rocked him and a fellow doctor to the core while others had to navigate a complicated love triangle made even more complicated by a brain injury and Reznick and Park razzed each other before finally bonding. The writing and performances were all on point here. Though this hasn’t always been the case, whenever the series gets those right, it hits it out of the park.

Fault began with Browne and Park along with Guerin and Allen tending to a woman named Ellie (Lindsey Kraft) who definitely was suffering more than a migraine. Murphy let Wolke and Jackson tend to their own patients, a man named Carlo (Carlos Lacamara) who picked up on Wolke being new and a woman named Toni (Jennifer-Juniper Angeli) who also picked up on Jackson’s experience though the latter made it more obvious. Lim also picked up on Murphy’s hovering. Murphy followed up with Toni who was currently having a stroke while he didn’t recheck Wolke’s work. Meanwhile, Reznick chastised Park after going through his stuff (Jimmy Buffet was a big theme in the episode). The chastising only continued from there.

Ellie suffered from brain damage thanks to a cyst caused by a tooth, hair, and fat. Her boyfriend Zane (Daniel di Tomasso) conceded that her husband Brendan (Ryan Kennedy) would be better suited to make any medical decisions (they were together for only 8 days and she was estranged with her husband) to prevent her from suffering from further brain damage. Brendan admitted that he wasn’t the best person to make any decisions either. Despite their ideological differences, they removed the cyst. Ellie and Brendan’s relationship caused plenty of awkward energy until some partial memory loss on her part took over.

The doctors involved Zane and Brendan throughout the process which offered interesting perspectives. The thought of what to do about her condition presented a conflict within Ellie as she wasn’t sure what to do. The solution was to appeal to her emotionally by tapping into her relationship with Zane and Brendan. It was a fine line as far as her memories with each of them was concerned. Her latest surgery caused Ellie to forget Zane but a video they recorded before the surgery filled her in. She acknowledged this other relationship that she didn’t remember but despite this, her feelings for Brendan were never stronger (as Zane watched).

Once Carlo was discharged, he picked up on Wolke’s accent which started an uncomfortable conversation. However, he was hit by an aneurysm. Wolke made a mistake but it was also a lesson on Murphy’s part about not abdicating responsibility (he should have double checked). Wolke and Carlo later made up for earlier as the latter’s liver was discovered to be failing, it was another aneurysm. Now they had to figure out the safest course of action. Meanwhile, Murphy scheduled a date night for him and Lea. However, realizing he was needed elsewhere, Lea cut it short.

Carlo got Wolke to go back to his roots and pray for him (he admitted to screwing up but was forgiven). It would be all for naught as during the surgery to repair the correct the connection from his liver to his heart, he died on the operating table. This had an understandable impact on Wolke and also Murphy who questioned his ability to work with others. He went to Glassman who calmed him down and told him it was going to be okay. Murphy then did his best to comfort Wolke. Meanwhile, the root of Reznick and Park’s chastising of each other was their inability to move on from past relationships. While the latter was in the middle of a divorce, the former was in past relationships with a Daniel Craig fan and maybe a Gronkowski. They bonded by burning mementos of past relationships.

The episode ended with Murphy being comforted by Lea.

Both the A and the B story hit just the right emotional notes with the dead patient hitting especially hard. The writing was exceptional while Freddie Highmore, Noah Galvin, and Richard Schiff in a quick scene were all superb. Though not every episode can hit such highs, these are the ones that make the series still worth watching 4+ seasons in.

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Keith Noakes

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.