The Good Doctor (3×17) Fixation Review

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

Synopsis: A patient with a mysterious and undiagnosed illness that has baffled other doctors for years forces Shaun and the team to take some big risks; Dr. Brown and Dr. Melendez continue to navigate their feelings for each other. (TV Guide)

Rejection is hard but it is apparently harder to take no for answer for Murphy. Not everything is a problem that he can solve. When it comes to parallels between cases and Murphy, this new episode of The Good Doctor was no different but at least one of those had a good outcome. Meanwhile, hospitals can’t save everyone and this hospital was no different. Also, Park has a son that some may have forgotten.

Fixation started with a patient being air-lifted to hospital named Wes (Harold Perrineau) who suffered an arm injury after being hit by a cactus while leading a camping trip for at risk youth. Meanwhile, Murphy claimed to be okay after his last encounter with Lea but we all know that was not the case and that those feelings would later manifest somehow later in the episode (which they did). He was convinced that he could fix it and certainly was not in the mood to talk to Glassman about it. Murphy’s actual case involved a woman named Alice (Ever Carradine) suffering from an unknown and undiagnosed illness that had plagued her for years (though there would be more at play here).

Wes’s infection was spreading rapidly, first affecting his heart and it unsurprisingly got worse. Now his kidneys were failing and he would need a transplant. His troubled past with alcohol and drugs made getting a donation difficult. They tried to contact Wes’ family but upon hearing the news, his at risk kids group got themselves tested with the “obvious redemption story bad kid” being a match. Lim did not support his position (he wanted to help but another test proved his kidney would be rejected) as it would be too much of a risk to him (she still let him know what a honorable thing he tried to do) and Wes also agreed, leaving him kidney-less.

Alice’s condition was a fun challenge for Murphy. His first idea did not work just as her husband and daughter got there (she didn’t tell them that she was at the hospital). Her condition was not nearly as dire as she made it out to be (she was already diagnosed but she didn’t accept it and her treatment) but she was simply grasping at a better life for herself that may not necessarily have been there (hence the parallels with Murphy). This was of course putting a strain on the rest of her family. In reality, she was having trouble with her overacting adrenal glands which would have to be removed which would then have plenty of symptoms of their own. She could live with it, however, she still wanted the surgery even if it meant risking her life. As they were about to leave, Murphy brilliantly concocted an experimental surgery inspired by Reznick watching pimple-popping videos which would involve the same concept but with her adrenal glands which worked.

Kellen showed up to visit his father but little did he know that he used drugs in order to manage his anxiety. He was caught vaping crack while on hospital property with one of the at risk kids from Wes’ group and did not react well when confronted by Park. There were definitely some unresolved issues between them with the main one being the distance between them (San Jose and Phoenix). Meanwhile, The husband of one of Browne’s old patient, a man named Dash showed up to ask her out on a date (but she clearly has feelings for Melendez and them being a thing is inevitable).

The episode ended Murphy confronted Lea who had enough of him not listening to her while trying to make their relationship work. He should let her go but he won’t. Maybe Park will leave so he could be with his kid?

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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.