The Good Doctor season 7 episode 3, "Critical Support," got off to a light-hearted start, but it turned out that Lea’s (Paige Spara) opening thoughts on Steve being destined for stardom were where the laid-back energy ended. You could have called this episode "Critical Condition." Let's get into it.
The episode touches on how Sean (Freddie Highmore) views his experience as an aspiring doctor on the Autism Spectrum and how it is now shaping his treatment of Charlie (Kayla Cromer). By the end, Sean reaches a defining moment regarding his mentorship of Charlie.
Many of The Good Doctor's characters seem to have confronted a crossroads in their future. Do they arrive at the destination they should? It's time to find out.
Patients of the week
What starts as an ear wax build-up and infection diagnosis for a young frat brother takes a surprising turn. After seeing a mass on an X-ray, an endoscopy soon follows. When Kalu (Chuku Modu) and Asher (Noah Galvin) go in, the mass has disappeared. The patient later develops neurological symptoms. During surgery to remove his gallbladder, Charlie incidentally uncovers the cause of the frat brother's ailment, a metal wire. One giant magnet later, the patient is cured.
Meanwhile, Park (Will Yun Lee) handles a patient whose arm is stuck inside a meat grinder. If it sounds gruesome, that is because it is. Dom (Wavyy Jonez) proves invaluable to the team as he helps get the grinder off the patient. Despite seeming to address his hemophobia successfully, Dom's issues rise again. Park gives him a chance to drop out of the meat grinder situation, but Dom refuses, thanks to his athletic spirit of perseverance. (Bless him.)
Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) suggests that Park's patient's hand can be saved by "hooking it up" to his ankle's blood supply, with the goal of ultimately reattaching it. (Whoa.) By the end of all this, Dom is still standing despite witnessing some intense stuff, and he shares a hearty hug with Park, making for a beautiful moment.
Morgan goes to the mothership
Morgan (Fiona Gubelmann) tells Lea she wants Lea and Sean to be baby Eden’s legal guardians. There's a twist, though, and it is a pretty awful one. Morgan wants Sean and Lea to be Eden's guardians even if she is the only one who dies and Park is still alive. Wait, what?
Lea is understandably stunned by Morgan's choice. Morgan attempts to quell the severity of her proposal by mentioning she will re-evaluate her stance later.
Thankfully, Morgan encounters Dom, who talks sense to her. In describing Park's mentorship, Dom helps crystalize her relationship with Park and his talent as a teacher and dad. What more could Morgan possibly want in a father/guardian for Eden?
Toward the end of the episode, Morgan admits to Park she lied when telling him she wanted him to be Eden's guardian if Morgan died. Park is clearly taken aback. They kiss, but the conversation feels far from over. How can they be Eden's parents when Morgan thinks only one of them is in charge of the big decisions? It does not seem fair.
Stubborn Sean and chatty Charlie
Sean continues giving Charlie the cold shoulder until his frustration boils over, ordering Charlie out of his patient's room. Charlie later confronts Sean about how he treats her. In response, he refuses to change even though Charlie's curiosity leads her to discover the metal wire in their patient's gallbladder as the source of his illness.
Charlie compliments and thanks Sean for letting her feel the gallbladder. What starts as a potentially feel-good moment between the pair quickly turns ugly. Sean coldly says Charlie should be a pathologist — not a surgeon. Charlie insists she wants to be a surgeon, which Sean vehemently disagrees with, adding she is nothing like him.
The scene is a seismically brutal and devastating moment for Charlie. On a personal aside, I have been where Charlie's at in terms of unintentionally agitating someone with my mere existence, and it is one of the loneliest, hurtful feelings in the world. Ugh, and when she is trying not to cry in the car! I have been there, and hopefully, she can blast some Taylor Swift (perhaps "Cold as You") to get her through this rough spot.
"Mom" and "Dad" give dueling advice
Lim and Glassman (Richard Schiff) cross swords over their co-presidential role before proving why they strike the perfect balance for the hospital. Early on, Glassman encourages Sean to be more patient with Charlie, while Lim advises Sean be direct with her, pointing out his expectations for her. While each offers valuable advice, it blows up in Charlie's face.
Glassman and Lim confront Sean after encountering a crestfallen Charlie in the elevator post the "Sean-tastrophe." To hear Sean tell it, no one made it easier for him, although Lim argues that's not true. Conversely, Sean indicates he improved through a baptism of fire.
Sean insists to Lim and Glassman that Charlie should not be a surgeon, refusing to budge on the overall topic of Charlie. At an impasse, Lim and Glassman decide to blow off steam on Glassman's newly ordered pool table. Who can blame them?
On a positive note, Asher ultimately goes to a party for Jerome's niece, which turns out wonderfully. Asher is at home with Jerome (Giacomo Baessato), allowing The Good Doctor's fans to relax after so much tension in the episode.
What did you make of all the drama? The Good Doctor airs Tuesdays at 10 pm on ABC and is available to stream Wednesdays on Hulu.
