Spoiler alert! The following article contains spoilers from season 3 of The Good Doctor. Read on only if you are current with the episode titled Mutations.
This week’s episode of The Good Doctor had it all; heartfelt moments, sheer joy, heartbreaking tears, and perhaps even a new, little romance blossoming.
The episode starts with Dr. Shaun Murphy making good on his promise to Carly that he’ll stop living with Lea. Lea is packing up her things, and they have a super cute conversation throwing it back to their infamous toilet paper debacle. Shaun tells Lea, “Now you can hang the toilet paper incorrectly anytime you want, and Carly and I can go back to the way things were before our fight.” But we all know things just don’t work out that easily, and Lea knows this is the case as well. She tells Shaun, “Sometimes couples need a little time to recover.” But will that be true for Shaun and Carly? Let’s break down everything else that happened in Monday’s episode titled Mutations:
Shaun and Carly:
At the hospital, a patient named James, a hardcore marathon runner, comes in with abnormal swelling in his legs. Shaun, along with Dr. Audrey Lim, Dr. Morgan Reznick, is on the case, and they pull Carly into the mix to offer her pathology expertise. It’s Carly determines that due to a mutation within James’ system, he will drown from the inside out unless they figure out how best to treat him. Carly is a little rattled by the idea of actually dealing with patients. She tells Shaun that she’s used to just working with slides and specimens, and it’s clear that she’s somewhat uncomfortable despite Shaun telling her that she’ll be fine.
The next time we see the pair, things are heating up! Carly and Shaun are making out back at the apartment. As their intimacy escalates, Shaun is surprisingly ok and ready to take things to the next level, but this time, it’s Carly that pumps the breaks. Shaun feels that maybe he did something wrong, but before Carly reassures him that it’s nothing he did. It’s her. Before she can explain further, Shaun’s pager goes off. It’s Morgan, and there’s an issue with the patient.
Shaun and Carly rush back to the hospital, where Carly comes up with a breakthrough idea. They can test zebrafish to determine which medication would work best on James’ mutation. After narrowing down their options from 40 possible treatments to one, the medication is given to James, but Carly is shaken up about the whole thing. She disappears, and Shaun goes to find her.
Shaun finds Carly crying alone in the lab. She’s having a very difficult time dealing with the fact that James, their patient, is an actual person and not a slide in the lab. She’s terrified that if they chose the wrong treatment, he could die. It’s a whole other side of the hospital that she’s not used to dealing with, and it’s struck an emotional string within her. Shaun offers comfort and helps put things into perspective for her. He says, “Your plan with the zebrafish gave him a chance. It was a beautiful, perfect idea from a beautiful, almost perfect person. Your earlobes are lopsided.”
Shaun’s honest communication lifts Carly’s spirits and made her feel better. The episode closes with Carly and Shaun fooling around once more before cutting to Carly fast asleep and Shaun laying beside her. He has a big, happy smile on his face. The couple has finally brought the physical aspect of their relationship to the next level.
Dr. Claire Brown, Dr. Alex Park, and Dr. Neil Melendez:
Dr. Claire Brown, Dr. Alex Park, and Dr. Neil Melendez’s patient is truly a heartbreaking case. A pair of young high schoolers, Ryan and Angie, met and fell in love while going through chemotherapy treatment. Upon learning that Ryan’s tumor had completely disappeared, Angie collapsed into a seizure. Unfortunately, her treatment did not work as well, and her cancer is back. She has a stage 3 brain tumor that would require surgery, radiation, and chemo, a process that will take about eight months to complete. The couple had intentions of going to their prom together, but due to Angie’s illness, her rapidly decreasing health, and the dire need for surgery, that wouldn’t be possible. Despite Angie’s mother’s wishes that the couple not see each other during her treatment, Claire (our heart of the show) pulled together a version of prom right there in the hospital. Ryan and Angie shared the sweetest dance, and Claire and Dr. Melendez joined in as well (while Melendaire shippers freaked out, of course).
After the perfect prom night, Angie goes in for her surgery, but of course, the procedure isn’t without its risks. The tumor is inoperable, and the team has run out of options. Her cancer is unlikely to respond to any other therapies as well. Sadly, Angie suffers another seizure, and she loses the battle. As the team watches her mother grieve, Claire is overcome with emotions and has to step away. Melendez follows her to make sure she’s ok. He knows Claire is still dealing with the loss of her mother. He offers her a solution that he believes will help in addition to her therapy; Running. Their story in this episode closes out with the two jogging together, but could a romance be blossoming? Are you getting excited, Melendaire shippers?
Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Glassman
Morgan is continuing to take medication for her rheumatoid arthritis. However, her medication is making her quite sick. While it’s helping her dexterity and her hands feel well, it’s churning her stomach, and it’s beginning to impact her work. After protesting through much of the episode against Dr. Glassman’s suggestions that she switch her medication, she finally came around and agreed. A change in medication is never easy, and we may see this impact Morgan in a much larger way as the season progresses.
What did you think about Monday’s episode of ABC’s The Good Doctor? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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