‘The Good Doctor’ Season 3, Episode 18 ‘Heartbreak’ Review: Anger

A lot of the time, The Good Doctor delivers. Sometimes, it doesn’t. And this week’s episode is one of those times. It was a little too slow-paced for my liking. And it simply fell flat compared to other more mellow and less high-energy episodes. Shaun (Freddie Highmore) being a jerk through most of it certainly didn’t help. As it seems, heartbreak brings out the worst in him. The episode does pick up in its last few minutes though. And there is nothing else to describe it as but raw pain. Compared to Shaun’s outburst towards his dying father, his outburst towards Lea is torture. Thankfully, there are two more episodes remaining for The Good Doctor to process this. So, without further ado, here’s what happened in this week’s episode of The Good Doctor.

Sweet Talks

After days of moping, Claire drags Shaun’s ass back to the hospital. There, they handle the case of Finn Michaels(Nic Novicki) along with Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez). Finn has pseudoachondroplasia. And he has a condition related to it that is affecting his breathing. There’s only one operation to cure it. But, Finn’s hesitant because it will affect his speech. Apparently, the guy is a very good sweet talker both to his clients and to the ladies. Soon enough, Claire and Shaun discover that aside from the girl who came with him to the hospital, Finn has other ladies.

Darko Sikman/ ABC

At the operating table, the team finds out that Finn’s case is a lot more complicated than they’ve thought. So, Claire and Shaun spend the whole night trying to come up with an alternate operation. Through all that though, Shaun is being an absolute jerk to everyone. He’s being rude to Finn. And he keeps shutting down Claire’s ideas. I get that he’s heartbroken and all. But, this might be the only time I’ve really dislike Shaun in The Good Doctor.

Thanks to Claire’s efforts, Melendez finally finds a way to do Finn’s operation without any adverse effects. But, Shaun is still on the rude and negative. After one last snappy comment, Melendez finally snaps back at Shaun. And it takes a threat to his residency before Melendez could convince Shaun to get his head back in the case.

While being prepped, Finn tries to play matchmaker between Nurse Fletch and Shaun. But, he suddenly rushes out of his room to the parking lot after receiving a text. Apparently, girlfriend number one found out about girlfriend number two. And she has armed herself with a baseball bat against Finn’s Porsche. Sadly, Finn couldn’t do much to stop the wreckage that followed.

Smashing Cars

The great thing is that Finn’s operation goes well. When Shaun asks him if he’s going to try to win back girlfriend number one, Finn tells him that it’s better to know when to let go. For Finn, there is a never-ending supply of great people in the world. And he thinks Shaun should think of that too.

Darko Sikman/ ABC

Later on, Shaun finds himself drinking alone in a bar. Coincidentally, Nurse Fletch is also there. Shaun somehow tries out Finn’s wisdom. But, it doesn’t really work. And he ends up following the example of Finn’s ex instead. Shaun also takes a baseball bat to Lea’s (Paige Spara) car. And Lea catches him. But, in the end, he doesn’t go through with it. He just couldn’t. Shaun then turns his rage fully on Lea. And instead of a bat, he uses one of the most dangerous weapons of all to hurt her – words. “You’re flaky. And you can’t keep a boyfriend. And you can’t keep a job. And no one likes you,” Shaun tells her. “And you’re going to end up alone and you deserve it because you’re a superficial, selfish, and prejudiced person!”

Shaun has overcome many challenges in The Good Doctor. But, this one really messed him up bad enough that he willingly hurt other people with his words. And it’s painful to watch both his side and Lea’s. At this point, I don’t know what to expect from their relationship.

Claire’s Confession

Now, let’s talk about Claire and Melendez. Ever since they’ve gotten close, I was afraid they’d be the next romance plot on The Good Doctor. And now that nightmare seems to be coming true. Dash is still being ever charming. And he is making Claire happy. But, every time she and Melendez talk about it, Claire declares that she’s not sure. Though he’s encouraging her, Melendez looks like he wants to say the opposite. And he’s not so subtly hiding his feelings for Claire either. Now, after Finn’s case, Claire goes ahead to her therapist to admit that she might be falling in love with her boss.

Darko Sikman/ ABC

To be frank, that is just disappointing. A few episodes ago, Claire made this whole big deal about a male and female colleague just being friends. And it was amazing because their relationship as friends really was great. But, now The Good Doctor has fallen into the pits of classic TV drama romance tropes. Seriously, what good would this do to the show?

Morgan Surrenders

On the other hand, Morgan (Fiona Gubelmann) is coming to terms with the current state of her condition. She’s not responding to the meds anymore and her only other remaining option is an operation. It will give her ten more years as a surgeon but, after that, there’s nothing to look forward to. Glassman (Richard Schiff) advises against it. And Morgan takes his advice.

Darko Sikman/ ABC

Before an operation, Morgan takes some time alone in the O.R. Lim (Christina Chang) finds her there and Morgan tells her that it will be her last operation. After five long months of hiding it, Morgan finally reveals her condition to her boss. So, in the surgery, Lim lets Morgan lead a vital part of the operation. After the surgery, however, something changes in Morgan. And she decides to go through with her surgery.

Glassman unabashedly tells her that it’s a stupid idea. Instead of simply enjoying ten more years of being a surgeon, he advises her to specialize in another field. She can find another passion and keep practicing until she retires. But, Morgan’s mind has been made. For all her flaws, Morgan’s perseverance has always been my favorite thing about her. There’s a strength to it. But, that doesn’t mean that it always chases after the right decisions.

The Good Doctor continues next Monday, March 23rd, with “Hurt” at 10/9c on ABC.