NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Good Doctor season 6 episode 17, "Second Chances and Past Regrets."
What does it take for relationships to move forward when past actions impact the current relationship?
Back as an intern, Jared (Chuku Modu) and Shaun (Freddie Highmore) have to navigate Jared being an employee and Shaun's friend. Lea (Paige Spara) tries to advise Shaun about the delicacy of their new arrangement, but Shaun brushes her off. Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) also advises Shaun to set boundaries, but Shaun again dismisses the concern. He does, however, take Dr. Andrews' opinion more seriously when he's told that Jared's performance will reflect on him.
A young female patient comes into the ER and Shaun, Jared and Jordan (Bria Henderson) work on her case. Jared makes mistakes on his first case largely because he refuses to listen to Jordan and feels a need to prove that he's more than an intern. He also introduces a risky alternative surgical plan to the patient's family without Shaun's approval. This causes Shaun to bristle, reprimanding Jared more harshly than necessary.
Jordan advises Jared to spend more time listening. Jared then advises his young patient to tell her mother how she feels and implores the mother to really listen. Shaun is also advised by Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) to take more time to allow Jared to learn and become an asset, much like he was allowed to. In the end, both Jared and Shaun and the mother/patient relationship benefit from making an effort to see the other's perspective. Fortunately the surgery was also a success.
Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) and Asher (Noah Galvin) treat a young boy with a heart condition. During treatment, the friction between the patient's mother and grandmother constantly surfaces, while Asher and his boyfriend have issues that are rearing their head. Both groups are forced to articulate their issues.
The young mother left her son with his grandmother and went on to live her life. The grandmother now only views her daughter as irresponsible and not capable of making decisions about the child's care. Asher and his boyfriend, meanwhile, are at odds because he withheld his positive HIV status. The boyfriend justifies this by explaining that his viral load is so low that it's undetectable, making him incapable of passing on the virus. Both groups come to realize that past actions aren't the best predictor of current behavior.
The grandmother comes to accept her daughter, commending her on how much she has grown. Upon advice from Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) and Dr. Park, Asher makes an effort to talk things through with his boyfriend and they resolve their issues. The young male patient also has a good surgical outcome.
The episode ends with Jared and Shaun clearing the air about how they will balance both their professional and personal relationships. Jared takes it a step further by privately speaking to Dr. Andrews and requesting that he be assessed on his own merits, with him bearing all the consequences, not Shaun.
New episodes of The Good Doctor air on Mondays at 10 pm ET/PT on ABC, then streaming the next day on Hulu.
