THOSE PROMOS Part 2... and Your 1st Interactive Challenge for the Summer!

   

NOTE: I've extended the deadline on the interactional challenge at the bottom of this post. Scroll down for details...

Before I dive into 19 more promos from the back half of TGD Season 4 (only missing ONE from CTV this time), here’s a great question posed by Daniela in the comments last week: 

It struck me how season 4 tag line was “How Do You Heal a World Turned Upside Down”, that obviously referred to the pandemic, when there were only two episodes about Covid in the whole season.

So, given that The Good Doctor has usually more layers in the messages they wish to convey, can you see some other meaning to those words, in the context of the stories told this season?

In all honesty, I was kind of disappointed when this tagline (and the image that accompanied it) remained the “look” of S4. As a lead-in to the “Frontline” episodes, it was effective-- visually striking, with a somewhat provocative question at hand. But there was one caveat for me: since the show’s title is in reference to one specific person… and that one specific person was featured in the image, as he has been with every season… I felt like the question “How do you heal…” was being posed as something only Dr. Shaun Murphy might be able to figure out. As if his savant syndrome could clue him in to COVID remedies, vaccines, etc. that no “regular” doctor would be able to discover. 

Just me?

And then, once they moved beyond those first two episodes, I think the tagline was misleading-- a casual viewer could see it (for instance, it’s what pops up when making selections on your DVR of Hulu) and think “Ugh-- they’re still in pandemic mode” and not watch based on that assumption. I came across a number of viewers on Twitter this season who thought that very thing… wonder if the tagline could have been a contributor?

So my guess is that they didn’t want to switch it up once the pandemic episodes were over-- for consistency’s sake or whatever-- but my personal feeling is that it was a tagline better used this past season on a medical drama that stayed in COVID zone all season long, like Grey’s Anatomy or Chicago Med.

What’s your thought? Did the tagline work in ways I haven’t considered? Let me know your thoughts in the comments…

But in the meantime, I have a new/old fleet of ABC and CTV promos to discuss…

We did the first half of the season already. Did you miss it? Take a look here.

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ABC 4.11 "We're All Crazy Sometimes" PROMO

·               *  Unusual in that both cases of the week appear to be front and center…

·         *  But they’re both being used to get us to (the part where the announcer ramps up the drama with) “an ending that will leave… you… STUNNED”

·         *  Because how would we be “stunned” if they spent the promo explaining what was going on with Lea and the Striped Tomato?

·         *  Most of #Shea Nation figured it out anyway (including the “stunned” part… OK, especially the “stunned” part), but as ABC’s hype machine goes, I thought they did very well with this one. Choice of shots was good, editing order good (putting Glassman’s and Andrews’ agitated OR selves in the final seconds was a decent attempt at a red herring), and considering how plenty of viewers reacted on social media, they didn’t oversell the pregnancy bombshell.

·         *  My one complaint? The flatline we hear at the end as Shaun ponders Lea’s news… yeah, it made sense in relation to his case-of-the-week, but it had nothing to do with anything being shared at the end of the promo. Utterly unnecessary.

CTV 4.11 "We're All Crazy Sometimes" PROMO... is the one promo I could not locate this time.

ABC 4.12 "Teeny Blue Eyes" PROMO

·         *   This time we’re back to featuring zero medical cases in the promo, with the pregnancy taking center stage instead.

·      *  Shaun’s ASD gets a mention in the promos for the first time this season (not counting the generic one that uses “I want to be known as a good doctor… not a good autistic doctor,” which Shaun actually said back in S3’s “Influence” episode).

·       *  When comparing this to the CTV version, it’s impossible to ignore the music choices in each… so take note that the ABC version ran a song with the lyrics “I’ll never leave your side” playing as Shaun and Lea sat in the clinic waiting room… another reinforcement, perhaps, of ABC mostly promoting the character (Shaun) as opposed to CTV mostly promoting the characters (TGD cast).

·        *  When watching this in real time, there were plenty of viewers (#Shea fans included) who thought Lea might choose to abort the baby—with Shaun’s endorsement, of course. And as it happened, they came much closer to that option than some of us expected. But it still looks to me like the promo is setting it up to look as if Lea was heavily leaning one side, and Shaun the other (with the inclusion of “I love you… I want this child,” which as we know now is something Shaun said before his autistic doctor/patient started belittling him into his own doubts about parenthood). What do you think?  

CTV 4.12 "Teeny Blue Eyes" PROMO

·         *    The pregnancy dominates the CTV promo as well, but where ABC started with Shaun’s matter-of-fact announcement to Glassman, CTV starts with shaky-voiced Lea saying “we have to talk about what we… wanna do…” as a sorrowful-sounding cello kicks into the background music. Pretty different tone to this one.

·       *  Claire gets an even bigger role in this promo than in the ABC version— as is often the case with CTV, I found out. Whatever will they do now that she’s off the show?

·        *  Another interesting contrast: Shaun’s ASD is mentioned here, too, but rather than Shaun and Glassman discussing it, it’s Lea asking Claire about the likelihood of the child inheriting it… followed immediately by Shaun’s wish for Lea’s happiness and Lea saying “maybe this isn’t the right time…” So once again, it sounds to me like the promo is setting a stage where Lea chooses abortion, and Shaun goes along with it in a quest to make her “happy.” But THIS time, it also feels like CTV was making it out to be an ASD-related decision on Lea’s part (which was anything BUT the case, as you’ll recall). Just the fact that they took Lea’s ASD question out of context was extremely off-putting to me; what Lea actually said in the scene with Claire was “This isn’t at the top of my list, but since you are a doctor… Shaun’s ASD, is it…” followed by Claire’s response. And before that happened was Lea’s endearing “I hate poop!” comment… which, frankly, I’d much prefer to be in the promo. (Maybe that’s why I never worked in a promotions department when I did TV, though…)

ABC 4.13 "Spilled Milk" PROMO

·       *  The first half of the promo is devoted to Claire and her estranged, terminally ill father… and the second half is about Shaun and Lea’s disconnect early on during the pregnancy. One might think those two storylines to be completely unrelated to each other—but one would be wrong.

·       *  What the ABC version does, quite nicely, is take Shaun’s line from the blood-drawing scene with Claire (“It’s difficult to feel for someone you don’t know yet”) and use it to fuse the two promo halves together.

·        *  Claire’s part of the story is condensed pretty well to its essentials…trying to include talk of Mama Breeze in there would have been a mistake. Shaun and Lea’s part, on the other hand, could have felt a lot darker if they’d included anything just before or just after Shaun placed his head on Lea’s belly. As it stands, I’m amused they ended up using a few moments of the Lea’s I-can’t- stand-the-toothpaste-smell sex rejection—by far one of their lightest moments of the episode— to demonstrate the distance between them.

CCTV 4.13 "Spilled Milk" PROMO

·      *  Meanwhile, CTV did its “longer clips/fewer edits” thing and focused solely on Claire and her father. (Another rare promo that doesn’t feature Shaun at all, much less Lea.)

·      *  No, they didn’t discuss Breeze in that extra time… but we did see and hear Jordan twice (in what would be the ONLY time a Newbie got featured later in the season). 

CABC 4.14 "Gender Reveal" PROMO

·               *  This is one of those times when I think the show could have really benefited from promoting one or both of its Cases of the Week (which included a man needing a mastectomy, and a woman with ignored symptoms that eventually manifest into Parkinson’s). In addition to both cases being relatively unique—even for TGD—they commanded more drama than what we saw with Shaun and Lea. Imagine using Shaun’s line “My daughter is never coming to see you!” in the promo!

·       *  Except wait—that would have spoiled the gender reveal. AND WE HAD CTV’s version for that… so… never mind.

·        *  What I mean to say is that constructing the promo around #Shea’s “doula drama” and the titular gender reveal was kind of cute/funny (cue Shaun’s taking notes in the maternity ward), but for a show that thrives on emotional heft, I find it a surprising choice in retrospect…

·       *   …or do I? Since we’ve talked a lot about dramatic arcs on TGD, and we all suspected we were 3 or 4 episodes away from Shaun’s biggest challenge of the season… maybe it was, indeed, time to keep the promotional material as lighthearted as possible.

·       *  In which case, never mind. (Again.)

CCTV 4.14 "Gender Reveal" PROMO

·          *  Between CTV “revealing” the gender within the first seconds of this promo, and the wrong sneak peek (with Shaun discussing their daughter) making it on to IG platforms well before the show aired, it’s a good thing TGD wasn’t hinging on the boy-or-girl drama for excitement (eyeroll)

·        * Interesting that CTV went a very similar route as ABC on this one with all attention focused on the doula, the massage woes, and Shaun’s “research”.

·        * One thing they added: Claire saying “That’s great news, Shaun!” about them having a girl, with Shaun responding “Why?”  Hmm… I’ll say they added it because it let them have a Claire scene in the mix.

ABC 4.15 "Waiting" PROMO

·         *   This one is an even split between the basic premise—two very young gunshot victims fighting for their lives—and the way Shaun is reacting to the premise as an expectant father.

·       *  The episode itself is a firm pivot towards the heavier drama we’ve come to expect in the back end of the season, and from the very first shot in the promo (with the St. B’vites standing in wait for the victims), we are keenly aware of that fact.

·       *  With so much tension to go around in this 30 seconds—including Lea’s brief appearance, which came right after one of the waiting-room moms nearly shoved her backwards—there was hardly time to sound a warning about another cliffhanger ending involving a baby/the baby/their baby.

CTV 4.15 "Waiting" PROMO

 

·      *   Again, CTV follows ABC’s lead and shows very similar footage setting up the premise.

·      *  Also again, CTV opts not to make the rest of the promo about Shaun’s impressions… focusing instead on the boys, their moms, and brief flashes of the OR and waiting room.

·       *  Lea is seen (twice) but not heard from… while Claire is heard from (the soundbite about “resolving issues peacefully”) but not prominently seen.

ABC 4.16 "Dr. Ted" PROMO

·     *   As we know now, the challenge of this promo was to play up things that wouldn’t directly give away the fact that Lea and Shaun were about to lose their child. Focusing largely on Shaun’s Dr. vs. Dad struggle was a good way to do that.

·      *  In the ABC version, the key words for Lea were “You’re gonna need to have surgery.” The possibility of losing the baby isn’t discussed…

·       *  But Shaun’s fears are well-noted as we see him hand off the toy scalpel to Lea just before surgery.

·       *  Also it’s important to note that in the days/hours just before “Dr. Ted” aired, the ABC promo changed to include Shaun rushing to get an oxygen mask on Lea, as well as an inclusion of Shaun’s lines about “not being able to protect Lea/Giving her more time to hope”—almost as if they’d reconsidered their strategy, trying to help cushion for us the inevitable blow.

 

CTV 4.16 "Dr. Ted" PROMO

·      *  CTV sets a tone much like the ABC promo, with similar (or same) clips taken from similar scenes.

·      *  One difference: Shaun’s “We could lose the baby” included rather than Claire telling Lea that surgery is necessary.

·       *  Another: Instead of seeing Shaun go to Glassman with his frustrations about not being on Lea’s surgical team, we have more time with Shaun, Lea, and Claire taken from the early part of the episode. 

   

ABC 4.17 "Letting Go" PROMO

·       *   The aftermath of “Dr. Ted” bore an ABC promo featuring both Shaun and Lea, but leaned heavily towards Shaun’s struggles at the hospital.

·       *  The sequence of St. B events that is presented is misleading; by showing Shaun race into the OR yelling “You have to stop!” it appears his incorrect diagnosis came at a more critical time than it actually did (remember that it was this interruption on Shaun’s part, which actually came after Glassman tells him to “go home,” that actually put him back in good stead with the visiting surgeon).

·       *  On the other hand… they started with Lea talking to Shaun about “getting back to normal” (the opening scene) and ended with Shaun folding Lea into his arms (the closing scene), so it was a rare time that we kind of got the gist of the #Shea storyline for “Letting Go” simply by watching the promo.

C CTV 4.17 "Letting Go" PROMO

·              *   Meanwhile, CTV’s post-"Dr. Ted" promo featured Shaun, Andrews, the visiting surgeon, Shaun, lots more Shaun… and no Lea. Unless you count the back of her head (when Shaun tells her “I can’t stay this way”)… which I don’t. And while I get that it’s called The Good Doctor, not The Grieving IT Director… to include zero Lea content in the episode following the miscarriage is a pretty callous decision.

·       *  And it’s not often that I’ll throw the hype flag on CTV, but by focusing almost solely on his interactions with Andrews and the visiting surgeon… and including the “I would have fired him” line without the context provided by Andrews’ response (“Dr. Murphy is having some personal problems right now” or words to that extent)… CTV’s promotion crew seemed determined to make it look like Shaun’s job was on the line. That just doesn’t sit well with me.

ABC 4.18 "Forgive or Forget" PROMO

·        *  For ABC, it was all #Shea all 30 seconds: They pack, they camp, they snuggle in a tent, they have a medical emergency in the middle of the nowhere forest. (Hey, I’d watch that.)

·      *  Unlike the previous ABC promo, there was no real way to edit the scenes out of sequence… and no reason to anyway, since the drama provided by Shaun falling and Lea stepping up to the plate as “surgeon” was more than enough.

·       *  Claire’s follow-up with her father was in this episode too, but unlike the “Spilled Milk” promo, there was no real way to connect her forgiveness journey with #Shea’s efforts to heal. So ABC opted to showcase the latter.

CTV 4.18 "Forgive or Forget" PROMO

·        *    CTV opted to feature Claire and Miles (dad) in their version… so watching the two “Forgive or Forget” promos back-to-back gives the impression that there are two episodes of TV going on there, not one. (And also creates one of those rare Shaun-less TGD promos.)

·     * But supplementing Claire’s personal drama in this episode was her Case of the Week, which just happened to be about the way a couple’s choices were impacting the well-being of their daughter.

·     *  So while Lea and Shaun were ignored in this promo, I really appreciated the way they took Claire’s line “You need to stop thinking about what’ll make you feel like a good parent, and start thinking about what your daughter needs” and overlaid it with Miles coming to her door at the end of the episode. 

  

ABC 4.19 "Venga" PROMO

·         *  Establishing that the St.B’vites + Lea (surely an honorary B’vite at this point) are on a mission trip in this episode… check.

·     *  Establishing the difficult challenges they will face as a unit while on said mission trip… check.

·     *  Establishing Morgan, Lea, Shaun, and Claire as characters who could be profoundly affected personally and/or professionally by what happens on this trip… check! (I mention them because they each got a close-up in the back half of that promo.)

CTV 4.19 "Venga" PROMO

·     *  Establishing the mission trip (with quick shots of all the cast on their way into the airport)…check.

·     *  Establishing the difficult challenges, albeit with some slightly different shots… check.

·     *  Something I only noticed with repeated viewing: while they chose the same line as ABC to end with (“Focus on the miracles, or you won’t be able to help any of them”), the CTV version accompanied that with three visuals: the Lim-assisted birth, the nursery shot with Baby Isabella’s parents (and Lea’s face reflected in the glass), and Claire walking away from the bulletin board-o-cases. It leaves me wondering if they thought viewers would only be able to relate to “the miracle of LIFE”…? But I might be overthinking that big time.

ABC 4.20 "Vamos" PROMO

*  For ABC’s version of the S4 Finale promo, I found a lot to like…but a few things were truly puzzling, too.

·     *  On the plus side: the music choice (decidedly upbeat, which fit the tone of the actual episode nicely)… the message of the title cards “The end of their journey… is just the beginning,” which also fits the episode like a glove… and the way all cast members on the trip got featured in one way or another. (Even those NOT on the trip, when you include Glassman’s appearance).  

·     *  Puzzling, though, was overlaying Claire’s “you deserve to be happy” (which was taken from a different episode entirely) with her goodbye hug to Shaun…

·     * Also puzzling was Shaun’s “People need to move forward… I want to move forward.” It’s puzzling because while he said the first part during his goodbye to Claire, he never said the second part. At least, not in this episode. Maybe it was taken from a deleted scene, as some have suggested… maybe it was from an earlier episode, perhaps in a totally different context… or maybe they even edited some of Shaun’s words together to make it sound like he said that line (it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that).

·      *  My guess: they wanted to hint at what was coming (the proposal), but with Shaun uniquely positioned as the proposee, they didn’t have any visuals from the show that would really help along their “hint”… so they constructed an audio hint instead while staying on the bus shot of #Shea. Inauthentic? Maybe. But I guess it worked, huh?

CTV 4.20 "Vamos" PROMO

 

·      *   While the CTV version wasn’t radically different from ABC’s—it couldn’t be; all the doctors were there on the trip doing the same basic things—it used a whole other set of scenes (with only one brief Shaun appearance, and again, none of Lea) to paint the picture.

·      *  Did they know this would be Claire’s last episode when they assembled the promo? Given that it starts with Claire’s jaw drop over the MatLim pairing, continues with the debate about whether Claire is ready to take on a uniquely challenging surgery, and ends with the good news from said surgery (“Your mom’s gonna be all better”), I’d say yes. But if they were that invested in promoting Claire’s story, wouldn’t they want to include a little hint about the way it was about to end…? The “There’s something I want to talk to you about” line on the bus? Anything??

·      *  And with all the attention directed both to Claire and a couple smaller developments—the power outage during the surgeries, MatLim’s tryst—the CTV promo not only ignored Shaun and Lea during this final promo, but also Park, Morgan, Andrews, and any of the others that were chosen for the dozen surgeries. For a season finale that really brought something new to every TGD character (and a few key Guatemalans), the decision to focus so exclusively on Claire—whether it’s her final episode or not—it’s another head-scratcher for me. 

·     

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OK, HERE’S THE INTERACTIVE PART…

It’s always fun to include you guys when I can, so here is your first mission of the summer (should you choose to accept it)...

Ask yourself  What are my 5 favorite TGD episodes of Season 4… and WHY? 

Also ask yourself   What are my 3 LEAST favorite episodes of TGD Season 4… and WHY?

Then, list ‘em-- with a top pick, second fave, worst episode, second-worst, etc..-- and email them to me at KLawrence997-at-gmail-dot-com.(Please email me rather than leaving your choices in the comments.)

You do NOT have to explain your choices if you don’t want to…! I just want to leave that option open because I know some of you will have a lot of fun with it.

I originally wanted to try and get the results of this challenge up the weekend of the 17th/18th, but I'm going to push that back a little, so... the new deadline for this is MONDAY, July 19th!

Please feel free to participate, even if you’ve never left a comment on this blog and don’t plan on starting that anytime soon.