The weekend before the “Autopsy” episode of TGD aired, I ran a little Twitter poll asking which character viewers thought would end up spilling the beans to Lea… not just about Shaun and Carly breaking up, but WHY they broke up.
For BOTH parts of my poll
question, the majority of votes went to... Morgan. (Not that surprising; the
“world-class biotch,” as Lea called her, has been on a roll as her R.A.
symptoms worsen.)
But as we’ve seen by now,
Morgan wasn’t involved at all. She might come in next week thinking Shaun’s
still with Carly, for all she doesn’t know. But she definitely didn’t
tell Lea anything.
Who did, then? Glassman? Cafeteria
gossipers? Shaun himself, via (the most succinct) text message? We’ll never
know, and it doesn’t matter. With “Autopsy”, the most important details of
Shaun and Lea’s story came in that final scene… and if anything had to be cut
from the show to make time for it (more on that in a minute), fine.
About that little hospital
#Shea scene…
I know it wasn’t much—at
least this time, they definitely made up for it later—but Shaun’s first attempt
at professing his love for Lea served as the sole opportunity to initiate the
transition to come. When she first saw him entering the office, it was sorta
kinda business as usual for her as she slipped her headphones off: “Shaunie! You
poor thing! I’m so sorry about you and Carly…”
But after he said “I want to
tell you how I feel” (followed by that silence, supplanting the courage for
which he was still searching), everything about her approach to the
conversation changed: she got out of her chair, walked around the desk, gave
him her full attention, and said the very sort of thing, in the very sort of manner,
that a girl who’s secretly been pining for a guy for quite a while might say:
“Carly made a huge mistake. You’re a wonderful man, Shaun. Probably the most
wonderful man I have… ever… met.”
Which is a clear upgrade from
something best friend/good time girl Lea might say (“Carly’s an idiot. You’re a
great guy! Wanna go get a burger in the cafeteria so I can eat your fries while
you tell me all about it?”)
That’s why I think she had to
know what was coming at that point. And it was almost like she was trying to turn
it into the unqualified moment she knew it just couldn’t be…
SHAUN: Lea?
LEA: Yes, Shaun?
SHAUN: I’m not with Carly
anymore because… I love you, Lea.
LEA: You know what, Shaun? I
love you, too.*
Shaun took off before putting
his second line into the universe, but the look on Lea’s face—one of many incredibly
nuanced expressions via Paige Spara in this episode—said The next time won’t
be a drill. I’d better be ready for this.
(*Yes, I know I’m totally
stealing Glassman’s line from when he and Shaun were talking in the car. That’s
because it’s sweet to think of a world where it could have been that easy.)
That brings me to something
that didn’t come up like I thought it might: how quickly Shaun apparently came
to terms with the truth of Carly’s words. It’s hard to know how much time had
passed when we reached the opening of “Autopsy”, but apparently not enough for
the breakup to be common knowledge (Shaun first brought it up with Melendez and
Park just before Jane Doe’s death). And although the episode’s title could have
parlayed directly into Shaun and Carly—a “what went wrong?” and/or “why does
she insist I love Lea?” sort of thing—there was no need. He knew.
But what do you think about
how long Lea has known… both that he loved her, and/or that she loved him back?
Has it simply been building from the early seasons? Or is it part of what she’s
realized since moving out of the apartment, and seeing Shaun dedicated to
another woman? With as little time as has been given this season to continue
Shaun & Lea’s story, any telegraphing of key elements has been kept to a
minimum… at least, that was the case until Shaun and Carly reached the pinnacle
of their relationship (in “Sex and Death”).
That changed within the first
15 minutes of the next episode (“Influence”), when Shaun and Lea met for a
lunch that was free of Carly-talk, instead introducing Lea’s “been
re-evaluating everything” undercurrent. Well, the larger part of it—quitting
her job—was the big ripple of that moment. The undercurrent might have
been a reckoning of her true feelings for Shaun… something I was hoping we’d
see for ourselves when I was making guesses about the “Mutations” episode …but as we all know by now,
Lea’s end of that deal got next to no attention at all. So unless we’re ever
treated to a scene of Shaun or Lea reflecting on how they finally crossed over
into Loveland
Three Lea-free scenes from
“Autopsy” that fed into the last one…
1)
1) The “detective work” with Park, which hit a wall in the worst way when Shaun’s (this case)-can’t-be-over approach landed him briefly in a jail cell. The sequence of scenes tapped into Park’s cop background like we haven’t seen in a long time, and although we didn’t witness any on-the-road conversation between them (just how were they able to get from San Jose to this snowy suburbia-looking place, anyway?), Park obviously created an outlet for Shaun to push his “distraction” of a case as far as he could…
 |
| The Parade... |
 |
| ... is definitely over |
2) …Until the sequence with Carly. People can gripe about Shaun’s insensitivity in his request of his now ex-girlfriend, but I’ve also seen it noted that his ASD likely kept him from fully understanding the impact of his actions. On the other hand, I admit there was a part of me that said Hey, she gave him a directive last week in her parting words that he can’t possibly handle easily… let him ask whatever he wants! But then, in the back half of their conversation, she did the above-and-beyond-the-call words of encouragement when he admitted his fear: “Think of how far you’ve come with me. How scared you were… how brave you were.” I know Carly’s able to see this entire situation as a blameless sort of matter, but it takes a certain sort of courage of her own to send him on his way like that. And while she never did return Shaun’s “I love you” as far as viewers know, she was clearly caught in a moment between Shaun’s “I love you, Carly…” and “But you’re right, I love Lea more.”
 |
| (You LOVE me???) |
 |
| But... I love Lea more. |
 |
| (Ah. Well, then, never mind.) |
(Shaun’s words were also a good way to signal the audience that while he had not been insincere back when he first said the words to Carly in “Fractured”, his feelings for Lea were indeed another matter entirely.)
3) Of
course, any scene with Shaun and Glassman is golden—even when they’re just
sitting in Glassman’s car for most of it. Once Shaun explained Carly’s request
of him, both men were nearly silent except for that one word from each of them:
“Oh.”
And all I really wanted to note about this scene was how powerful the sound of a single vowel can be. Glassy’s known Shaun’s feelings forever, it seems; Shaun had just uncovered them in all their glory for perhaps the first time in his life—I say that because of his acknowledgment that he probably would have to sever his friendship altogether if Lea didn’t love him back. The way each man recognized what was on the line so simply… what a moment. Especially for those of us who have ever been in such an all-or-nothing situation ourselves. Schiff and Highmore for the win yet again!
IT’S GREEN APPLES AND BAGS
OF CHIPS
I’m not sure how many viewers
are still trying to measure up #Shea vs. #Sharly side by side—especially in a
claim that Carly had no problem dating an autistic man, so why does Lea?
But a side-by-side simply
can’t be done.
Here’s why: although they
briefly were colleagues, Shaun and Carly virtually started from zero with their
romance (evidenced both in his carefully rehearsed ask for the date and in
their so-called “disaster” of said date at the start of this season). Every
step of progress, big and small, emerged from that starting point.
Meanwhile, Shaun and Lea are
starting from, well, whatever number it is when you’ve already been
Neighbors
Flirty neighbors
Road trippers who kiss, drink, and sing karaoke together
Roommates
Parents of Hubert the Fish
Parents of Albert the Fish
Best friends and confidantes
And NOW , officially, after almost three years…two people in love.
So while it’s true that Carly
seemingly had no reservations about dating a man like Shaun, their relationship
simply cannot be compared to what Shaun and Lea’s might be. With all the miles
already logged… well, Shaun may have only been thinking
“boyfriend,” but Lea had the bigger picture in mind. How could she not?
DETAILS, DETAILS (about
that Confession Scene)
A fellow #Shea shipper, Sonya
(@gl1tterycake), had this very noteworthy observation of Shaun in the moments that
followed Lea’s plea for him to tell her what was on his mind:
… you see him kind of draw
himself up a bit, like he's proud and totally at ease with what he has to tell
her. In that exact moment, he is not remotely scared to say what he wants and
needs to say.
Another note in this
incredibly noteworthy scene: If you’ve read other posts of mine, you know I’ve
frequently tracked the actual minutes devoted to a TGD scene, particularly one
involving Shaun and Lea. This game-changer of an exchange clocked in around 3:30 from start to finish—at least a minute longer than
the average (I think the last time I timed such an extended scene was,
interestingly enough, Shaun’s “I love you”/recommitment to Carly in
“Fractured”).
And that’s not even the most
amazing part. Again I reference the TV Line interview with Highmore and Spara, which details not only how the scene was originally supposed to end, but
the unprecedented way it evolved from there.
To think they did all this,
and then underscored the entire scene with, well, no “score” at all! Much as I
love most every music choice used on TGD, you can never underestimate the power
of silence… and that’s how they presented this one. As a result, every shaky
breath and every voice break resonated even louder. If this was Freddie
Highmore’s call (and since he directed, I imagine it was, at least in part),
consider it just one more tremendous contribution to a most pivotal episode of
this show.
(Thanks for reading, spread
the word, and be sure to leave your thoughts and/or questions in the comments.
Or tag me on Twttter (@KLBSt8ofSk8).)
39 comments:
Hi, I really enjoy your musings on and dissection of the scenes! You inspired me to do the same for the hole story arc since season 1 in a reddit thread you might to check out, if you haven't already noticed since gl1tterycake is involved over there, too. ;)
https://www.reddit.com/r/thegooddoctor/comments/f9xiek/the_art_of_storytelling_did_the_writers_use/
Did you notice the role of the baseball in seasons 2 & 3? Lea was always with Shaun, even after she moved out. In fact, she was there when he had sex for the first time with Carly - the baseball stood beside his bed...
I noticed the absence of music in the last scene, too and came to the same conclusions - this gave the voice-actig much more room an made the scene much more powerfull. The silence between the sentences weighted heavy on all of it.
Sadly enough, I have a lingering feaar that Lea might be so freaked out that the writers let her hit the road again for a while - it would be in-character and mirrior Shaun who does tend to run since he was 14. And the promotion photos for 3x18 show a very devasted Shaun in a unuasal messy apartement. That's totally out of character for him. He will be in a really, really bad place in this episode.
Hi Andreas! Thanks so much!
Yes, Sonya shared the link to your Reddit thread a few days ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it-- if I had anything to do with you putting all that together, I'm incredibly flattered.
As far as the role of the baseball... I'm glad you've been tracking it because I sure wasn't! And I'm certain you're right; its placement in a scene is probably NEVER an afterthought. I was telling Sonya that I wouldn't have known about Lea "hovering" over Shaun and Carly during their most intimate moments (via the baseball) because I was having trouble getting through those scenes outright... let alone pay proper attention to set decor!
As for the remaining 4 eps in this season... I know what you're talking about with the disheveled-looking shots of Shaun (I've seen them too), and Lea possibly taking off on her own had crossed my mind as well-- especially when I was guessing at potential outcomes of The Conversation and thought they might mutually decide to spend some time apart. However, for whatever it's worth... it appears Paige has spent the past couple of days working on (presumably) the season finale. So if she DOES hit the road, maybe it'll be a day trip :)
Yes, you’re the culprit! ;) After reading your treatments I had to vent my own thoughts somewhere. Glad I could help you out with the baseball. I’m a die-hard Lea and Shaun fan myself, since it resonates to some extent with my own life (funny enough), but I enjoyed watching all the scenes with Carly, though.
For once, Jasika Nicole delivers fantastic, nuanced acting. And then, the writers presented the stumbling blocks of romance and intimacy with autism in a very realistic and compelling manner. This was a brave move, since many neurotypical fans seemingly got disgusted by it after some episodes, rooting for the conventional Claire/Mendelez romance instead. This hurt my autistic heart way more… ;)
But back to topic. I doubt the writers would drop Lea completely. They have invested so much into her. She is thoroughly interweaved with the arcs of Shaun and Glassman, which provides potential for lots of character development for all three of them. Lea and Morgan in one quick cat fight in 3x15 was a joy for itself. And the on-screen chemistry of Freddie Highmore, Paige Spara and Richard Schiff is an asset for the show.
But we must face reality, the writers need conflict for compelling stories. And quitting jobs is Lea’s trademark by now (for the character’s underlying motivation, I just posted some musings in the said Reddit thread). Any easy and quick resolution of this matter would seem cheesy to me. That is not the writing style of TGD. They take the long road.
Some great stuff, once again! And I checked out the Reddit comments by Andreas and Sonya - BRAVO to both!
You hit a good point about those lead-up scenes. The scene with Carly did a great job closing some doors and resolving some things for the audience:
- Shaun's confirmation of his love for Lea vindicated Carly's assessment of what she saw. She wasn't just jealous or insecure; she saw something.
- Even if she never said "I love you" back to Shaun, Carly's selfless acts reinforced that her love for Shaun was true.
- Although anything can happen in time and with writers' creativity, this seemed to close the door peacefully on the Shaun-Carly romantic relationship. I just don't think the show would have Carly turn around and accept being Shaun's "silver medal" - nor should she.
At the same time, I was impressed at the doors that were OPENED for Lea. She showed an unprecedented vulnerability, and her emotion strongly suggested to me that she genuinely believed those negative things about herself. Things that CAN be addressed and resolved! Like you say above, Paige Spara NAILED the performance. I can't recall another scene where somebody left Shaun sad, and there was plenty of room open to feel for THAT character ("Go back to Hershey", I suppose came close, but this one gave us a greater insight into Lea's feelings IMO).
This scene also shows some great character growth on Lea's part, taking into account past episodes.
- Previously, she would deflect whenever something "sentimental" came up ("I like you" / "Of course. I'm VERY likable" from Season 1, or her minimal response to Glassman's "he like you, you know" last Season).
- Like you mentioned at the end of the hospital scene, Lea seemed to know what was coming this time. And she didn't deflect, or try to steer Shaun away from going through with what he had to say. She respected - and yes, LOVED - Shaun enough to allow (and even URGE) him to say it. So while she may still see some growth she has to do, hopefully this was the "wake-up call" that will urge Lea to grow!
I really like the way TGD framed it when they re-ran Shaun and Lea's scene on social media platforms this week... asking "Is this the end, or a whole new beginning?" I'd like to think it'll help fans who can't see the #Shea forest for the trees yet. In my comments to that post, I threw in a solid plea for Spara to get more screen time from here on out. I think the show's hands were tied to a certain extent this season for obvious reasons, but I've gotta think that 'whole new beginning' includes ways for Lea to come into her own, both for her sake and Shaun's.
Andreas, I should've kept my eye on the (base)ball during Shaun & Carly's most intimate scenes :) I hadn't thought of viewers possibly turning more to Claire & Neil because they were turned off by Shaun's love life. For me, it was what seemed like a huge acceleration in his efforts towards intimacy with Carly that proved upsetting... while I didn't expect him to "choose" Lea once the Wyoming trip was over, I somehow expected him and Carly to take things slower in order to reach their inevitable goal. Of course, when things went much FASTER instead, I had no idea they'd be broken up 2 episodes later as I truly figured their story would at least continue to season's end. I think I'd be better off if I stop trying to guess where they're going! (And yet I know I'll keep guessing, and keep getting it wrong... oh well.)
A question for you, Andreas: Do you think Lea will be quitting (or trying to quit) her St. B job with Glassy now? As in sometime in the final 4 eps of this season? Her pattern is, indeed, clear, but her employment at St. Bonaventure was the most encouraging thing I'd seen for her all season (until last week, that is).
Tony, I love your explanation for Lea „deflecting“. I was always intrigued by the “I’m very likeable”-answer but couldn’t quite put my finger on. Now, by you I can spot the pattern. Thank you!
Kelli, you are right, there was always very little screen time for Lea (because she was no hospital employee) and with the Carly arc obviously even less (but story wise it was well worth it). Nevertheless, the writers gave us a lot of background story about this frequently absent character. I have summarized it at the Reddid threat (search for “Funny that you ask…”) and was astonished how rich her life was established by little titbits of dialogue alone over the course of three seasons (I’ve still not included every detail I can think of).
I would bet the actual lack of screen time is one the factors why so many fans still are in favor of the female lead Claire instead. But I like it that the writers left this obvious path after the heavy bonding in 1x3 Oliver and settled for something slow and subtle. As I wrote elsewhere, love does not come easily with ASD and as young adults (up to age 25 when Shaun starts his residency) many individuals on the spectrum, while intellectually ahead of their peers, are in their emotional development still comparable to teenagers (which is reflected in Shaun’s very crude understanding of love in 1x6 “Not Fake”).
So, I like the idea that the writers walk us trough the emotional evolution of this autistic mind with the flawed Lea character as focal point. As you already described it, over the course of three seasons Lea has constantly changed their role from neighbor to … something more intimate. I doubt that this would have been possible or so much fun to watch with the much more composed and responsible personality of Claire.
As with the sober Carly character, such a relationship would have suffered from a significant inequality between the emotionally mature neurotypical and the emotionally “adolescent” autistic partner. This gave the relationship between Shaun and Carly the occasional awkwardness – Carly administered actual exposure therapy once for Christ’s sake– she wasn’t Shaun’s equal but, cy circumstance, forced in the role of teacher and therapist. Not always the healthiest thing to do…
Lea on the other side is herself an immature character and therefore, both Shaun and Lea can grow on each other.
And character growth on behalf of Lea is now key. Lea leads an unstable professional and personal life because she lacks life-fulfillment. Her tendency is to quit and with a love interest right before her nose, she can’t reach out to (mirroring Shaun’s situation when they were roommates), quitting at the hospital seems her natural first reaction.
It is impossible for me to predict if the writers would pull his through or settle for a quick intervention by another character (Glassman, while weary of Lea, always accepted their various forms of relationships, he even tried Shaun’s mind on loving her in 2x12 “Aftermath”).
Then, as somebody else pointed out at Reddit, there are other possibilities for character growth at the hospital. In 3x8 “Moonshot” we saw the use of a surgical robot for the first time in the show. There lie some job opportunities for an automotive engineer/software programmer who likes to build real things instead of talking about building things only.
The writers have done a quite formidable job in producing this cliff-hanger some episodes before season’s end.
A second thought on the quitting-thing - Lea's character development on that topic might be in progress already, too. There's one curious line in the lunch scene in 3x14 “Influence”:
LEA: “Do you think I should include my job in Hershey on my resume? It hurts so much! Or does it make me look like I'm unable to commit to anything? Ow! Okay.” (Shaun was ignoring her train of thought).
There are two interesting bits of information buried here: (1) she is still hurting from the Hershey fiasco, (2) she is currently reflecting on her (professional) commitment issues. So, maybe, she won’t run that easily as before? And maybe ... it's not on the professional level only?
And yet another follow-up … Shaun ignoring her important and emotional question concerning her life is a testament to her later assessment in 3x16 “Autopsy” that Shaun cannot meet her emotional needs.
So, a inconspicuous and superficial hilarious scene about a brain freeze masks a deeper layer of basic human condition, the longing for counterparts who meet one another in dire straits – and in this case the harsh reality that one might be let down (another mirror image of Shaun and his biggest fear).
Now, watch me thinking... ;)
Said lunch scene in 3x14 opens as follows:
SHAUN: I was going to cancel our lunch.
LEA: Let me guess. A patient more interesting than me.
SHAUN: Exactly.
LEA: (SIGHS) Yeah.
The reason for her to say “I love you, too. But…” is all there in the open. After knowing her more than two years and living together as roommates for one Shaun still can’t pick up Lea’s emotional needs.
Andreas, you are giving me new reasons to re-watch all of Shaun & Lea's interactions over time once the show goes on hiatus... (even though I've watched the bigger moments on YouTube many times)... and for that I thank you :)
Everything you said about Carly was so spot-on, and likely was some of why Carly came off to some viewers as "demanding" (when she appeared more in that teacher/therapist role). It must be so difficult, straddling that fine line between accepting your partner for where he's at (due to his ASD) and expecting more/trying not to coddle him. The exposure therapy episode was such a great example of that.
Back to Lea... the brain freeze scene, and all it might indeed represent, leads me to this question: IF, at that point and time, Shaun and Lea had been a couple (with Carly a non-factor), would Shaun have behaved the same way? And would Lea have required more of him if he did ("Shaun, I get that you need to do this experiment thing but can you give me five minutes to talk this out first?")
Oh, and you probably already noted this somewhere but in re-visiting that scene I was also reminded THAT's where Lea-taking-Shaun's-food began (with the ice cream), rather than the following episode :)
Another reason I need to go pay more attention to "Mutations" and "Sex and Death": those glimpses of Shaun trying hard to be a better boyfriend to Carly in the ways we've discussed. (Like the "your ears are lop-sided" conversation.)
I know the writers will take Shaun & Lea wherever they feel they are heading... it's obviously fraught with dramatic possibilities from the start... I guess I'm curious if they'll feel the need to take any liberties with either of them that will feel like more of a "leap" than we've come to expect.
By the way I'm not going to do a preview post for "Fixation." But when these different issues we're discussing here in the comments come into the regular blog conversation (yours, Tony's, others I've encountered in previous posts), I'll be sure to mention you and your Reddit thread(s) by name!
Re-watching the character interactions from the beginning will be fun, for sure. ;) I’m thoroughly enjoying these dissections with you and the other fellows here and at Reddit, since they uncover layers after layers of silent messages previously missed or not realized to full extend. And with every bit my appreciation for the crew of The Good Doctor grows! I bet there’s still more in the episodes. In “Autopsy”, there was also a ton of this concerning Claire and Morgan, but that’s for another day.
On Carly – there is a reason for support groups for partners of individuals with ASD in the real world. Relationships between a neurotypical and an autistic partner tend to produce funny anecdotes, but they are very demanding, too. You might look at this Reddit with some unfiltered actual research, I was inspired to post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/thegooddoctor/comments/fbtkyk/no_simple_matchmaking_romance_and_love_in_autism/
Now, would have Shaun behaved different when he was in a relationship with Lea? I can’t speak for the writer’s ideas, but in a real-world scenario chances would be slim. Yes, we have him seen him comforting Carly in 3x12 “Mutations”. But Carly was crying then, so Shaun had an obvious, physical cue for her emotional state.
With the lunch, Lea’s emotional need was conveyed by the context and people with autism are usually bad with picking up that in a face-to-face communication. There are to many other stimuli to process. The reasons why I’m good at doing this here are (1) its video material I can re-watch as many times as necessary and thing about it for a while, (2) I trained long to do it and (3) I’m totally invested at this point in time (for some more private reasons).
How could Lea have turned the tide? Perhaps by literally saying “Shaun, ich need your advice. Please listen to me!” With autism, clear communication is key.
But even that might not have worked, because people with autism suck at multi-tasking even more than average men. ;) They usually have only room for one train of thought at a time.
And this ties in with Shaun being so preoccupied Shaun at lunch as well with the whole autopsy-plot in “Autopsy”. Shaun’s mind was set on a medical puzzle both times. This is a re-used text below, but I think you will find it useful to understand Shaun and his autism better.
[re-use text] I don’t agree that Shaun wasn’t affected by the patient’s death in 3x16 “Autopsy”. Indeed, he was very much affected by it, but in a very different way as neurotypical person would think.
Being autistic myself, I can understand Shaun’s train of thought. In the beginning of the episode his mind was set on doing what Carly had told him – confess his love to Lea. But he feared the outcome, he explained that to Glassman in the car. It was a task he needed all his resources for.
Now, there was this patient he lost due to an unknown cause. We have seen before that Shaun wants closure with his patient’s cases (think of the time when he was transferred to pathology, he felt unsatisfied, because he was told to pass on the test results).
In his mind it was not the loss of a life. Shaun is very rational about the possibility of death (think of 1x2 “Oliver” where he said it was a good day because they saved a life, just not Chuck’s). But he had a big problem with not knowing what caused the death. And therefore, he started ruminating.
Now, rumination is a common problem with autistic people. Once their mind is set on a problem or a distraction, they often can’t let go as easy as neurotypical persons. This one thought is constantly dominating everything else. If things go bad, it can cause anxiety and it can shut down the individual completely. The only resolution is to eliminate the cause. In this case, it was not knowing the cause of death. And that’s what started the whole quest and drove Shaun to rave all over the place.
He had to get this out of his hair. He even explained that to Carly’s doorstep: “I can’t do what you told me I should do. Until I solve this distraction.”
Way in season 3 the writers of the show are so well attuned to autistic thinking that I’m forced to say it is breathtaking. But the downside is that it is hard to understand for someone who has no insight.
They did explain it – but with a single line of dialogue and some indirect reference to previous behavior on behalf of Shaun – and that is easy to miss for the casual viewer. [end of re-used text]
Quick note on Lea's food-stealing: we know from 1x8 "Apple" that she stress-eats (which by then set a whole plot in motion). I tend to think she realized in the lunch scene that she was getting nowhere with Shaun's mind set on the medical case and began to stress-eat again.
Now, for the food-stealing in the next episode, one could argue she is still stress-eating because she complains in both scenes about "Glassy". And Morgan telling everybody (including the audience) something completely different was a mischievous red herring on behalf of the writers to tense the situation.
But the one way or the other - in both cases it is a very intimate gesture that tells us a lot about Lea’s feelings for Shaun - she even eats the bites of pan cakes, he left over when he rushed away.
For me, it's not a question of love. Even before Shaun and Lea declared their love for each other for the first time using Those Three Words--which is incredibly significant all by itself--I have always felt and believed they were headed there, and I knew especially Shaun wouldn't say it to Lea until he knew he could say it and truly mean it, with no doubts at all on his end.
Most of the doubts here are on Lea's end. Some of it is about Shaun's autism, yes, but she handles it better than she thinks she does, although being in a romantic relationship with Shaun would put her handling of his autism in a whole new context, I agree.
But most of Lea's doubts, from what I heard, come from within herself. She was talking herself down to Shaun right after admitting she loves him. "I'm selfish, I'm so, so needy. I'm a complete mess. I can't even finish a sentence right now. How can I lay all of that on you?"
Leaving Shaun's autism out of it--because Shaun is so much more than his autism--just from what Lea said right there, to me that's a flashing neon sign that she doesn't think she's good enough for Shaun as a girlfriend, as a romantic partner, as a life partner. He's so much more together than she is. Even when she sets herself a goal, she usually fails at it fantastically--her attempt to keep her grandfather's auto shop going not only cost the shop but fractured her relationships with her family, especially her brother. If not for Shaun, Lea would still believe that she killed Hubert. A woman who can't even keep a fish alive is supposed to be good enough for the brilliant surgeon, the good doctor?
What Lea doesn't realize, and what Shaun hasn't told her yet, though I do hope it's coming in some form, is that he loves her BECAUSE of who she is. Shaun loves the woman who sings karaoke with him, who cried over a fish's death, who hangs the toilet paper what he thinks is the wrong way, the woman who taught him how to drive in the Striped Tomato, and who he watched enthusiastically dancing the morning after the quarantine, the woman who, whether she'll admit it or not, has a soft spot for the man who is so much more a father to him than his own ever was, Dr. Glassman, to the point that she not only gave him an irreverent nickname (which I love--Glassy!) but was part of Glassman's cancer treatments, and was there with him when Shaun couldn't be because of work.
Lea doesn't have to be perfect. She doesn't have to be completely unselfish and never need Shaun for anything, and if she wants to hang the toilet paper wrong, hey, he's willing to compromise, to learn to live with it, to make changes, because to Shaun, she's worth it. All Lea has to be is Lea. That's more than enough for Shaun. When he said to her that he thinks he can handle her selfishness and her neediness and her messiness, I believe him. They've had fights before, and they came back from those. Remember this:
Lea: "You never even asked what happened in Hershey!"
Shaun: "I don't care what happened in Hershey. But I care that YOU care."
Shaun wouldn't have been so upset when Lea came back unannounced if her leaving hadn't hurt him. And her leaving wouldn't have hurt him if he didn't care about her. That caring has since turned into love. And Shaun figured out all on his own, without an elevated pulse rate, without his superficial pro/con list, without anyone else's input beyond Carly saying SHE thought Shaun loves Lea, which is totally different than Shaun having that realization himself and admitting it...Shaun finally figured it out for himself and said it straight out: "I do love you, Carly...but I love Lea more."
"I love Lea more." Four of the most beautiful words I've ever heard Shaun say; and a throwback to when Glassman told Shaun he loved him, and Shaun replied, "I love you more."
This is the turning of the tide. It's not gonna happen right away, but I still believe it's gonna happen. This is the next phase of Shaun and Lea's story, as I've said elsewhere. Paige Spara herself posted the full scene on her IG with a blue heart and praying hands emojis as the only comment she made about it. To me, that says there's a lot more to come. That world of possibilities in season 4 I mentioned? It's just waiting for us in September. And there might still be some progress in what's left of season these next four weeks.
Where there is love, there is hope. Shaun and Lea have the love. I'll provide the hope for now, for as long as it takes.
Some GREAT character analysis above! I love your insights! We've also had a few back-and forths on Reddit, Andreas (you'll see me as the user "Topay84").
I don't blame you, Kelli, for not doing a preview of the next episode. Given the promo pics of Shaun at the beginning of the following episode, I'm not expecting anything positive out of the ending of "Fixation". My main hope remains that whatever happens isn't unequivocally broken.
I know different people have different preferences, and I don't fault them for having them. Even though I've clearly been pro-Lea in my relationship comments, I've never gone out of my way to disparage another character or ship. And ESPECIALLY the fans of those other characters/ships. And I applaud Kelli for having the same mindset on this blog.
But what appeals to me most about the Shaun-Lea dynamic is their ability to be there for each other and help each other grow. It hasn't been just Lea helping Shaun, or vice versa. They're very much on equal ground, as has already been pointed out in the comments above.
It irks me when people dismiss "Shea" fans as shallow people who just want the "good-looking" guy and girl together (or even worse insinuations, given the cast diversity), because in my opinion, there really is much more narrative substance to what their relationship (romantic or otherwise) brings to the table than simply "chemistry".
Amy, AWESOME words in your posts! I wanted to make sure to bounce off those! I've always said in my personal life "where love exists, it will prevail" - and I believe that this (fictional) love will do just that! I've mentioned before about this being an opportunity for Lea to overcome self-demons and believe that she IS good enough for the man she loves. Just like you mention, that opportunity doesn't mean Lea has to become a perfect character before "Shea" can become a reality. As long as she can get to a place where she's willing to take that leap of faith, a lot of those issues - as well as Shaun's - can be worked on together.
It's a real "prove-it" opportunity for both Shaun and Lea. And I believe they're up to it!
Very well put Ami D! “But most of Lea's doubts, from what I heard, come from within herself.” you said, and that’s true.
Lea’s character development since season 1, where she rarely considered the needs of others at all (e.g. playing music so loud that Shaun had to use ear plugs and her power got cut) has her led now to a point of self-awareness at which she can acknowledge and balance the needs of others with the needs of herself. But given her history in relationships and professional achievements she is appalled by her self-perception and lacks the self-esteem to take the next step. The autism is just one factor more.
Yet, I would like to issue a caution not to take this to lightly. Lest not forget, we fall for this most unusual couple because of the compelling performance of the actors and the skilled production staff behind them.
In order to keep the story believable, the writers are still required to ingrain this story in real-life. And in this world autism hurts people. People with ASD neglect the needs of their neurotypical peers frequently. Neurotypicals overrun the needs of people with ASD constantly without a second thought. The Good Doctor never fell for romanticizing autism.
The love for each over will not end the struggles of such a couple. It will take them to the next level with much higher stakes. It can destroy both. It can wear them down in the long run. And Lea probably realizes that now to the full extent. Given her shared history with Shaun, way better than Carly, as Kelli stressed before.
Tony/Topay84 – a pleasure again ;) We’re on common ground about the Shaun/Lea dynamics. On each level of their relationship they have always acted like “communicating pipes”, giving and taking, pulling and pushing.
Something that we will see so continue, I assume.
It's nice to meet you both, Tony, Andreas. And I totally agree about Shaun and Lea's love not ending their struggles as a couple. Lea has never been in a relationship for very long, and I'd be willing to bet that no man has ever meant as much to her as Shaun. She's made a few telling comments in that area--"You're the only honest guy I know. Don't start lying to me to make me feel better," in season 1, and "You're a wonderful man, maybe the most wonderful man I know," just last week. (Personally, I don't think there's any "maybe" about it.)
If she drove Shaun away with her flaws, if they got together and it wasn't a lasting, endgame type of relationship, it would totally destroy Lea, because she's never felt for any man what she feels for Shaun. I believe that. So she is terrified not only of hurting Shaun, but of Shaun hurting her. Not that he would want to, not that he would even necessarily mean to, but her self-awareness allows her to say to herself, "God, I'm such a mess, how in the world could Shaun love me and want to be with me?"
Every relationship, real or fictional, has struggles. It's how the two people in the relationship deal with the struggles that matters. Do you never take the chance? Do you cut and run at the first sign of difficulty? Or do you fight it out, fight for one another and for your love, and work out your issues and problems?
I too believe that Shaun and Lea's love will prevail. Lea has a double-edged sword to face right now: her own self-doubts and insecurities that she is good enough for Shaun, and her fears about hurting him and being hurt by him.
The next chapter of their story is just beginning. I can't wait to see how their journey unfolds.
Amy D, I’m with you on that. Nothing to add, just that I love your metaphor with the double-edged sword!
Kelli, let me step in your shoes for once and make some predictions for the storylines of the upcoming episodes “Fixation” and “Heartbreak”. While in the shower, inspiration struck…
Based on promo photos, guest stars and established character traits…
Ever single-minded Shaun will be fixated on proofing Lea that he can handle her needs. Amongst others, the show will re-visit the toilet paper issue again, because it is a well-established cipher for the day-to-day challenges in living with an Aspie. They referenced it in the moving-out scene for a reason. Lea will not give in that easily, though.
This fixation might lead to Shaun neglecting his duties as a surgeon and could endanger a patient’s life. His personal life interfering with his professional is an experience he hasn’t had yet. And his autism endangering patients was a concern for many from the beginning.
Either or both events lead to Shaun’s breakdown in “Heartbroken”. No longer so much “St. Claire” rushes in to yank Shaun out (fans demand more screen time with both in it). Crisis intervention is routine for Claire by now and she has some knowledge on PTSD.
But Claire has her own crisis embodied by the awkward hidden Melendez friendship and the ex-husband of her now-dead college friend making advances.
Now a wicked and kinky twist for all Claire/Shaun shippers: torn between those two men, Claire leans closer so Shaun. Claire was never above using men to her own needs (the recent one-nighters), even those she was close to, think of her casual fling with poor Jared. Exploitation of naïve individuals with ASD is a real danger and the show has done that with neighbor Kenny before.
Claire has much of Morgan in her (and vice versa), that was rubbed under our noses in the Jekyll & Hyde case in “Autopsy” visually and by context. And then, think of her at the end of “Sex and Death”… Claire pursuing Shaun might also present a much-needed motivation for Lea to overcome her fears.
Ah hell, now I’m declining to soap opera… Don’t take the last two paragraphs all too seriously. ;)
Probably the ex-husband will be a reason for jealousy with Melendez only and it will not interfere with Shaun’s storyline. But it was fun to think of it. :D
P.S.: Ever-so-blunt Shaun has picked up on ever-so-blunt Morgan’s problems with her hands in recent episodes and will confront her soon. This might change their relationship as well.
Oh dear, how could I forget about Glamssman's cancer diagnosis and the DIC in 1x18 "More". So, Shaun already endangered a patient's life because of private issues...
Andreas, you're going to get the remaining Claire/Shaun shippers all worked up with that prediction! Haha
But yeah, with Shaun & Lea tonight I agree it's gonna stay pretty basic: Shaun showing her he can handle things (the TP issue revisited), she gets frustrated somewhere along the way that he's not "getting it", and whatever comes of their last exchange tonight leads to his "emotional reaction" as the promo copy says for next week's "Heartbreak". And we see that he's talking to Glassman tonight, so presumably he will be caught up on Shaun's side-- wonder if we'll see him with Lea too...
Glad you mentioned who that was in the pics with Claire apparently firing up some jealous bones in Melandez; I couldn't place him at all!
Time for Morgan is definitely running out, and Shaun being involved in the truth of the matter will certainly keep things interesting!
I also have some downers for Claire/Shaun shippers up my sleeve, but I will spare them for another time. ;) After we compared Carly with Lea, I had some follow-up thoughts on how and why the other female characters would or would not work out with Shaun.
I guess the Shaun/Lea arc will have sort of a backseat in 3x17. After two very intense episodes, they will let settle the dust a little and focus more on Claire's issues instead. Claire will tell Shaun to move on, which is consistent with her advice in 2x18 "Trampoline".
In "Heartbreak" Shaun probably thinks he's lost Lea as girlfriend as well as best friend. This road will be rocky. So, buckle up.
Folks enjoy tonight! I'll have to wait for the episode to go online at the Microsoft Store, which could take up to 2 days. So, my comments will be in late. ;)
WOW so much to read I will have to do so again when feeling better. I will also need to read a few episodes.
A few of my own musings...
Don't even get me started on Carly as i have met several manipulative people before through my work and her character tops the lot. From the start the writers gave Carly a character to play which is unpopular with the viewers. To start with Carly was just controlling, cool and distant making.her unapproachable
Remember the party at her house where Carly did not ask Shaun with the excuse of 'my friends would tease you blah blah' Shaun was not even given the choice to go -control - Carly friends may have loved Shaun plus we have never seen Carly with any friends. Then Shaun revealed his nasty dad sent him to his room when visitors arrived as he was ashamed of Shaun being different and that hurt Shaun deeply, then Carly treats Shaun the same as his controlling horrible dad had done.
Since the Mutation episode the writers have added on insecurity issues, jealousy, scowling and surly all negative qualities. Carly has played the character perfectly and after breaking Shaun's heart leaving him standing alone looking devastated and confused Carly is disliked even more than ever.
i also feel Carly is very devious and is deliberately sabotaging Shaun and Lea's friendship by telling Shaun twice that he HAD to tell Lea he loved her WHY ??? Well that's simple Carly is is so insanely jealous of Lea she does not even want Lea to be Shaun's friend or be working in the same building. Carly wants Lea to run as knows this declaration of love will completely spook Lea out and the shock of hearing those words 'I Love you Lea' was to much for Lea to cope with emotionally and Lea went into shock. When in shock everyone reacts differently and Lea walks away in tears unable to speak.
Meanwhile Controlling Carly will be rubbing her hands with glee as will think she has got rid of Lea for good and that Lea will give up her job at the hospital. I feel Lea will reveal something in her past that will explain why she does not feel worthy of being loved, this stunningly beautiful lassie is scared of opening that box inside her head which has been tightly sealed perhaps for many years. If the sealed box opens even the tiniest crack vipers will slither through and attack Lea when at her most vulnerable bringing all of Lea's fears to the surface. After the initial anger towards Lea it took only one day for #Shea fans to forgive Lea and started putting on supportive messages on the fan page and Lea's popularity bounced back. The viewers on the fan page have still not forgiven #Carly. The vulnerable side of Lea has ended up making #lea fans love her even more.
I think this has been deliberate by the writers they would not have added more negative qualities to her character for no reason over the past few weeks for no reason. The same goes on how the writers have added more positive qualities to Lea's character which we have watched grow since season 1 and during the trip to support Shaun along with Glassy the episode was the best one of season 3 and the ending made me cry when Shaun went into a meltdown but Lea immediately stopped Shaun from hurting himself by hugging him so tightly his arm came across and Shaun clung onto Lea's arm keeping his close as he sobbed himself to sleep. That act of kindness by Lea her popularity soared even more by showing Lea's great empathy.
I feel the Heartbreak episode may be about Morgan having to give up surgery as her RA worsebs and not about the #Sharly v #Shea triangle.
Tonight's episode will be interesting to watch and see how they writers handle all the different storylines going on at the same time
Happened to catch Freddie Highmore on a television interview the other day, and he let drop that the two-part finale will be about a massive earthquake that hits San Jose! Endless possibilities...
An earthquake - yes, that would be a fit. Shaun's personal life has been shaken to the ground in episodes 3.15 to 3.17 and in his perception, it will be lying in ruins in 3.18.
But after any earthquake there will be rebuilding. The symbolism is striking.
Kelli, a Reddit user posted a question about his impression of the plot dragging along 3.17 “Fixation”. I got an idea about the meta-level which might be interesting for you, being a writer and producer.
A classical dramatic structure by Gustav Freytag is set up by (1) exposition, (2) rising action, (3) climax, (4) falling action and (5) catastrophe.
(1) Applying this to the sequence of recent episodes, 3.13 “Sex and Death” might represent the exposition: Lea has left Shaun’s life. Shaun and Carly are consuming their relationship.
(2) In 3.14 “Influence” the action starts to rise: Lea is back into the picture; Carly’s growing jealousy poses a threat to her relationship with Shaun.
3.15 “Unsaid” represents still the rising action. In this episode Carly realizes that Shaun is in love with Lea and breaks up.
(3) 3.16 “Autopsy” is undoubtedly the climax in which Shaun and Lea confess their love for each other, but Lea rejects the idea of being Shaun’s girlfriend.
(4) 3.17 “Fixation” is now the falling action, creating suspense and awaiting the catastrophe.
Now, without knowledge of the upcoming episodes, we will have to see if 3.18 “Heartbreak” is still falling action but given that the rising action consist of two episodes in this example and symmetry matters in these things, I will go with that.
(5) This leaves us with the two-part season finale being the catastrophe, in which the plotline is resolved in some way.
P.S.: In 3.4 “Take My Hand” Morgan uncovers a “little earthquake kit” in Claire’s trunk…
Aaaaah!! A disaster of some sort was on my shortlist of possibilities!
Specifically, I was thinking of a massive power outage affecting St. B, and the note I made to myself about a week ago was "SEVEN WORDS: SHAUN AND LEA TRAPPED IN AN ELEVATOR"
That's unlikely, given I expect them to avoid each other for the immediate future, but we know that elevator at St.B has seen more than a couple of challenging scenes this year...
Barbara, do you recall where Freddie did this interview? I watched his Jimmy Kimmel appearance the other day hoping for some clues, but came up empty...
THIS IS EXCITING!
p.s. I'm trying to get the "Fixation" post up today... then we can comment in a new thread...
... and Andreas, sorry, I got caught up in the plot leak for the finale and didn't read through your latest comment. Yes, I'd agree that a classic dramatic structure is being employed. I have some plans to allude to it-- if not all the recent specifics, the structure in general as we've seen in previous TGD seasons-- in this week's posts.
In short, I'm really surprised more viewers don't keep such a structure in mind (and take everything that happens at face value instead) as they line up to bash Lea and complain about the pace of Neil/Claire's potential romance.
And you probably already thought of this, but how about the season starting off with "Diaster" (as a metaphor) and now ending with (reportedly) a REAL one-!!
Well, as long as I havn't seen the interview myself, I wont get too worked up with that. But given the location San Jose, an earthquake is more or less bound to happen some time, because it's a medical drama after all and we had no mass casualty incident since 1.6 "Not Fake".
Elevators are in fact a wonderfull set. Ten years back we had a medical comedy here in German TV with hilarous elevator scenes. :D But I would love to see Morgan and Lea get trapped...
Looking forward to your next thread!
(Actually, that Disaster-metaphor got lost on me until now. I'm humbled...)
The interview was on a program called Access Daily. I stumbled onto it after watching the noon news where I live, leaving the room, and coming back to see Freddie Highmore chatting. I had missed most of it, so I took a chance and searched for it on YouTube.
Behold, the link --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmWwLeAvrjc
Thanks for the link! Sounds like a reasonable an deliberate "spoiler" of an plot element that would be part of the promo anyway, so he could drop it.
Quick note on the drama structure: I cant speak for the American school system, but while the basics are taught in Germany, this knowledge rarely lasts long after the exams. It needs practice to spot these structures when they aren't as obvious as in classic plays and there isn't enough time in the schedules to do this good enough. My guess. ;)
THANKS BARBARA!
I'm so intrigued by the possibilities there that it feels like extra effort to stay on topic and get the "Fixation" recap up...! But I'll do my best!
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