State of the #SHEA Part 10A: This "Autopsy's" Wake

So it wasn’t about keeping things platonic.

And it wasn’t about things happening too soon after his breakup with Carly.

It was much more challenging than all that, and suddenly it was RIGHT THERE, between Shaun and Lea, in that beautiful apartment-with-a-fireplace that they once shared in what now seem like much easier times.

She really did say it

The fleeting moment of joy before...

... her eyes dropped, and she knew she couldn't avoid the "why not?" anymore

For a couple minutes past The Confession Scene last night, I was rather stunned on the surface of that conversation. If I was talking to my TV as the scene unfolded (and maybe I was, you can’t prove anything, hush), it’d have gone something like this:

(I’m paraphrasing the convo here, so don’t hate me for not getting it verbatim):

SHAUN: I love you, Lea. I want to be your boyfriend. (woo! He said it this time! Good job Shaun!!)

LEA: I love you too.

(Um… as in LOVE-love??Really???)

(Wait, she’s not finished.)

(I don’t care. She said it. He heard it. The world has changed!)

LEA: But you know me… I’m selfish, I’m so so needy. I’m a mess!

(OK, if this is the “BUT”, a lot of us saw this coming. She’s scared. “Scared” is manageable.)

LEA: How can I lay all that on you?

(OK, this is where he says something encouraging…)

SHAUN: You don’t think I can handle those things about you? I think I can.

(Atta boy, Shaun. You got this.)

LEA: But… I’m such a challenge for ANYONE… and you’re… YOU.

(Um…)

You need things a certain way, work a certain way…

SHAUN: Is it because… I have autism?

(Um, NO. No it isn’t. Of course not. Tell him that isn’t it, Lea.)

LEA: (Says nothing; gets more visibly upset)

(Dammit, Lea, this is NO time to be silent.)

SHAUN: I can’t be your boyfriend because I have autism?

(Hey LEA? Correct him. Correct him right now. Hurry up. The show’s about to end.)

SHAUN starts to react; LEA continues to break down in tears.

(WHAT? No! Noooooooo!)

LEA turns and walks out the door, leaving Shaun standing in that same spot as he watches with a tear running down his cheek. AGAIN.

(But this is no damn good! Help! TGD Writers, whyyyyyyyyy?)

As the smoke cleared a couple minutes later… and I de-briefed with a couple of my #shea shipmates… I got it. And felt a lot better. As in My goodness, they’re definitely in it to win it better.

If you spent half a minute on social media last night, you know that the fury toward Lea came quickly. I didn’t grab any of those quotes this time; you know the drill: everything from “Hah, knew she’d reject him again, maybe the #Shea shippers will finally shut up” to “I was supportive of Lea, but not anymore, she’s dead to me.”  And looking at Paige Spara’s Instagram this morning, it had all the earmarks of a TV actress being put through the social media vitriol wringer. (Not Jasika Nicole-level vitriol, to be sure, but it’s there.)

But as I keep reading, I saw the “Lea sucks” bandwagon pulling away… separating from not only the steadfast #Shea crowd, but some very lovely Twitter threads of insight…  

"Lea did not break his heart. She loves him too. She said what a lot of people are scared to say because they don't want to hurt their feelings... y'all want Lea to say all the right things but truth is, a lot of people get nervous about dating someone with a disability." -- @CreativeCandra

"I faced a similar situation with an old friend who I had feelings for and they happened to be autistic... I ultimately decided that I couldn't be with them, not because of his autism, but because I was scared of messing it up... scared I would be too clingy, and push him away..." --@lexucons

"Everyone is terrified of being in a relationship... but first you need to find yourself in order to work things out... they're not gonna be in sync right away! It's unrealistic; they've got to work at it and if they do love each other then they will find a way to figure it out in time."-- @Ulisesluna697

And then, as I was hoping would be the case, came this TV Line interview that includes both FreddieHighmore and Paige Spara “dissecting” The Confession Scene. If you haven’t read it yet, please do—it’s as validating as it is encouraging.

... The most wonderful man she's ever met

What I’m realizing today is the reason we were initially blindsided by Lea’s revelation: she has been so even-keeled and accepting of Shaun’s ASD from the start. More than many other characters on the show, it’s been said. Some even watched the “Friends and Family” winter finale and thought it was Lea, not Glassman, who was helping Shaun through his crisis the most—and that was before she spent the night in his room, holding him as tight as she could until he stopped shaking.

She continued in that role as his romance with Carly progressed, leading many viewers (myself included) to speculate on how much Carly might ultimately be unwilling/unable to accept Shaun as he is, while Lea had always done so.

One huge catch to that is coming clear now: Shaun and Lea’s bond, as tight as it is, has never really been tested. Not like that. And if two neurotypical “best friends” find it scary to cross the bridge that leads them to become lovers, just imagine what it’s like for these two.

On second thought, that’s part of the problem… we can’t imagine this collectively for Lea and Shaun, because they can’t help but come at this from two different directions. In his mind, the hardest part of finding love with Lea may have been the revelation itself. In hers, it’s absolutely anything and everything that comes after that.

I think maybe we, as viewers, have thought about it the same way Shaun has. This makes sense, as he’s the titular character and just about everything on The Good Doctor is seen from his point of view.  Lea, for her two-scenes-a-week, still manages to possess a wealth of characteristics that have proven to be the yin to Shaun’s yang over the past 3 years. What she DOESN’T seem to possess is good experience in a long-term romantic relationship.

Surely Lea knew what was coming
when Shaun walked away that first time?

Does that mean it can’t work for them? Of course not.

Did anyone really think things between them were going to magically come together in one episode? (Not if you’ve been watching the same TGD I have.)

How much longer might it take before Shaun convinces Lea (or, more to the point, Lea convinces herself) to take whatever that next step will be? (Well, there are four episodes left in season 3 and the promo shots already tell us that Lea will be featured next week…)

Because that door has been opened, that bell has been rung, the elephant in the room has been addressed. Whatever metaphor we want to go with, the result is the same: Shaun and Lea’s relationship is upgrading to something more even more endearing to #Shea fans than it ever has before. There’s probably going to be even more tears along the way, more frustrations, more times we just want Shaun to kiss Lea already and convince her of all they can be.  (Yes, of course I know they’ve already kissed twice. But in light of recent events, those days of Season 1 seem incredibly innocent and long-ago now.)

I know I’m here for ALL of what’s to come. Are you?

(To be continued… so, so, SO much more to talk about!)

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).