Something that really stood
out to me with this week’s “Not the Same” episode (TGD 4.4): the more #Shea
scenes we are treated to, the more impressive their range of emotions become.
Off the top of my head I’m
counting upward of a dozen Shaun and Lea interactions that have so far transpired
in season 4, which (off the top of my head again) is more than twice as
many as we got in the entire first half of S3. But when I’m not busy thanking God,
TGD Powers That Be, and fellow #Shea shippers for that fact, I’m caught up in marveling
over…
a)
The ability of
Freddie Highmore to maintain the ASD demeanor that commands 75% or so of Shaun’s
facial expressions…
b)
…And the ability
of Paige Spara to convey a wealth of nuances in Lea’s facial expressions, especially
when she’s playing against Shaun’s lack thereof.
“Not the Same” is perhaps the
best example of this yet in S4, and with good reason: Shaun made the biggest “ask”
of Lea since he first told her he wanted to be her boyfriend last season. The
fact that he didn’t understand how big of an “ask’ it was ended up driving three of their
four scenes together, and it’s from those three scenes that I present to you…
LEA OF A THOUSAND (ok,
half-dozen) FACES
The Do you know what
you’re asking?? Face
The God he’s adorable but I’m at a loss Face, a.k.a. “Copernicus1543… that’s my banking password”
The Are you getting it yet,
Shaunie? Face while doing yoga in the residents’ lounge to make her point (my personal favorite)
(which, arguably, they made an exception in the editing room just to capture, but I’ll get back to that…)
The Nope, and he’s not going to get it anytime soon Face
The I’m about to be
hellacourageous Face (and pardon Shaun's blurry profile in the foreground, but the look was at its best when she entered the room for this scene)
(Which is not to be confused
with Claire’s personal victory “celebration” after her 1st lead
surgery, but is similar in context)
And I know I’m only scratching
the surface regarding this third scene in particular, which has much more to unpack.
I’ll get back to this as well.
BUT for as many ways as this moving-in episode represented an official start to #Shea 2.0, there were a wealth of parallels to key moments in #Shea 1.0 history. Here are the ones I noted:
+ THEN: Shaun
got the apartment and wanted them to be roommates, Lea had reservations… but
Shaun convinced her he was okay with a platonic living arrangement despite
their early flirtations with romance… (to which Lea ultimately said “If you say
you’re okay with it… I trust you.”)
+ NOW: Shaun asks
Lea to return to the apartment (now as part of their relationship). Lea has
reservations; the matter of trust factors once again into her decision to say
yes, although this time she admits she’s not sure she has enough of it yet in
this relationship.
+ THEN: Shaun
says “living with you will be good for
me… it makes me happy.”
+ THEN: When
Lea was leaving for Hershey in S1, she gave Shaun her prized baseball to
remember her by and asked “Can I put my arms around you?” before kissing Shaun
goodbye.
+ NOW: As Lea moves back in, she places the prized baseball back up in a place of prominence in the apartment just before putting her arms around Shaun (no permission needed now, of course) and kissing him in a way that looked very much like Hello again, and welcome to the next upgrade.
+ THEN: Lea
sees Shaun dressed up w/flowers in hand (S2 Finale) and is puzzled by her
feelings when it becomes clear the effort was not made for HER, but someone
else.
+ NOW: Lea
mentions she needs more commitment/trust before living with him; Shaun solemnly
steps toward her and drops to one knee. She is puzzled by her feelings when all
he does next is share his banking password (as a sign of trust/commitment)*.
*Obviously she was puzzled, but is it possible Lea also
thought (at least momentarily) that Shaun was about to pop a much bigger
question her way? Personally I don’t think she read that much into his
kneeling… after all, he was standing and she was sitting on the floor at the
time, and if there was even this much discussion/debate about living
together (realizing there wasn’t much discussion/debate per se)… it would seem
that neither of them have said anything out loud about getting married yet. But
the moment is one of a few that feels like the entire “living together”
question is an informal dress rehearsal for the time and place when a much more
serious proposition may be on the table.
+ Did you notice... a couple of rare continuity (editing) errors in “Not the Same”? One came in the 2nd #Shea scene (Lea’s work/yoga break) and you might not even notice it, were you not aware that Lea went from
downward dog pose to warrior II pose in under three seconds. Which you can't/shouldn't really do; at least, not when you’re hitting the full poses as Lea was. I don’t think this was an error so much as a little “cheat” in order to keep the scene moving while still including both the down dog shot (establishing that Lea was doing the same activity she was doing earlier at the apartment) AND that super saucy look Lea sent his way while in the warrior II pose.
The other errors came in the final scene,
during the kissing part… there are times when Lea’s arms are all the way around
Shaun’s neck, and other times when her hands are resting down around his
collarbone, and if you watch the last 30 seconds closely you’ll see them jump
back and forth a few times as they go from Shaun’s over-shoulder shot to the 2-shot
of their profiles. Go ahead and watch. And re-watch. Are you sure you caught it
that 12th time? I don’t know… you might need to look at it yet
again.🤷
(Thanks to Shea.Endgame for mentioning this one!)
+ Did you also notice... that this was one girlfriend challenge
that didn’t leave Shaun feeling a need to seek advice elsewhere? Granted, that fact is another indicator that
he’s not able to anticipate roadblocks… he doesn’t seek advice because it’s not
a close call for him. He loves Lea, he knows he can share a living space with
her already; therefore, she should move back in. Case closed.
+ What about Lea’s need to seek advice on this one? It sure
looked like she could benefit from bending
someone’s ear a little as she sorted
out her feelings on the matter… but alas, she doesn’t really have a confidante
on the show other than Shaun. Not yet, anyway. So it occurred to me that the
first part of Lea’s speech in that third Shea scene was TGD’s way of showing us
what was going in Lea’s head without the benefit of having a conversation with
someone besides Shaun:
*
She bursts in
talking about how strange it is for her to be debating the significance of
moving in rather than whether or not she actually wants to move in with
a boyfriend… which isn’t particularly useful to Shaun, so no wonder he simply lets
her talk.
*
She then gets to
the part that involves Shaun more, so she sits down next to him while saying “But
one of the reasons I’m in this relationship is because of that. You are
different. And when I think about us, say, a year from now, I can’t imagine us not
living together.” At first I thought she meant “different” in terms of Shaun’s
autism (and how it might be hindering his understanding of the issue at hand),
but now I’m taking her line ahead of that into account—and determining that she’s
talking about her relationship with Shaun being more serious (“different”) than
other relationships of which she’s been a part.
*
In any case, I’m
not sure she fully anticipated this or not… but the very thing that she feared “sounded
terrible” (about moving in being an inevitablility) turned out to be something
Shaun couldn’t have cared less about. Yes, he asked about it, but that appeared
to be more for confirmation/clarification purposes than anything else. Once
that was out of the way, the only thing he cared about in her entire speech was
one magic sentence: “Shaun, I am moving in with you.”
+ While of COURSE that scene was written and executed beautifully,
it underscored that ongoing need for Lea to a) develop relationships with other TGD characters, and b) reveal more of her backstory. It’s not that there’s any inconsistency with the character itself—those who appreciate Lea (like all of us) are generally in agreement about her pros and cons and the motivation behind her words and actions. But even under a TGD Tweet I read earlier this week soliciting opinions on the #Shea move-in, I was pleased (and a little surprised) to find that most who took the time to respond said something along the lines of “I love it, but PLEASE can we hear more of Lea’s story?”
We’ve got to believe that’s
coming… whether in road trip form (which they might not be able to pull off
this season with COVID restrictions), or in more piecemeal fashion, as Spara intimated
in a recent interview.
And that could be yet another reason why Shaun and Lea moved in together now, only four episodes into the season, when we’ve barely gotten used to seeing them as a couple. Just as they clarified in the season opener that #Shea were sexually active, the cohabitation thing is a basic part of this partnership that Shore and company want to establish now, so they can get on with the ups and downs of the remaining 14-16 episodes this season.
We know one such “down” is coming, at least for Shaun, with the “Fault” episode. (It was previously known as “My Own Damn Fault,” but that’s only because whoever proposed that title wasn’t aware of TGD’s 3-word limit on episode titles.) With so many elements of #Shea 1.0 on the table for reinvention, maybe it’s the “Hubert”-like possibilities that we’re looking forward to the most.
What did “Not the Same” tell
you about Shaun and Lea’s place in the world? Share you thoughts in the
Comments!
10 comments:
Since the end of season 3, I have high expectations of #SHEA and am not disappointed so far. I have noticed many #SHEA dialogues that have taken place in the past and that have now returned to station 4, obviously with simple changes.
In the first season, in the episode 'ISLANDS TWO', when Shaun decides to leave the hospital and move to Hershey to be near Lea. Claire has a dialogue with Shaun and asks why he is moving. Shaun’s answer is Lea makes me happy. In the second season, Shaun also repeats this when he says that living with Lea will do well, will make him happy. And finally now, this dialogue repeats itself again. There are others, like baseball, Lea talks about buying apples. I can’t help but thank the writers and I’m loving it. Yes. I noticed the edits, maybe it’s because of the rush to edit the episodes, because they just recorded episode seven, and they’re going to air episode five tomorrow, so point in favor of a hiatus for them.
I'm encouraged by the increasing calls for "more Lea POV/backstory." Whether it's in feature-form, or more in bit-by-bit, I cannot welcome that enough myself.
I'm fascinated by both Kelli and Melanie mentioning some editing misses. And I agree that it could very well be a result of the reduced lead-time between filming and airing. With even less lead time for Episode 5, I wonder if we'll see any more "weird" edits like this tomorrow night?
I noticed a touch of a continuity error, though it could be explained away pretty easily. Lea was unpacking the baseball, which implies she got it back from Shaun at some point. That point wasn't her moving out in the "Mutations" episode, as we could see the baseball on Shaun's nightstand after Lea had moved out.
We could pick our own preferred timeline for when Shaun gave the baseball back; maybe under duress or unhappy circumstances in the back-half of Season 3. I choose to believe it was under happy circumstances during the few weeks between the earthquake & the brief opening scene in 4.01. Shaun didn't need something to remember Lea by this point; he HAD her!!
I love the fact that they're tying into past conversations - a definite reward for the fans who have been following along and appreciating the parallels, callbacks, and nuances all this time. I know it isn't for everyone, and that some of the non-fans are simply just people who don't get - or appreciate - the nuance.
I never thought Lea meant anything bad by the "you're different" comment, but upon rewatch I noticed how someone COULD if they were trying to poke holes with some out-of-context posturing. Thankfully, I really haven't seen anything critical of that dialogue.
The fact that they're settled into this phase of a relationship and living situation bodes well for those wanting to see them (in David Shore's words) function as a unit. Now that they're established, I say let's get functional...functional!!! There can be plenty of drama on this show and "bad" that happens to and around Shaun, without always questioning "can this relationship work?" And to the people who figure something bad HAS to happen because of drama, I say: drama can exist at all levels of a relationship!
And to me, the idea of "more function, less setup" means more opportunities for other storylines. Including something that would delight many of us: Lea having a more substantial interaction with someone outside of Shaun. Even if it's more Lea/Glassman time, there's still a lot to work with there. And with Debbie in the fold now, even more opportunities across the board!
Thanks for your post Kelli!! Excellent insights as always. I have to admit that when I heard Lea's statement about Shaun being different I thought it referred to his autism too. However, it took me only a second time watching to realize she wasn't talking about that but more to Shaun being different than anyone before, It was her way of saying "you are the most important man I have ever been with in my life". As we know, writers tend to not give us the exact words but more like the precise ones to let us thinking and filling the gap. I will never stop saying that I believe this is a dangerous move because you need to have a brain to understand everything or just be invested to take the time to do so and unfortunately many people lack on one or the other, sometimes on both. For us, since we have the Shea account, is very common to see messages or comments on the same path, as if Lea doesn't love Shaun because she hasn't, for example, say it so far this season or simply because her reasons to move in weren't the simple I'm in love with you so let's do it. And to be honest, even tho it bothers me this logic by some, I like the way the story is being presented. I like the way that Shaun and Lea connect, because it feels different all the way. I really, really love that she is honest with him, that she has the ability to tell him what she thinks without fear.
Another thing I have noticed is how the storylines are in synchrony, with "newbies" we had the honesty as central topic for both Shea and also the other characters, in "Not the Same" we have commitment and communication, We saw in part both of this aspects with the new residents and also between Shea since they finally moved in back together, and I dare to say that trust will be the topic during "Fault", the trust that Shaun will have to have despite the failure he will face and also the trust with his significant other, it will be interesting to see him lay on Lea his fears and worries.
I really enjoy this construction by the writers and also the connection with older shea moments in the past. If this goes in the same path throughtout the season maybe we are looking at the preparation of Shaun and Lea for a bigger challenge, maybe to form a family is a possibility in their future. I can't avoid to see a paralelism because his job with newbies could be a way to prepare him as a father later, just a theory although I certainyly believe that Shea is definitely the main stable couple.
I'm looking forward for tomorrow's episode! Much love!
Vale!
Hello, I’m new to this blog! I’ve actually been checking it for a few months now, because I really like your posts Kelli and I like to read others’ insights as well, as it helps me understand some things better about Shaun and Lea, both separately and together, and it allows me to know some things I missed (like the meaning of some songs used in scenes). I’ve not really dared to comment for the previous season 4 episodes, because I tend to get too invested when I start to write about a tv show and it ends up taking a lot of my time ! The last time I heavily participated on a forum for a tv show was for Smallville, so 10 years ago…
Anyway back to The Good Doctor :) I’ve loved Shaun’s and Lea’s scenes in season 4, but I would like to comment on a few things that bother me :
- Like many fans of Lea and Lea and Shaun, I was pissed when she made so few and short appearances in the first half of season 3 and how her being kicked out of her appartment was treated in a 1-minute scene and she wasn’t seen again. I’ve been thinking that the producers and writers simply didn’t give her much importance at the time because if we saw her more, even only as Shaun’s friend and confident, it would kind of overshadow Carly and Shaun/Carly. Not seeing her much, and mostly in scenes where she encouraged and helped Shaun in his relationship with Carly, would convince people that it was sure that there would never be anything between Lea and Shaun and so that they could invest in the pairing Shaun/Carly. It was also sometimes unnerving how she was seemingly mostly « used » as comic relief, like the emoji scene (although it was a cute scene!).
- I’m amazed at how Lea has always been helping Shaun, has been supportive both professionally and personally, has been understanding and patient, has always treated him not like a child but as an adult who could do anything like any other adult, and I’m really bemused as to how so many people don’t see any of it and keep criticizing her, which has been worse since the infamous « You’re autistic !! »
In the 4 episodes of season 4, it’s even clearer how much she deeply cares for him and loves him. Yet I’m bothered that she keeps doing everything according to his wants : moving in season 2, moving out in season 3, staying over in S4 episode 1 and moving in in episode 4...Although it can be argued that she might need a little « push » to help her realize that it’s time, since she lacks self-confidence and trust as far as relationships go…
In fact what bothers me is that she’s so selfless towards Shaun, it’s about HIS needs most of the time and how Lea is responding to his needs by being a great friend and now girlfriend (and it doesn’t seem to be ever enough for some « fans »...), but she doesn’t seem to be getting the same support emotionally and professionally, nobody is there to really listen to her. Shaun obviously loves and cares for him but he doesn’t/can’t always understand her issues and psychological turmoil. I really wish she could talk to someone, like Debbie, and that her and Glassman’s forced cooperation for Shaun’s sake could evolve into a friendship and mutual respect for each other.
- I don’t like that they didn’t show some steps of Lea and Shaun’s relationship, just after the earthquake. I know that things changed in part due to covid19, but David Shore intended to not show « firsts » anyway, which seems stupid to me because some firsts are very important for any new relationship. For example, regarding their first time having sex (which to me happened before she stayed over, simply because they purposely showed Lea looking for a badge in the bed…), it’s very important for the two of them given that they were friends before ; and even if Shaun is at ease with Lea touching her intimately would probably make him nervous. However I believe it could be even more daunting for Lea, who would realize that it would be different than with her other boyfriends because she loves him.
(Tbc)
...
- I hope that the newbies won’t take too much time away from original characters. They seem rather cool, but the focus should always be on the ones that already have, especially the ones which are yet to be fully developed...like Lea !! I disliked very much that Olivia got as much if not more backstory than Lea in a few episodes, as if Lea was less important because she’s not in the medical field and should always just be presented as « Shaun’s girlfriend » and she should just act as a good girlfriend always be supportive and understanding. By the way, has her last name ever be mentioned in the show ? I don’t think we’ve ever heard someone say it….
So onto episode 4 :
I thought the same as you Kelli about Lea’s speech allowing to know a bit what was going on in Lea’s head. That’s something I’ve noticed that they have Lea do since she doesn’t have anyone to talk to to convey her feelings. She makes comments offhandedly which give clues to her inner thoughts… Like just before in episode 3, she said « ...it’s bigger than that » then more to herself « ...I hope it is... ». And the third scene of episode 4 is particularly important because she says several important thinsg. When she says « This is not an argument I ever thought I’d have to have with a boyfriend, whether moving in together matters, so obviously it does, so obviously it changes everything » to me it means that she never thought she would be in a serious relationship, with someone who would love her enough to want to live with her. Also she sometimes has trouble saying things clearly and ends up being misunderstood, especially when she’s upset or nervous ; the words « but one of the reasons I’m in this relationship is because of that, you are different », and when she said that I connected it to her earlier words and automatically thought that she said that he’s different because HE matters because she loves him, he means much more to her than any previous boyfriend with whom it was never serious. And when she says « when I imagine us a year from now, I can’t imagine us not living together », it really cements the fact how much she’s invested in this relationship, how she views (or hopes, since she « hopes it is bigger than that ») it as serious and long-term. I agree with you Vale that having nuances in a dialogue is dangerous because people not invested inthe character don’t notice what is meant and it creates misunderstandings. Although, regarding people thinking that Lea saying « thank you for your honesty » and not « I love you » supposedly means that she doesn’t love him, it is just stupid people being stupid… !
I really hope that they will develop Lea’s backstory and allow her to talk about how she feels deep down. To me, this medical show stands apart of other medical shows, first of course because of the depiction of a doctor with autism, but also because they have a doctor dating someone who is not in the medical field (I’m so tired of doctors dating any other doctor and that’s why I don’t want Reznick and Park together) - this someone being also quite unique in her character traits- , and also depicting a relationship ASD/NT. To properly do the latter, they need to develop the NT’s character, and they have much to do in that regard. It’s especially frustrating because there is so much to do and say with Lea, she’s like an onion with many layers regarding her personality and the show has barely scratched the surface of who she really is and why she’s behaving and feeling a certain way, and given how she stands apart from other characters in TGD and other typical female characters from medical shows, it’s a missed opportunity from the show, until now….
I’m so sorry about my ramblings and for a such a long post, I always tend to write long texts in english and even more when I’m ranting and commenting about a tv show.
I would love to hear some thoughts about some of the things I said, but I doubt many people will read my post entirely given that it’s so long !
Loved your insights Syl! I read the whole thing and I agree with you in many aspects specially this "... she’s like an onion with many layers regarding her personality and the show has barely scratched the surface of who she really is and why she’s behaving and feeling a certain way, and given how she stands apart from other characters in TGD and other typical female characters from medical shows, it’s a missed opportunity from the show, until now…..."
100%!!!!!! Say it louder please ha hahaha
Welcome!
Vale
Thank you! I started watching for Shaun because he's such an interesting character and because Freddie Highmore's portrayal is incredible, but I was even more hooked when Lea first appeared. I instantly liked her, and I thought that the dynamic and chemistry with Shaun were great, I've loved the nuances in their friendship and now relationship. So I'm looking forward to seeing further development of this ASD/NT relationship but also of each of the characters individually :)
Thanks to everyone for your insites which are excellent. I loved how words were linked to episodes in previous seasons such as Honest, More, Trust, Love. The non verbal clues from Lea are excellent just by having so many facial expressions, loving all the photo's you added Kelli and the interesting perspective by Tony along with all others who have commented.
Did anyone else pick up on the look of anxiety on Lea's face when Shaun said 'your right this is not the same ...pause...Lea has a flicker of anxiety/fear in her eyes...then Shaun said "It is better" the look in Lea's eyes changed instantly to one of pure love as she gazed into Shaun's eyes and they kissed - (that word better also used in previous episodes )
This same facial expression was in the season 3 finale when Lea walked over to Shaun and kissed him before Shaun could speak followed by and here is another YET Lea's eyes said so much more they were full of anxiety/fear of rejection as Lea finally said -paraphrasing = "I Love You....You make me More"
I held my breath waiting what seemed like an eternity for Shaun to react as he was processing his promise to Vera saying to himself outloud Vera didn't die... The look in Lea's eyes was exactly the same as when Shaun said 'It is better" changing instantly showing so many different emotions ending with love as Shaun held Lea tightly around her waist pulling Lea so close with the most passionate kisses I have seen in any current medical drama.
I always look for visual clues, the body language and chemistry between Shaun and Lea is amazing. I want to know why such a stunningly beautiful lassie who helps others even Shaun's mentor Glassie the grouch, spreads joy, shows such kindness even getting them to hug Quarantine 2 and has the patience of a saint feels such a failure in life???
I would love a roadtrip to Hershey where we would find out what happened in Lea's past and if there was a disagreement for Shaun to defend Lea showing his love in a new way just like Lea did for Shaun during the trip with Glassie to Portland and for them to return engaged as I am an incurable romantic.
I also love how we still have Hubert the goldfish watching over Shaun and Lea glowing with happiness and finally a large bed thanks to Lea who took her own bed over to their apartment. Come on a lassie needs her comforts a mattress on the floor doesn't cut it. Nor did Shaun's single bed though am sure Shaun just loves Lea being on top - (please listen to the song LAID version 3 by James which has fun excellent lyrics) Sorry Kelli I couldn't resist adding that dittie and can see you blushing and twitter exploding ;)
By the looks of the photos already released Shaun and Lea look totally at ease as Lea is asleep looking so serene on Shaun's chest his arms around her not believing his luck. The 2nd photo their hands are entwined as Lea is listening to Shaun. Could this be Lea comforting Shaun after the mistake by one of Shaun's internes where Shaun looks devastated while Glassie gives him words of wisdom. 3rd photo a perfect example of the great chemistry created whenever togeher as they stand happy and smiling both keeping eye contact. Interesting to see David Shore has two scenes of Shaun and Lea on the bed holding hands as he does nothing by accident. Holding hands is very intimate for every relationship new or old especially when the couple are deeply in love...
Am loving thier new deeper relationship which if you watch closely show us so much more. I often feel others who want Shaun to be with Morgan or Claire are watching a different version of The Good Doctor than me. Lets see if Twitter goes crazy tonight??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0trh9Y598fM
I'm LOVING Shaun and Lea officially being a couple! TGD is first and foremost a medical show and always will be, but since Shaun is the title character, seeing his successes and triumphs both professional and personal are going to happen for him, as they have since the first episode.
There's no question that COVID and real-life circumstances have affected this season's episodes, but we're still getting quality Shea content, and the show has always done things gradually w/r/t windows into the lives of the characters as people and not as doctors/inside the hospital, so I think we'll get more insight into Lea as a person as the season progresses. We're only 5 episodes in as of tonight, after all, and we get 18-20 episodes a season. And we know we're getting at least one great moment tonight, with the hand holding and the holding each other in bed.
I'm looking forward to what's to come, because we know that Shaun and Lea are going to be learning to navigate the world as a unit.
I don't know if the previous commenters get notified when a new comment is added, but I hope so because I'm packing multiple responses into this one post :)
1) SYL! Welcome, and thanks so much for your comments and kind words-- I read both parts! I definitely get it about getting too invested, so I appreciate your efforts all the more. Great observations of the use of Lea in S3-- we all adore her, and want support for her so badly now that she's moving past the limbo she was in for much of last year... which is why it's infuriating to hear from the "other" side of the TGD fanbase. (And yeah, the fact that they bypassed Shea's first time together remains a sore spot for me too.) Anyway, glad to have you here!
2) TONY-- yeah, I went to DM Andreas with questions about the baseball's "homecoming" shortly after the episode ended... I didn't want to spoil the effect they were going for by mentioning it under the TGD hashtag.
Mo (Hippy Dippy Scot)-- LOL!!! Yes, I listened to the song. I only blushed a little.
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