Let’s talk about sex, baby
Let’s talk about you and me
Let’s talk about all the good things
And the bad things that will be…
I don’t know if everyone caught it while watching the “Frontline (Part 1)” season premiere of The Good Doctor this week, but… hold on to your green apples…
Shaun and Lea are already having sex.
Or… they were, before the pandemic/lockdown hit. (This news was delivered with nine mentions of “sex” within the episode, so I hope your sarcasm detector was on when you started reading this.)
And they’ve made an attempt at phone sex during said pandemic, though it was unsuccessful.
Hyperventilating yet? Eh, maybe that’s just me…
Full disclosure: As I mentioned back around the time of the “Sex and Death” episode last season, I’m super-shy when it comes to discussing sex. At least… I am in person. 😳
Watching/discussing Shaun and Carly’s sexual escapades was challenging, but the fact that I didn’t want to see him between the sheets with Carly was the main reason. I’m as willing as the next #Shea shipper to “endure” Shaun and Lea’s sexual progression… again and again and again, in fact.
BUT… I must admit… I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. And I really didn’t expect their “first time” to be off-camera.
David Shore has called this Shaun in a “mature, committed relationship.” And with sex discussed (or implied) in four of the five scenes Shaun and Lea shared in 4.1, Shore (who also co-wrote the episode with Liz Friedman) made it loud and clear that they’d already cleared this potential hurdle, and quite successfully, thank you very much.
And I’m torn about it, if I’m being honest. Not because I expected them to spend the time on it that they did as Shaun tried to get horizontally comfortable with Carly—even without the “mature relationship” tag, I knew that wouldn't be the case. But I guess I’m as sentimental as I am shy, because I think witnessing the first-time with the woman he’s loved for the better part of three years is more important than witnessing a dozen “first-times” with his former girlfriend.
Oh, and I always thought it would be sweetly hilarious if we got their first "afterglow" scene, and one of the first things out of Shaun’s mouth was an acknowledgment of the self-proclaimed “weird sex sounds that she makes” way back when they were about to get the apartment in S2.
But there could be a number of different reasons the writers are going about it this way… and I continue to trust where they’re going, so to them goes the benefit of the doubt as I suggest:
+ When they decided to do the pandemic episodes, original plans for #Shea’s early days in S4 might have gone out the window. No one’s going to believe they waited through six months of a pandemic to make love for the first time, they may have said (and I suppose that’s true, though again, I’m the old-fashioned girl in the room and I’d have accepted such a possibility myself).
+ Or, along similar lines, they intended for #Shea’s consummation
to happen within the first couple episodes of the new season… but once they committed
to the “Frontline” episodes, they realized it’d be an awkward fit trying to
include tingly love scenes amidst the realizations of COVID diagnoses.
+ The other possible reason harkens back to what I said a few weeks ago about Shaun still sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Yes, it’s apparently the
place where he lost his virginity… but should it also be the first place we see
him with Lea? Freddie Highmore did mention in a new interview that the
bed situation is an upcoming issue for #Shea, so perhaps the writers are now
saving a bigger moment for them once it comes time to christen something with a
frame and box spring.
I say “perhaps” because, like most of us, I’m hoping we get a nice payoff near the end of this two-parter by way of Shaun and Lea finally reuniting and ripping each other’s clothes off in record time. If so, they might end up seen on that mattress after all…
Unless they don’t make it to the bedroom. There’s always that fireplace… (But would they use a fireplace in August/September, which is the approximate date at the end of pt.2?)
(Does it matter?)
(Which allows me to segue into a related topic…)
THE #SHEA SEX TIMELINE AS WE
KNOW IT
I think most of us originally
figured that when Lea sang “I’ll spend the night Saturday” in her only
in-the-room scene with Shaun, the plans would be thwarted by the onset of COVID
patients at St. B. Which made Shaun’s later assertion that “Lea and I have sex…
a lot… or, we did (pre-pandemic)” a little more surprising/confusing.
For now, the approximate date of their first-time seems to lie in the mind of the #Shea shipper. Some are of the opinion that Shaun and Lea might have come back to the apartment that morning after the earthquake and simply decided not to waste any more time; life is short, they almost lost each other, etc. Others think the planned Saturday stay-over was going to be it (keeping in mind that there’s plenty they could have been doing up till that point that still would count as sex). Still others think it happened somewhere in between, and that the stay-over Saturday was the beginning of Lea getting the stay-over amenities: a drawer in the bedroom, a cabinet in the kitchen…
For my part, I’ll lay out the timeline that was provided on the show…
FEBRUARY 26, 2020 (One Week
to California State of Emergency)
This is where it starts… both
with Mildred (the black woman in the coffee shop who eventually becomes the
first St. B COVID patient), and Shaun and Lea’s first exchange of the episode. This
is where we get Lea’s mention that “they’ve only been together a few weeks,” which
sets the start of their relationship earlier in February.
(And I’d be remiss if I didn’t
point out that while TGD is going with the real-life accuracy of this part… we
all know that the finale of S3 took place on March 30. Soooo, we’ll need to
bend that good old time/space continuum backwards about 6-7 weeks for the #Shea
relationship, and a month for the show in general. Got it? Good.)
TWO WEEKS LATER (March 11)
That’s the next marker we get,
and that’s when Mildred is in St. B with full-blown COVID. So while it’s not
clear when the state emergency/situation at St B. changed to where Shaun and
Lea stayed apart, we DO know that 2 weeks have passed since their chat. Since
February 26 fell on a Wednesday this year, Saturday was February 29. So by my
calculation, YES, the Saturday stayover happened (on Leap Year! How memorable!).
And Shaun and Lea may have had opportunities for sex all the way through March 11.
Even if they strictly observed the state of emergency before St. B got involved,
they still could have had up to 5 days together.
And BY THE WAY, over on Instagram, Shea:Endgame (are you following them yet??) asked if Saturday Night actually happened... and 69% say that it did. So I consider myself in good company with this assertion.
Anyway… they were about 4 weeks into the state of emergency when Lea suggested phone sex, and Shaun was a most intrigued participant…for about 20 seconds.
Just to make sure viewers were clear that this is #Shea 2.0 we’re dealing with from now on, we were privy to something that previously one only expected to find in certain chapters of #Shea Fanfic…
And while we knew it wasn’t likely to work out—at least, not the first time around—the frustration and longing was palpable.
I should mention that while yes, my shy self was a little squirmy with the phone sex scene, I was also intrigued and impressed that TGD was going there.
But, not everyone felt this way. I guess it can be expected that I’ve seen this fan or that fan express anger and/or disgust with the scene. Some have complained that “this used to be a family-friendly show” (REALLY?) and the writers have “sunk to a new low”; others have pulled the it-would-be-okay-if-they-were-married card.
In both cases, I’m wondering how much outrage they felt during Shaun and Carly’s various “new levels of intimacy” last season… or an episode that focused a whole lot of energy on Carly’s orgasmic needs. Whatever propelled those viewers to keep watching after that family-unfriendly storyline?
Or... were they basically OK with “Frontline Pt. 1” until Shaun mentioned masturbation?
Hmmm. The mind boggles.
Anyway…
For all of the sex talk that
peppered #Shea scenes throughout the episode, I couldn’t help but love that
they ended with the simple, heartfelt scene showing both sides of the apartment
door… Lea bringing over the (NOT ORIGAMI IN ANY WAY) plastic monkey to help
with Shaun’s double-masking at work; Shaun trying it immediately and thanking
her for it… Lea’s need to just stick around for a while in the hallway; Shaun
deciding to cop a squat and join her on the other side… an easy, casual chat
about Park’s sub-par pancakes. Just lovely.
Other little things that caught my eyes/ears when #Shea was on screen this week…
+ When they started the episode with Shaun meeting Lea at the apartment door—and her drifting right in, asking about her I.D. badge without so much as a “good morning,” but all in a well-worn, endearing way… Andreas paralleled this start to #Shea 2.0 with Lea’s infamous landlord tirade at the start of “Apple” (S1).
On the other hand, I couldn’t help but recall the last time we saw Shaun greeting Lea at the apartment door (in S3’s “Fixation”), when he summoned her all the way across town on her lunch break to show his ability to adapt to (superficial) challenges. I think both Andreas’ example and my own are cool contrasts to this how-far-they’ve-come moment on TGD.
+ The first and second phone chats (in the kitchen) were nice little representations of growth: Shaun sounded more confident and mature (until Lea introduced the phone sex idea, which sent him into Giddyland)… and so-called “selfish, needy” Lea made her early bids to try and spend time together during lockdown; when Shaun stood firm, she kept the pouting to a minimum and did
what she could from afar: worried about his well-being, attempted to do something for his sexual well-being, and brought him the perfect little gift to help his day-to-day existence at the hospital. I’d argue that Lea is handling herself and her relationship with more maturity than Debbie is with Glassman, but it’s not a fair comparison. (Aside from having polar opposite living situations, Debbie might qualify for sainthood after months of quarantine with Glassy The Grouch!)
+ This one may be a stretch, but… listening to the
cadence of their voices in this exchange during the phone sex attempt:
LEA: What do you wish you were doing with
me?
SHAUN: Kissing you.
LEA (smiles): Mmmmm…
…reminded me of this S1 exchange during the road trip:
LEA: What are you smelling… right now?
SHAUN: Pine trees.
LEA (inhaling): Mmmmm… I’m never going to
forget that when you told me about your brother, it smelled like pine trees.
Let me know if you heard it too.
I
just checked through last week’s “wish list” and got my share of laughs trying
to compare it to what we actually saw:
+ Day in the early life of #Shea outside of that opening
scene? NOPE
+ Lea’s promise of ‘Saturday’ didn’t happen…? Actually,
I think it did (as already stated)
+ Lea’s working role better defined…? HAHAHA no, not
this episode.
+ Lea possibly TOO isolated…? not addressed formally,
but you can sure understand why she didn’t want to leave Shaun’s doorstep in
the final act. Poor lady.
+ Lea’s gift to Shaun…? As I said on Twitter, I should’ve
known TGD would leave the learn-new-things lockdown sidebar to Debbie. It was a
plastic monkey, not an origami swan! The latter wouldn’t have fit under the
door anyway.
+ Shaun getting increasingly frustrated with COVID’s
unpredictability? Yeah, it’s getting there. We’ll see more of that next week it
seems.
+ And since neither of the next two things on my list cropped
up in “Frontline Pt.1,” let’s skip to my wish for so-called “sweet talk”: I said
Would Shaun verbalize any of his physical attraction to her? Would Lea dial
her flirt level up to 11? Either one would be amazing… and… probably a lot more
than we can realistically expect to see.
So you you, THAT’s why I was so surprised! I didn’t
think they’d go anywhere NEAR anything like that! Lesson learned.
COMING
BEFORE THE WEEKEND’S OVER: More notes from what I felt was an exceedingly
well-done season premiere… and some peeking into part 2.
What
do you think of #Shea 2.0 so far? The comments await you…!
16 comments:
Let me lend you a helping hand here Kelli, since my European upbringing + ASD + psychology studies come with a quite relaxed attitude towards discussing sex. Of course, I have some more ASD-related thoughts to add, too… ;)
The writers stood true to their word as Shore had said before that Shea 2.0 would not be about first times but being in a mature relationship. And since sex is one – but not the only – aspect of a mature relationship, the did not waste any time on Shea’s bed premiere. This is just as TGD often operates: they throw the audience right in the middle of it, foregoing the fore play for the heavy stuff. Funny enough I speculated with fellow commentator Yoshi just about that before the episode aired: Shaun and Lea having sex for the first time is not important for the advancement of the plot.
We shall not forget that Shaun’s mind works quite differently compared to a neurotypical one and how little time has passed since he had sex for the first time in his life. Concerning sex, Shaun’s mind is that of a teenager. Thus, in Frontline Part 1 we see Shaun operating on the same grounds as with Carly before: he over-emphasizes the sexual aspect of the relationship. Yet, with their failed attempt on phone sex, Lea (assisted by Shaun’s patient and his wife giving emotional support via smartphone all the time) introduces Shaun to the importance of an emotional bond in a mature relationship. Shaun’s first step in this respective is inviting Lea to stay on the other side of the door for talking instead of touching. Or more poetic: Shaun is starting to learn how to touch Lea’s soul instead of her body alone. Shaun is in transition from sexual to emotional intimacy – a lesson hard to learn for any individual with difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions in themselves and others!
To Shaun and Lea’s relationship, the pandemic even seems to play in favor for this subplot, since the social distancing forces them to address a core deficit of Shaun early on that we have discussed before often enough: his lack of reciprocity in any social interaction. I’m stunned how light-handed the writers found a way make the situation dictated by real-life work hand in hand with the ongoing plotline of Shaun improving his social skills.
One of the best things about new episodes being back on - more blog posts!
Very good analysis, Kelli. And as commenters may have figured out about me by now, I enjoy putting on that analyst hat myself.
When the first black screen came on with the February 26 date, and the Shaun & Lea "it's only been a few weeks" scene (thus, putting the earthquake in early February), I immediately thought "did only two months REALLY pass between Wyoming and the Earthquake?"
So, like the engineer that I am, I took out my calendar and worked backwards from the earthquake under a "fastest reasonable case" scenario. And as it turned out, it's actually quite feasible with a couple of weeks to spare. Of course, it helps that the last two episodes of Season 3 combined to take only a single night, and no other episodes seemed to last more than 2 days. So credit to the writers for being able to stick with the real-life situation of the pandemic while keeping our narrative internal consistency intact.
The monkey-from-the-barrel FAR exceeded my expectations as well. And ours were pretty lofty already! Instead of just some random thing to help remind Shaun of Lea's virtual presence, this was something that gave him a legitimate physical benefit - and showed that Lea took the time to (a) catch that Shaun was having issues with his ear; and (b) dedicate the time to find a possible solution. BRAVO!
And yet, some of the boo-birds persist. I'm convinced (and have been for some time) that Lea could throw herself into a car, save Shaun's life, and we'll still be met with the chorus of "but that scene on the bridge...". At this point, I've just had to commit to ignoring those people.
I feel for those who are uncomfortable by the explicit sexual dialogue in TV shows - it's a fight that has been going on for generations now. And I know some fans are howling "here we go with sex-obsessed Shaun again." I understand their frustration, but I saw the whole approach quite differently.
Yes, Shaun was going on, SAYING how much he missed having sex. But this was different from Season 3. Rather than saying that and meaning it at face-value, I sensed quite an amount of deflection on Shaun's part, since the overall point being made seemed to be more along the lines of "Shaun misses the WHOLE of Lea, but is having trouble verbalizing it the way a person typically would." In other words, it was about far more than "just" sex - at least in my opinion. So even though we had to endure a level of discomfort (and I agree that there was some - probably by design on David Shore's part), I was able to forgive it in order to appreciate (what I saw as) the bigger-picture.
And I know there were issues raised by folks about the pandemic-themed episode. It felt uncomfortable to plenty of people, as we continue to live with this in reality. Yet, plenty of others appreciated the episode as a tribute to the people in the medical profession - and as a reminder of the seriousness of this virus. In my opinion, this episodes (as well as next week's) will be much better-appreciated in the future than it is right now. Based on its own merits, I believe that this was a STELLAR episode!
By my count, this episode started a week before the State of Emergency, and lasted through the SOE's 5th week. Given Shore's indication that these two episodes would span 6 months, that means the next episode should cover about 4 and a half months of time. It'll be interesting to see how it happens, and what kind of time jumps we'll see. And as I mentioned in my comment to your last post, I'm HIGHLY anticipating the end of Part 2 - and what figures to be a glorious reunion!
Excellent observations Kelli and Andrea.
I was married to a bloke in the forces while in Germany. The wives had long separations from their husbands often lasting for months. Phone sex was very common as were very steamy shades of grey letters to your husbands expressing your love in many different ways which were inventive.
I loved the humour of the 4 way conversation with Shaun, Lea, Park and his son Callen taking place in the same room and Shaun being Shaun speaks about sex while Park is saying 'not in front of the children despite his son about to start College'
This just made Shaun speak about sex even more 'don't you think me and Lea have sex as we have sex a lot ... or had... and then Shaun's face showed a flicker of sadness. Yet Shaun cannot say to Lea 'I miss you" but whispers almost shyly 'I really miss sex do you miss sex' almost as if Shaun needs reassurance and Lea smiles and replied Yes and suggested other ways. Shaun and Lea are in the first flourish of a new relationship where endorphins run wild for around 6 months which has been proven by scientist and called the honeymoon period.
I cannot imagine either of Shaun and Lea waiting for a second after their passionate end of season 3 kiss and would have been straight back to the apartment ripping each others clothes off and I wish the first episode of season 4 had started with that happening. Shaun would not need a book to learn about sex with Lea like he did with Carly who just put on her usual sulky face as obviously was left unsatisfied why did Carly not show Shaun what she enjoyed as Shaun was a virgin and needed guidance using touch not reading a book called The G Spot.
Lea would have shown Shaun what she enjoyed and asked Shaun what he enjoyed by touch giving both Shaun and Lea a climax which sent them both into another world. Part of being in a loving relationship is learning about each others bodies and laughing when all goes wrong while making love such as falling off Shaun's single bed, a huge part sex is having fun which I am sure they were having a lot of before being parted due to the virus.
I would have thought with Shaun's amazing imagination when seeing every organ of the human body spinning around him during surgery that Shaun would have found using his imagination during sex would come easily (excuse the pun) though I nearly choked on my coffee when Shaun mentioned masturbation for each other, which again i found amusing.
I thought we lived in 2020 not Victorian times so got a real surprise to find fans complaining about the few minutes of sex chat. Have we become a world of prudes during this pandemic? is that one of the symptoms we now have to look out for such as lack of smell?
I have many unanswered question so hope they will be resolved in episode 2 and all goes back to normal with no pandemic from episode 3 onwards as we need escapism not more doom and gloom during favourite TV Dramas.
I cannot wait to see what Monday nights episode has in store for us but am scared at the same time. I have my tissues ready as am sure there will be one or two deaths, the mum of the baby Park delivered or the nurse who caught covid before any of those working realised how infectious and deadly the covid virus was and had to learn as they went along. I record the episode while watching so can watch the heartbreaking scenes in stages.
I found it almost impossible to watch these harrowing scenes having lost my mum during covid in May and was unable to say goodbye as nobody was allowed in the nursing home I have never experienced such overwhelming grief and had to watch the good doctor episode in 4 different parts as was crying so much as all the memories of my mums death flooded my emotions like a tsunami and washed me away with nothing to hang onto xxx
I will start this rant saying that my romantic heart and more accurate my romantic shipper heart was bumped on monday when they stated that Shaun and Lea were already VERY active physically speaking. Yes, I know that we heard DS saying that this season was not about about first times, but come on! When you cross the line between being besties to lovers, It is a big deal! It doesn't matter how mature, old or experienced you are. Give yourself completely to that person that means so much to you may change many things regarding the way both behave with each other or even communicate with each other. So, to me to skip that was certainly a big surprise, I'm not sure if I can qualify it as good or bad. Because after feeling pretty down about it, I came to the thinking, in a more positive way, that everything has a reason to be and that the writers (hopefully) know what they are doing.
Many of us could be upset because of the time we get to see Shaun and his former girlfriend trying to cross the field many times in season 3, and after in fact doing it (literally) they kept exploring the subject over and over and over again... which in my opinion was like Well Shaun is experiencing things for the first time and since the TV shows is about him, it was pretty obvious that we got that much of screen time with the two of them trying and then being succesful about it.
With Lea, on the other hand it wasn't like he was going to try or put much more of an effort to be with her, simply because 1) He is in love with her and he has loved her for years now, 2 ) he has no touching issues with her (his statement of "touch is very very important" still makes me sigh tbh) 3) They have the trust to just get on board with it. As a matter of fact, I won't be surprised if they indeed run away to his department or hers after the earthquake to seal the deal. The emotions they were both feeling at that time could have made them act upon their feelings beyond that passionate kiss we witnessed at the end of season 3.
And now it comes my leap of faith, As the show is about Shaun and his discovery of new emotions, his growth in many fields. I wait for them to give us the opportunity to actually seeing him and Lea making love instead of plain sex. Of course, don't get me wrong I don't expect anything explicit but it could be something so meaningful and concrete that it won't be any doubts that he finally gave himself completely, in every aspect to the feeling of being in love and be loved too.
The above, Keeps my hopes high for the rest of the season, because I'm sure that in words of Freddie too, their relationship will be more of a couple sharing every aspect of their life. Well, it is confirmed they will be moving back together pretty soon. Maybe after the pandemics is over? Could be and would make sense, because for sure Shaun would not stand being far away from her for so long again neither would Lea.
I can't wait to see how Frontline 2 would end, I know this post is not about a wish list, but the only thing I want to see as a closure in that episode is an epic reunion.
The other thing I didn't enjoy much was the dryness of the last meeting between them in the apartment with the promise of the saturday, I know that maybe some won't agree and although, I like the scene I think is cute it feels like something was missing, I mean in the end they are a couple who has a LOT of intimacy right? I would have prefer to have a glimpse of that saturday night, if it happened, although I still believe it may not and they eventually will have their first night together later on.
Anyway end of my rant aahhaha Thanks Kelli for one more marvelous post!
Ps. Thanks for the mention of our IG page, everything is done with so much love, just what #Shea means to us!
I'm also shy when it comes to sex, so the phone sex blew my mind, but at the same time, I'm not surprised Lea made the suggestion and that Shaun was initially into it.
I respectfully disagree about Saturday night. Of course, I could be wrong, and we may never get more clarification on that. But it was obvious from the dialogue that Lea had not yet stayed over/spent the night at Shaun's place since they became a couple because "we've only been together a few weeks." And she also said, "If I had stayed over, we both would have gotten A LOT LESS sleep last night." Shaun then asked what was an acceptable amount of time before Lea could spend the night. "Saturday," Lea promised. "I'll spend the night on Saturday."
Then skip ahead to Park putting groceries away in the cabinet that Shaun had designated for Lea, and Shaun angrily removing Park's groceries and telling him he couldn't use the cabinet because it's Lea's cabinet, and it's Shaun's apartment, and Park can't just put things wherever he wants to.
Shaun and Lea have obviously had sex, and to hear Shaun tell it, a lot of it. But I don't think Lea got to spend the night on Saturday; I think COVID intervened first. And Shaun had already cleared the cabinet for Lea's use, expecting it to sit empty until she was able to return to the apartment and put her own groceries, dishes, whatever she wanted in it. I know that Shaun doesn't show or process emotions the same way a neurotypical person would, but I think Shaun would have been a lot less frustrated about not being able to see Lea, and possibly not quite as angry about Park usurping the cabinet Shaun designated for Lea, if Saturday night had happened, because if Lea had stayed over on Saturday, presumably neither she nor Shaun would have had to work Sunday, and there would have been time for a leisurely day of lovemaking, pancakes and apples, and I think Shaun would have made a show of presenting the empty cabinet to Lea as hers, because he would look at it along the same lines as having Hubert autopsied to prove to Lea she didn't kill him, and when Lea was crashing at Shaun's old apartment after her return from Hershey but they were in a prolonged argument, Shaun made pancakes for her and actually served them to her, setting the plate in front of her at the table. As Lea said to Hubert before he died, "Daddy shows his love in a different way." Lea was upset thinking she killed Hubert, so Shaun had Hubert autopsied and used the lab report to prove to both Lea AND the guy at the pet store that Lea didn't kill Hubert and to get them another fish. Even though they were in a fight, Shaun, no matter how hurt he was over Lea leaving and then returning, no matter how afraid he was that she would disappear from his life again at that point, not only fixed Lea breakfast but served it to her at the table.
As I said, we may never get clarification on this either way, though. These are just my musings.
I did notice during one of the dueling phone conversations between Shaun/Lea and Park/Kellan that Shaun proclaimed, "Sexual intimacy is wonderful!" He certainly never said THAT about Carly! Since the primary focus of the show is the medical aspect, we may not get a detailed portrayal of Shaun articulating that he has learned the difference between having sex with Carly and making love with Lea, but I believe he at least is starting to realize that. Also, though I plan never to watch them again because I didn't like them, when we did see Shaun and Carly in bed after sex, there really wasn't afterglow. First we had Shaun grinning, while Carly was sprawled out asleep with her back turned to Shaun, on the other side of the bed, not even touching him, as far away from him as she could get and still be in the same bed, which I like to believe was a nod to Shaun's aversion to being physically close to Carly, a problem he has never had with Lea; he accepted her first embrace all the way back in "Apple" from S1, and they cried together and slept in each other's arms in "Friends & Family," and "F&F" occurred in a concurrent time frame with Shaun having such issues with being physically close to Carly that he couldn't even lie in the same bed with her and just look at her without touching for 30 seconds. There is a deeper level of intimacy in sleeping in the same bed with someone, in sleeping in someone's arms. Which takes me back to Shaun and Carly: after Shaun followed Lim's advice regarding parades, then we saw Carly smiling while Shaun was asleep on the other side of the bed, again not touching Carly.
But after the last 3 years, and especially the endings of "F&F" and "I Love You" where Shaun initiated touching and kissing Lea and accepted physical contact from her, I don't see Shaun having any problems with them sleeping in each other's arms or spooning in bed.
And since Freddie made it a point to mention sleeping in the same bed, and Lea might have an issue with Shaun having just a mattress, we might very well be in for an eventual scene of Shaun and Lea curled up together in a new, full bed with box spring, frame, headboard, and maybe even a footboard too (I think that's what it's called), when Lea does spend the whole night with Shaun.
I LOVED Lea's concern for Shaun. She persisted in wanting to come over, but when Shaun repeatedly refused to put her at risk, she didn't continue to push for it, and she didn't get angry at Shaun. She was present in the relationship: talking every day via screens, letting Shaun know she misses him, asking if she could bring Shaun apples, trying to drag poor Kellan Park on his father's phone into it when she expressed concern for Shaun looking tired, and Shaun and Park both told Lea that Shaun was fine, and Lea's response was, "You'll lie to me. Kellan, does Shaun look okay to you?", and of course, noticing that Shaun was fidgeting with his ears, listening when he explained about the irritation from the masks, and then doing research and finding the perfect thing to ease Shaun's physical discomfort with the masks and coming over to slip it under his door. And then, standing outside his door and admitting that she didn't want to leave, and Shaun telling her to stay, and they were sitting back to back on opposite sides of the door, talking about Park's awful pancakes. COVID is presenting our couple with some mighty challenges, but they're rising to meet them, and I have no reason to think they won't continue to do so. (We clearly can't say the same for Debbie and Glassy, as there was major trouble at Casa Wexler-Glassman, since the episode ended with Debbie sleeping in the guest room, and since Kellan was the one who made multiple video calls to his father filled with concern about how Park is doing and worried about the rising number of COVID cases in San Jose and he never once mentioned his mother, while Mia only had one video chat with Alex in which she basically told him, "Just come on back to Phoenix already," I get the impression that things aren't going too well for Park and Mia either.)
I'm hoping for a warm reunion for Shaun and Lea at the end of "Frontline Pt. 2." Tear each other's clothes off? Sure, that'd be nice, if that's not what ends up happening, I'm okay with that too. The season just started, and there are so many stories to tell, and so much for Shaun and Lea to teach one another and learn from one another.
Also, I think that Shaun is definitely learning something from Martin and Lily--the man with COVID and his pushy wife who is always on his phone screen. She told Shaun she was always on the screen with Martin because it makes him feel better to be able to see her and hear her voice since she can't be with him in person. We know that Shaun interacts with Martin and Lily more in "Frontline Pt. 2," and I'm guessing that Martin doesn't survive COVID. But I think Martin and Lily will teach Shaun something that he will file away for the future with Lea, and that might be a catalyst for Shaun finally telling Lea, "I wish you were here," which I'm taking as Shaun-speak for "I miss you, Lea."
Well, Kelli, this topic has generated a basketful of opinions and a lively discussion. I had to chuckle...what does it say when Lea and Shaun embarked on their exploration of phone sex, in the middle of a beautifully-wrought episode about new love and a worldwide pandemic, and the very first thought that edged its way into my mind was "Ooooh, I bet Kelli's eyebrows are going up, up, up...!"
I am officially applying for wet blanket status here. The pandemic has changed everything, and we will never know how David Shore et al might have handled Lea and Shaun's first months as a couple in a Covid-free universe. He gifted us with that charming old-Hollywood scene at the end of last season, and whether that "mood" would have carried into Season Four...we will never know. All indications are that the novel coronavirus has profoundly changed plot lines, how scenes are shot, and basic protocols on television and movie sets. We Shea devotees may well be disappointed in the amount and nature of personal contact between Lea and Shaun. "Social distancing" in their relationship may well be required to be able to continue shooting on these sets. Being married to a sports aficionado (translation "nut"), I have observed how that world has been roiled by this virus. All it takes is one athlete on a team to test positive, and the ripple effect starts. I assume Paige Spara and Freddie Highmore would be completely within their contractual rights to eschew kissing, close personal contact, etc. It will be interesting to see how things are handled. I thought the opening Lea and Shaun scene, where she comes looking for her lost ID badge, was delightful...it emphasized Lea's flirtiness and Shaun's hastening to "straighten up the counter a bit" after she breezed past. A peck on the cheek might have been expected between a newly-minted couple...the air kiss might have been a bow to the new normal.
As someone from a different generation than the readers of this blog, I grew up with Lucy and Desi (I desperately hope some of you have at least heard of them...) as they conducted a thriving marriage in single beds in one bedroom, and it was not because they were peeved with each other, like the Glassmans seem to be. There was cheek-to-cheek in the northern hemisphere, not the southern hemisphere. That may well be what is in store for viewers of The Good Doctor this season. Small moments like the ones we were treated to in the premiere...the whispered talk of intimacy, Shaun's giggly body language when Lea suggested something new to explore, and wordless looks of love and appreciation...the "small moments" David Shore and Freddie Highmore are so fond of creating. I remember reading somewhere, before the series began, that Shore chose Highmore for the role because he could convey more with just his eyes than any of the other actors considered. Perfect for this character. Just as Paige Spara and Freddie Highmore created a breathtakingly poignant scene at the end of the "Autopsy" episode by following their instincts that "less is often more," they may well be called upon this season to express their love in a different way...just as they do with their Hubert parenting. By the way, did everyone notice that Hubert has married and had a child? I think I caught a glimpse of three fish in the bowl. Congrats!
Barbara
My thoughts go out to you, mo_celli, for that you endured what we discuss only as a dramatized version – the crippling effects of global pandemic.
Which sheds another light onto the otherwise heartwarming idea of Shaun and Lea consuming their now-found love. When planning for the 4th season, Shore and the writers’ room saw themselves confronted with a multitude of problems.
There were productions issues due to security restrictions, as Barbara explained (Lim and Claire sat at a distance on that bench for a reason). Then there were the furious Melendaires and their angry cyber-crusade against the series and writers, bleeding through to the news outlets.
Yet, there is another big obstacle in the way of Shea 2.0 amidst the pandemic: decency. It would have been quite thoughtless to open the new season with Shaun and Lea having the hots between the sheets while people were suffering and dying all around them. Thus, the casual hints that Shaun and Lea have taken care of the physical aspect of their relationship quite successfully are a reasonable concession to the current situation.
Again, the writers took time by the forelock and instead explored how the forced separation effects the couple – an experience probably millions can relate to under multiple lockdowns, travel restrictions and social distancing. And while the idea of Shea phone sex doesn’t sit well with some portions of the audience, it is a bold statement by the show in several ways.
First, it is some sort of comment on the Melendaires and austere morals – the show doesn’t care but emphasizes Shea all the way even in the face of potentially losing audience.
Secondly, by doing so, the show breaks stereotypes of disabled persons being asexual entities and merciless exposes deeply-held prejudices against them. The idea of autistic Shaun engaging in mutual masturbation with neurotypical Lea seems to be unbearable for some, judging by the angry reactions in social media, claiming it ruined “a family show” forever – which is quite hypocritical remembering that (neurotypical) St. Claire was introduced to the audience in the pilot by having sex with Jared at the hospital. Or with (neurotypical) Melendez and (neurotypical) Lim having an on-off-affair since Lim dragged Melendez’s drunken ass into bed to relief her frustration about Andrews. Or with all the blood and gore in every episode that makes me question what the average American Christian perceives as family-friendly entertainment anyway…
But I digress – my point is, I wasn’t surprised we did not see Shea 2.0 consume their love in the ordinary way and I did not miss it either. Because when we consider what intrigued us most about Shea since season 1; we probably would agree that it was how this relationship progressed slowly and kept the fire burning with the small things: a smack at the arm, a reluctant hug, affectionate looks and small gestures of appreciation. That is Shea and, the sexed-up talking aside, that was what we saw again in 401 Frontline Part 1. I like it.
P.S.: As Kelli noted at Twitter, I seem to have a weakness for X-File related Gifs, and this is no little coincidence. Mulder & Scully carry quite some Shea-vibes. They too were a pairing with a hard-to-explain screen chemistry, slowly developing in into caring partnership, tested countless times and always finding their way back together – over the course of 11 (!) seasons and 2 movies. Go, Shea! ;)
Nice to see so many comments since my first one. And it's only been a day!!
In response to "what could have been," I fully believe that the incorporation of the virus into the storyline - and especially the Shea development - plays into their favor. As it ended up, their first challenge that we see is not only one that is brought on by an external factor, but an external factor that is sympathetic and relatable for many watching in real life. MUCH better, in my opinion, from a narrative standpoint.
Without the virus, their first on-screen struggle would have come from their own doing. A stage of awkwardness transitioning from friends to more? Unintentionally hurt feelings due to some remark? An issue of personal/work life balance? Whichever route they would have chose, not only would it have been a bit cliche (though I have no doubt it would have been resolved beautifully), but it would have been something for critics to use as their own ammo ("they're having issues ALREADY?!?").
As for the distancing, I think we'll continue to see it. But I don't think it'll be AS "enforced" as this first two-parter. Firstly, part of the point of these two episodes is to emphasize COVID culture and protocols. And secondly, I'm sure the month-long delay that occurred before those first episodes were filmed led to everyone taking an "extra cautious" on-screen approach.
So while I agree that the close/intimate scenes will be limited for the reasons others have stated, I don't think they will be non-existent. And because of that, I'm sure the scenes we DO get with be of the highest quality to make up for the lack of quantity.
Just one more observation: I was VERY pleased by the increased Lea presence in this episode. FIVE scenes! And still with plenty of time dedicated to the medical aspect of the show. Hopefully this was a win-win for both the "more medical, please" AND the "personal + medical = best" groups!
Hi Tony!! I agree about the protocols, there are many series filming right now. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty aware of one of them in particular which is one of my favorites "Sex education" and yet it is filmed in the UK where protocols are much different, I think that if they can provide the scenes that the series is used to do, which are extremely more steamy than the ones we see in TGD, there shouldn't be an issue to see at least a couple of intimate-kissing scenes from time to time.
The cast is being tested 3 times a week, as far as I know and tbh how can you tell the story of a couple in love without those moments? Anyway I have my hopes there that everything will be OK.
Paige Spara appears as regular cast now, not as invited so she will appear, I hope so, in every episode... I was expecting this so I'm glad they gave her that.
Thanks Andreas for your kind words.
I know i think differently from most perhaps due to being a mirror image of Lea as I was Lea when living abroad for 5 years in Europe as a teenager. Two years alone touring Europe from age of 17 where I had an amazing time hitch hiking my way through every country and meeting so many different cultures.
Are my views more open minded as I was married to someone in the forces for many years??
I also have a very different view on their sex discussions which were very mild. The same time The Good Doctor was being shown in the UK Shades of Grey was being shown on one of the UK normal TV channels at 9pm doing the Trilogy over 3 weeks, now that is what I call mild porn.
Perhaps this is due to falling in love and marrying someone who was in the forces where phone sex was normal as was writing sensual letters and this was back in 1976. So i find it difficult to understand the backlash from viewers abroad about sex talk being shown on a hospital TV drama don't they watch Grey's Anatomy which has a huge fan base since 2005, no complaints about what is shown by their viewers and they still came No 1 in the ratings after 16 seasons that is pretty amazing.
Surely those who live in the USA and other western countries have husbands in the forces who spend a lot of time apart and I would be very surprised if they are not doing what Shaun and Lea are doing now, exploring sexual thoughts using their imagination, Lea tried her hardest but poor Shaun does not understand this way of exploration. Lea is so patient while Shaun shouts 'THIS IS STUPID, I DON'T WANT TO PRETEND TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU I WANT TO BE WITH YOU" and Lea's reply was so sweet "I MISS YOU TOO".
I am more concerned about the small bed and I can also see small fish in the bowl with Albert so hope he has a family of his own. I found that moment of Shaun feeding them heart warming.
Barbara... Mo... I noted the fishbowl too.
It'll be part of the follow-up post ;)
I agree with Tony. I think we'll get some Shea demonstrations of affection, but probably not as many as we might have if not for COVID.
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