Sunday, April 11, 2021

13 Down, 7 to go: TGD Season 4 Progress Report

 

The upside to this pandemic-impacted Season 4 of TGD seems obvious, as one look at the calendar reminds us that Season 3 was already complete at this time a year ago. The downside is just as obvious, though: only 8 episodes have aired in the 14 weeks since returning from the obligatory winter hiatus. 


It’s difficult to build momentum at that pace, harder still for specific story arcs to get any traction from episode to episode. And to do all while trying to hang on to viewers, much less attract new ones? Let’s just say I’m not sure a less-established show could survive.


Maybe Lea’s pregnancy storyline shouldn’t have come as such a surprise after all; it’s arguably the easiest idea to cultivate in this season of stops and starts. In fact, TGD may be parlaying all the breaks into effortless time hops forward. We’ll have a better sense of that when “Gender Reveal” airs on 4/19, but from what I’ve read, the show might need to jump from “week 7” to “week 18” for the sex of #SheaBaby to be known… and might spring farther ahead than that in weeks to come.


On the other hand, it seems unlikely we’ll have many more breaks between these last seven episodes. Summer programming takes over near the start of, well, summer, and even if TGD takes only ONE week off between 4/19 and the season finale, new episodes will bleed into June


What a weird thought to have the entire back third of the season come at us so “rapidly!”


And so welcome, too. For while anticipating all things #Shea is one matter, charting the respective courses of the eight other TGD regulars (including the two remaining Newbies) hasn’t exactly been easy. 


Part of that is surely by design, considering that Season 3’s earthquake (and respective aftermath) was intended by David Shore to send ALL the St. B’vites into new directions.                      

But two-thirds in, it’s been a season heavy all-around on personal development and light on professional progress. (Which, again, is tougher to track when it’s so spread out.)


Highly technical tabulating 
right here
So this week, I got curious and tracked the appearances and/or significant developments of everyone on TGD over the 13 episodes we’ve seen thus far. Shaun’s been in every episode and Lea’s been in almost every one (I’m not counting “Lim” with her birthday party cameo), but for what I hope are obvious reasons I’m bypassing the lead couple to talk about the others… in order of prominence (as per my silly notebook chart):


CLAIRE: Why can’t she ever catch a break?wailed so many TGD fans when her estranged father returned in the last episode. But never mind the fact that the writers surely have more behind their motives than cruel torture-- what if Claire simply HAS to get in the trenches to deal with the crappy cards life has dealt her? What if someone was to look at the things that have challenged her this season (Melendez ghost, a challenging friendship with Lim, lingering pain from her relationship with Breeze, and now the return of her dad) as a series of GOOD breaks? What if it all serves to buoy her to greater heights once the professional challenges ARE in the spotlight again? 


PROGNOSIS: While whatever might have happened between Claire and Enrique “Boardshorts” Guerin evaporated quickly, he did leave her with the interesting parting request to “do something for herself”... which prompted her to check out opportunities in France. The arrival of her father quickly eclipsed those moments in her room, with the record player spinning, in the final act of “Teeny Blue Eyes,” but we often talk here about how seldom things happen on TGD for no reason at all...


MORGAN: Her resistance to her new non-surgical status seemed to be worked out only five episodes into the season… which left it feeling a little too easy from my perspective, but perhaps it’s a testament to Morgan’s resilience (a “get the sulking out of the way, then get on with it” kind of attitude) that the focus then shifted to her frenemy-turned-roomie-turned-frenemy w/benefits, a.k.a. budding relationship with Park. In fact things are looking up more than usual for Morgan at work-- instead of getting kicked out of the OR (as she was back in “Newbies”), she was recently invited to scrub in to advise with a procedure (“Spilled Milk”).


PROGNOSIS: All eyes seem to be on #Paresnik, or whatever this coupling calls itself, and musings on how serious it’ll get and/or how long it’ll last. I’m intrigued too, and while theirs feels like an entirely different species of romance than that cultivated by #Shea, I wonder if it might endure in some fashion much longer than anyone expects right now.


PARK: With the “Frontline” 2-parter effectively squaring

away his reason to stay in San Jose after all, the wheels were in motion soon after for him and Morgan… when he was taking time away from work to finalize divorce and she “caught” him… remember? Anyway, it’s a mighty good thing he’s making
some sort of progress in that arena; career-wise, he’s in even more of a holding pattern than the others. 


PROGNOSIS: If the stakes go higher for the St. B’vites in year 5 of their residency, will Park benefit from Morgan’s form of “support” (whatever that may be)... or will it backfire? Will Park even be as interested in reaching the top of the heap with his favorite rival out of the running? More importantly, will Kellan return to San Jose (temporarily or otherwise), perhaps seeking shelter from a bad first year of college? The possibilities with that relationship still feel open-ended…


LIM: What would’ve happened with Dr. Audrey Lim this

season if there’d been no pandemic to write into the show? Without love in her life anymore, and without family to haunt her (yet), her personal story’s been limited to 1) developing PTSD, and 2) dealing with her PTSD. And while TGD gets huge props for taking on the PTSD story in the first place (including an outstanding Lim-centered episode), it currently feels as if Lim’s issues completely resolved themselves once she allowed herself to manage it with medication. It’s frustrating, but perhaps that’s the only way a show with this many balls in the air at one time can deal with such a complex issue at all. 


PROGNOSIS: A thought more than an expectation here… what if someone in Lim’s family paid her a visit (finally!), and she was able to learn something about a family history of well-hidden mental health issues that helped her understand her situation even better?


GLASSMAN: It’s a little difficult to know if this is the

placement Glassman would be in had his portrayer not suffered from a real-life COVID hospitalization that took him out of two episodes completely (and found him with only one brief scene in a third). Was he scheduled to be in more episodes? Would he have served more than a minor supporting role in any of them? So… he’s kind of been all over the place. Working through challenges with Debbie during the pandemic episodes. Advising Shaun personally and professionally in almost every episode. Advising Morgan professionally when she was still new to her new gig. Taking Claire’s concerns about Lim to the next level. Sparring with Andrews over “impossible” cases and the motivation for taking them on. And most importantly, forging a relationship with Lea (finally!) that is started with mutual admiration for Shaun and has blossomed into mutual respect and appreciation for each other.


PROGNOSIS: Aside from whatever support he continues to bring to #Shea, Glassman’s role for the duration of the season feels a little up-for-grabs. If Debbie puts in another appearance this season (and given that Sheila Kelley has been seen on social media with an upcoming script in hand, it feels like a given), Glassman’s role pivots one way; if he finds himself in the OR again this season, it pivots differently.


ANDREWS: I’ll go ahead and say it again if I’ve said it before:

when TGD hinted at the death of a character due to the earthquake last season, I thought it was Andrews that was going down. The reason? It seems that they just don’t know what to do with this character. He’s a superior, but so is Lim (and in fact Lim now has the job Andrews assigned to himself once Dr. Han was sent packing at the end of S2). He had a personal-life story early on, as he and his wife suffered through infertility issues in S1, but that fell to the wayside quickly and we haven’t seen his better half now in years. There were interesting new dynamics when one of the newbies turned out to be his own niece, but then she was gone by the midway point of the season. 


PROGNOSIS: Do the writers have him laying low in a Lea in the first half of Season 3 kind of way… biding his time until the original residents hit year 5? Hill Harper himself seems to be one of the most vocal advocates of the show, recently stating in an interview that he saw no reason TGD couldn’t have the same longevity as Grey’s Anatomy … he’s also the one who recently confirmed via Twitter that TGD still has 20 episodes planned for S4, sounding excited for what was still to come this year. Hopefully, the writers have plans for Andrews on par with Hill’s enthusiasm.


AND… THE NEWBIES


Both Dr. Asher Wolke and Dr. Jordan Allen had to wait until 4.3 “Newbies” to make their respective debuts on TGD, but of the 6 potential first-year residents (and the 4 that moved forward at St. B), Wolke and Jordan are all that remain. As a whole, I think most of us have mixed emotions when it comes to “the Newbies”-- intrigue for the new life and story potential they’ve brought to TGD, surprise at where the professional evolution of the fourth-year residents has (and hasn’t) gone as they’ve become teachers/leaders, and frustration as it all leaves even more characters fighting for airtime.


And while the firing and departure of Dr. Olivia Jackson in “Decrypt” was well-done in my opinion, I can’t say the same for Dr. Enrique Guerin’s exit in “Teeny Blue Eyes”. Yeah, we got clues that he was re-thinking some things as the episode progressed, but to seemingly just have him decide This isn’t for me after all and next thing we know, he’s emptying his locker and saying goodbye to just one character (Claire)? With no notice given to Lim or Andrews? No thoughtful parting words to Shaun, who Guerin had helped so effortlessly with matters of the heart early in the season (and who had worked alongside Guerin throughout the episode? Maybe his non-traditional spirit and the tricked-out RV in which he dwells was supposed to tip us off that he could fly the coop at any time, but it still felt like an afterthought of a departure.


DR. ASHER WOLKE: From his first moments on TGD--

that unusually tight close-up on his face; that intriguing backstory he shared with the senior residents-- Wolke made an indelible impression at St. B. He’s eager, personable, and has the dubious honor of being the first of the new crop to lose a patient (only a few episodes into his tenure, no less). But more recently, he scored a significant win by earning a spot on Glassman’s “team” with the human pretzel patient in 4.11 “We’re All Crazy Sometimes”-- the only Newbie to do so.


PROGNOSIS: With both Shaun and (especially?) Claire, I feel some kid brother potential for Wolke in terms of camaraderie. And with Shaun losing his sibling long ago and Claire never having one to begin with (As far as I know), it could be a nice quasi-role for Wolke to occupy.


DR. JORDAN ALLEN: She’s strong, outspoken, and quite

business-savvy for her age-- all adding up to the “wow” factor that even Morgan took note of early on. She even showed great bedside manner shortly after arrival; remember the lady pregnant with twins in 4.4 “Not the Same”? But her need to speak out also got her in hot water with Lim (4.6 “Lim”), and while she outshone Olivia during her time at St. B., Glassman’s challenge in “Crazy” showed her to be as fallible as any other doctor. 


PROGNOSIS: With her entrepreneurial spirit and skill, it’s easy to picture Jordan scoring another patent and/or distribution deal that could send her to greener pastures at any time. But otherwise, Jordan is a smart cookie who still has plenty to learn… and after her ‘forgiveness” conversation with Claire last episode (4.13 “Spilled Milk”), I can also picture her in ally mode next season when Lim might not be in such a position. BUT-- especially if she spends any time bumping horns with Morgan in the future-- I wonder if a thornier, protect-thyself-at-all-costs version of Jordan will emerge?


Okay, dear readers... the floor is yours now. Who do you care most about on TGD outside of #Shea? Who wouldn't you miss if they were kidnapped by aliens during this latest mini-hiatus? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!


15 comments:

Daniela said...

Thank you, Kelli.
Your analytical skills are as always over the top! And the picture of your handmade table was hilarious 😉
There’s a lot to say, while we’re trying hard to keep our nerves under control, during this very long hiatus.
What do I care the most apart from Shea? Good question indeed.
It’s no secret at this time that a love Glassman’s character. He’s definitely my hero. It’s strange how much role models change in shape and form throughout our lives, depending on where we are in that specific moment in life.
Well, I can now say without shame that Glassy has easily become my role model as a parent.
When I watched The Good Doctor for the first time (following the suggestion of a colleague of mine) I was first and foremost captivated by that character and by his relationship with Shaun (highs and lows included). Because, let’s say it, those of us who are parents know that we are far from being perfect, but what really matters in the end is the love and the commitment we put in it. And in Glassman I’ve always seen a lot of unconditional, immense, and free love.
And it’s a lot to say, knowing where the character comes from. His biggest mistake in life probably being his failure as a father to his daughter. But he’s learnt and he’s grown, becoming the perfect dad for someone like Shaun. Even accepting to be considered “merely” as a friend by him for a long time, as a result of the trauma induced by the experience with his horrible parents.
My hopes for Glassy are that he can finally get validation as a parent and that he can finally heal from his past wounds, that are all still there, as we could hear during his heartbreaking and heartwarming exchange with Shaun, last episode.
I loved the beautiful way the writers have developed his relationship with Lea, because that was a necessary step to complete his journey of validation. And the Shea baby, if we are lucky enough to get it, will be the final medicine he needs.
I’m uncertain about the role Debbie will play in all this development, if she’ll have any. I love Sheila Kelly, but I sincerely didn’t like the way her character was written in season 3. It was too often a source of conflict, both in the personal and the professional environment. She was a sort of antagonist, instead of being a support in Glassy’s life. First and foremost, not respecting his relationship with Shaun and not understanding the importance Shaun had in his life.
In this, I can proudly say, that Lea was quite different, always respecting Glassman’s role, even with all their differences.
Now, if the baby is born or not will also impact Glassy’s professional life. Because in one case he might choose to leave the hospital’s presidency to become Grandpa Glassy and maybe keep working only at the clinic or as a consultant for the hospital. This would impact some other characters too, like Lim and Andrews.

About Andrews, I can say that – even if I greatly appreciated his sacrifice in helping Shaun at the end of season 2 – I liked the character more when he was an antagonist. At least he had a well-defined role, while now I find it hard to figure out his usefulness.

Daniela said...

I like Claire a lot, and I think that professionally speaking she’s the only one at Shaun’s level as far as technical ability is concerned, plus she has the empathy he sometimes lacks. So, the dynamic may become interesting, because the two of them are friends but at the same time, they will need to compete for a stable position at the hospital, very soon.
So, I agree with you here, Kelli. Claire wasn’t put through hell for the sake of it, but to prepare her to excel when the time comes. It’s also obvious that Shaun and Claire have much in common when we take into consideration their life experiences. Even if Claire had to endure an ill but present mother, while Shaun had to escape from an abusive family. Also, Claire had no one else to help her through her life and career, while Shaun had at least been lucky enough to meet Glassman. So, their stories mirror each other to a certain extent.

Apart from the PTSD storyline and her friendship with Claire, Lim has been quite useless this season.
I don’t particularly like Morgan and Park, but the development of their relationship can become interesting in the following episodes.

About the newbies, I’ve appreciated Asher so far. I agree, he’s become a sort of little brother to both Claire and Shaun. And it was fun to watch him having lunch with Shaun, while discussing both the surgical plan and the relationship issues with Lea, at the same time. I would have liked to read his mind, to know what he was thinking about the president of the hospital sitting there with the two of them, counseling Shaun.
I don’t care about Jordan that much, maybe because her character has not been developed enough yet.

As a final consideration, I think that season 4 has been putting a lot of things into the plate so far, but only sometimes a story arc has been completed adequately, after being developed. And the professional struggle is probably the part that suffered the most. The long breaks obviously don’t help to keep everything together, but we know that’s Covid-related, so out of the production’s control.
For this reason, I hope that they will focus on what is already there, in the following episodes, and not develop further stories that may risk to alter the route they’ve been following, not concluding an arc in satisfactory way.

Tony said...

Great rundown of the remaining cast, Kelli!

At this point, I fully believe that Jordan and Asher will both become official regulars. I expect it will be next season, though the show could surprise us and do it sooner if the show decides for sure that's what they're doing.

I think their debut was only delayed a maximum of one episode, as without the pandemic, I'm sure 4.01 would have focused more on the fallout from the S3 finale and setting the stage for the season. And if that were only one episode, rather than a 2-part premiere, then enter the newbies in 4.02.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this being a "lighter" season in terms of professional development. They're no longer learning the ropes and establishing their presence. But they're not yet focusing on the next steps and moving on. I'm actually impressed that we've gotten the professional plots that they gave us. Interruptions to status quo in Season 2; first lead surgeries in Season 3; and leadership/supervision here in Season 4.

As a bunch of Shaun and Lea fans, it's great to have such a wonderful show, with such a delightful all-around cast! Thanks for the post - and the opportunity to discuss!

Tony said...

I believe Glassman was only out for two episodes because of Richard having COVID (4.06 and 4.07), though I remember that the script from 4.05 got altered as well (with Glassman's only appearance in the episode being the "spend time with the ones you love" scene with Shaun). Once the Shea baby comes, I wonder if Glassman will give up one (or both) of Presidency or Clinic Manager, to allow himself a bit of Grandpa life (or even Retirement - this time on his own terms)?

I think next season will pick back up as Shaun/Claire/Park near the end of their Residency, and possibly give us the more competitive attitude that Morgan hinted at back during her character's debut late in Season 1.

I agree that the show has more up its sleeve than not giving Claire a break. All of these struggles & trials are building up to something. I know a lot of people see the Claire character and re-live past tragedy of their own, but I hope they can hold on long enough to see the joys that come with overcoming such hardships!

For some reason, the show have been VERY light in showing Park's professional development. In the Season 2 premiere, Park was the only one to which we didn't even get a hint as to what Andrews said during the performance evaluation. During the "first lead surgeries" arc in Season 3, his was totally off-screen! I still haven't gotten over that! And as far as seeing him act as a leader/mentor to the newbies, I'm still wondering if we'll get fewer of these moments in Season 4 than we will get references to Lea's last name!

As for Morgan, she seems to be in the perfect spot. No reason to think she can't eventually run the ER. I do wonder if she will move on from her Residency at the same time as Shaun, Claire, and Park? Or if her change in specialty will delay that milestone? I suppose that depends on if Hill Harper's hope of a longer series comes true, and we go beyond Season 5 (I know nothing official has been said yet, but I really do believe there will be a Season 5).

Speaking of Hill Harper, I'd love to know what happened to the adoption discussion with Dr. Andrews? I know he became President shortly after that discussion, and followed that up with all of the Chief of Surgery drama (keeping it; relinquishing it after the Christmas Quarantine; paying a way-high price for a new one; and then firing him within a month). So maybe that adoption got put on the back-burner. But now that things are more stable, perhaps Andrews can revisit that?

And for Lim, we got to see a shift from her being extra-soft on Shaun at times (even as recently as mid-Season 3), to being extra-friendly with Claire. She's mentioned a strained relationship with her own mom a couple of times (Quarantine, Autopsy); perhaps we're still in store for something in this regard? Maybe not this season, but perhaps next?

Daniela said...

You are right, Tony.
Glassman wasn't in episodes 4.06 and 4.07 only.
Fotunately, Richard Schiff had a very quick recovery.

Kelli Lawrence said...

Yeah, I neglected to mark Glassman as "present" in the Fault episode (4.05) because I forgot about the one scene he was in... hand-drawn notebook table fail! I'll make an edit.

Andreas said...

Perhaps we shouldn’t surprised that this season the individual story arcs do not span so wide as before. With so much uncertainty concerning how production might continue during a pandemic and the very real possibility of forced production breaks, the showrunner and his writing team might have opted for shorter, more self-contained storylines.

A course diversion that might add to problems the season had to cope with. Yet, even without these, the stories of characters not named Shaun never really had consistent and long-running storylines. Some ended without any notice – such as Claire searching for other victims of Dr. Coyle, or the Andrews family arc noted by Kellie. It’s the downside of a show with a rather large cast but a single focus on the autistic lead character. What does not serve the main plotlines can be cut short. Characters are often benched for a couple of episodes before the show affords time for them again.

It is probably safe to say that Lea’s pregnancy will occupy a considerably time slot for the rest of the season, although the focus might not be on it in every single episode – nine months are a wide time span to cover - and tell novel stories about it. However, with Claire’s father stirring things up again and Morgan engaging in basic human behavior for the first time on the show, the plate seems nicely filled. There’s also still something up for Glassman of course, but how much screen time it will get is still to be seen. The other characters might very well function as supporting cast mostly in the remaining episodes.

Speaking of Morgan’s blossoming affair with Park – I’m not sure if there’s such a big difference to what Shaun went through in the previous season. With “Spilled Milk” it became quite clear that Morgan’s obstacle concerning her love life is allowing herself to be vulnerable.

Her upbringing in a competitive family and her career path turned her into a person that needs stay on top of the game all times. Morgan achieved this by putting on an armor made of abrasiveness. She wasn’t kind to anyone and therefore did not receive kindness in return. That sure was (almost) as hard for Morgan as for her colleagues, but her reward was being in control of the situation most of the time.

Yet, Morgan’s defenses were gradually worn down since last season. First by getting close to Claire, then by her RA. Both experiences ended badly for Morgan: Claire felt Morgan becoming too close for her liking and choose Melendez instead; and the RA combined with her own sense of duty ended her surgical career. Things got out of control rapidly.
Being in an intimate relationship is even less controllable. This was what repelled Shaun initially after his first date with Carly: “Everything was always out of control. Anything could happen at any time.” (3.01 Disaster)

Shaun is a man of routines and strict rules. His reasons for wanting to stay in control are different (they are deeply rooted in his ASD) but still his story arc with Carly was in way very much about giving up control and becoming vulnerable. Shaun learned to put trust into a romantic partner, to open to ways different from his own.

Morgan seemingly adjusted to her new situation at work, she now able to openly show compassion for patients without downplaying in front of colleagues, but she still has to learn how she can trust Park beyond the frenemy-relationship she was so comfortable with.

Syl said...

There is no character I dislike, but I care less for the storylines of Andrews, Park and Allen. However I can still appreciate their scenes and the impact they have on other characters. Especially Andrews, I'd like to see how his careerist side and desire to be president of the hospital would impact Glassman. And it will be nice seeing Morgan allowing herself to be vulnerable thanks to Park.

I love Claire but, at the beginning of the season, I didn't like her behaviour, although I understand that she was hurting after M's death, and still reeling from her mother's death. I like her friendship with Lim, just as I liked her friendship with Morgan, they both helped her better deal with a loss when she needed it.
She certainly has had a lot of hardships in the course of the show, but she had such a difficult childhood that it's expected that she has some big issues to overcome as an adult. It's only when she'll have dealt with her burdened past that she'll be able to feel free and have a brighter future.
In the meantime, she still can't catch a break, but I don't understand the fans saying that TPTB don't like Claire...They wouldn't give the character so much focus, such important scenes, if they didn't value her. And it's clear that they do that because they value Antonia Thomas' acting abilities.
For the rest of the season, I hope to see more of her and her father, and more moments with Lea!

Glassman is a character that I've loved from the beginning. It's moving to see how much he cares for Shaun. However one thing that frustrated me is how he treated Lea. Even of he was being very protective of Shaun he was very unfair to her for a long time, and he was very ungrateful despite how supportive and caring she was with Shaun. But as Lea said in "Parenting", it's tough for him to give compliments! And he also still feels guilty because of his daughter's death. I wish we could see him smile more often...Maybe once he'll be a grandad? If the baby is a girl named Maddie, it would be great! Maybe he'll start to work less to be more present with the baby and it could help assuage his guilt. Debbie might also be the one giving him a wake up call of some sort...
In any case, it seems he and Debbie will have an important storyline in "Letting go" and "Forgive or forget". And of course as a big supporter of the Glassman-Lea relationship what I want most is seeing them become closer, with Glassman really showing care and love for her, as a parent would.

Syl said...

As for Morgan, I think it's a great character. But I love characters who are tough on the outside but have in fact a good heart. She hasn't had an easy life either, and I wish they would explore her difficult past more because it's not just her family who made her be like this, it's her past relationship(s) which make her so wary of developing a romantic relationship. I like Park, but I am less invested in this character, and although I don't dislike Parknick I would have prefered that they remained friends, because I don't see much chemistry for a romance and because it's such a common trope in medical shows for doctors to date each other that I'm tired of it! It's partly why I was rooting so much for Shaun and Lea as soon as she appeared ^^
Of course since a show can't have too many characters it's easier to put a doctor together with another doctor, but it can get boring.
Back to Morgan: I wish we had seen more about how she coped with not being a surgeon anymore. But as some other things this season this storyline was unfortunately derailed.

Lim: the storyline with her PTSD was hard but also riveting to watch. It's seemingly under control but I'd like to know how she really feels now. I'd also like to see another family member, to get to know her better.

Asher: it's the only newbie that I really like (although Olivia grew on me), and didn't mind taking screentime. It's true that his relationship with Claire and Shaun could become close to that of a sibling, and I'm all for it. He's someone who appears to be very kind, wise and respectful of others, but he's in need of guidance not just professionally but personally as well.

Andreas said...

Concerning Glassman and Lea, Syl, I find it remarkable that we haven’t got any scene with them since Shaun broke the news to his surrogate father. It makes me think that this isn’t only owed to time restrictions within the scripts but building to another watershed moment as with Parenting/Decrypt before.

I concur with you that Morgan’s storyline early this season was a missed opportunity. Yet, even a skilled writers team like TGD’s can’t always win. Though, I was pleasantly surprised how they handled the Park/Reznick romance in Spilled Milk.

It is true that the only really good reason for Dr-Dr-relationships in medical dramas is keeping the character count down. And while the abrasive Reznick and the seasoned ex-cop are a good match on paper, I wasn’t too thrilled with the on-screen chemistry of the characters. I don’t blame this on the performers but on how the characters haven been developed so far.

Park is stoic, reserved. Will Yun Lee does an excellent job with portraying Park being the stone his father taught him to be. Yet, that makes Park look dull when paired with Fiona Gubelmann’s multi-layered, intriguing Morgan.

So, I enjoyed it that Spilled Milk turned this arc into an exploration of Morgan learning to be vulnerable in her personal relationships. This plays into all the strengths of both characters: Park can remain the well-meaning buddy while we watch yet another piece of Morgan’s armor coming off. With that, the script stayed true to both characters.

Andreas said...

On a side note, about the Drs screwing fellow Drs trope… it still is true that thanks to The Unspeakable’s untimely demise, there is still little potential within the cast for new rolling in the hay…
Andrews is still married happily, Glassy is… well, married to Debbie; Lim, Claire, Morgan, Jordan, and Park are all straight and not questioning their sexual orientation so far. Asher says that the dates men but is more invested in online-stalking than really dating so far.

It appears that the show isn’t planning on diving into hospital soap realms in the near future but might concentrate on giving Shaun & Lea, as well as Morgan and Claire that sort of family life they missed earlier in their lives. (With the other characters in supporting roles.)

Daniela said...

I agree with you, Andreas, concerning Glassman and Lea. I think they are bulding something very significant, for when the right moment comes.
It's an already established pattern for the show to keep two characters apart before a particularly intense future scene together.

Syl said...

I've also been thinking how odd it is that we haven't seen Glassman and Lea talk since the news of her pregnancy...
Given that he said that their relationship was moving too fast, he could have something to say about having a baby so soon. Although in Parenting, Glassman's comments were more about him being overprotective of Shaun, and he knew he was wrong commenting about their relationship moving supposedly too fast given that he proposed to Debbie not long after knowing her. And in Decrypt, it was established that he now respects and likes Lea, and trusts her more. In fact, instead of judging her, I think Glassman would respect her even more for  deciding to keep the baby because it is another proof of how much she loves Shaun. But then a scene where Lea told Glassman that she's very scared of being a mother yet wants the baby because it's Shaun would have been moving to see. Or just a scene with Glassman asking how she's doing would be nice.

However TPTB wouldn't have shown them become closer if it didn't lead to something big. So I agree with you Andreas and Daniela that there is likely something big emotionally that will involve both of them at some point in the next episodes. If not I will throw a tantrum and file a complaint report to the writers!! More seriously, it will be disappointing if it doesn't happen, they are the 2 most important persons in Shaun's life and they both love Shaun so much, so they should get more screentime together but also the 3 of them together, which has only happened once in Parenting so far this season...

Regarding Morgan and Park, I'm also not blaming the lack of chemistry on the actors, as they are both doing a great job portraying their character. It's indeed rather a lack of development of the relationship.
I liked how it was handled in Spilled milk too, their dynamic was great in this episode and I loved how Park confronted Morgan, making her drop her armor for a bit.

And about the dr-dr relationships: it's indeed funny how the show's characters can't date each other, in fact they put the only 2 characters that were plausible together. I really love that they have kept some characters alone, like Lim and until recently Morgan, not having them be with a doctor, then another, then another, etc. And also having characters be in established relationships and not having them cheat or be interested in someone else, like Glassman-Debbie and Andrews- her wife-whose-name-i-forgot, is more realistic. To me the storyline of Melendez dating Lim then developing feelings for Claire felt a bit soap-operaish, so I didn't like it.

Daniela said...

In that case, i'd co-sign the complaint with you, Syl ;)

Amy D said...

This has been the strangest TV season I remember because of COVID, and all of the stops and starts, while I understand them and accept them, have been frustrating.

I didn't think all 4 newbies would make it to the end of the season, but I wasn't expecting 2 of them to be gone in such rapid succession. I agree that Olivia's departure was very well-written. Guerin's did seem kind of sudden, and maybe it would have been better if they had held on to him until the end of the season and THEN had him decide to take off for Doctors Without Borders. But he's gone, so that's really neither here nor there, just my opinion.

I find Morgan and Park's evolving relationship interesting. I don't see them getting married, or even Park moving back in, since Morgan was so adamant about him moving out before they acted on their attraction to each other. But I'm definitely paying attention to what's going on with them. And I'd love to see Kellan again, whether it's a visit or a bad college experience. There could be friction there if Park wants to go out to dinner or do something the three of them and include Morgan. Morgan doesn't strike me as the bond-with-Park's-kid-even-though-Park's-kid-is-in-college type. I don't think she'd be purposely rude, but she would be totally out of her depth.

Glassman's impossible surgery, and his growing relationship with Lea, in addition to his marriage to Debbie and his relationship with Shaun now evolving because Shaun's gonna be a dad give him plenty of avenues for exploration for the rest of the season and beyond.

Asher and Jordan are definitely the most well-defined of the newbies, so I'm not surprised they're still around. Asher seems to have the best shot at staying at St. Bonaventure for his career. And Jordan has her patent/invention stuff as well as medicine.


It's Andrews, Lim, and Claire that need something more than one note to play. Claire is in the Perils of Paulina mode full time, it seems: since her mother died, it's been one crisis after another for her. Unless she has a sudden unknown half-sibling show up, I think they're out of family to crash back into her life and disrupt things, though. It would be nice to see something for Lim besides PTSD and Chief of Surgery stuff. Time will tell.