In a season where many TGD episode titles have had direct connections to #Shea, “Forgive or Forget” turned out to be… not one of them.
When I first saw that title back in April, and we were all trying to figure out what it had to do with storylines on the show-- well, frankly, it was a little alarming. There was already some concern about the meaning of the previous episode title “Letting Go” (with good reason, it turns out). Could “Forgive or Forget” be an extension of that letting go process? Was it about the different perceived ways Shaun and Lea might be dealing with a #Sheababy tragedy? Was Shaun moving on too fast for Lea’s liking-- or at least seemed to be? Was Lea caught up in blame, in dire need of self-forgiveness (even though the miscarriage was no one’s fault)?
Or… in the event that all was still well with the pregnancy… was “Forgive or Forget” about Glassman’s lingering guilt over deceased daughter Maddie (which seemed renewed with Lea’s pregnancy)? Was this the episode where Debbie was going to call him on the way it was consuming him, leading to an emotional breakdown on Glassy’s part unlike anything we’ve seen from him since S2?
(Not exactly, where these two were concerned. But I sure do like that option better than what we got in the actual episode. I’ll get back to the Glassmans.)
So let’s do a quick take on where “Forgive or Forget” took those theories:
Was Shaun moving on too fast for Lea’s liking? No, two important things established early in the episode were 1) It was 3 weeks since the last time we saw them, and 2) As Shaun stated “All we’ve done is work and neither of us feels any better .” So it would appear that communication between the two of them keeps improving in the aftermath of the miscarriage.
Was Lea caught up in self-blame-- or maybe I should say still caught up in self-blame, as there were strong indications of it in “Letting Go”? Hard to say. She’s obviously still in mourning/still healing, but there weren’t any direct references to blame… if only because they were “distracting” themselves with the camp trip. We’ll have to see what comes from the Venga/Vamos 2 parter.
Was “Forgive or Forget” about Glassman’s lingering guilt over Maddie? Uh, no. You might say they went a different direction… or even re-visited an old direction.
Was this the episode where Debbie called him on the way it was consuming him? No! That would have been better! Dangit, I’m still mad about this. I’ll get back to the Glassmans.
In other words, there was a lot of “other” forgivin’ and forgettin’ going on in this episode… with mixed results:
Claire and her father Miles: can’t forget, CAN forgive! This was one of my favorite happenings of the night (aside from the #SheaObvious). Claire was due for some goodness, as maybe we all can agree. I assume this means we’ll see more of Miles in S5?
Case-of-the-week #1 (the teen and her parents)- forgive (though from my tenuous grasp of their issues, it seemed more about the parents needing to realize the error of their ways than their daughter struggling with forgiving them…? OK, I wasn’t giving the patients my full attention in this episode. There, I said it. Watch what I have to say about….
Case-of-the-week #2 (Mushroom guy): forget…? As in, “Forget your crazy mushroom extracts as a means of curing your depression?”... “Forget your mode of treatment for this patient, Park”... “No, YOU forget YOUR mode of treatment, Morgan”... “Forget it; neither of you have any objectivity” (that’s Jordan speaking)? Or at the end… “Forget what I said about forgetting your mushrooms” (that’s Morgan talking to Mushroom Guy)...? Am I getting close on any of this?
Speaking of Morgan and Park: given the choices I guess this is more in the forget column-- forget being friends, forget being friends-with-benefits, forget we even know each other. Is that what Park was trying to say in another one of their locker-room conversations? Hmm. These two are a lot more fraught than they need to be, it seems. I guess the bigger problem lies with Morgan, but Park’s repeated attempts to redefine things on his terms is irritating too. Will this hot mess of a non-relationship reach some kind of boiling point in the season finale? Or will David Shore pull something similar to what he did last year with Claire and Melendez-- except rather than kill one of ‘em off before taking the relationship further, one of them will stay in Guatemala…?
Ah, crap, I’m back to the Glassmans before moving on to all things #Shea…. OK, this discussion may or may not break out into a longer one over the summer, depending on how much conversation it continues to generate. For now, I’m going to do my best to keep my thoughts succinct…
“Forgive or Forget” brought Glassman’s wife Debbie back to the show for the first time since the “Frontline” 2-parter that opened S4… only to have their marriage uprooted over the course of 3 scenes (3 ½ if you count Glassy discussing his apparent overbearing nature with Lim), and ending with the two of them separating.
Word on the Twitter street is that this development was actually scheduled for earlier in the season-- with, one presumes, more than one episode to set it up-- but Richard Schiff (Glassman) and Sheila Kelley (Debbie)’s real-life battle with COVID resulted in them postponing and/or shelving those plans.
Speculation on that same Twitter street spanned everything from Sheila Kelley has a new acting gig so maybe this was a necessity… to with the 2 remaining “newbies” (Asher Wolke and Jordan Allen) returning as regulars next year, they had to make cuts somewhere… to Well, Glassman and Debbie were kind of an odd match anyway that got married much too soon… it makes sense that it’s not working out.
My take is probably in the minority, but here it is anyway:
1) I agree that Glassman and Debbie got married much too soon, but TGD is taking the easy way out by not using the hasty set-up that TGD created (!) to explore the Glassman’s union (and they haven’t. Not really.)
2) If COVID kept this storyline from moving forward earlier in the season, why not push the whole idea into Season 5 instead, rather than rush through the breakup as they did? (And if there was concern S5 wouldn’t happen, just leave the storyline alone… what would’ve been the harm in having Glassman’s marriage continue into oblivion?)
3) Excuses about not knowing Sheila Kelley’s availability into S5 fall flat; no, we don’t know exactly what lies ahead for her career-wise but we DO know she’s married to her TGD co-star… if they insist on bringing Debbie’s role on the show to an end, I think it might be easier to work with her schedule than the average actor.
4) As someone who has studied the visual medium-- both formally and on the job, during my 25 years in the industry (nothing NEAR the heights of network TV, but the industry nonetheless)-- I’ve always felt that scripted series in particular owe something more to their viewers than tends to be delivered. What I mean by that is that people pick up so many cues from TV-- how to interact, to problem-solve, to simply BE in the world-- and I don’t think TV writers/showrunners take that responsibility as seriously as they should. My point in this particular case is that IF the show opts to have Glassman marry a hospital barista after a very brief (and much delayed, due to his cancer) courtship, then I feel it’s the show’s job to play that unique situation out to the best of its ability. If the marriage ends in divorce after a few years of intermittent (but consistent) scenes of Glassy and Debbie doing nothing but bicker over small stuff (or “big stuff”; God knows gun control debates aren’t small stuff)... that’s one thing. To feature Debbie in slightly more than a half-dozen episodes over two years since they got married… only to use the same essential argument from their early days (HER GUN) as a launching pad to a larger problem that we have not been privy to see at all over the past 16 episodes (GLASSY’S DOMINEERING WAYS)... that’s something else. To me, that “something else” translates to a decision that Glassy and Debbie’s relationship wasn’t worth the time and effort, even though they made the time and effort to get them married in the first place… and that’s a hellalousy message to send to viewers.
OK-- surprise! That wasn’t very short after all. Excuse me while I put away the soapbox…
What am I here for again? OH, Shaun and Lea’s not-so-excellent adventure, 2021 edition--
I loved the self-contained nature of Shaun and Lea in this episode-- no hospital, no computers, no… distractions? Ah, but everything was a distraction, and while the camping trip may have simply kicked the can of their shared pain down the road-- all the way down the road to Guatemala, perhaps-- every distraction also created another suture to make their bond even stronger. (See what I did there?? Sorry, couldn’t resist)
You have to start this adventure knowing the potential comedy of errors that it can bring. Show of hands-- who here has camped and experienced any or all of the following:
(I’m raising my hand for each and every one of these)
All “open” campsites are taken, and you’ve shown up w/o reservations
Rain-- brief showers, day-long soakers, and/or thunderstorms
The feeling that you’re “not camping but tailgating” (to paraphrase Lea)
You discover at nighttime that you have a group of drunks nearby
Tents that become too wet to sleep in
Campers that sleep in cars instead (NOTE: I have friends who did this on our trips, but I wasn’t one of them)
Not just rain but a TORNADO warning... and rain heavy enough to send your girl scout troop leaders to the nearest town to run all the sleeping bags through a dryer cycle while you, as the youngest member of your troop, weep with fear and homesickness in the back of one of the leaders’ cars while a much more mature girl scout (age 11 or 12) is tasked with calming you down… oh, sorry. Just me on that one? 😟
Anyway, this was one of those rare times when we basically knew how the story would play out, but were dying to witness the details in getting to that last shot of the night, back home on the sofa. And thanks to the deft touch of Thomas L. Moran and David Renaud-- two scriptwriters who have a lot of experience with #Shea by now-- the details were delightful, even in the sitcom-ish predictability within the first 20 minutes:
- Their entrance was denied at Yosemite because Shaun didn’t realize how fast those “open” campsites get snapped up each morning (Veteran camper Lea probably would have thought of this, actually, but we’ll give her a pass because she’s not at the top of her game right now… or maybe she was just silently crossing her fingers because she didn’t want Shaun to be disappointed)
The campground they choose instead is crowded, reeks of gasoline, and has RVs blocking any remotely decent view.
Just as they get to enjoying themselves a little with the well-made fire and marshmallows to roast, a thunderstorm rolls up out of nowhere and takes them by surprise. (The most unrealistic development of the night in my book, but again, the first part of the story was built in sitcom-ish fits and spurts.)
- Then, just as they get past the noise of the nearby drunks and get to enjoying themselves in the tent (and I do mean “just as”; not but one moment of romantic peace to be had on this trip!)... cue the leaky roof in said tent.
Some of those little details in part one that I enjoyed the most:
The urgency in Shaun’s voice when he briefly tried to argue with the Yosemite ranger about why they needed that campsite… his desperation to help Lea (and himself) escape for a few days was plain as day.
- The campfire scene was quite possibly the sweetest 30 seconds we’ve seen of them in a while: Shaun taking enormous pride in his fire-building skills, in prepping Lea’s marshmallow for roasting, then sneaking his arm around her like they were on a first date at the movies… even that moment where we saw him put his hand over Lea’s head as if to try and shield her from the rain (surely that was a last-minute improvisation on Freddie Highmore’s part?). Since we haven’t been privy to a lot of Shaun and Lea just straight-up dating, those 30 seconds really hit the spot for me.
Then came the complement of the tent scene, which was a look-how-far-we’ve come moment with that lovely mention of “the old apartment (building)”... and, as some of you pointed out, the revelation that Lea holds that memory of their first hug just as dear as Shaun surely does. Even the earplugs were a sweet little prop, both in
the way Lea was unfazed by the mention that she snores (she’s probably heard that before anyway) and the way Shaun took it upon himself to tuck them into her ears-- uniquely intimate, I can’t help but think, especially as I’ve used those kind of plugs many times and can’t imagine anyone other than me handling them!
By the time the rain had stopped and a brighter day was upon them, though, they seemed at an impasse (Lea sleeping alone in her car; Shaun alone in the (still wet?) tent). They’re not-- not really-- for as soon as she sees Shaun sitting forlornly at the picnic table with his ever-present green apple, she seems inspired to try harder and make the trip work for his sake. The decision to “do the hike he has planned” isn’t exactly a no-brainer, with both of them walking on eggshells around the question (“Is that what you want?” “Is that what
lead on things… and even looks to have a spark of “old Lea” in her eye as she does so.
Which is probably why Shaun looks happier in his next shot.
The back half of the episode is hardly what one might call by-the-book in the mishaps department, but with a whopping seven scenes (some considerably shorter than others) taking us from Shaun’s fall to Lea’s last chug of the tequila, I’m not inclined to detail every moment of them. But a few favorites:
Lea simply noting he’s “really cute” and referring to him as “my hero”. Sure, it was at heart a way to set up the accident, but I don’t think she’s called him “cute” since S1… another throwback to the old apartment, if you will.
The bit about Lea not being able to run fast enough because (per her off-screen admission to Shaun) she used to ditch P.E. class out of her hatred of running. Not particularly relevant to the emergency (could anyone other than a highly trained athlete speed TWO HOURS back to cell service?), but a good Lea Fun Fact to have… and fun that Shaun knew all about it.
- The tequila in the backpack… I love the idea of Tommy Moran (who apparently is responsible for the original “Tequila, STAT!” line that is now a #Shea classic) sitting around, musing on how he could work their alcohol of choice into yet another context. To him, I say: Well done sir!
- Shaun and Lea “prepping” for the surgery, which provided the biggest opportunity to date of seeing them actually bicker… but admittedly there was a hell of a motivation for it, and the result was a pretty good give and take-- a “healthy exchange,” so to speak)
I don’t know if they were deliberately alternating Lea’s “in surgery” shots with the actual OR sequences at St. B as a means of further connecting Lea to all the other St. B’vites… something we saw to great extent in the three episodes ahead of “Forgive,” and will certainly see in the Guatemala episodes… but it was mighty effective. And if
viewers were truly more interested in the “real” OR stuff than what they got in between, I might need to go around and check some pulses. LOVED seeing Lea pull out her lip balm as a solution to dealing with the “slippery” blood; when she shot the cap out of her mouth and off to the side of the action I smiled extra big. Also (since we talk about her self-esteem all the time), interesting that rather than saying to herself “OK, Lea, you can do this” straightaway, she said “OK Lea, apparently if you can hem your jeans, you can do this”-- in other words, borrowing Shaun’s example to build herself up.
And the gratitude conversation that started with Shaun in the ambulance, and continued with Lea at the end… not much to say about those, really; I just enjoyed those layers of icing. SO. MUCH. As I’m guessing you did too.
And since we got a number of little throwbacks in this episode… whether it was the apartment-speak, or the Glassmans’ gun debate, or even if you want to put Morgan and Park’s ongoing issues into this category… it was indeed interesting that they repeated a montage song for the first time: “Sons and Daughters,” which I believe someone said was first used in S1’s “Intangibles”... I found these last lyrics (repeated over Shaun and Lea’s final moments) interesting in the current circumstances:
I’ll build the fire
You fetch the water
I’ll lay the table
In our hearts, we still pray for sons and daughters
These quiet hours turning to years
17 comments:
Well, with these lyrics in mind, things are obviously heading into a certain direction. And no, I don't mean that season 5 will retell the season 4 plot... Leave the second infusion to Green Tea. 😉
I think is pretty obvious where the last two episodes are heading and probably it will be a struggle for them to achieve that so maybe that will be explore during season 5... I'm not a biggest fan of this plot but as long as they can navigate through it together and in the best way possible I'm in...
Love this post Kelli!
The way the miscarriage plot was executed after making the audience go all in about #Shea becoming parents was brilliant storytelling and the drama makes both Freddie but especially Paige shine with their acting. For a compelling story, this is in many ways better than 9 month-long iterations of Shaun playing catch up with the pregnancy.
By the way, does anybody remember how many complained about the lack of #Shea kisses early in the season? This has changed dramatically lately. Either the production felt a lot more safe about that in the late episodes or this evolution of intimacy was planned from the beginning.
Thank you, Kelli, for another great post.
The last three episodes were valuable to the #Shea relationship.
In this sense, the writers were very realistic in portraying that a relationship has its ups and downs and it is possible for the two people to go through them together.
I remember in episode 408, Shaun told Lea’s parents that the challenges between him and Lea make him strong.
The last episode was wonderful, I believe it was what was missing even this season; A day off, even if there were more distractions than expected.
Hi everyone! Thank you, Kelli for your always brilliant posts! I appreciate the way you can analyze the whole episode so effectively. I tend to focus mainly on the aspects that hit me in one way or another.
This episode felt a little too much crowded for my taste and I perceived it as a disappointment, knowing the usual quality of the two writers involved. As a result, what should have been the main plot (Claire and her dad’s reconciliation) ended up being too rushed.
I got that this happened as a consequence of the inclusion of the Glassy/Debbie storyline, and that the decision was probably a forced one, still I found that inappropriate. There was no context at all to accompany the couple’s sudden separation, which was perceived by many as completely out of the blue.
I agree that the two of them didn’t have the best of understanding and that they fought a lot, during the opening Covid episodes, but it was a long time ago…So something should have been set up before that, in order to make this whole mess believable.
About this, I particularly appreciated what you said, Kelli, about the responsibility of ending this storyline properly. The Glassmans are the perfect example of a storyline suddenly dropped, which is very frustrating for the fans..
Probably the best thing that they’ve accomplished with this episode is to underline the difference between a healthy relationship (Shaun/Lea) and a toxic one (Glassy/Debbie). Do you remember all those Lea haters out there calling Shaun and Lea’s relationship toxic? Well, I hope that they got it right by now.
Shaun and Lea have always been so much different from one another, just as much as Glassman and Debbie. But they used their differences as a tool to grow, both as a couple and as individuals, learning from each other, putting to good use both their strengths and their weaknesses.
The camping trip summarized their journey together beautifully. They are really inspiring! And the many throwbacks present underlined that.
On the other hand, Glassman and Debbie kept putting their individualities above their needs as a couple. They weren’t there to learn from each other, just to justify their own ways of thinking and living.
But in this (toxic) approach, I honestly side more with Glassy than Debbie. He isn’t sexist, he’s just a 65-year-old man who is obviously old-fashioned because of his age.
And he wanted to keep his wife safe (you can call it being controlling, if you want), but it was just because his past life experience has taught him to be constantly afraid of losing his loved ones.
When I was young, my late father in law (whom I was very close to, like a second dad) used to ask me every time if I wanted him to maneuver my car out of a parking (I’m proud of being a very good driver). He wasn’t being sexist, he was trying to be kind, within the mindset typical of a man his age.
Every time Glassman was sincerely convinced to be right, he apologized anyway, in order to try and make things better and start to talk about the problem all over again. I’ve never seen Debbie doing the same.
Is Glassy annoying sometimes? Absolutely. Was he wrong in calling their home ‘my house’? Of course. Is he difficult to live with? Apparently. Shaun himself said as much (Season 3 “Take My Hand”).
But has Debbie ever considered what mattered to him? She married a man with an already established life, she couldn’t pretend that he erased everything in order to become a new person, totally devoted to her. I mean, do you remember the way she treated Shaun in season 3? If a hypothetical new husband were to tell me how I need to handle my son, he would be out of my life in a mater of minutes. Glassy, instead, stayed open-minded and valued her input, believing in her good faith (even when, for me, she was just trying to get rid of Shaun as much as possible).
And what about the timing of their separation, right after the tragedy of Shaun and Lea’s baby? Doesn’t it seem a bit selfish?
So, I’m, really astonished to read how some, in social networks, have called Glassman “A shitty husband”, “Awful”, and “Out of touch”. Very extreme. They both made mistakes but, all things considered, I think hers were the worst ones. That’s my opinion. And I think, in the end, that was the way her character was written from the beginning. They both had too different values and looked for different things in life.
I remember having an exchange of opinions with Andreas about Debbie’s character, in which he basically said that Debbie was probably written as an antagonist. I’ve always hoped that things may change. That she could become supportive. That she and Lea may become friends.
Well, I have to agree with Andreas now. The way they conceived Debbie’s character made it impossible to integrate her with the other main characters (Shaun and Lea, in particular).
So, either they changed her significantly, or they got rid of her. They decided for the second option, but the way they did that was completely unsatisfactory.
Lea has always been so different in her approach, respecting Glassman and his role in Shaun’s life, even when she didn’t agree with him or like him, and being aware that he didn’t like her. She never tried to mess with their relationship. Wasn’t her the one supposed to be needy and selfish?
I’ve already been too long about this, I’m sorry. If any of you is interested, this is what I posted on Reddit about Debbie, at the very beginning of season 4 https://www.reddit.com/r/thegooddoctor/comments/l1wiy2/debbie_wexler_and_her_dynamic_or_lack_of_it_with/
As you know, I would have loved to see a different story unfold, addressing Glassy’s feelings about reliving the loss of his daughter all over again (and a granddaughter too, now). A story in which he would interact with Lea, but where Debbie could contribute as well, offering a positive support. “I just needed to hear your voice” was the last thing we heard Glassy saying to Debbie at the end of “Dr. Ted”.
Richard Schiff is such an outstanding actor, and I think that they are basically wasting him.
I’m, feeling disappointed and frustrated, now.
First the loss of the baby, and now this. What else is waiting for us next season? I’m a little frightened…
Or they read social media, as we know they did, and they improved this like people were asking to... Could be that too hahahaha
I can't testify much about camping as I've only done it in a tent for a week every year between 7 and 10 years old, in my grand-parents' very big garden...And the issues that you listed Kelli that can arise while camping in a tent are among the many reasons that made me not want to go camping for real as an adult!!
Regarding the episode, there was so many Shea moments that we could appreciate. It's quite amazing the amount of screentime devoted to them in this episode, and more was obviously planned since the scene with the hiker was cut and the first scene at the apartment was shortened.
The throwback about "their" first apartment and Lea having a fond memory of the building because that's where they had their first hug was my favorite one. It was such an important line from Lea as it proved that she was already harbouring feelings for him. And of course the "tequila, stat" line...The tequila was useful for the "surgery", but it's funny - but also so very cute - to think of Shaun making room in his backpack specifically for a bottle of tequila !
Shaun and Lea's physical intimacy has indeed changed much in the last episodes, with several kisses but also physical touches that show how completely comfortable they now are with each other and that they have a strong bond. It's particularly moving in regards to Shaun, who was shown to be much more at ease on a physical level with Lea than others, and to see how he has grown to like physical intimacy so much with her that he purposely searches it and instigates some gestures, like snuggling in front of the fire and putting an arm around her and put her even closer to him, spooning her in the tent, putting a hand on her thigh....Every time, it made me go "Awww" in front of my screen!
I love how this episode showed once again how smart and resourceful Lea is, and how good she can be even under pressure. It seems like a detail, but thinking of using lip balm to make the thread less slippery is something that I personally would never have thought about...
One thing that I find odd about Lea though: when the promo came out, given that Lea expressed some guilt in the last episode, I thought that we might see Lea blaming herself again as she might think that she's responsible for Shaun's injury because she told him to climb on the trunk, but Lea seemed ok in that regard. We may see some guilt expressed in the finale, but if not I think it could be a missed opportunity given who Lea is, with her low self-esteem and the start of guilt expressed in "Letting go". Also in regards to what Glassman told Lea in "F and F" and Shaun in "dr Ted" (or "waiting"?), with the number one priority of a parent being to keep their child alive.
Speaking of Glassy........
So much to say about him...his dropped storyline with Lea, his odd storyline with Debbie, and overall the lack of proper material for the actor to work with.
For the first one, I've said it several times already so it's probably tiring to read for you all, but at this point I can say that I'm as bitter, sad and angry about it as Lea's miscarriage. It seems extreme, as the loss of the baby is so awful, but story-wise and as I love Glassman and Lea's interactions, it just doesn't make sense to have kept Glassy away from Lea. But even his interactions with Shaun were too short, like in "Letting go". Him distancing himself from them and the dramatic situation with the baby could have made sense if there was a scene where his behaviour was explained, but...nada!zilch! It's the worst missed opportunity in the show so far to me.
The thing is also that they had to give something to do to the 2 remaining newbies, to show that they are not useless, so we got a Lea-Jordan convo in "Letting go" while Glassman's office is nearby, and Glassman sharing time with Asher and laughing with a patient while Shaun and Lea were in pain...
And then, the whole stuff with Debbie...I don't think you're in the minority Kelli. I agree with the four points you mentioned. It makes me all the more bitter that she got so much screentime at the beginning of season 3 compared to Lea, because it seems all the development wasn't necessary. And I'm saying that while I used to rather like Debbie.
These 2 things are part of the reasons that make me continue to not completely trust the writers (since the whole blink-and-you'll-miss-her part for Lea in the first part of season 3 ending with her being kicked out of her own apartment in one minute). Sure, they had to adapt to issues linked to covid this year, but they should and certainly could have spared some scenes to address Glassman's guilt over Maddie and have him have talks with Lea about his surrogate granddaughter and the pain that comes with losing a child. It could have been so beautiful to see them contribute to help the other get over the guilt and pain...
But one thing made me not dislike the Debbie-Glassman storyline too much: it's the parallel that it gave with Lea and Shaun.
Glassman had said that Lea would hurt Shaun again. She did, and Shaun hurt her too. But in the end they have been able to face all challenges together pretty smoothly and resolve conflicts with good communication. Lea was shown to have such a great influence on Shaun and vice-versa.
Shaun, an autistic man who was still figuring out what a romantic relationship was, and Lea, who didn't trust herself to be in a long-term relationship and didn't think she would be good for Shaun were shown to be a great fit for each other and to handle their relationship a lot better than Glassman and Debbie.
Now I wonder about a few things:
- Glassman has now lost so much, I wonder if Shaun won't be the one to help him in season 5 by trying to give him some advice
- with Glassman and Debbie separating and so likely divorcing, we could see the reverse with Shaun and Lea by having them getting married? However I'm not so sure that we could see a proposal in the finale, just because the finale might be more simpler/less dramatic than last season. Maybe for Shaun and Lea, the finale will end simply with both of them, and especially Lea, coming to terms with their loss, just being lucky that they have each other, and looking towards their future. It's a stretch, and clumsily said, but "Vamos" may be something like "Let's go together to build our future".
I have just read your posts, and given what I said about Glassman-Debbie vs Shaun-Lea, and other things that you mentioned too but that you explained better than I did, I obviously agree with you ;)
And about Lea saying she was needy and selfish, well we knew she was wrong but this season indeed definitely proved that it was rather the contrary, especially when compared with Debbie.
There’s critic’s blog that greatly influenced how I look today at my most beloved TV series in my youth: https://them0vieblog.com/
I offers in-depth analyses of whole seasons and single episodes of Star Trek TOS, TNG, DS9, and The X-Files. All these series share a common streak: they all had episodes that misfired terrible and seasons that were a mess for a variety of reasons (sans a global pandemic). Still, they remain TV classics.
That doesn’t mean we should spare The Good Doctor critique where it is due – for example the conscious creative decision to prioritize the newbies above pending storylines of established characters. This sure is a weakness of season 4 that caused many problems even without the pandemic on top.
But while we analyze the weaknesses, we also should not feel too bitter when the creative decisions did not meet our expectations for a certain storyline or character. The examples of other franchises above are rich on missed opportunities and storylines that were either dropped completely or not revisited in time. It is a flaw of the process that has happened to creative professionals before and will happen again.
Nevertheless, even decades later are fans still holding these flawed works of fiction dear, because for every wrong decision often a good one was waiting just an episode later.
That said, I’m not particularly sad about Debbie’s exit. As Daniela already mentioned, the character was more or less an antagonist to stir things up while Shaun was needed elsewhere. When was the last episode you remember the character doing something beneficial for Glassman? 2.05 “Carrots”, when Debbie motivated Glassy to walk after his brain surgery? Since then, they were mostly bickering or fighting. It was fun while it lasted – particularly the Frontline episodes were great acting – but it didn’t really expand the characters or had them grow. Another season of the same wouldn’t have done any good. As we like to say in German: better end it in terror, then endure terror that never ends (“Lieber ein Ende mit Schrecken, als Schrecken ohne Ende.”)
As always a great blog Kelli! I have a few observations as to the last episode and what I hope and maybe expect from the finale.
Quickly as to Debbie character. To me the character didn’t work for me and didn’t enhance Glassman’s character at all. In fact it was an albatross on him. Honestly I didn’t miss the character one bit this season. Daniela made a great point that in contrast to Shaun and Lea the Glassman Debbie relationship didn’t grow. They were opposites and that’s how they stayed. Once they moved Lea in to be Glassman’s assistant at the hospital in season three Debbie’s character became marginalized and mercifully they moved on.
Okay Lea’s surgery. Preposterous plot angle but I loved it! First she learned from the time Shaun had to get vera’s shoulder free from the impalement by jumping the count when she relocated Shaun’s ankle. I like the use of tequila stat here as for the first time since the first karaoke both Shaun and Lea are on the same page with tequila. Post surgery the emt tells Shaun something i hope he already knows that Lea is something special and maybe it’s time for a proposal.
Okay the relationship is still strong and that’s what matters but now Lea is going to Guatemala with the surgical team the only non doctor going so she’s going there for a purpose. My hope since they announced the Guatemala storyline was that through this that Lea would come upon an orphaned baby and she would see this as her destiny as to why she was there to be there to raise this child. It is nothing but a hope or educated guess on my part. For all I know the producers aren’t close to going in this direction. But one can hope I guess. Adopting a child will undue to me the damage from the miscarriage and will fulfill the there will be a “ baby” as the next challenge for Shaun and Lea.
Okay second preference would be an engagement for Shaun and Lea to further solidify their relationship. We can all safely say that they’ve shown the growth from last years finale and now the intimacy has risen too so this is the next logical step.
But for all I know the finale will just focus on the doctors and the medical side of things without addressing the personal stories. This I doubt as Shaun and Lea’s journey needs a conclusion to this years plot and park and Morgan need to complete the arc. But if the producers choose to punt on these stories at least they’ll have done no harm.
Which brings me to my final point is my fear that the producers will choose to do harm to Shaun and Lea. Will it take the form of Lea staying behind in Guatemala because she found her calling in helping this village and it’s hospital and therefore separating from Shaun. I guess we’ll get some clues tomorrow night and I’m sure lots to discuss and speculate where they’re going with the finale.
So a grand slam like last years finale would be Shaun and Lea get engaged and adopt a baby with the worst being Lea staying behind and leaving Shaun . With the middle ground meaning a learning experience to carry over to next season but no direct harm to Shaun and Lea.
Note: this is Julianna from Twitter. Google and Blogger won't let me change my display name)
Wonderful summary as usual.
Okay, the Glassman mess. While I agree that this was......um....abrupt, I have to confess I've seen this coming;. This thing was a mess from the beginning - from Glassy's kicking her out, to Debbie's initial refusal, Glassy walking away from the first marriage ceremony, the gun issue, the bickering during "Frontline", etc. Glassy apologizes because a 15 year old gamer told him to and badly flubs it; Debbie interruptis a Zoom board meeting over something silly ("nuts or no nuts?"), until the final, very serious, argument about (again) the gun. No, we didn't see a lot of what was going on...not unusual on a TV show. We all want Glassman to be happy, but Debbie was never the one to do that. I know some will disagree, but although Glassy can. be rigid and stubborn, Debbie can. be annoying.
The Camping trip: So many wonderful moments: the all-too-brief cuddling and kissing in the sleeping bag, the intimacy of Shaun putting the earplugs into Lea's ears, the beautiful protective hand over Lea's head in the rain. (I agree that this was likely a Freddie Highmore improvisation.)
But, the thing that was most interesting to me was how Lea grew from the experience of her surgery. She's always had self-confidence issues, and of course she panicked by the idea of cutting into Shaun, and then when he passed out...like me, she probably thought it was a momentary thing and he'd come to and finish guiding her through the surgery. But after the panic, she focussed. She figured jt out. Lea, of course, is very intelligent. She knows how to fix things, and by God she did. Her utter focus and concentration as she proceeded with the procedure was amazing, (I would have been shaking so hard I'd have been useless and poor Shaun would have lost his foot!)
Amazing acting, amazing TV.
So many great observations, and so many fantastic insights already!
I agree that one of the highlights was definitely the reference to the old apartment. And as they were reminiscing about that first hug, I was just smiling and picturing that classic moment. And other great call-outs, from "tequila stat" (and yes, Steven, I too enjoyed how something has held them up from being in unison between that first use of the classic line until this episode), to Shaun fixating on the position of the surgical instruments (at least he didn't grill Lea into arranging them to specific angles).
Some people suggest this was unrealistic. I don't think so. We've heard stories about people rising to the extreme in life or livelihood-impact situations. And we can infer from the bits between scenes that Shaun gave Lea explicit enough instructions for her to rise to the challenge. And I echo Julianna's assertion that Lea is indeed quite intelligent (as a side note, I appreciate how the Twitter folks take the time to explain their comments they've made their, so that the discussion is not lost on the non-Twitter folks like myself).
One other thing I really liked was Shaun recalling Lea's story of her avoiding physical education in high school. We've seen Lea involved with the gym on multiple occasions - including the very first Shea car ride ("you stink!") - demonstrating further that Lea will do what she believes is right, even if it's not easy or something she likes.
After the back-and-forth with the cyber-hacker insurance guy from "Decrypt", and even her own parents two episodes prior to that, it was a real breath of fresh air for me to see a guest character (in this case, the EMT) showing how they're impressed with Lea. She's needed that. Heck - we've needed that!
I know there was - and is - a lot of speculation about the finale and what it might hold in store for Shaun and Lea. And when we get into the next blog post between Episodes 19 and 20, I will be excited to join in. But for now, I've really enjoyed the reflection on this past episode - and the breather it provided between the heavy-heartedness of the lost baby and the tension that is sure to follow. We're a group of Shea-lovers here, and sometimes, it's important to pause and appreciate the joy of the moment!
As for the Glassman-Debbie plot, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. I really want to see where the story goes before I really decide whether this was good or bad. For me, the greater travesty is the lack of any Lea-Glassman since "Decrypt" - which appears to FINALLY be rectified with a quick scene at the airport, based on the show's FB page (and probably others). I echo the sentiments above that this was perhaps the biggest missed opportunity of the season - short of the baby herself!
But I do agree with you Kelli, along with others, that the WAY Glassman/Debbie was done could have been handled better, if it was indeed possible to do so. Hopefully we'll find out more in one of the post-season interviews that shouldn't be too far away now!
Just a quick thought for all that wish the miscarriage healed as quickly as possible: how long had the show Claire struggle with the death of her mother in episode 3.03?
I’m pretty confident that the finale is designed to give Shaun and Lea some consolation, but I also believe that the event will still be felt in season 5.
I also expect to see some moments here and there next season that will relate to the loss of the baby. It could even more make sense as season 5 is likely to pick up just a few weeks after the end of season 4 given how much time has passed in season 4. It seems that around 17-18 months passed between the end of season 3 - which was the beginning of February as 3 weeks went by before the covid storyline which was the end of February - and the end of season 4. So the trip in Guatemala may be taking place around July. So Lea and Shaun's loss will likely still be very recent by the time season 5 starts. They will probably talk about having a baby at some point anyway next season given that Lea "desires" children, a meaningful word said by Shore in his latest interview about the finale. However they might decide to wait to take the time to grieve and heal, and to wait that Shaun finishes his last year of residency.
I'm sorry to have digressed on the time that passed in season 4, I had initially tried estimating that last week to know for how long Lea and Shaun had been together!
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