#SHEA Ultimate S.O.S. Playlist, Volume 8 (Tracks 36-40)

 

Who’s ready for more #Shea song suggestions?

 

Wow, the summer’s almost over you guys. And while shooting on TGD hasn’t yet begun, they SEEM to have the details of said shooting (and corresponding COVID testing) squared away now, and APPEAR to be headed to an early September resumption of production. I know it gets frustrating to weather all the stops and starts, but this year in particular I suppose it’s crucial to embrace every small step of progress.

 

So, back to the Playlist. Volume 8 doesn’t have much of a theme, but its contributions are as relevant as any other “volume” (as will the final volume, in which I’m including a few of the more fun suggestions!). Dig in… take a listen… and remember, you can suggest a new offering for the playlist ANYTIME. Even if you don’t have anything to say about your suggested song…I get plenty of that, and include ‘em anyway!

 

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SONG: “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift

Songwriter: Taylor Swift

Submitted by: Cosmic Lightning

Comments from Me: The “tribute video” mentioned below is one of Sheree-Lynn’s creations; I featured her work earlier in the summer and will feature an interview with her next month.

Comments from Cosmic: “That tribute video I linked before made me realize how well this song applies to Shaun and Lea's first meeting too; a lot of very similar feelings between them I'd imagine. Two people living monotonous boring lives until running into each other by pure chance, where they feel an instant connection to one another which only got stronger and more passionate the more they ran into each other, climaxing with the road trip in 1.11 'Islands Part 1'. It's a great song that sums up Shaun and Lea's Season 1

relationship in my opinion-- the magical early romantic period without all the baggage that came from Hershey or their attempts at trying to be platonic, just two soulmates embracing each other's company together."

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

This is me praying that
This was the very first page
Not where the storyline ends
My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again
These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you…

  

 

HEAR IT HERE 

 

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SONG: “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel

Songwriter: Billy Joel

Submitted by: Sonya

 

Comments from Me: Fun fact!... When I first heard the name Billy Joel as a kid, I initially thought he was connected somehow to the title character in the 1968 song “Ode to Billie Joe”. It was about midway through the successful run of singles released from Joel’s The Stranger before I realized there was no connection whatsoever; that he was real and the one in the song was fictitious, that he was a boy and the fictional one was a girl, that he was alive and well and the fictional one had jumped to her (fictional) death. Hey, I was only nine years old when that album came out… cut a girl some slack!

 

Anyway, “She’s Always a Woman” happens to be single #3 from The Stranger. As much as I’ve always been fond of the song, I’ve wavered at times on how I felt about the woman described in the song. Is she worth his time? He seems to think so. But why? She lacks transparency, faith in her partner, the ability to give. She can kill with her smile! She can wound with her eyes! And yet…

 

Wikipedia describes it as “a love song about a modern woman whom the singer has fallen totally in love with to the extent of falling for her endearing quirks as well as her flaws.”

Hmm. Sounds like a certain San Jose doctor and a certain San Jose auto engineer we know, doesn’t it?

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love

She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free

Yeah, she steals like a thief  
But she's always a woman to me

 

HEAR IT HERE

 

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SONG: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Kina Grannis version) 

Songwriters: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss

Submitted by: Rose Amelie

Comments from Me: Remember when the song “More” appeared in the first edition of the Playlist and I mentioned its roots dated back to a 1962 Italian documentary? Well, “Can’t Help” has interesting roots as well: According to Wikipedia…

 

“The melody is based on ‘Plaisir d'amour’, a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written for a woman as ‘Can't Help Falling in Love with Him’, which explains the first and third line ending on ‘in’ and ‘sin’ rather than words rhyming with ‘you’.^” (A-HA! Always wondered about that.)

 

Elvis Presley had the definitive U.S.version of “Can’t Help” in 1962, with covers bringing the song back into focus every now and again… including a dreamy/gauzy version by Corey Hart (yeah, that same “Sunglasses at Night” guy I mentioned in the last Playlist post) and a reggae-ish version by UB40 that topped the Billboard charts in the 90s.

Comments from Rose:
“I know there’s a lot of versions, but this one in particular is so nice! It played in a wedding scene in the film Crazy Rich Asians (I’m not suggesting a Shaun and Lea’s wedding immediately, although that would be very nice in the future).
This version, sung by a woman (Kina Gannis’ voice is so delicate), symbolizes Lea’s feelings after the "I Love You" episode (her final confessions in S3):

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things were meant to be

Take my hand

Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you

HEAR IT (the Kina Gannis version) HERE 

 

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SONG: “You Are the Reason” by Calum Scott

Songwriters: Calum Scott, Corey Sanders, Jon Maguire

Submitted by: Vale (this is her first contribution to the Playlist and she’s got a lot to say, so I’m just gonna let her talk here…)

Comments from Vale: “I am always looking for new songs in YouTube—especially when I'm working—and this song came as part of a playlist. At first I thought it was beautiful, but then I started to pay attention to the lyrics and couldn't help but to think of Shea at some point of the series.

“It has always bothered me that we never got the chance to see Lea's POV after the whole post-Shaun's declaration tantrum. For me it was so important because I'm sure that for her this wasn't rainbows and flowers, it must have been hard. She knew she hurt a friend, deeply, but most importantly she hurt herself, she admitted to love him and we all know how hard is to be in love and not actually be with the significant other, the anguish this can produce. To not expand on her feelings, it is just simply wrong IMO… and the cause of why many people out there hate her. It also makes the whole last two episodes kind of hollow. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I really hope that they have a deeper conversation about what happened when TGD continues next season.

“I like to think that she kissed him because she couldn't hold back any longer and she was eager to do so for so long that just couldn't help it. I would like to set this song between the Heartbreak (S3:18) and the Hurt (S3:19) episode and I will hang onto the only piece of information we got from Lea at the beginning of 3-19 when she says to Dr. Melendez ‘These have been two difficult weeks’ for me this song describes how she might have felt during those two weeks, and how she reacted in S3:20 (I Love You) kind of confirms it.

 

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

There goes my heart beating

Cause you are the reason
I'm losing my sleep
Please come back now

There goes my mind racing
And you are the reason
That I'm still breathing
I'm hopeless now

There goes my hands shaking
And you are the reason
My heart keeps bleeding
I need you now

If I could turn back the clock

I'd make sure the light defeated the dark
I'd spend every hour, of every day
Keeping you safe

 

 

HEAR IT HERE  

I also came across a very similar arrangement in duet form... Calum Scott singing with Leona Lewis. Lovely!

HEAR THE DUET VERSION HERE

 

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SONG: “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds 

Songwriter: Ben Folds

Submitted by: Kelli

 

Comments from Me: This one treads a little bit of the same path as “Bless the Broken Road” does (see previous Playlist) when you hear it sung by a woman, but I hear a lot of Shaun in this song as well. I don’t know if “lucky” is part of Shaun’s vocabulary—it seems the concept of “luck” is one he wouldn’t understand/support—but the last two lines I’ve included here resonate for both he AND Lea, don’t you think? (This is why I’m including links to not only Folds’ version, but a jazz cover by Sara Gizarek and a duet featuring Kina Gannis—yes, the same Kina Gannis mentioned above!)

 

Oh, and as an aside… I see that “The Luckiest” has been used in countless weddings since its 2001 release, both as a processional ("down-the-aisle" song) and as a couple’s first dance. Ben Folds, the one who penned the song, is in his mid-50s and recently married wife number FIVE! So I guess that makes me appreciate even more, in a weird way, the way he was able to crystallize the feelings/sentiment behind “The Luckiest” so well.

 

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns
The stumbles and falls brought me here

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it every day
And I know that I am
I am, I am the luckiest…

I love you more than I have
Ever found a way to say to you

 

HEAR IT (the original lyric video) HERE

HEAR THE DUET (Kina Grannis/Imaginary Future) HERE 

HEAR THE JAZZ VERSION (Sara Gizarek) HERE 

#Shea Music Videos that AREN’T Sheree Lynn’s

 Whenever you want a reminder that you’re HARDLY alone in your #Shea-shipping, the confirmation options are pretty easy…

 

                * Come catch up on my blog! (Oh, cool, you’re already doing that. See? Easy-peasy)

2               * Take in an eyeful of the creations on the new Instagram account dedicated to all things #Shea, courtesy of Twitter/blog followers Rose Amelie and Valerae!

3                * Check out some fan-created #Shea music videos!

 

When I featured #3 previously, it was to shine a spotlight on the considerable efforts of Sheree-Lynn Blizzard, who has produced no less than TEN high-quality #Shea videos to date (and hundreds of thousands of views!). I mentioned that I’d also feature an interview with her later in the summer, and in fact she and I are working on that this month… I hope to post it in September.

 

But I also mentioned, in the comments to that SLB post I believe, that there are dozens of #Shea videos out there created by other TGD fans. Some are quite good; some aren’t (which is mostly to say that they aren’t all that distinguishable from each other). The commonality, though, is that a fan of the show took time and their best effort to construct their own #Shea statement.

 

I’ve taken note of close to 30 such videos, and am featuring a handful of them today. Some have earned a small following already, but most of them have “view” numbers to indicate they haven’t yet made it past many fans’ collective eyeballs. I may not be able to help them much; my writing doesn’t make it past a lot of collective eyeballs either (LOL), but… if some of you find a clip that’s new (to you, anyway) that you really enjoy… I encourage you to go post about it on your social media of choice. Let’s signal-boost #Shea fans as much as we can!

 

Oh, and if you “know” any of these video creators… point them this way (to the blog), if they aren’t reading already! And if YOU YOURSELF happens to be behind any of these… say so in the comments and take a bow!

 

NOTE: You may notice that some of these videos are better than others in terms of editing, sound mixing, etc. I did too, but I’m not taking technical quality into account very much.

 

On the other hand, I admittedly AM more likely to include a clip running, say, longer than two or so minutes because I know those generally take more effort to create, and to hold the interest of the viewer. I have made some exceptions; you’ll see those included as “Honorable Mention” videos.

 

ANOTHER NOTE: If you’ve got your own personal fave #Shea music video and it is NOT featured here yet, please contact me privately rather than leave a clip of it in the comments. Chances are good that I’ve already seen it and plan to mention it down the road, but… ya never know. Email is KLawrence997 at gmail-dot-com. Thanks in advance!

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SONG: “Light” by Sleeping at Last

PRODUCER: Samantha Lima

RELEASE DATE: 3/29/20 (one day before S3 Finale)

LENGTH: 4:23

VIEWS TO DATE: 4,500

 

 

This one stands out for the way it underscores both the song lyrics and the words spoken by Shaun and Lea with on-screen graphics… not continually, but in very effective places. It also makes use of a few snippets of footage that are less commonly seen in these kinds of videos. And while part of me is very curious why this was released just before the S3 finale—scenes from “Hurt” are included; scenes from “I Love You” are not—I think it works well for grabbing that bittersweet-but-still-hopeful-vibe just before the Hollywood North RomCom patrol took #Shea to new heights.

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SONG: “Rather Be” by Jasmine Thompson (original version by Clean Bandit)

PRODUCER: Universi Fanvids

RELEASE DATE: 10/2/18

LENGTH: 4:06

VIEWS TO DATE: 1,700

This one only contains highlights of S1, but the song’s a nice fit and the edits are well-paced. Includes a little of the Shaun/Claire exchange where she explains “flirting” (with Lea’s asshat and Shaun’s ridiculous sweater comments ahead and behind it, respectively)

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SONG: “The Scientist” by Coldplay

PRODUCER: NatalieProductions

RELEASE DATE: 6/29/20

LENGTH: 4:25

VIEWS TO DATE: 78

 

 

That’s not a typo… this perfectly enjoyable #Shea video, which is essentially a direct narrative of their story—thoughtfully punctuated with dialogue here and there—has LESS THAN 100 VIEWS to its name as I write this. Let’s see if we can bump that up!

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SONG: “Dimelo” by Enrique Iglesias

PRODUCER: Valentina Soler

RELEASE DATE: 4/9/20

LENGTH: 3:48

VIEWS TO DATE: 224

“Dimelo” (which translates to “Tell Me” according to Google Translate) relies almost entirely on the visuals and the music to tell Shaun and Lea’s story. But when dialogue is featured, there’s a twist—sometimes it’s in English, other times it’s in Spanish. Welcome to the only bi-lingual music video in this week’s listings! (If you ever wondered what TGD sounds like when dubbed in Spanish, this clip is for you!)

 

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SONG: “Islands in the Stream” by…????

PRODUCER: emriswizard

RELEASE DATE: 4/30/20

LENGTH: 3:29

VIEWS TO DATE: 467

 

1) 

I ADORE this up-tempo cover of Shaun and Lea’s “song”… but who sings it? If you happen to know, please share your knowledge in the comments! (I know there are apps for that kind of thing, but I don't have them!)

Anyway… this is a somewhat more playful take on Shaun and Lea’s relationship through the years.

 

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SONG: “Arctic”… instrumental by..???

PRODUCER: Natalie Elaina

RELEASE DATE: 4/4/20

LENGTH: 4:35

VIEWS TO DATE: 50,700

I’m not sure if “Arctic” is the name of the instrumental used in this popular clip, or if that’s a theme the creator assigned to it. But the absence of lyrics definitely allows for a little more focus on the steady stream of #Shea dialogue.

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SONG: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” cover by Dave Thomas, Jr. (original by Bonnie Raitt)

PRODUCER: M O O D.

RELEASE DATE: 3/30/20

LENGTH: 5:45 (includes a lengthy clip from the “Hurt” episode)

VIEWS TO DATE: 130,000

1) 

This clip—which is by far the most-seen of the ones in this post—is similar to the first clip on this list in that it was released just before the season finale. The big difference comes in the tone, which is, as you might guess by the song choice, decidedly downcast. Interesting that a video that essentially jumped the gun on this couple’s prognosis is so popular with #Shea fans. (And yes, as far as I could tell, the supportive stream of comments was left by fans rather than Lea-haters.)

 

Speaking of LEA…! She is the star of both my Honorable Mentions this time around.

 

TITLE: Best of Lea Dilallo

PRODUCER: Shaun The Good Doctor

RELEASE DATE: 5/29/20

LENGTH: 2:13

VIEWS TO DATE: 918

 

 

TITLE: Lea being understanding of Shaun for 4 minutes straight

PRODUCER: Shaun The Good Doctor

RELEASE DATE: 6/30/20

LENGTH: 4:00

VIEWS TO DATE: 2,700

 

 

Same producer on these two clips, but two different sides of our girl Lea… “best of” showcases her sass, while “being understanding” flies in the face of those who maintain regular character assassination attempts on her. What’s not to love??

#SHEA Ultimate S.O.S. Playlist, Volume 7 (Tracks 31-35)

 

I hope you’re still finding the bi-weekly additions to the Playlist interesting!

My intent is to put out two more “volumes” after this one… at that point, everyone who has submitted at least one song to me should be included. Beyond that, I plan to build the numerous other song suggestions into blog posts in ways TBD later. And yes, I’m contemplating a shareable spreadsheet of the entire Playlist, hopefully with an actual Spotify playlist to follow! But be patient; I move S L O W L Y 😒

I will still GLADLY make room for more suggestions, so please remember (and/or tell others) that THIS is the original “call for submissions” link!

It’s getting more difficult to group these into single categories, but I think today’s submissions are mostly reflective of #Shea happenings of 2020 thus far…

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SONG: “Someone to Call My Own” by Mos Isley 

Songwriters: Mos Isley (This is a guess; could not find a definitive answer) 

Submitted by: Allan Verissimo; endorsed by Rose Amelie 

Comments from Me: “As heard in the promo for 3.16(Autopsy)…” 

(this one resonates with MANY TGD fans; the video links for the song are chock full of comments like “The Good Doctor brought me here”)

Also—I thought Mos Isley was a person’s name until I Googled it and kept seeing references to Star Wars… that confusion eventually led to the discovery that “Mos” is actually the name of a Swedish Indie rock/pop band (aka SEVERAL people). The more you know…!

Anyway, many thanks to Allan for suggesting “Someone” in the blog comments a few weeks back… I’m sure others thank you too! Rose Amelie mentioned it as well…

Comments from Rose: “I just love it! It sounds when

Shaun walks to talk to Lea in the clinic (well.. he said nothing because he was scared). This theme fits perfect for Shaun´s POV. He knows that deserves to be with someone, and realized that Carly isn`t the person he really loves. That truth hit him like a locomotive, and Shaun finally accepts his feelings for Lea, and the desires to share his life with her.”

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

This universe I understand

A brand-new world is in our hands

I want someone to call my own

Someone to share my rhythm and to fallow home

Somewhere I belong…. Someone to call my own

A long gone light has reappeared

A piece of mind is what you hear

We can make it right somehow

We can break the barrier now

 

 

HEAR IT HERE 

 

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SONG: “Everything in My Heart” by Corey Hart 

Songwriter: Corey Hart

Submitted by: Kelli 

Comments: This track from Mr.“Sunglasses at Night” was a minor (Top 30) hit in the U.S., but went #1 in his native Canada, and stuck with me throughout the final arc of S3. It’s a throwaway 80s ballad for some… but it’s also the kind of piece for which, if I was producing a #Shea music video, the visuals would come easily in tandem with the lyrics…

 

Through the longest nights
Oh we know them so well
I keep forgetting my place
And I stumbled til I fell

So easy it's so easy

To never see the truth…

And sometimes when my heart is so cold

And you cut me out and you're so hard to hold…

I keep searching

I want to get through to you

I keep on searching

About to break through to you

Again and again…

HEAR IT HERE 

And though I wanted to find a decent, updated cover of “Everything…” to share here, I can only provide the original, cliché-ridden “concert” video clip from 1985. Sorry!

 

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SONG: “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon 

Songwriters: Ben Berger, Eli Maiman, Ryan McMahon, Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray 

Submitted by: Rose Amelie (I’m counting THIS as her contribution, not the previous one)

Comments from Rose: “This was one of my first songs in my personal the #Shea playlist. The difference with the previous two songs is that this theme is pure joy and strength. Obviously, it´s Shaun´s POV based on Lea´s personality and soul...

For me, the phrase ‘dance with’ represents the new life of both. Shaun loves and accepts Lea for just ‘being her,’ and he knows his destiny is with her.”

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

We were victims of the night
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh, we were bound to get together
Bound to get together

She took my arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said

"Oh, don't you dare look back

Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance with me"

 

HEAR IT HERE 

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SONG: “Bless the Broken Road” (best known by Rascal Flatts) 

Songwriters: Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna

Submitted by: Tony

Comments from Tony: “I spent a lot of my young adult years enjoying a mix of lighter Pop and Country, and this one happened to be a crossover hit that came out about a year before I graduated college. There are other versions out there, but this was by far the biggest.

“Call this one a song from Lea's perspective - even though it's sung by a male group. In it, the singer recounts years of broken dreams, heartbreak and relationship fails; which ultimately proved to pave the way to their true love.”

 

Comments from Me: My limited knowledge of country music had me thinking the Rascal Flatts 2004 version of “Broken Road” was the original… far from it! The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had the original in the ‘90s, and several covers have been made through the years, both in the country and contemporary Christian genres (with the Rascal Flatts version being by far the best-known, as Tony indicates).

 

Since it’s devoted to Lea’s perspective on things, the lyric video I’m including contains one of the female versions of the song (by CCM artist Selah).

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

  

HEAR IT HERE 

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SONG: “We’re Going Home” by Vance Joy

Songwriters: James Keogh (A.K.A. Vance Joy), Dan Wilson 

Submitted by: Faghost

Comments from Me: Faghost, like a few others, has submitted many, MANY songs for #Shea playlist consideration. 😁 No commentary was provided for this submission, but the song itself was flagged with multiple asterisks to indicate it was a top pick among the many, MANY Faghost suggested!😊 I’ll just add that Vance Joy is an Aussie artist best known in the U.S. for his songs “Riptide” and “Saturday Sun”.

 

“We’re Going Home” is another one of those songs with lyrics and warmth to stir up all the positive vibes emanating from the back half of the S3 finale.

 

SAMPLE LYRICS

 

Some things are simple and hard to ignore
They say, hmm, the truth is like that
We're getting colder, so far from the shore
I say, hmm, the world is like that

I can't see you
But I hear your call
Baby, hold on now

We're going home
If we make it or we don't, we won't be alone
When I see your light shine, I know I'm home
If you're waiting all your life, you won't ever go

 

HEAR IT HERE 

 

STATE OF THE #SHEA: Now That They Found Love, Part 2

By the time you read this, The Good Doctor may have started filming season four!

 

SIGH. The pandemic changed TGD’s shooting plans yet again between the time I wrote that first line and the time I posted it live on the blog.

 

Here’s the news release about the latest delay, in case you haven't seen it.

As for the ins and outs of HOW they move forward, once they do… there have been some write-ups about it, including “shooting love scenes during COVID-19” (which I know we’re all curious as hell about), and from a production standpoint, it’s quite interesting stuff.

 

BUT… for now you’ll need to look those articles up on your own, because that’s not what we’re speculating on this time. Part 1 of Now That They Found Love, which I posted back in May, opened a few avenues for storylines/episodes that I described as The Good and The Bad:

THE GOOD= things that count as lighter dilemmas & challenges; issues that are able to be resolved in some manner in an episode or two

 

THE BAD= deeper-rooted situations that have make-or-break potential, though obviously the hope is that Shaun and Lea now have a foundation to withstand such root “damage”

 

There are plenty more roads to explore, though, so let’s see if I hit on something that you’ve been thinking about as well…

 

THE GOOD

Improving “little things” before they turn into big things

 

Quick, what’s the only time thus far that Shaun has said something complementary about Lea’s physical appearance? HINT: Lea wasn’t even there when he said it…

 

SHAUN (talking to Claire at the hospital): My neighbor, Lea… If she were ever in a fire, she'd be rescued first.

 

CLAIRE: Why's that?

 

SHAUN: Dr. Melendez says attractive people have advantages.

 

(From 1.9 “Intangibles”)

 

That’s the conversation that started Claire explaining “the flirting trifecta,” which adorably led Shaun to counter Lea’s initial flirt—“You’re such an asshat, Shaun Murphy”—with his own attempt (“Lea… you look ridiculous in that sweater.”)

 

But that was then, this is now, and while it’s pretty much a given that Shaun is physically attracted to the woman he’s in love with… he has yet to tell her outright, at any stage of their relationship, that he thinks she’s beautiful/pretty/gorgeous/whatever. Not a criticism, just an observation.

 

Is it important that he learn to say these things that neurotypical men often tell their significant others on the regular? Well… while I do have this filed under the little things, I think one of Lea’s self-proclaimed “needy” attributes might the need to hear the words from time to time (let’s face it, she’s far from alone in that regard). And one thing about Shaun’s reticence on these kind of compliments—if/when he does feel inspired to tell her how he sees her, it could be epic in its own way!

 

All of this is related to a bigger little thing known plain and simple as communication… a challenging cornerstone for any relationship success, usually broken into pebbles of daily or weekly happenings. The bad news is that ASD makes communication even more challenging. The good news is that Shaun and Lea have a head start, learning what they’ve learned about each other for the past three years. But how far will that head start actually BE now that the relationship, and its expectations, are changing?

 

Something to think about… suppose Lea and Shaun were to try and help their communication along by mutually agreeing on an “exit line”—a.k.a. a way to improve upon all those abrupt departures of Shaun’s. Something simple, like I love you and I’ll talk to you later? Ah, that’s kind of boring. YOU should come up with an exit line!

 

(No, really, you should! And if you do, please leave it in the comments!)

 

 

Lea, the St. Bonaventurite-In-Training

 

S4 is also the perfect time for Lea to interact more with others we know and love at St. B. On the one hand, there are a wealth of options: Lea/Morgan (we already know we like that combo), Lea/Debbie (great potential, though they’ve yet to share the screen), Lea/ Claire, Lea/Audrey (who appear to be good friends off-camera already)… or any combo of the above.

 

On the other hand, a typical “girls night out” scene at a bar or restaurant might prove impossible to year due to COVID restrictions. So… carry-out Pizza at Claire’s house, anyone? Chinese food at Morgan’s? Think Audrey might have room on her motorcycle to give Lea a ride sometime? Or will Debbie air some big-time Glassman grievances while riding shotgun in the Striped Tomato?

 

It wouldn’t take that many scenes/episodes of bonding to establish a St. B sisterhood of which Lea is now a part. I hope TGD writers consider it. Would be a lot of fun, and a great way for Lea to become defined beyond being Shaun’s Girlfriend.

 

Speaking of which-- if TGD could hand over an entire episode in S3 to Carly’s character development AND get Carly and Shaun working together (figuratively and literally) to strengthen their relationship (3.12 “Mutations”)… surely they could do something similar in S4 with Lea, a character that (Lord willing) will NOT vanish from the cast a few episodes later?

 

 

From neighbors to roommates to best friends to…

 

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that COVID precautions are NOT going to interfere with shooting #Shea love scenes…

 

I’m also going to assume that there will be at least as much demonstrative affection between Shaun and Lea from the jump as there was in the final few weeks of Shaun and Carly’s relationship… probably more.

 

But as they progress towards that First Time we’re waiting for, there’ll be plenty of room for conflict. Maybe Lea will want to wait longer, for any number of reasons (she’s scared, she wants it to be more special than other “first times” in her life, she’s still uncertain about the relationship in general, etc.) Maybe they’ll have a number of attempts that will get interrupted by a call from the hospital. Maybe one or both of them will get upset by efforts to “make everything perfect” for that First Time that go awry… but then when they least expect it, an emotional rush of some sort carries them away.

 

Whenever Shaun and Lea officially become lovers, I think we need to make the most of it. Because I wonder how much we’ll witness of their sex life from that point onward. There’s plenty the writers could do to explore the challenges/rewards of their intimacy that does NOT come off as a retread of Shaun and Carly, but I wonder if they will. Not necessarily because of the pandemic, but moreso because, as we know so well, the personal stories on TGD are doled out in very limited increments of time. I suspect once it’s been established that #Shea have done the deed, we won’t be privy to a whole lot of pillow talk… if only because the show has bigger relationship fish to fry. At least, for now. (Believe me, I hope I’m wrong as much as you do!)

 

 

 

THE BAD

 

Shaun’s anger issues, revisited

 

They’ve got to go there, right? Here are some thoughts on how it could be done…

 

+  An organic way for TGD to ease Shaun and Lea into that discussion could be a scene that has them in or near the Striped Tomato for what is revealed to be the first time (or one of the few times) since the baseball bat incident. This might carry more credibility if they remind us that Lea has TWO cars, as they did when The Tomato made its debut on the show in the “Islands” episodes. (IF she still does?) Lea could make a lot of excuses for driving them around in her other car…then freeze up or react in some other, adverse way when circumstances placed Shaun back in the vicinity of her most prized possession.

 

+  Otherwise, it might take a flare-up on Shaun’s part—not necessarily sparked by Lea, but just in general—to trigger a conversation. Maybe Lea would pull away from such a flare-up, retreating silently (rather than trying to talk Shaun down) in recollection of that awful night last spring. How long might it take Shaun to counter-react to such non-verbal communication? Calling on my ASD experts…

 

+  Since I can’t imagine going through a season of TGD without some highly emotional moments from Dr. Murphy, it seems more a matter of when than if he’s wrestling with his anger. But I truly hope that if Lea’s involved, it’s in a way that doesn’t have her questioning her decision to be with him. No guarantees for that, I know… but something that might factor into that is the timing of such an event. If it were to happen in the back half of the season, would it seem less threatening than it does right now because the relationship will have a few miles under its belt by then? 

 

Lea’s “worthiness,” revisited

 

When Lea laid out her initial rationale against a relationship with Shaun, we got several confirmations about her perceived low self-worth. How will that play out now that she’s made her leap of love/faith? As Andreas pointed out a while back, telling Shaun he “made her more” in the final minute of the season didn’t give us much insight into how he does it… or how she internalizes it.

 

My point, which you probably know already, is that Lea’s self-esteem issues aren’t magically erased because she’s with Shaun now and knows that he loves her. If anything, she’s likely to hit some real low spots in the coming year—whether she’s questioning her ability to hold up her end of the relationship, or entrenched in a family issue, or feels she’s faltering at work (however her St.B role officially evolves). OR…maybe she’ll be just as much “a mess” as ever, but it seems like more because we’ll see HER more.

 

Shaun sounded confident when he told Lea (during the final three minutes of “Autopsy”) that he thought he’d be able to handle her neediness/selfishness/messiness if they were to pursue a relationship. But will that confidence hold up when their love is tested? It’s a difficult enough question for a neurotypical person; when it’s a person with ASD… well, that’s exactly what Lea was getting at when she initially walked away with tears in her eyes. With that in mind, I can’t imagine TGD writers will ignore these challenges in S4. I also can’t imagine Shaun doing anything less than finding his own way to rise to any occasion necessary. Hopefully that’s not me simply being over-optimistic.

 

An Outside Force to Be Named Later

 

There’s going to be at least occasional conflict if #Shea are to get any screen time; if it doesn’t stem from the characters themselves or any of the ideas I mentioned in the May edition of Now That They… , here are a few more options:

 

+  A new character (maybe one replacing Dr. Melendez)? A temporary character, a la Dr. Han? An extension of something that might happen between Lea and a member of her family? I should add that I don’t mean to imply a new character could come into the show setting their sights on either Shaun OR Lea… there’s plenty of things that can crop up without a hint of an issue of romantic betrayal.

 

 

+  A crime that Lea falls victim to… I’m saying Lea, not Shaun, since he was in the holdup in S1 and was also hospitalized in S2 after his (very brief) bar fight. But he IS the titular character, so I suppose he could be the victim of a crime too. Perhaps something that happens while they’re out on a date?

 

+  Since we just witnessed a natural disaster in San Jose, another one seems less likely… BUT… we had a 2-part quarantine in S2, and a 2-part quake in S3… what could be the 2 parter this time? And what long-term effect will it have on #Shea (if any)?

 

 

Readers, if you’ve got any offerings for that last idea… or, want to share your own take on S4 storylines for #Shea (my suggestions, or your own)… you know where to share your thoughts!

 

A post more specific the role ASD plays in romantic partnerships is what I plan to do as a final installment to this Now That They… series. Look for that in September!