State of the Shea Pt. 66: “Boys Don’t Cry”… But We Do

Have you noticed what I’ve noticed with regards to S6 ABC network promos for The Good Doctor…?

The subject matter for each has been as follows:

“Afterparty”- Hospital’s in crisis mode after Lim/Villanueva are stabbed

“Change of Perspective”- Newbies 2.0 plus Lim’s return

“A Big Sign”- Shaun & Lea’s “bad habits” + brewing discontent via Lim

“Shrapnel”- A literal explosion in OR… Lim’s situation, Shaun/Glass arguing

“Growth Opportunities”- It’s Halloween… and Shaun has a surgery plan for Lim

“Hot and Bothered”-  San Jose has a heat wave, and Shaun/Powell are struggling 

“Boys Don’t Cry”-- THE SEXTUPLETS (and #Shea baby wishes)

In other words, the Patients Of The Week have not been highlighted nearly as much as the storyline arcs of the regular characters. I’d have to do a deeper dive down the promo rabbit hole to be sure of this, but it sure seems like this is the first time in the history of the series that the spotlight has shifted so consistently. 

(Just a Thing That Makes Me Go Hmmmm… as Arsenio Hall used to say.)

This time around, the Patients of the Week (all eight of them, if you include the parents) couldn’t help but be the stars alongside St. Bon’s finest– some pairings expected, some not, some really not. But I guess Andrews and ex-wife Isabel were more overseers than an actual medical team, right? 

Since TGD conveniently had the six babies named alphabetically in correspondence with their arrival into the world, I’ll run through each respective situation alphabetically as well.

BUT FIRST…

Shaun and Lea and the Baby to be Named Later (Much, Much Later)

We obviously must talk about Shaun and Lea, so let’s deal with that first. 

I wasn’t sure at all how they were going to step back into the baby discussion with these two. We haven’t seen them talk about Lea’s miscarriage since the end of season four. Shaun referenced it once last season –when he was talking to young Isla in “The Family “– but Lea hasn’t brought it up at all. Even when it seemed a possible contributor to Shaun‘s epic meltdown in “Expired,” tthe focus was so strong on his feelings of deception by both Glassman and Lea, any possible miscarriage “triggers” were never broached. 

So when TGD teased the baby talk in the promo for “Boys, Don’t Cry “, I was halfway to thinking we were seeing a scene from the very end of the episode rather than the beginning. It’s possible that both Lea and Shaun had been reticent about discussing the whole matter because it hurt too much, or was too scary to think about trying again. But 30 seconds into the episode, it was clear that they had just been waiting for the right amount of time to pass… and by the way, yes, it was weird to see them talking as if the miscarriage had happened last November when we all know it happened in the spring of 2021. 

But that TV time-space continuum thing is crazy enough that we must remember they can, and will, take artistic license with that whenever they can. The fact that an actual calendar of November was seen here made it a little less palatable; you’ve gotta wonder, couldn’t they have just posted a generic calendar page to keep things a little more fluid? Nonetheless, the timing was hardly the issue by the end of the episode. unless by timing, you mean Will there be a #Shea baby in the duration of the series?

I know a lot of fans were everything from devastated, to furious, to everything in between with the awareness that the show is bringing a real-life complication known as Asherman’s Syndrome into the #Shea storyline.  I get it; I don’t like to see Shaun and Lea sad either, and we know Shaun knows how to be the “rock” Lea needs. Nothing needs to be proven at this point. But TGD’s hallmark is emotional drama, and with that in mind I think there are several benefits to bringing this complication to the table:

• It’s a real life thing to which many fertility-challenged couples can relate. 

• It is a complication, but not a death sentence, to the #Shea baby possibilities.

• And perhaps most important, I think it’s a better option than the “complication” of having Lea get pregnant again only to miscarry again, regardless of what might trigger it.. 

My thought now is that once Lea becomes pregnant again – and I do think she will— she’ll carry to term this time. There may be difficulties, there may be incredibly anxious moments, but I think the show is wisely spreading out the pain, the doubt, the anticipation, all the things that give a pregnancy storyline its texture. 

I suppose some of that depends, too, on whether or not TGD gets renewed for a seventh season. None of us know the answer to that right now, so I don’t know if the show would try to deliver (pun intended!) a complete pregnancy storyline within THIS season. All I can guess is that they have a contingency plan for either outcome, and one way or another, we will see some parental-ish joy on Shaun and Lea’s faces down the road.

Baby A (Abigail)... Jerome & Asher

The medical status of Baby A was the strongest and least complicated of the six, and likewise was the potential conflict arising with Jerome and Asher, a.k.a. #Jasher. It looked, briefly, as if there was finally going to be a serious roadblock in their relationship when Asher indicated he wasn’t sure he wanted any children. Jerome did, Jerome does, and that scene that found Asher watching Jerome sing little Abigail back to breathing must’ve worked hook line and sinker. Next thing we know, he is opening his heart and mind to the possibility of fatherhood for the first time.

With Giacomo Baessato (Jerome) still on recurring status with the show, and Brandon Larracuente being bumped up to series regular already, I continue to wonder if #Jasher has a long-term future. It’s the dream for a kids-doubtful partner to have a change-of-heart as easily as Asher did, but will it stick? For now, at least, things are still lovely for them.

Baby B & C (Byron & Christopher)… Park/Morgan

In the beginning (of the series), we had Park and Morgan bantering for fun. Then, we had bantering while a close affection was brewing for each other. Next, we had Park and Morgan bantering as lovebirds. And eventually bickering as lovebirds. Post-break up, we’ve seen them bickering as exes. And finally, by the conclusion of this episode, we’re on to them bantering as exes. Or at least trying to. 

Sound complicated? It is. But there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide in this episode as they were forced to work together to save the identical twins of the sextuplet bunch. We knew Morgan had a wish for a child after her conversations with Asher in “Hot and Bothered,” but it was all news to Park– and that’s where the heightened drama for them began. It’s clear as day that these two still have pretty intense feelings for each other, though each is trying hard to move on in their own way. Knowing there are now fertility issues in Shaun and Lea’s future makes Morgan’s desire all the more interesting— will we have a situation soon where Morgan is pregnant and Lea is all the more saddened because of it? – but even without that question, the status of both Morgan’s desires and Park’s, and whether or not the two will intertwine, is, in my opinion, as good away as any for the show to perpetuate their relationship and keep the door open for them possibly reuniting.

Speaking of reuniting… as an aside,  I must say, I did not see a possible reunion of Andrews and Isabel anywhere among the long-term possibilities of this year. Of course, that’s likely because we hadn’t seen Isabel onscreen in several years (making it a lot easier to recast that role as they did!). There seems to be so much going on with the shows personal developments already that I’m hard-pressed to believe we’ll see Isabel again anytime soon. But they’ve either put some decent closure on this part of Andrews‘s life that join the storyline in the final episodes of season four… Or, they’ve opened a can of worms to revisit whenever they feel like it. My guess is the latter.

Baby D (Derek)… Shaun/Perez

Perez/Handsome Dan was in full learning mode under Shaun‘s tutelage with Baby D(erek). Shaun had a lot of compartmentalizing to do in this episode, particularly after the Asherman’s Syndrome diagnosis came through about mid-episode. And while he gave plenty of signs that he’s human — the “taking a moment“ when he first held the baby, and admitting he was not fine after their appointment with the OB/GYN – he kept his sorrow out of sight as he guided Perez through some rocky OR terrain.While I have to wonder if another attending would’ve essentially told Perez to get out of the way when things got a little dire in the OR, they ultimately got the learning experiences they needed in working together, and who can argue with that?

Baby E (Erin Jordan)… Glassman/Jordan

I think we mentioned, perhaps, in our season 6 wish lists, that we’d probably start seeing Glassman in a more advisory role with other doctors on the show given that Shaun has grown so much both professionally and personally. Obviously, there is a lot still going on with Lim’s paralysis storyline which keeps the Glassman and Shaun dynamic evolving. But on a week to week basis, where does Glassman go? In “Hot and Bothered,” he imparted some of his wisdom to Park. Here, the intended recipient was Jordan as they dealt with a difficult spinal bifida surgery… And it was a pleasant change to see Glassman getting schooled– or “being reminded not to give up hope,” as he said– by the more innovative-minded Jordan. 

I feel like the Glassman/Jordan dynamic is what it would be like if Lea was a 3rd year resident under Glassman… Except for the part where Jordan didn’t know who Vin Scully was. Lea, passionate baseball fan that she is, would get that reference in a heartbeat.

Another reason for liking this team that worked on baby Erin was that it kept Jordan out of HD/Perez’s path for a week. Those two needed some breathing room. They still do… say, any multiple births coming into St. Bon’s this week?

Baby F (Francesca)… Lim/Powell

OK, first up: the thing with Clay, the pediatrician, was more than welcome to all of us who had been fuming about the guy who rejected Lim just a few episodes ago. Both the date and the kiss (especially the kiss) felt, again, a bit rushed, but the argument could be made that this time the writers wanted to assure us that Lim was not getting jerked around. And let’s face it– while it will be nice if Lim has a love life again, it will probably stay in the background compared to other things going on in her world.

One of those things has got to be, I think, a problem somewhere down the road regarding her friendship with Powell. Sure, they’ve bonded over their respective disabilities, and Powell has had quite the influence on Lim finding her way with a new identity. Still, it feels weird, doesn’t it? The chief of surgery being so chummy with a first year attending? They worked well together in this episode as they brought Baby F(rancesa) out of the woods (With an assist from Clay). But Powell, a.k.a. Combat Danni, has build a reputation already amongst the others as somewhat difficult. And things are bound to get dicey between her and Lim at some point, especially if Lim has a change of heart about “the surgery “. Keep an eye on them.

(When not focused on #Shea, that is…)

What did YOU think of “Boys Don’t Cry”— or of the latest #Shea development in particular? Leave a comment and let us know!