State of the Shea, Pt. 45: The (Near) Perfect Storm Warning of “Crazytown”
Definition of perfect storm
: a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors
Ooh, there’s that word again. DISASTER. The one that gets tossed around hyperbolically nowadays, not just on TGD but on other shows and in real life as well. We talked about it being an odd way to describe the engagement party that kicked off the season… but the deeper we get into this Salen takeover, the more S5 looks like it’s telling that engagement party “Hold my scotch (or whatever Glassman was overindulging in that night).”
Whether you’ve read TeeJay’s hilarious shred of “Crazytown” or not (and I highly recommend you do), the odds are strong that 5x5 will not go down with many viewers as a favorite TGD episode. Maybe that’s due to the sudden end of #MatLim, or the way the Asian hate crime was handled, or the choices Shaun and Lea made regarding the dreaded DoctorRater (that’s what I’m calling the device)... or maybe just a feeling that things were “off” in general. But, save for the MatLim part (more on that shortly), I suspect David Shore and Company are very accepting of this. Even encouraging of it. Because things are supposed to be “off” in general.
There’s trouble ahead, #Shea Nation. And not just for Shaun and Lea. Start preparing your shelters; methinks we’re gonna need them.
NOTE: While I don’t always mention non-#Shea storylines, this time I’m doing so because part of TGD’s beauty right now is the way Salen Morrison’s changes are all-encompassing.
That Damn DoctorRater: “Window into the minds of your clients”… or Salen’s latest WMD?
I can’t help it… I think the DoctorRater is an ingenious way to propel all the TGD storylines. I HATE the device as much as the next person in terms of truly being able to do what it promises…it makes you want to yell they’re doctors, not wait staff at the Olive Garden… and, assuming Salen owns other hospitals (she does, right? This came up I think when Shaun confronted her about the hand dryers?) I wonder how often someone ends up wishing they could rate the device itself: This overly simplistic system of evaluating complex relationships with caregivers makes me highly anxious. Due to that fact alone, I won’t seek out this hospital again. 3 out of 10. Big fat frowny face.
But what makes it brilliant is a) how it impacts every doctor we know in some manner, b) how it even impacts the “non-doctor” we know (Lea) by way of her own role at St. B, and c) how the titular character is uniquely affected… and probably not just in regards to his professional life.
Speaking of which, I’m grouping things here as a way of “building” to the #Shea part-- hopefully it’ll make sense as you keep reading.
Jordan/Wolke--
As a rivalry, it was blink-and-you’ll-miss-them in “Crazytown” since they split up for their respective cases of the week shortly after the first scene. But I liked that they compared scores the moment the meeting was over. Very in-character.
Parnick (Park/Morgan)
Pretty interesting what the DoctorRater underscored about these two. In essence it was nothing we didn’t already know about their vastly different approaches to their jobs, and consequently, their lives. But it also served to reset their relationship for us: yes, they’re adorable rivals (adorRivals?), but what sort of compromise might there be for the long-term… assuming there is one for them?
The question isn’t so much about Park’s needing to change (unless they decide to step up competition between him and Shaun for a post-residency role at St. B?)... it’s about Morgan. Park nailed it-- she’s unsatisfied at best, unhappy at worst. Some of that may be lingering disappointment for rheumatoid arthritis taking her out of the surgical world, but with her artsy-fartsy family (seen in S3’s “Sex and Death” episode) unable to connect with and appreciate her medical pursuits… and no real friends that we know of… who’s left besides Park? She keeps reaching to rub shoulders and kiss asses, whether it’s the new owner of the hospital or the unseen Dr. Chandra (in this particular episode). Will she let Park “ground” her endless yet exhaustive ambition just a little?
Remember, it took those moments of vulnerability she showed in Guatemala to facilitate her and Park’s decision to give their relationship a serious try. I hope Park’s steady-Eddie demeanor allows him to be patient enough while she figures it all out.
Lim/Salen/Andrews
Salen was identified early upon her introduction to the show as a “nemesis,” but at this point in the season, it seems that only applies to her relationship with Lim (I’d say Glassman too, but… what relationship? He’s off licking his wounds of life in Paradise, MT. He gave up, for now.)
So there’s Salen-resister Lim, and then there’s “crawling further into Salen’s ass” (LOVE that line) Andrews… who got asked the “why aren’t you in charge, anyway?” question from Salen just before the “do you like shawarma?” question from Salen, and Oh, damn, this is all about Andrews getting his old job back isn’t it.
Right? I mean, we haven’t had a Chief-of-Surgery shift since the end of S2…
And Andrews at least gave a classy response: “I made a good call (firing Dr. Han/rehiring Shaun), the board made a bad one (removing him as Chief of Surgery due to his actions)”... but still… SHAKEUP DEAD AHEAD. It’s all there.
And then, on top of all this, we get Salen asking him out, rambling about how eating lamb makes her sad as he follows her out the door like a curious puppy. But why not? I guess… Andrews, newly single, has little to lose as he cozies up to the new boss…
(Ew. EW!!! Does this mean we’re going to assume Salen has “dropped a deuce” while Andrews was taking a shower (see 5x3 “Measure of Intelligence”) if/when this dinner invite of Salen’s turns the corner…??? Again I say EW.)
ABOUT MATLIM--
I can’t think of this episode without wondering if it was a quick trip to Crazytown just getting the script re-worked and re-written! There must’ve been a very short period of time available to accommodate Osvaldo Benavides’ sudden departure from the series. (I’m assuming the scripts are completed several weeks ahead of their respective shooting dates, so maybe August/early September for this one?)
Anyway, having to tweak an entire season’s worth of story arcs (as they surely have to do) is one thing… endeavoring to wrap up a character’s story and write him out of the show in ONE EPISODE is a whole different kettle of fish. Do you think they created the whole ex-girlfriend with no insurance storyline as a way to facilitate Mateo’s exit, or do you think that plotline was already in place (pre-departure) as a means to explore Mateo’s character and/or his intentions with Lim? And that once Bonavides was gone, they decided to take advantage of the situation… why drag out Dr. Rendon’s “emergency mission trip” two or three episodes when you can make it make sense to have Lim break up with him in just one?
Whatever the case-- and whatever situations had to be adjusted (gotta wonder if Wolke was always intended to be doling advice to the Chief of Surgery, for instance)-- I think TGD did the best they could with (sigh) the abrupt end of MatLim. It would have helped if there had been even a fraction of friction between the two of them the last time we saw them together, which was when they discovered the Shaun billboard at the end of 5x3 (remember they shared no scenes together in 5x4). But I guess it’s good news that we didn’t get a lot of time with them in the first place; it made it more believable that he was a love-em-and-leave-em kind of guy at heart. (That won’t make it any easier on his St. B guapa, though. Poor Lim. Add in what I said a minute ago about her tenure as Chief of Surgery being in jeopardy, and… dammit, Lim’s headed for Claire’s old role as The Woman Who Cannot Catch an F’ing Break, isn’t she?)
ABOUT THE HATE CRIME STORY…
Especially with Will Yun Lee (the actor who portrays Park) having been subjected to racist slurs in recent weeks, I hope he found some real satisfaction in the storyline involving Emily and her father. I’ve read some concern that the “hate crime” aspect of this Case Of The Week was not addressed very thoroughly, but to me, delving into the who and why and whether or not to press charges is better suited for a police or law-driven drama.
What TGD does best is tell stories, both among its regulars and its weekly guest stars. So what started as a case of hate crime quickly became an in-family debate of whether or not it was a hate crime… which became a look at generational differences as seen within the Asian-American community. And along the way we got a bigger window into Park’s family and background, which helped him connect with Emily at a crucial time during her dad’s health crisis. (Also a much-needed dimension for Park, whose drama-light manner might get him overlooked at times by the very writers that created him.)
So that’s what I saw, anyway-- an act of hate and cowardice used to shine a bright light not just on the reality of the crime, but the complex way it impacts the affected community.
One interesting caveat: with the recent rash of Asian hate crimes rooted strongly in the origins of COVID, I quietly wondered how TGD would address that fact when the show is supposed to be in a post-COVID world (as Freddie Highmore stated at the top of 4x3 “Newbies”). It was pretty simple, actually… when daughter Emily wouldn’t let her dad brush off the attack as an accidental byproduct of roughhousing, it was with words about how the “roughhousers” claimed he was “going to get them sick.” So COVID was essentially referenced without a direct reference. Tricky, but I think it worked.
THIS BRINGS US TO...
Shaun and That Damn DoctorRater
To buy into the idea that Shaun is obsessed with improving his ratings-- even to a point of fixation beyond what we’re used to with him-- you have to believe that Shaun himself has “bought into” Salen’s ways as a means to better himself. And I do.
ROUND 1 was his clash with her over some basic, tangible things-- the soap, the scrubs, the hand dryers. The result was an acknowledgment of his unique needs, and permission to wear his old scrubs. To Shaun, this was a personal victory.
ROUND 2 was the billboard-- not exactly “basic”, but still somewhat tangible. After some debate, he met a patient who helped him realize he hadn’t considered the billboard’s positive impact. He ultimately lets it stay up without a fight, giving credence to Salen’s methodology.
Now we are at ROUND 3. Surely he’s feeling better about Salen’s intentions at this point, so rather than see this ratings system as “wrong” because of the algorithms it uses-- as Lea suggests-- he sees it as a data-rooted challenge he needs to do his best to overcome. “The data reflects actual opinions,” he notes, meaning he sees it as honest. If Lea were to mess with the algorithm (as she offers), he feels it would no longer serve him.
So he does things that make us cringe:
He declines Lea’s offer to “talk to Salen”-- twice.
He sponges up tips from Flower Lady and Formalwear Guy, although AGAIN, a doctor’s “clients” aren’t the same as those of wedding vendors… which is why he shouldn’t be asking these things.
He uses said tips in some very misguided attempts to be more likeable. Now, I DO wish he had gotten some pushback on this from his peers; that there was time in the script for Park or Jordan-- to say “Shaun, stop worrying about the scores already!” which could have led to Shaun expanding on why he can’t seem to do that. Or-- better case scenario-- maybe rethinking his determination on the matter, and scaling back.
As TeeJay pointed out, there were a LOT of awkward silences in those scenes. Maybe this was a case of the script already being chock-o-block full, with no room for even the slightest of such conversations with anyone but Lea. Or, if we had writers Sam Chanse and Jessica Grasl on the witness stand, maybe they’d tell us they had to write it that way in order for Lea’s later action to be properly motivated. It’s an interesting question to which we’ll never likely know the answer.
So instead, I’m allowing for some “wiggle room” because, as I said at the top, I have bought into both Shaun’s allegiance to Salen, and his Damn DoctorRater obsession.
By the way: If he’s upset with Salen seemingly pushing Glassman out of the St. B pic-- and perhaps out of his own day to day-- maybe it’s not up at the surface yet because he’s relishing what he sees as his personal victories, fully earned his own way. Including his “improvement” with the Damn DoctorRater.
(Which is why it is going to SUCK when he finds out what Lea did.)
Lea and That Damn DoctorRater
Lea feels she’s got a good rapport with Salen, but as with the billboard, she is not blinded by this. Her priority is Shaun, and her concern is Shaun. That’s what is blinding her right now.
Lea knows Glassman has been Shaun’s top advocate throughout his residency at St. B.She’s well aware of Shaun’s successes there, but (perhaps subconsciously) she sees them all happening with Glassman as his safety net. No Glassman, no net. No net? Then Shaun’s in jeopardy in an environment that WAS his comfort zone, but under new management (that has already tested him hard, twice), all bets are off. At least, that’s the way she sees it.
Lea feels the need to take matters into her own hands. But how much faith does she have in herself at this point to do the right thing? (HINT: she tried to reach Glassman moments before making her move.) But the ONE thing she is solid with is her ability to do her job… and, occasionally, to use her skills to suit her unique needs (e.g. hacking Glassman’s accounts as a way to prove her worth/get hired by Glassman, S3… and preparing countless fake negative reviews in order to threaten the towing guy in S4). She doesn’t have Glassman’s seniority or his clout; all she has is her skill and, I presume, her ability to cover her tracks.
But the part of her scenes with Shaun in “Crazytown” that will come back to haunt her, maybe even more than her decision to remove Emily’s scathing review, is this:
SHAUN: Do you think I can’t improve my scores?
LEA: Of course not. I-I know you can.
But, real talk: Does she believe in Shaun’s ability to “do better”? Or just his commitment to trying?
Even more real talk: If she thinks, deep down, this is something he cannot change… does that mean she doesn’t really believe in him? Or is she touching on a brutally honest truth about his ASD, and she doesn’t want to be the one to say it?
Because NO ONE wants to say it. Not Lea, not Shaun, not the viewers.
I found myself thinking this week about the scene in “Hurt” (3x19) when Shaun encountered GhostSteve while searching for Lea at the earthquake-ravaged brewpub… the part where Ghost Steve (which, as we discussed at the time, was really a manifestation of Shaun’s own fears) said, about Lea, She thinks you’re limited... You ARE.
It’s that difficult dance of When does someone with a disability decide they’ve done everything they can to push back on their so-called limitations?
Shaun obviously isn’t there yet; he’s been hung up several times this season already on whether or not his ASD was affecting his reactions. And this is the biggest challenge yet.
Meanwhile, Lea is fraught (to say the very least). The deeper their love grows, the more she is conflicted with situations that involve “protecting” him. And given the fact that she initially (grudgingly) tried to cite his autism as a reason they couldn’t be together… even though that was much, much more about her concerns about herself… I can see where she desperately does not want to be the one to burst the bubble at St. B that Shaun has, inadvertently, come to rely on.
People who are fraught make mistakes. Sometimes egregious ones.
Doesn’t this “mistake” run the risk of saying to Shaun I don’t trust you can take care of this yourself after all… AND (depending on how he finds out about it) I was willing to be dishonest-- to you and to Salen-- because I felt so strongly about this conviction?
To be clear-- I don’t want to see this aftermath any more than you probably do. I want to see them keep discussing hypo-allergenic flowers, and tuxes that make Shaun look “like a little boy”, and wedding locations, and all the things we look forward to this season. But they haven’t faced a serious conflict like this yet, and I think it’s a fascinating one to have leading up to the big day. Even if it’s hard. Maybe especially if it’s hard.
Which is why I may curse the Damn DoctorRater, but as a vehicle to crack into some tough truths about their love-- and, ultimately, make Shea even stronger than before-- I think it’s brilliant.
Finally, a few words about Glassman... the one person on TGD not yet affected by That Damn DoctorRater
With just a minute or so of screen time this week (not counting the attempts to text him or reach him via voicemail), it’s impossible to give Glassy a lot of space here. So, just a few things to reiterate because he’s very much a factor going forward:
He’s defeated in love, defeated in career (in career, or the power that used to come with it?), and defeated as a parent-- obviously with Maddie, now in an entirely different way with Shaun.
He’s not really upset with Lea “taking over” (if that’s what he ever felt on some level). But he’s adrift with regards to Shaun. He hasn’t been in the position of parenting adult kids, just a teenage daughter who never got any older (for which he blames himself), and a “son” with special needs who, perhaps, Glassman has never really pictured as evolving with regards to those needs.
He continues to have more in common with Lea now than he realizes-- more than ever, given Lea’s actions this week.
Where will Glassman be when this “perfect storm” of which I speak makes landfall? Because when he comes back, he’ll be in a different place mentally than when he left. Count on it.
Better, faster, stronger… (Ok, maybe not “faster”.)
These are most peculiar times indeed for the St.B’vites, to say nothing of what lies ahead for #Shea in particular. But in order to appreciate them, a certain phrase comes to mind:
GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.
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