It was inevitable that COVID-19 would find yourself on our screens.
It is the stuff that medical dramas dwell for: a plague that has 1,000,000 seemingly unrelated signs and stretches hospital capability and medical doctors’ power to the bounds.
However contemplating that viewers have lived by 9 months of the actual factor, was The Good Doctor Season 4 Episode 1 TOO lifelike?
The Good Physician actually packed each facet of the horrific pandemic into the hour!
By going again to late February, viewers noticed the disaster unfolding by the medical doctors’ eyes.
The time jumps successfully demonstrated how medical doctors went from mistaking the virus for the flu to with the ability to diagnose sufferers however not deal with them… and later to repeatedly uncover new signs and new issues associated to the illness.
These issues are very inconsistent. It’s turning into annoying.
Shaun
They even included the hospital enjoying celebratory music when a affected person recovered nicely sufficient to go house.
However the factor that saved this from turning into a miserable semi-documentary about COVID-19 is that by all of it, the characters stayed true to themselves.
Shaun’s reactions had been particularly fascinating. As we all know, one of many ways in which Autism impacts him is that he does not adapt nicely to alter and is an absolute stickler for guidelines.
That latter high quality most likely helps defend him and people round him. One of many causes that COVID-19 continues to unfold all through the USA is due to folks not following security pointers.
One thing so simple as having a celebration for a kid with a number of buddies can result in a surge in instances, however Shaun won’t enable anybody he cares about to do such a factor.
A number of the hour’s lighter moments got here from Shaun’s issue in coping with the pandemic, particularly with not with the ability to spend time with Lea.
I cracked up at that entire dialog the place he stored speaking about intercourse after Park explicitly requested him to not. Ordinarily, I do not prefer it when Shaun ignores boundaries, however I wanted the snort simply then.
And Shaun and Lea’s try and have cellphone intercourse was traditional Shaun.
I additionally appreciated his frustration with the illness’s ever-changing symptomology.
As a non-doctor, I hate that as a lot as he does. At one level it appeared like all symptom you’ll be able to think about was a possible signal of COVID, which didn’t assist my anxiousness any.
Anyway, coping with the pandemic realistically was a powerful departure from The Good Physician’s ordinary method. The hospital has seen loads of weird instances, however normally Shaun comes up with some artistic therapy choice that nobody else would have considered.
Sadly, there is no such thing as a such miracle treatment for COVID, a minimum of not but, and it could have been merciless to fictionalize one. So this time, Shaun had no solutions any greater than anybody else did and was helpless to treatment this illness.
Shaun: You might have COVID-19. I can inform and not using a check, which is an efficient factor as a result of we have no.
Man: However I can not scent. That is not a symptom.
Shaun: It’s now.
Man: So I’ve COVID. Now what?
Shaun: Go house. There isn’t any therapy. Relaxation, steer clear of folks, come again when you have bother respiration. Goodbye.
That is why probably the most highly effective moments got here from the sufferers themselves, not the medical doctors.
Martin’s video chats along with his spouse had been among the many strongest moments of the hour. This was the closest she might come to visiting him, and that was nearly as heartbreaking as his perception that he was more likely to die.
Shaun handled that in his ordinary blunt manner, however even Andrews did not have the correct phrases to reassure Martin and his spouse that every little thing could be high quality, as a result of there have been no ensures.
Throughout the hospital, Claire’s case was one which we have seen within the information time and again.
This lady was one of many first folks to get sick, and it was inevitable that she was going to die. The medical doctors did not know sufficient, there have been few therapies obtainable, and tools and beds had been briefly provide.
Morgan misdiagnosed the girl’s situation within the first place, however an earlier analysis would not have helped and not using a plan to deal with it, which did not exist.
Nonetheless, this was an emotional story arc. It was horrible how the girl’s daughter could not ever go to her due to the hazard and the way the girl in the end died surrounded solely by a number of medical doctors in full protecting gear.
I could not assist fascinated with the loss of life of Claire’s mom as she instructed this affected person’s daughter that her mom was gone.
Claire will need to have felt a kinship with the girl. That they had each misplaced moms to horrible illnesses.
It made sense that she would attempt to bend the principles to get the girl her mom’s cross, although I might have performed with out the Melendez ghostly look.
Whether or not Melendez is a real ghost or only a figment of Claire’s creativeness stays to be seen, however both manner, appearances by lifeless characters at occasions of disaster is a manner overused TV trope that I would somewhat The Good Physician steer clear of.
As for Morgan, she was two for 2 with misdiagnosing COVID sufferers.
Did anybody doubt the stomach ache affected person was going to end up to have the illness? I known as it as quickly as he stated he had stomach ache and was despatched to the non-COVID ward.
I used to be certain, too, that one of many medical doctors was going to finish up COVID optimistic — what’s a medical drama with out the medical doctors catching critical illnesses, in any case? However I did not count on the sufferer to be a minor character.
I figured it could be one of many fundamental characters, although I am glad we did not go that route. Melendez’s loss of life was unhealthy sufficient.
In any case, now that Morgan uncovered the hospital to COVID twice by not realizing that is what her sufferers had, that must be a serious a part of her story.
Morgan will possible really feel responsible and whine about it in a egocentric, annoying manner, as a result of that is what Morgan typically does. I ponder, although, if anybody will blame her for lacking the second man’s analysis.
In each instances, she was coping with signs she’d by no means seen earlier than. However the hospital had drive-up testing by the point the second man got here alongside, and I used to be shocked that sufferers presenting with non-COVID signs weren’t examined simply in case earlier than being despatched to the common ward.
Glassman: With correct precautions I might go to the hospital.
Debbie: You might be 65 years outdated with a historical past of most cancers. in case you get this virus…
Glassman: What am I doing?
Debbie: You are being protected. You are being sensible. And anyway, what’s improper with us spending time at house collectively?
Elsewhere, Glassman and Debbie’s battle was probably the most annoying facet of the episode.
Clearly, an excessive amount of togetherness induced rigidity of their marriage, however their fights weren’t a lot totally different than the nonsensical fights they all the time have.
These two are extremely mismatched and their head-butting is just not pleasant.
Your flip, The Good Physician fanatics!
Was the COVID-19 story compelling or too on-the-nose?
Hit the large, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and tell us what you suppose!
Need to see the episode once more? Simply watch The Good Doctor online proper right here on TV Fanatic.
The Good Physician airs on ABC on Mondays at 10 PM EST/PST.
Jack Ori is a senior workers author for TV Fanatic. His debut younger grownup novel, Reinventing Hannah, is out there on Amazon. Observe him on Twitter.