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The Good Doctor: Burnt Food (2017)
An amazing character but the show around Shaun needs to settle itself
The joy and central problem of this episode (and the start of this series) is how much Freddie Highmore as Shaun carries it. By most accounts the character is a sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of a person with autism. Perhaps the network could have casted an autistic actor but it seems like at least they did their research and built a beautifully complex, relatable, king and sympathetic character.
The combination of the Sherlock-esque visual prompts we get when Shaun begins to think medically and the flashbacks give a really strong insight into how Shaun thinks and what his motivations are. The flashbacks do sometimes cross a line where any creative writing teacher might mark 'show not tell' on the screenplay - and watching the flashback of what is meant to be the grand denouement of the episode, the discovery that Shaun is motivated to become a doctor because of his brother's early death, is not only expected but painfully belaboured. And this only has the effect of making Shaun's speech to the board less powerful. Compare this to Cristina Yang's very similar revelation to Owen Hunt (5 seasons in!) in Grey's Anatomy that it was her father's death that motivated her to be a surgeon and you can see the benefits of not labouring the point too much. The frequency of the flashbacks make me worry about the point when we have little left to learn about Shaun and little to wonder about his character - will he become boring or will they drop the technique?
Speaking of Grey's Anatomy leads onto the other issues with the show. What is it? Is it centrally a hospital drama? If so, there are several problems.
1) In a hospital as big as it's shown to be, with that self-important and grand a governing board, with at least 6 ORs - why do we only ever see 4 surgeons? How on earth does the board have the time to debate so heavily the hiring of one surgical resident? Why do the president, chief of Surgery, and attending have so much free time that they can invest in fighting over this? And why does the Chief of Surgery spend the whole of his time out of scrubs?
2) If Shaun is truly a first-year resident surgeon (at that size a hospital) then his even being scrubbed in in the OR on his first day should be a bigger deal. If he's gone through his intern year elsewhere then the board ought to look at his performance record there and be done with the conversation
3) So far there's been little emotional connection to the patients undergoing surgery. There haven't been many granted and currently I'm invested in the outcome of the surgeries given I'm rooting for Shaun's development as a surgeon but again I'm worried that only caring about the surgeries because they affect Shaun's career might not work in the long term.
4) As of yet I don't feel that anyone else in the hospital is actually a doctor. None of them seem to have any motivation behind what they are doing. But perhaps that's only because the two of the other residents sleeping together in the on-call room was the only room we had for character development this episode.
(N. B. These last two are reinforced by the next episode)
On the other hand, if this show is really about Shaun as a person and his struggles to become a surgeon, overcoming the discrimination he faces etc then there are also red flags. So far, while his internal struggles (i.e. With the security guards, or communicating to the other doctors/board) are intelligently and fully displayed, the discrimination he faces isn't believable or nuanced enough. We spend so much time in the board room this episode (where we could be focussing on character development) just listening to people say over and over and over 'autistic people can't communicate so how can they be doctors'. I know that that is actually a huge proportion of the struggle neurodivergent people face, just blatantly being disregarded and discriminated against. But President Glassman's defence of his hiring decision is weaker than it ought to be especially for a show where the audience is meant to unequivocally side with him. And following such blatant prejudiced opposition the board melts after a 30 second speech, no matter how heart-rending?? Even as we move outside the board room that's all we seem to get with Melendez categorically putting him on suction (even though as I said that seems like not a punishment for a first year surgical resident).
Compare this to Grey's Anatomy, to use that example again. Although it's not really developed afterwards in the second episode alone we get a more complete picture of racism within medicine than the discrimination that Shaun faces (Izzie assuming Cristina can speak Chinese, no one being able to communicate with the Chinese ER patients, undocumented immigrants not being able to access medical treatment). But then also consider Dr Dixon, the potential head of cardiothoracic surgery with Asperger's. Not only do the three episodes she's in show the same blatant ignorance and discrimination (but on a lower more believable level), with people calling here "a little off", and her internal struggles (trouble recognizing sarcasm, not understanding certain emotional conflicts that go against logic, getting overwhelmed in certain situations) but they also show people manipulating her, using her condition to get her to do what they want. They show that she is able to communicate, albeit in a different manner, with patients. They incorporate her previous difficulties with pathological stuttering. Etc.
If that's the level of complexity that we can see in the soapy, career/romance-focussed Grey's Anatomy, if The Good Doctor is really going to centre itself around Shaun, it needs to get more nuanced. And if we're going to focus on the medicine then there are fewer technicalities I'm willing to suspend my disbelief over. These are some fairly serious problems to navigate. But for the moment the brilliance of Shaun's character overshadows all of them and earns this episode an 8.
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Let's get out of here
Steve Carrell is getting a divorce. He's typically Steve Carrell until he meets Ryan Gosling who's rich, kind of mean, and slaps Steve repeatedly into having a fashion sense and a way with women. Their chemistry is great on screen.
If you can get past the rather painfully-aged womanising and general uncomfortable humour of the first half an hour, the film is an elegy to soulmates and a sweet if sometimes cringy one.
After a fun twist and the ensuing brawl the plot probably could have cut straight to reconciliation. It's not horrific but the film is slightly too long as it stands and doesn't quite maintain interest all the way through. With 20 minutes to go you may find yourself wishing Gosling would come and offer you a way out of your seat...
Grey's Anatomy: I Will Follow You Into the Dark (2009)
Do I just want my surgeons to be gods?
There's a lot of good in this episode. Izzie is absolutely on point. Her teaching of the residents reminds me so much of Bailey (no matter how long overdue this is - come on they've been here for a season and a half and I swear this is the first serious patient half of them have had). Her general existence now was really great to watch. That scene with Karev was heart-wrenching. I just really hope that all the progress he's making which is amazing to see doesn't disappear once Izzie tells him. Lexie's continued excellent surgeon-ry is nice to see as is her relationship with Sloan. Adele is always great and Miranda taking the chief to task is fun to watch as well. Arizona reminds me more and more is the best parts of Leslie Knope!
Izzie telling Cristina is a good choice. The scene in the residents room is really good and well written. Sandra Oh conveys so much very calm compassion there (and with Hunt earlier). But the final wordless thing in the vent I could do without.
But something is off. It's great to see Shepherd not being arrogant for once and the first scene with him lounging on the couch is almost worth last episodes fight. It's interesting to finally see the reality of the work he does which can get clouded when the show has to balance how many failures we as audience members can handle. It's great to see the Chief flipping out. And sure their breakdowns have had groundwork laid for them (Meredith was right the clinical trial took at lot from Shepherd, you saw the Chief fracturing when he begged against UNOS policy for the bowels and liver for Miranda's Jonathan). But it feels like we're dealing with issues from the past. It's been over a season since Seattle Grace was ranked 12th, its been 16 episodes since the end of the clinical trial. These breakdowns could have come earlier (preferably instead of Denny) and we could be dealing with the wealth of new stuff that's moving the show forward now. Or giving George something to do!
Nevertheless the dialogue and the acting are superb even if the focus is slightly off.
Grey's Anatomy: An Honest Mistake (2009)
Derek doesn't need this
Everything about this episode is done well - except for it's major plot line. Steven's illness is revealed well and we actually got once see a diagnosis though all it's painful waiting. If this does prove fatal, at least the Grey's Anatomy will have showed her in all her Bailey-esque compassionate, no-nonsense, low-key encouraging teaching potential these past two episodes.
Cristina faces a doctor who could be her future and makes the right tough ethical call and while she still stubbornly proves her excellence it drives her closer to Owen in a great moment of character development.
But having made Derek a god the previous episode doesn't merit making him a failure this episode. The shows plot lines shouldn't live and die by the necessity for Meredith to monologue existentially at the beginning and end of every episode. Yes the 'we make surgeons gods in our eyes but they're really people' is an important thing to bring up every now and again but this was forced. What was actually going through 2? 3? Surgeries was unclear. The posturing in the OR was unbelievable and seemed to serve very little purpose even in the confines of Addison and Derek's relationship. The patient's reaction wasn't given the space it needed to become realistic and if the episode wanted us to sympathise with Derek and doctors' plights in general it should make the grieving patient out to be the villain screaming 'murderer' (it manages this in the Dr Campbell arc why can't it manage it here). To top it all off Sloan reverses all the progress we've seen him make to give Derek the worst-timed news ever and Derek's reaction is just incomprehensible. Their fight is difficult to watch (and it's impossible to think they got that many punches in before anyone notices.
If the season needs filler space before Owen and Cristina, or Callie and Arizona, or Izzie, or Bailey, or Meredith AND Derek, or Sloan and Lexie, can take centre stage (and with that many worthy plot lines to tap it seems difficult to imagine this is truly the case), then why not give George some more desperately needed screen time.
It's not enough to just keep saying how brilliant and fundamentally great he is, show it. At this point I don't even know if he's even technically roommates with Lexie. Who are his friends? What is he doing?
This episode got it's priorities wrong and if this is the direction of the rest of the season just so we can delay the proposal to the finale then we're in for a tough ride.
Grey's Anatomy: Before and After (2009)
Nothing special
It's always fun to see a complicated surgery go well. And here we're reminded why Shepherd is worth his salary. Seeing Addison again was nice but the slightly incomprehensible complications she's clearly being to Meredith and Derek's relationship seem unnecessary and put all the other complications raised last episode slightly on the back burner so not much progress is made. It's nice to see O'Malley back in force a little and to see Izzie at least looking out for the interns. And again Lexie's rocking it personallY and professionally.
I'm glad to see the back of Sadie. She was another detour (along with Denny and Izzie growing illness - especially when we're being reminded so strongly of what she brings to the show and the people around her) season 5 didn't need to take and thankfully this looks like a clean break.
Grey's Anatomy: Beat Your Heart Out (2009)
A solid episode, laying the groundwork for more to come
An episode with its fair share of laughs. It will be a breath of fresh air if you were tired of Denny hanging around and ruining everything. We finally start looking to exciting new futures especially for Bailey and Callie (although it's unclear how much this was damage control after the letting go of Hahn).
Cristina and Owen beautifully continue their relationship with two perfect allusions to old-fashioned courtship on the example of Meredith's mother's diaries (perfect music and a perfect atmosphere created by production to perfectly suit the perfect pair (I really love those two)).
That's not to say there isn't trouble in paradise. There are tough career choices for Bailey to face and potential spanner's in the work for all four major relationships.
The episode certainly leaves you expecting more. And as a side note wanting more of George - we miss him.
Grey's Anatomy: Stairway to Heaven (2009)
Denny needs to go
This episode was amazing for so many reasons. The the humour of Little Grey, scratch that, Lexie (way to go Lexie!) and Sloan's mishap and the drama of the final twists of the two surgical plot lines was excellently balanced. It's unusual to see Bailey or the Richard in the centre of the ethical quandaries of the show and to see them both care so much was beautiful - to see Bailey's turmoil play out in public rather than behind the closed doors the show usually places such questions was electrifying.
The continuance of Hunt and Cristina's saga was touching. But Derek arriving to comfort Meredith at the end was too far-fetched - although the episode didn't really give us an account of the intervening 5 days... so maybe he would do it. Anyways if it gets Meredith and Cristina back together it's fine.
But Denny needs to leave. His ghost is ruining the memory of his character - and getting in the way of Karev and Stevens. Not to mention that his whole shtick didn't even make sense this time. It was painful to spend so much of the episode on this and the only reason this otherwise excellent episode isn't rated higher.
Grey's Anatomy: Sympathy for the Devil (2009)
Good all around
I'm loving Arizona - pairing her with Karev was such a good idea! It's amazing to finally start seeing him as a not useless boyfriend (and good that the end of Denny's rather painfully long return as a ghost is now in sight). Derek's mother is great - that stab at Allison after she and Derek were married for 11 years is iconic!
Sloan and Callie are excellent together as always. Cristina's apology to Meredith was very fitting for their relationship. Seeing Hunt dressed in a suit was beautiful - he and Cristina are an excellent match for each other. The shower scene was touching.
The serial killer provides a huge wealth of the sort of really interesting ethical questions the show is incredible at making us think about.
The only thing issue with this episode was the continuance of the tendency the show has to be painfully graphic.
Watch out for the lunch scenes they're golden comedy.