The Good Doctor – Season 6 Episode 3 “A Big Sign” Recap & Review

A Big Sign

Episode 3 of The Good Doctor Season 6 starts with Shaun and Lea having dinner. Lea wants to invite their friends over but Shaun shuts down that idea. Afterwards, Lea notices that Shaun is re-washing the plates, which slightly annoys her.

Meanwhile, Lim asks Andrews for the M & M report of her surgery. She wants to see if the  evidence that Shaun is to blame for her paralyzation is inconclusive as the committee suggested. Andrews worries if she will be able to be impartial but agrees to email her the report.

Allen is in a different struggle as she tries hard to deny her developing crush on Perez. It is not an easy task as Perez is walking around either shirtless showcasing his amazing abs or being so sweet and considerate. She also has to deal with the constant teasing from Asher. By the end of the episode, she gives up and admits to Asher that she has a crush on the new handsome resident. I mean, can you blame her?

In the hospital, Shaun is dealing with a marital therapist, Julianna who has a tumor. She offers some advice to Shaun after noticing his new wedding bling. She cautions him that in the first year of a marriage it is important to weed out bad habits and create good ones.

This immediately sends Shaun into “fix it” mode and he calls a meeting of Glassman, Andrews, Park, and Lim. Initially, they think the meeting is for a consultation but are surprised that Shaun wants to know what bad habits led to their divorces. Park, Andrews, and Glassman have no issues advising Shaun but Lim is curt and adjourns the meeting telling Shaun he should talk to his wife if he has concerns about his marriage.

On the other hand, Park is dealing with a young teenage girl, Katie who is diagnosed as Bipolar. The parents want two different approaches to her treatment. Her stepdad threatens to walk out of the family as he believes Katie is a danger to herself and others. She is temperamental and needs restraints but Powell frees her against Park’s order. This causes some friction between her and Park, who thinks she has a problem respecting the chain of command.

As it turns out, Katie was misdiagnosed; she is not bipolar but has hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid within the brain. They decide to do surgery and drain the fluid and she responds well and seems to be on the road to recovery. Powell redeems herself by talking to Katie’s mom to give another chance to her husband and reunites the family. She also reveals that she has a prosthetic leg and that is why she limps.

After reading the M&M report, Lim confronts Glassman about how he feels about Shaun ignoring his order and using a different technique during her surgery. Glassman admits that he was angry and he is constantly thinking  what if he did this or that . He admits he is not fine with what Shaun did but he doesn’t think Shaun made a mistake and it shouldn’t mark his career as a surgeon. Lim is looking for someone to blame for her paralyzation and Shaun is high on her list.

Unfortunately, Shaun’s patient, Julianna, doesn’t make it. She dies on the table before they can open her up for a second surgery after discovering a new tumor. Before she dies she advises Shaun to simply appreciate Lea more.

After the surgery, Lim comes to see Shaun to find out what happened to Julianna. Murphy begins to thank her for her advice to talk to Lea but Lim cuts him short. She tells him that she no longer wants to have anything more than a professional relationship with him. She tells him that she is angry about how her surgery turned out and that she blames him for her paralyzation.

The Episode Review

I don’t think Shaun is to blame for the paralyzation of Lim. He did his best to save her life and no one knew what the outcome would be. I understand Lim is angry about her new reality but the real villain of the story is the man who stabbed her.

I am happy that Allen is getting a romantic storyline, it will be fun to see this new side of her. Do you think Lim is right about Shaun being the reason she is in a wheelchair?