‘The Good Doctor’: Fans React to Shaun’s Smile Surgery

Monday night’s episode of The Good Doctor gave fans a reason to laugh and cry.

A funny subplot in the episode “Smile” showed Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) trying to set up Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) with Debbi (Sheila Kelley), who works at the St. Bonaventure hospital cafeteria. But the main story centered on a twist smile surgery.

While Shaun was working on trying to make his mentor’s life better, he surprisingly did not see why patient Gretchen wanted to take the risk of getting an elective surgery to fix her smile.

“Smile” went a long way to rebuilding Shaun’s relationship with Glassman. The two have not exactly been on speaking terms since Glassman decided he did not want to be Shaun’s friend. Shaun was the one who picked up on Debbi flirting with Glassman since Dr. Clarie Brown (Antonia Thomas) taught him how to flirt in “Intangibles.”

Shaun talked Gretchen out of getting the surgery, so Dr. Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper) had to explain why it’s good for a person to smile. Andrews told Gretchen it is really a “risk-free” surgery, but she said Shaun inspired her to embrace what makes her different. Dr. Alex Park (Will Yun Lee) thinks she was lying though.

Meanwhile, Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) and Claire were dealing with the case of Lucy, a woman who did not want to take her prescribed painkillers. They find out that their patient is lying about her identity. The situation makes it difficult to help the real Lucy, who really does need painkillers. Dr. Neil Melendez’s (Nicholas Gonzalez) advice is to get creative. So, Morgan and Claire get pills for Lucy as a “Jane Doe.”

As for Gretchen, Alex, Andrews and Shaun figure out that Gretchen thinks her father’s insurance will cover the elective surgery. She loves her dad, and does not want to ruin his life. But Andrews takes up the case and goes directly to an insurance executive to plead his case.

Later, Shaun pushes Glassman to meet Debbi. He thinks they are both Jewish, so they now have a way to start their conversation.

Gretchen decided to get the surgery after Andrews talked the insurance company into covering 85 percent of the costs. Her dad said he could easily pay the rest of that.

Morgan and Claire clashed over treating the criminal Lucy. They took their case to Glassman. Morgan argued against treating her, saying that they would not get paid. “We have a responsibility to treat, and a responsibility to get paid,” Glassman tells them.

Claire starts treating Lucy, who says she stole the real Lucy’s insurance card because she had to chose between paying healthcare premiums and her sons’ college tuition. Morgan doesn’t buy it.

After Gretchen’s surgery, Shaun realizes that something is wrong because she has not woken up right away. Andrews is not quite happy that Shaun practically told him, “I told you so,” but in his own way.

During Glassman’s coffee date with Debbi, things did not go so well. They did not actually have much in common. Glassman is only half Jewish and Debbi is not really Jewish at all. Glassman tries to get out of the conversation early. However, after they see a vintage car in an accident outside, they realize they do have something in common – a love for classic cars.

Dr. Jared Kalu (Chuku Modu) also had his own story in the episode. Celez (Kandyse McClure), a burn patient first seen in “Not Fake,” gets a check-up from Kalu. He thinks he’s interested in Celez romantically, but does not think Celez will reciprocate it. Shaun gives Jared some advice: take a sick day.

After that humorous scene, Andrews gives Gretchen’s dad the awful news: there was a complication with the anesthesia, so his daughter is now brain dead. But Alex thinks Gretchen might have a problem waking up from the anesthesia. That turned out to be right, as Gretchen later woke up! Gretchen can now smile just like her mother. Shaun gets her to laugh, so she finally can flash a real smile.

Meanwhile, the fake Lucy is not getting any better. As her organs begin shutting down, she finally tells Claire that her real name is Beatrice. Morgan then confronts the real Lucy, after she figures out that Lucy is addicted to her pain medication. Morgan offers to help her.

At the end, Jared decides to give Celez’s case to Shaun because doctors can’t date their patients. Jared asks her out and she agrees.

As Beatrice dies, Claire realizes how ironic it is that without the theft of Lucy’s card, she might not have gone to rehab.

When the episode ends, Jared gets a letter from a Denver hospital, that accepted him. And then, Shaun realizes that Kenny (Chris D’Elia) has been using him this whole time. They are not friends at all.

Glassman offers to take Debbi to a car show. At first she jokes about not wanting to go, but she agrees to. But hearing the word “doorstop” really triggers something in him. The preview for the season finale reveals that Glassman has brain cancer.

The Good Doctor season finale airs Monday, March 26 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC