The Good Doctor Season 5 Episode 18 Review: Sons
What was with that ending?
Season finales almost always involve cliffhangers, but did we need to end with a shot of Dr. Lim and Nurse Villanueva bleeding out on the floor?
The Good Doctor Season 5 Episode 18 mainly featured a moving tribute to the complex relationships between parents and children, but then that happened. Ugh.
It’s not entirely unsurprising that Owen attacked his ex-girlfriend. He was abusing her, and he knew where she worked.
Unfortunately, in many cases, abuse escalates into violence, sometimes deadly, when the abused partner decides to leave.
While it certainly was not Lim’s fault that Owen attacked Villanueva at the hospital, I wish anyone had considered this possibility and beefed up security. I also wish we’d ended the season in any other way than with two women bleeding out on the floor.
This felt like it was done more for shock value than anything else. It was rather graphic and disturbing, especially juxtaposed with the happy scenes at Shaun and Lea’s wedding.
The Lim/Villanueva story has been slowly building, but until now, it’s been a sideline, and this development marred what was otherwise a satisfying season finale.
Asher’s story was far more compelling than I expected it to be.
Asher: I read your letter.
Mr. Wolke: I sent it six years ago.
Asher: I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what you had to say.
Mr. Wolke: I wanted to give you the news about the family.
Asher: I am not part of the family anymore. You made that very clear when I left.
Mr. Wolke: You chose to leave. We wanted you to stay. We wanted to help you. You are not the only one who has struggled with finding the right path. Everyone has times where they must deny the desires of the flesh.
Asher: You’re right. I did make a choice. It was either follow your rules or love and accept who I am. I chose the one that was more important.
Many stories involving an LGBT child who is estranged from his parents because of non-acceptance on the parents’ part are one-sided. The parent who rejects their child is a one-dimensional villain who only cares about their own point of view.
This one was different.
Asher’s parents were religious and felt their son had turned away from G-d, but that wasn’t all there was to them.
As Jordan pointed out, Asher’s father wanted to make peace with him before his death. He didn’t understand why Asher was attracted to men or didn’t believe in G-d, but he loved him.
I was curious as to what Asher’s mother felt about his sexual orientation. She seemed more concerned about his lack of religious belief, which was very important to her as a Hasidic Jew.
The scene in which Asher comforted her and convinced her to let his father refuse treatment was beautiful. It seemed like even after the estrangement, Asher had the ability to be close to his mother.
I especially liked the way that he compared his parents’ great love to the type of love he was hoping to have someday. If nothing else, maybe it helped his mom understand that love is love regardless of gender.
In any case, she was able to accept her husband’s decision and go home with him for the final time. I was glad that Asher and his father finally made their peace and expressed their love for one another.
Hopefully, Asher will be able to move forward with his life now. I also wonder if he will go home for his father’s funeral when the time comes.
The other big story was Morgan’s big decision.
Her patient seemed like a secondary story to her desire to work at the hospital at NYU.
She and Park had one argument about whether to give Steph the AI implant; they did it, and it worked. The end. But Morgan’s career future was a question mark until near the end of the hour.
I can’t say I’ll be sorry if Morgan goes to NYU. Her character outwore her welcome several years ago, and her constant sniping at Park is neither cute nor romantic; it’s obnoxious.
And Lim may be right that Morgan would feel more fulfilled somewhere else where people don’t know that she originally wanted to be a surgeon but no longer can do so.
If she does go to NYU, which she seems to be leaning toward, what happens to her relationship with Park? The long-distance relationship that fades away is such a trope on TV nowadays; it might be more effective — and original — if they decide to end it before she leaves.
Park already has one failed marriage under his belt, and he might not want to be committed to someone on the other end of the country.
The other option, of course, is that Park could move to New York with Morgan. But that would ax two doctors from The Good Doctor Season 6, so that might not be good for the series as a whole for Park to make that decision.
Shaun and Lea’s wedding ended the will-they-won’t-they marriage arc.
Lea: Banana with a hint of cinnamon. I think this is my favorite.
Shaun: I like chocolate chip with syrup.
Lea: I like eating pancakes in bed.
Shaun: Want to have sex?
Lea: Yes.
Shaun: Want to finish the pancakes first?
Lea: Yes.
Shaun: We’re getting good at pretending to be a married couple.
Glassman’s toast at the wedding and Shaun’s nervously trying to say “I do” before the vows were complete made this a beautiful ceremony. I was never a fan of this couple, but I enjoyed their wedding!
I knew Lea wasn’t going to go through with getting married at City Hall and having no ceremony from the second she mentioned it. There wasn’t much suspense in this story, but it was sweet anyway.
As much as I hated the shocking season-ending cliffhanger, I was glad that Glassman didn’t have a heart attack immediately after the toast he made. Many fans had guessed he might, and when the camera focused on him, I thought that’s what was going to happen.
I’d rather have ended the season on the happy note of Shaun and Lea finally making it to the altar, but The Good Doctor did offer enough to make me look forward to Season 6 anyway.
Your turn, The Good Doctor fanatics. How did you feel about the season finale?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
If it feels like a long summer to you already, remember that you can watch The Good Doctor online right here on TV Fanatic.
The Good Doctor airs on ABC on Mondays at 10 PM EST / PST. It will return for Season 6 in the fall of 2022.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
