After the events of the last episode seemingly a century ago, this new episode of The Good Doctor was all about damage control but for some characters, that just created more damage. As far as the drama was concerned, it is just beginning as Salen's reign over the hospital may be coming to an end. However, it was clearly not going to be without a fight. As always, there was still cases of the week to solve. That being said, they definitely felt minor in comparison to the serialized storyline. The end will be a shock, not because of the drama, but rather for its abruptness.
Murphy and Lea were still far apart as a result of their issues as Salen tried to steer the ship away from the last tragedy and cover it up but everyone clearly saw through her, especially Lim who attempted to mount an off-the-books operation to try and take her down. When it came to Murphy, he found refuge in his work which this time around was a man named Phill Hill (Charley Koontz) who was brought in after a drunk driving accident following being put in the friendzone by a woman named Monica. Meanwhile, a woman with body suffering issues following some overseas plastic surgery to fix her butt without the threat of being judged by others.
However, Murphy was not his usual self and seemed distracted but did not want to talk about it. The relationship between Phill and his female companion got him thinking about his own relationship with Lea and the idea of him not being good enough for her and her settling for him upset him greatly and had him go on an irrational tangent. The latter case generated a new round of arguing between Allen and Wolke over self-image until they got to the root of their arguments and how it defined their relationship. Despite the risks, their patient ultimately cared about her image. In the end, both surgeries were a success despite some complications.
Salen didn't officially take over the hospital yet so Lim's plan was to stop that from happening. Enlisting the help of the pharmacist she fired and agreed to break his NDA, she had something until she didn't. Nevertheless, she still made a convincing case for the AG but she still needed proof. It was only a matter of time until Salen learned about Lim's meeting and she was not happy and was not going to forget what she was trying to do. Payback is inevitable.
In the end, Murphy had to learn to love himself. Going back to Lea with that revelation, he still found a way to fumble it by apologizing for her thinking that he was not good enough for her which was the reason he believed she misguidedly tried to help him. Lea was tired of apologizing for her behavior, turning the whole argument on him. She simply had enough and left but alone in her car, she was not taking it well. While all these feelings were definitely pent up over time, their breakup felt a little too abrupt though perhaps the abruptness was the point.
Murphy and Lea shouldn't be apart for too long because at the end of the day, they are meant for one another but what will the world look like by then?
