The Good Doctor Review: We’re All Crazy Sometimes (Season 4 Episode 11)
The Good Doctor returns with a strong episode that shines in the medical stories of the week with heart-touching moments and earnest but subdued performances. This episode takes a lot of shots, and almost all of them are hits.
The Good Doctor Season 4 Episode 11, “We’re All Crazy Sometimes,” has all the makings of a great medical procedural episode: interesting dynamics, character growth, heartfelt cases of the week, and of course, exciting drama. “We’re All Crazy Sometimes” also spreads the love, finally succeeding in giving a well-rounded episode without much character neglect.
Fear is a trending theme on “We’re All Crazy Sometimes” that laces well throughout the respective stories, but most presently, the fear of taking that metaphoric step forward.
Fear is a trending theme on “We’re All Crazy Sometimes” that laces well throughout the respective stories, but most presently, the fear of taking that step forward, metaphorically.
Glassman finally jumps back into the OR on this episode, attempting to help a young man whose case had been ignored by a multitude of doctors. When all the stars have aligned from his surgery, he almost backs out, but due to a poignant monologue from Glassman, and one of his own, he continues with the surgery.
As a viewer with her own mix of chronic health conditions, Glassman’s words strike a chord in me. It still does feel jarring to hear them delivered by Glassman, an old white dude. His monologues resonate but almost seem like they come from the wrong vessel. But upon reflection, Glassman isn’t foreign to what his patient fears, having recovered from cancer, even if his illness feels miles away.
The Good Doctor is one of the dramas on TV right now that best recognizes the issues that the various parts of the disabled community faces, as well as other communities. The Good Doctor tends to take a special effort into understanding the issues that inspire patient behavior, whether it be from racism, sexism, or the less-discussed ableism.
In this case, the social anxiety and self-image issues that come along with disability take center stage for this patient’s story, an aspect often missed by abled peopled. It’s mirrored as well in Glassman as he searches for his own fulfillment via a stack of rejected case files on his desk. But on a positive note, inspired, Claire and Asher bond as they face their own fears and push through grief.
The new residents are finally becoming a bit more memorable.
While the others are learning lessons in moving forward, Shaun learns how to draw more personal boundaries and is reminded of the value of honest over blind support. Learning this through the heartbreaking story of a comatose wife is a rollercoaster, and probably the best medical story of the week so far this season, thanks to a powerful performance from Elizabeth Mitchell.
Her decision to sign an NDA and tell her husband the truth instead of allowing him to die waiting for her to wake up is not unlike Shaun giving Lea her moment of adrenaline but doing the right thing in the end according to his moral code.
Moments like these are the better moments for this relationship as Shaun has had immense emotional growth thanks to Lea, but he still has to learn to stand firm in his beliefs too. The best thing he could do is stop asking for advice when Morgan is around.
Morgan also works on this case, and while The Good Doctor fell culprit to ignoring her earlier in season 4, the recent episodes incorporation of her back into cases signals hope that she can fit back into the groove of the narrative.
Morgan now adds a new angle into the series that actually balances her character well as she becomes more of a patient advocate. While listening to her about Lea doesn’t work out well, she’s a great foil to Shaun in the patient rooms, guiding him in his bedside manner.
However, “We’re All Crazy Sometimes” is filled with mostly hits, it does have one miss in its predictable but lazy development of Morgan and Park into an eventual romantic couple, which serves no purpose. Isolating Park and Morgan off when Morgan already feels like a tertiary character at this point does these characters no favors.
The Good Doctor‘s “We’re All Crazy Sometimes” succeeded in providing an enjoyable yet emotional episode, pushing characters past their loss while presenting the audience with other engaging stories to inspire them as well.
Due to The Good Doctor‘s commitment to telling genuine and introspective portrayal of people in marginalized communities on all levels, this story is heightened even more, ending in a bang (or a bump) that actually plays out surprisingly better than the common trope suggests.
What did you think of this episode of The Good Doctor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Good Doctor airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.
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Amanda Reimer
In addition to working as a freelance writer, Amanda also works with animals and stage manages various live performances. She has an invested interest in the perspective and experience of fandoms as well as anything in the science-fiction genre. She also loves spoiling her cats, Drummer and Kiki.