"Fault" is the fifth episode of Season 4 of The Good Doctor. It is the sixty-first episode overall, and aired on November 30, 2020.
Synopsis[]
Dr. Shaun Murphy questions his decision to give the new residents autonomy when one of his intern’s misdiagnosis of a patient has dire consequences. Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Browne, Dr. Alex Park and Dr. Jordan Allen treat a patient with a ruptured cyst affecting key functions of her brain. And elsewhere, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Park bond over failed relationships.[2]
Plot[]
Park, Claire, Enrique and Jordan are treating Ellie, a woman who came in with her new boyfriend Zane complaining of a migraine which turns out to be something more complicated. Meanwhile, Morgan starts teasing Park over his belongings which includes a parrot sculpture he brought with him after he moved in with her and he states is good luck. Also, Asher and Olivia are working on their respective first patients; Asher's is Carlo, a CEO who is complaining of some back pain. Asher thinks it’s related to a spinal condition and states what they need to do on him. Olivia's is Toni, a woman with a high blood pressure and is a smoker which is keeping her from joining a gym. Lim is annoyed by Shaun discreetly supervising them and tells him to act like he trusts them when he doesn't.
As Jordan and Enrique are working on Ellie, they find she has a bundle of teeth, hair and fat beside her hippocampus. Shaun immediately demands a full report once Asher and Olivia finish taking symptoms, during which he recognizes Toni is having a stroke without feeling it. While informing Zane of the news, Claire and Alex state that they can drain her of it all and put her on medication to see if it will help or perform surgery on her which could deal with it better but paralyze Ellie. Zane is asked of anyone who can sign the paperwork for it, to which Zane confesses that Ellie's married and her husband Brendan could be brought in. However, Brendan doesn't think he can as he hates her but Park sees that he's just angry.
After having stabilized Toni, Shaun tells Asher what to give Carlo and then discharge him while turning down rechecking Carlo. While performing surgery on Ellie, Jordan questions whether Brendan was the right person to ask when Enrique brings up how he himself is polyamorous. As Carlo is being discharged, he tries to empathize with Asher’s choice to distance himself from his family and faith which Asher rejects. Carlo is then gripped with intense pain in his abdomen, while Ellie is in need of regular checks at the hospital for seizures while Brendan is still angry. Ellie tries to apologize and states that she thought something was missing as he decides to leave, only for Ellie to forget who Claire and Park are and why she's in hospital.
On the operating table, it is found that Carlo's pains are caused by an aneurysm which ruptured while he was being discharged. Asher missed it from misdiagnosing him which Lim is sympathetic over, but Shaun isn’t. Thus, Lim makes them both responsible for it and calls out Shaun for ignoring their calls for help in giving autonomy because that is not what good teacher would do. Brendan and Zane are soon informed that Ellie has Retrograde Memory Loss which was temporary and they're trying to figure out what's causing it. The two both talk about how being with Ellie has been, despite it's difficulties and can't imagine not being with her.
Park is still being teased by Morgan about his belongings, including making the song "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet his ringtone. Park admits that the parrot was from Mia and asks of mementos Morgan has from her previous relationships, to which she calls him pathetic for not moving past Mia cheating on him. That night, Shaun studies up on leadership books and TED talks in order to change tactics on his lack of teaching style. Lea offers her help, including organizing a date night. Ellie is also informed of her situation, but she refuses to have the surgery as what she's going through has left her not knowing what she wants and asks that another solution is provided.
Shaun has prepared lists of skills particularly related to Asher and Olivia's respective cases for them to learn. In return, he only asks for date night advice. Their answer is movies he and Lea can both watch. Asher soon works on Carlo who is OK when Asher finds that he has signs of jaundice; his liver is now being damaged by a new aneurysm. To make matters worse, most of their options would simply cause a new aneurysm to form. In their brainstorming session, they conclude that an aorta to celiac bypass would be the best course of action using a vein from his leg to rebuild the celiac.
Since Ellie isn’t willing to forget Zane, Jordan suggests Zane appeal to his girlfriend. As painful as it is, forgetting him is the only way she could survive. On the other hand, Brendan is torn as well. Ellie might forget Zane but the damage has been done and he’s not certain Ellie would be happy with him again. Fortunately, Enrique values honesty alongside polyamorous relationships and pulls through with an idea as Shaun considers something. As revenge, Park also finds that Morgan has kept belongings from ex-boyfriends which is proof that she’s also a sorry excuse for not moving on. However, she remarks that she's getting sex from one of her exes while Park is just wallowing in failure.
Asher suggests to Carlo their intents, to which Carlo asks Asher about his chances of survival and to be completely honest with him. Asher admits that they're bad no matter what, though Carlo is grateful and tells Asher that he’s honored to be his first patient. Because of that, Asher confesses his misdiagnosis, and takes full responsibility for it. Instead of being angry, Carlo asks only one thing from Asher; pray for him, as they’re both non-believers but it seems right in the moment.
After Ellie's surgery, she forgets Zane who doesn’t fight it and lets Brendan take over. After telling Brendan he loves her no matter what, he shows his wife the video she and Zane made before her operation for her to remember what happened. Meanwhile, most of Carlo's operation goes smoothly and there is a clear path to success. But at the last minute, Carlo’s body betrays him. He starts bleeding all over and none of the doctors can do anything about it. Asher desperately tries to resuscitate him until Shaun finally tells him that Carlo is dead.
Afterward, Ellie admits to Brendan that she loved Zane. She felt things with him she hasn’t felt in a long time, but also deeply loves Brendan. In the end, she decides to stay with him. Seeing the couple reunited from the outside, Zane takes one final look at Ellie and leaves quietly. After the operation, Shaun goes to Glassman and admits his shortcomings as a mentor. Particularly, he blames himself for Carlo and fears that his inadequacy in communicating what he really needs will lead to more deaths like him. Dr. Glassman tells him that he’s going to make mistakes like that. Some days will be better. But on the days that aren’t, Glassman advises him to “go home, be with the people you love, take comfort in that and you wake up tomorrow and start all over again.”
Later, Shaun sees Asher alone still processing the loss. When Asher admits he doesn’t want to be alone, Shaun wordlessly takes a seat beside him. Asher is painfully distraught knowing what he missed and he’s fully aware of the responsibility he has to carry. But he’s not alone, as Shaun also fully realizes the responsibility he holds as a mentor. In the end, Park and Morgan both agree that they aren’t really good at moving on. To celebrate that, they each toss the parrot sculpture and a jersey from one of Morgan's previous relationships. They both also admit to each other about Park getting on Bumble and Morgan rejecting three guys. Shaun soon gets home where he silently curls up with Lea.
Cast[]
Starring[] |
Guest Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- This episode was originally titled "My Own Damn Fault", which would have made reference to the Jimmy Buffet song Margaritaville (which Park and Morgan mentioned).
- This episode marks the winter finale for Season 4.
- On December 8, 2020, it was reported that The Good Doctor was leading for ABC in terms of the seven-day ratings for Nov. 23-29, 2020 delayed viewing.[3]
- Shaun and Lea were intending to watch the film From Here to Eternity for their date night.
Multimedia[]
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
BTS Images[]
Videos[]
References[]
External Links[]
"Fault" at the Internet Movie Database
