"Pain"[2] is the sixteenth episode of Season 1 of The Good Doctor. It aired on March 12, 2018.
Synopsis[]
When the team treats a patient who has to decide between a dangerous surgery that could change his life or remain the same, he asks Dr. Shaun Murphy what he would if he had that same choice.[3]
Plot[]
Shaun, Dr. Park and Claire begin their workday as Shaun shares about what he did with Kenny and his girlfriend over the weekend. He spent an entire day with them and payid for everything since he lost a bet he had with Kenny. Neil then informs them about a new patient, Hunter Denoble, who's experiencing severe neck pain. Hunter's X-Ray also shows that he has anterolisthesis (a herniated disk). Hunter also happens to be one of Melendez’s patients when he was a resident surgeon. He suffered a fracture in his neck ten years back and was never able to walk since.
They meet Hunter in his room where Neil performs a preliminary test to find out what’s causing him pain. As Melendez moves to Hunter's neck, a burst of pain suddenly shoots out from his legs — something that he’s never felt in ten years. Later, after their checkup with Hunter, Claire gets a surprise visit from her mother, Breeze, as she sings in front of the resident doctors. However, Claire is unamused and doesn’t want to see her.
Meanwhile, Dr. Andrews examines his new patient, Emma Newton. Her cheek implant got infected, and it's visibly showing on her face. She only came in to get antibiotics for it, but Andrews thinks it’s dangerous and would need surgical intervention. Worried, Emma asks about her other cosmetic procedures and implants, to which Morgan assures her they are okay. Andrews then tells her that he'd have to replace the implant to minimize the risk of re-infection.
As Shaun, Park and Claire perform a scan on Hunter, Shaun compliments Breeze's voice. They then ask about why she didn't want to see her, and Claire tells them about how used Claire’s savings (intended for a laptop) to buy a designer dress. Suddenly, as Hunter's scan finishes, Shaun notices a spinal column tumor. Morgan offers Jared a new position at Denver Memorial Hospital to try and get rid of some of the competition, Neil informs Hunter the news. Apparently, the mass is the one allowing Hunter to feel the pain in his legs. Once they finish mapping out the location of the tumor, they can remove it, and Hunter can walk again. This news gives Hunter and his wife Cora a new sense of hope.
As Emma appears to be alright (which she and her husband Barry are pleased about), Shaun takes Hunter - who is in a chipper mood - for a cardio test. Hunter appears to be in a chipper mood. They bond over their disabilities, with Shaun gaining more insight about how other physically challenged people think differently. Hunter knows that Shaun was treated differently the first time he worked on the job and refers how hard they’ve worked to become accepted. Morgan is checking on Emma for any other infections when she supposedly finds something and goes to inform Andrews, who is being informed about his and Isabel’s low sperm count. He is suggested a risky procedure that could up his testosterone levels and sperm count but could also make him infertile. Andrews cuts the meeting short to attend to Emma.
Neil and his team examine the final mapping of Hunter's spinal tumor. It's an arachnoid meningioma, and it's wrapped around the spinal cord — making it difficult to remove. Its proximity to the brainstem could prove very detrimental to Hunter's other motor abilities.
Morgan claims that Jared discovered the infection to boost Andrews' impression of him. Andrews tells Emma that they need to operate on her now. However, she refuses despite the fact that she might die. When the discovery on Hunter is brought to him, he's crushed to find out that he won't be able to walk again. The best thing they could do is to leave the tumor inside since it's done growing. Hunter then asks about the risk of the surgery, to which Neil tells him about the 15% chance that the procedure might kill him. Cora is later shocked when Hunter (despite the risks) states his intents to have the surgery. Later, as Morgan and Jared wait for their patient's test results, Morgan explains to Jared that she's giving him credit on purpose so he could see how Andrews is never going to give back the respect Jared lost when he fought against his termination. The test results come in, and they find that her neutrophil levels are very high.
Neil goes back to Hunter and tells him about the details of the operation. He's very determined to walk again, but Cora doesn't want to push through with it, given the risk. She walks out and says that she doesn't want to see him like this, having done a lot for him and sees that Hunter is only doing this for himself. Meanwhile, Breeze tries to make amends with Claire and tells her about how she got help. She is now on medication, and she's on her way to feeling better psychologically. She offers to spend more time with Claire and gives her a bouquet of flowers.
During Hunter's Cardio test, Shaun marvels at how healthy his heart is. Hunter then asks Shaun if he gets why Hunter wants the surgery so bad. However, Shaun doesn't understand why he would risk losing a person who accepts him the way he is over a small chance to walk again. Andrews goes back to Emma and Barry to inform them about the test results and the surgery has to be done right away, but Emma won't budge, despite Barry’s attempts. Neil also goes to see Cora and tells her about his disabled sister and how hurt he was that he couldn’t help her or Hunter. He also realizes that Cora is afraid Hunter might not need her.
Later, Park, Claire and Shaun evaluate Hunter's situation. They talk about the risk they're taking, and Shaun butts in about going to the carnival. This brings Alex to a discovery he’s made about Kenny — he's got a rap sheet with minor misdemeanors and a couple of felony cases. He sends it over to Shaun, who's visibly surprised. At the cafeteria, Morgan confronts Barry and works out that their marriage is rocky. It turns out that Emma is on her way out of their relationship, and it's getting harder for both of them to work it out. Morgan encourages Barry to reaffirm their marriage so they can finally operate on her and save her life.
Cora then comes back later to Hunter, who states that he’ll still need Cora and the two reconcile over their differences while she supports the surgery on Hunter. Barry returns to Emma and finally convinces her to do the operation, while also affirming their relationship and promises to make things work. That night, Shaun compliments Claire and asks her if she would date a person with a disability. She would, but Shaun doesn't understand why people could opt out of an unnecessary burden in that kind of relationship. Claire tells Shaun that everyone is dealing with something, just as a nurse calls them in for Hunter's surgery.
Claire looks at the bouquet Breeze gave her and considers her offer of spending time with her. The doctors then wheel Hunter into surgery, and Cora kisses him as an assurance that she’ll be there waiting for her husband. Emma also has the surgery, but neither of them go well; Hunter goes into neurogenic shock and still can't walk, but his relationship with Cora has become even stronger. Meanwhile, it turns out that the infection has already spread through all of Emma’s implants, causing her to flatline. Try as Andrews may, they can’t help her.
That night, Andrews confides with Isabel about losing Emma and about the risks in them having children. However, Isabel states that they’ll find a way and she doesn’t want to endanger their sex life. Meanwhile, Claire meets with Breeze for dinner. Everything goes smoothly, and it seemed like Breeze is finally okay, but then she drops the bomb — she needed money from Claire for her new apartment's "downpayment." Claire is slightly shocked but gives the money to her anyway. Later, she leaves the restaurant crying.
Back in Shaun's apartment, Kenny surprises him inside with Chinese takeout. Kenny found $20 in Shaun's drawer and used that to order the food. Shaun, however, tries to read through the rap sheet that Alex sent him. Kenny prods him to eat and even offers to play a game with him. Eventually, Shaun softens up again and plays the game on the couch with Kenny.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- This is the first episode Richard Schiff (Dr. Aaron Glassman) is credited but doesn't physically appear.
- Hill Harper and Anna Belknap both worked together on CSI: NY.
Multimedia[]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
External Links[]
"Pain" at the Internet Movie Database
