“Measure of Intelligence” is the third episode of Season 5 of The Good Doctor. It is the seventy-ninth episode overall and aired on October 11, 2021.
Synopsis[]
Shaun Murphy confronts Salen Morrison about the many changes she has implemented since coming on at St. Bonaventure, and Glassman is forced to accept his new role at the hospital.
Plot[]
Lea wakes to noises coming form outside the bedroom. When she rolls over, she sees that Shaun is not in bed. Lea leaves the room and finds Shaun sitting at the table reading. When asked if he's ok, he says he stamped all their save the date cards and hopes that they gave an early enough notice. Lea says that could've waited but Shaun admits he can't sleep. He doesn't like Salen's changes, not because of his ASD but because they are impractical. Lea says that the staff likes the changes at her other hospitals but Shaun is sure that Salen will change her mind when she sees Shaun's evidence. Lea still isn't sure but Shaun persists that studies don't matter when he is able to prove that he is right. She suggests that to change Salen's mind Shaun will need to address what's important to Salen, not Shaun. Shaun thanks Lea for the good advice and she thanks him for stamping their letters. She will get the mail sent out later. Lea says she's excited about their wedding.
Audrey Lim talks to Mateo about the emptiness of his new apartment. She suggests a couch and some art but Mateo says the art that he likes is not something he can afford right now. Audrey says he should get a coffee maker and asks if Mateo could make his relationship with Marcus Andrews work as she has enough on her plate right now.
In the locker room, Jordan is singing to herself when Morgan and Alex Park walk in. She says she's happy because her personal trainer is great. They then talk about Salen and how Alex is okay with the upgrades but worried about cuts, cuts that haven't been initiated yet as Morgan points out. Alex is unsure that Morgan is as optimistic as she portrays herself to be and then leaves the room after Morgan says her tossing and turning in bed was because she was. Jordan points out that it was in the 60s last night and Morgan claims she was bloated from tacos and that she didn't want to fart in front of Alex. Jordan and Morgan are leaving the locker room when they run into Salen who stands outside the showers with a towel on. They get nervous that she overheard them but Salen doesn't want to hear their excuses as she's busy on the phone. When she puts her phone away, she claims she had an inspiration in the shower and had to quickly write down her idea.
Salen addresses Morgan and her fart issue. She recommends that Morgan waits until Alex is in the shower, Morgan should use the bathroom and take a poop in it. It will help Morgan separate the men from the boys.
In the ER, Asher and Shaun help treat a patient that has just been brought in. He had a face first collision and his face bones have been broken. Shaun recommends they get a 3D CT Recon Scan of his face as he is likely to need at least three surgeries on his face. Asher comments that the surgeries sound awesome which concerns the paramedic in the room. Shaun talk to Jordan and Asher about the surgeries that the patient will need. Shaun then says why he hates the air dryers as they spread germs but Asher points out that if you wash properly, there are no germs to spread. Shaun says Asher is wrong and he will show him the research later. Shaun boards an elevator as he intends to go to Audrey Lim's office to discuss the surgeries.
In his office, Marcus talks to a patient. The patient says she had a device put in her brain that stops her seizures but expresses she wants the implant removed. Marcus is confused why she would want to remove something that is helping her and learns that the company who makes the implant intends to turn it off. Later, he talks to Mateo and Alex about the female patient and Mateo believes the company can't force the patient to remove the implant. Marcus informs him that the implant has only worked for a small amount of patients and is not profitable enough to keep on. The three disagree with the removal as it's unfair to the patient. Marcus discusses a surgery to prevent the surgeries but they would only help slightly as she will still get seizures. Mateo suggests a complex surgery that could easily go wrong but he believes with Marcus guiding them, they can pull it off. Marcus says that Mateo sucking up to him won't get an idea approved.
Lea is seen mailing her invites when she comes across an invite for Shaun's mom, Marcie Murphy. Lea stares at the envelope before tucking it into her purse and continuing to mail the letters.
Alex, Mateo, and Marcus are walking in a hallway when Salen joins them. She discusses the surgery they have scheduled and how it has never been done. Marcus assures her that they have gotten approval from the client but Salen wants them to run it past legal so they don't get sued if everything goes wrong. She then asks if there is a less risky surgery and Marcus admits there is. The less risky surgery is what Salen wants them to start off with as it leaves the hospital with less liability. The doctors don't seem to agree but Salen says if the surgery is covered by insurance then they can make whatever call they want. Mateo wants to go on with the surgery but Marcus seems hesitant as they should listen to their new boss. Marcus wants to get Salen on board first before they do the risky surgery, to which Alex agrees as they have time.
Audrey is on the phone in her office when Salen walks in wanting to discuss the three surgeries Audrey has scheduled. Salen is surprised about the extent at which Audrey wants to go to for a man who crashed his bike, not because it's risky but because of the client's insurance. The biker has aluminum insurance so they can't offer what the client's insurance doesn't cover. Audrey says he can't be transferred and without certain surgeries he will have negative side effects. Salen doesn't care though and goes to leave but Audrey calls her out saying she is being a hypocrite to the words she said in her presentation. Salen agrees but her words only apply to those who are responsible, not a man who spent 10,000 because he wanted to have fun rather than spend that money on better insurance.
Shaun goes into Aaron Glassman's office only to find it empty. A woman follows him in and asks if she can help him but Shaun asks what happened to Nicole. Nicole has been reassigned and replaced by Ellen who offers to take a message for Shaun. Shaun says Aaron needs to change things back to the way they were before then leaves.
Audrey is put on hold when Mateo finds her and complains about Salen not supporting his surgery and Andrews refusing to do anything without Salen's support. Audrey suggests that Mateo isn't mad at Marcus but is mad about having a boss. Mateo asks for Audrey to not be right all the time.
Marcus finds Salen in the cafeteria and shows her a brain scan of his seizure patient, Jenna. He can use the brain scans during the surgery to determine where her seizures occur. With this, Marcus believes the surgery is less of a risk. Salen says the idea is cool and should let her know what he finds out. She then thanks him for coming to her.
Lea is in the lounging area when Morgan finds her and asks about wedding planning. Lea says it's not going bad but Morgan believes that means it's going bad. Lea admits she found the mail addressed to Shaun's mom and how she doesn't want Marcie there as it risks opening old wounds or Shaun having a meltdown before Lea is to walk down the aisle. Saying it out loud, Lea realizes she sounds selfish but Morgan says she should be as it's her own wedding. Not only that but Lea has never been coddle Shaun before and shouldn't start now. Morgan then asks if Lea farts in front of Shaun. Although the question is weird, Lea isn't put off and asks if people keep holding them in after the third date. Morgan claims she likes to be seen as sexy as the spark is kept alive that way. Lea tells her a story about when she first moved in with Shaun and they ordered wings which gave Lea diarrhea. Shaun solved Lea's problem by giving her a mixture of Pepto and ginger root. While the mixture was gross it helped and Lea was vulnerable at the moment which she says can be a turn on as well. Morgan then asks if the man who helped Lea with her diarrhea can't handle the opinion Lea has about Shaun's mom.
Audrey comes to Aaron's home as he has been refusing to answer his phone. She asks if he's okay and Aaron says he is fine. Audrey brings up the biker's insurance and asks for Aaron's clout. Aaron says he will call the insurance complany but it will not help and only anger Salen. Audrey asks when Aaron got to be so defeated and he says he is deafeated.
In an office, Shaun looks at some papers when Lea interrupts him. She tries to talk to him about the mail but Shaun is focused on the case, interrupting her about a fact from the case. She asks him to focus and takes out the mail for Marcie. Shaun interrupts again about the case and Lea comforts him, calling him brilliant and believes he will figure it out. She never gets to discuss the letter as Shaun leaves to stabilize the biker's airway.
Marcus and Mateo have hooked Jenna up with wires that will help them map out her brain during seizures.
Audrey is operating on the biker when she notices that Shaun is sweating. She offers to cool the room down but Jordan complains that the room is already freezing. Shaun says he is wearing long underwear that prevents him from feeling the uncomfortable material of the scrubs. He asks if the others hate the scrubs but they like the scrubs and talk about the changes Ethicure is making. This discussion causes a disagreement between Jordan and Asher but Jordan offers a solution that will bring the surgeries down to 2 rather than 3 before she can resolve the disagreement. The surgery is more risky but will cost less which Salen might like.
Marcus, Mateo, and Alex watch as Jenna seizure. The seizures are worse than before the implant was put in. Alex thinks Salen may have been right about the surgery but Mateo still wants to do it. Marcus believes he can get Salen to support the surgery.
Shaun goes to Aaron's house and asks if he is afraid of Salen. Aaron claims he's not and says he has to focus on stomping on grapes so he can make wine. He invites Shaun to try but Shaun is hesitant but with convincing, he joins Aaron. Shaun tries to get in a rhythm but he doesn't like stomping on grapes so he gets out. He believes that everything Aaron is doing, is not something he likes and the only thing he does like is doing his job. Shaun then leaves.
Audrey and Marcus discuss Salen. Audrey believes Salen just wants money and Marcus believes otherwise. The conversation switches to Mateo who Marcus says can talk to him directly. Morgan approaches Audrey when Marcus leaves but Audrey doesn't want to talk to Morgan about Mateo. Instead, she says that Morgan is not afraid of farting in front of Alex but she is afraid that Alex won't be turned on by the real Morgan as he only knows the facade she has put up.
Asher finds Jordan in the cafeteria and says her idea was clever. He is disappointed that the new surgery won't be as cool as the ones Shaun wanted to do. Asher apologizes to Jordan about his opinions but he still stands behind his opinion. They are both paged to the biker's hospital room as the biker's wounds have become infected. Later, Jordan, Asher and Shaun discuss the biker patient. Shaun removes his scrub shirt as he too hot as he is wearing clothing underneath the scrubs. They struggle to find a solution to the biker and Asher proposes they need a miracle which upsets Jordan as she believed they were friends yet Asher keeps going out of his way to insult the things that matter to Jordan. Asher asks why he can't be offended about her devotion to religion but she can be offended about his devotion to atheism. Shaun tells them to stop talking as they're wasting time on an irrelevant issue as well as distracting him. Asher says that Shaun is has wasted time as well by talking about the dryers. Jordan sarcastically says it's a great idea to make fun of Shaun's autism before Asher hasn't offended enough people. Shaun defends his ASD and Jordan apologizes.
Marcus goes to Aaron's home to find him splatting paint on a large paper. Marcus pities Aaron and asks for help on a case. Aaron asks if the case is covered by insurance and if it is then Salen can't stop Marcus. He acknowledges that Marcus rather have Salen happy than do the surgery. Marcus asks what the art is supposed to be and says Aaron can come back at anytime.
Audrey finds Salen and discusses the biker's wealth. Salen doesn't listen though as she's upset with Audrey for having Aaron talk to the insurance company. Audrey points out that Salen made a commitment to be an asset to the community but Salen defends her actions as it causes innovation which brings in money which means they can help more people. Salen abruptly leaves when she gets a notification that a surgery has been added.
Salen watches the new surgery from the viewing gallery and is joined by Marcus. Marcus believes that Salen should agree to Mateo's surgery as he will be more cooperative and with his cooperation, Salen will have allies. Salen says she will back Mateo's surgery but both Mateo and Marcus will beon knee replacements the following day.
Shaun washes his hands before the surgery and says he can't do it. Audrey mistakes his words and assumes he can't do the surgery. She says they're doing everything they can as long as it doesn't cost too much, as pointed out by Jordan. Shaun interrupts saying he is not talking about the surgeries and is talking about his scrubs. He can't wear his scrubs as the feeling is horrible on his skin so he is going to change out of them. He returns to the locker room and removes his scrubs. While doing so, he comes up with a possible solution to his case but is annoyed by the dryer's noise when another doctor uses it. He tries to turn the dryer off but it stays on as he hits it.
Shaun goes to the server room and interrupts Lea who is talking to Salen. He begins to recite his evidence against air dryers, the scrubs, and other issues he has. He says that Salen made the changes not to help her employees or the patients, but to make money. Lea apologizes for his behavior but Salen says it's ok as Shaun is right but other researchers that Salen had asked were also right. Shaun says they can't both be right but they can. Salen reassures that she is not dismissing Shaun and his ASD and she recognizes that not everything is going to work for everyone. Because of this, she agrees to put back the towels in the residence lockers and break room and Shaun can wear his old scrubs. This is relieving to Shaun who leaves without another word. He goes to the OR where the biker is being operated and informs Audrey that they can do a surgery that will allow the biker to eat and keep his vision.
Lea goes to Aaron's house and finds him gardening. He says he's fine but Lea claims she wasn't going to go there but she would rather talk about Shaun. She mentions how she found the mail addressed to Shaun and how she wants the day to be about them but also doesn't want to be selfish. Aaron refuses to help on the situation and continues gardening.
Marcus operates on Jenna and removes the implant. Mateo apologizes for his behavior regarding Salen and Marcus says that when it comes to people like Salen and the doctors, Marcus is a doctor.
During the surgery, Jordan and Asher argue about what to do next as Asher is struggling with his step in the procedure. Audrey tells them both to stop arguing with each other. She tells Jordan that religion hurt Asher but religion comforts Jordan. If they can't see that then they will stop arguing as it makes Audrey's life easier.
Jenna wakes from her surgery and is told that the surgery went well. She's relieved and thanks Marcus, Mateo, and Alex. Following the surgery, Asher apologizes to Jordan who asks if he wants a drink. Shaun interrupts and says they need tequila. Morgan is watching a movie with Alex that night but she keeps moving around on the couch. Alex asks if she is okay and she says she's fine, only to say she's not a minute later. She proceeds to fart and Alex does the same (twice). They both laugh about it then move closer to each other on the couch.
Jordan and Asher are duetting in karaoke to the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" while Shaun and Lea sit on the couch behind them. Shaun gives Lea a shot glass and says he wants to toast to himself and his faith in himself. Lea agrees and takes the shot. Lea then admits that she didn't amil the save the date card to Shaun's mom as she doesn't want to invite him as she feels there's a lot for them to work through. She worries this may make their wedding not fun. Shaun says he got the idea from wedding books as they said he should invite her and asks if they were wrong. In this case, they were as Lea believes. Shaun would not be mad if Marcie didn't come to his wedding.
At the hospital, Mateo tells Audrey that she was right as he shouldn't listened to her and Marcus. They walk outside and notice a giant poster feature Shaun on it with the words "Some doctors are different. Some hospitals, too. Dr. Shaun Murphy general surgery. Autism Spectrum." Mateo is surprised that Shaun agreed to the poster but Audrey is sure that Shaun didn't agree.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- The sign featuring Shaun at the end of the episode lists his focus as General Surgery.
Multimedia[]
Promotional Images[]
BTS Images[]
Episode Stills[]
Go to the following page: Measure of Intelligence/Gallery
Videos[]
References[]