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"Middle Ground" is the second episode of Season 2 of The Good Doctor. It is the twentieth episode overall, and aired on October 1, 2018.

Synopsis[]

As Shaun pushes back against Dr. Melendez in order to treat a gravely ill hospital janitor, Dr. Lim risks a lawsuit to repair a teenage girl's ritual circumcision. Dr. Glassman exercises demanding oversight in choosing a doctor for his brain surgery.[2]

Plot[]

After Lea suddenly returned to Shaun's life, she's been staying with him until she can get an apartment again. One morning, she wakes up to find that he's already gone to work. When Neil comments on this, Shaun states that he was just eager to get to the hospital. He in turn asks Neil about what to do as he thinks the hospital janitor, Paul, might have pancreatic cancer but isn't sure, which Neil considers and tells Shaun to do tests on him but not say why.

Meanwhile, Lim is seeing to her patient, Asha, who is asking about vaginal rejuvenations as she got circumcised when she was two. Shaun and Claire soon work to do tests on Paul, with Shaun claiming that the tests are just necessary in case they've been exposed to patients. Unfortunately, he accidentally reveals Paul's possible cancer. Meanwhile, Lim presents Asha's case to Morgan and Park while making Asha's mother believe she's in school and out studying with her friends. However, she butts heads with Park about the parents whom Park is concerned are abusive but Lim says Asha loves them.

While testing Paul, Shaun and Claire talk about lying and how Shaun can't understand why people do so as it feels amoralistic to him so much. He also talks about Lea, though Claire can't understand whether Shaun is pleased or not concerning this while Shaun finds that Paul has a year to live. While Shaun and Claire are talking about it with Neil, he and Shaun disagree about doing surgery on Paul who could die as a result of it. Ultimately, Claire states that it isn't their call to make and Neil has Shaun talk to Paul.

Lim leads the surgery on Asha, thinking it can be done early which Morgan states is sending her home quicker to her possibly abusive parents. Paul's wife and kids are called in concerning the surgery, which Paul reluctantly agrees to for his family's sake. Shaun soon goes to see Glassman who hasn't chosen a surgeon for his cancer treatment. When he feels uncomfortable about Shaun's advice on whom he choses, he tries to get Shaun to go home but Shaun states that he can't rest there.

The surgery on Asha goes well and she awakens when Lim comes to see her. Although Lim states that it's natural, Asha states that it hurts and Lim sees that Asha isn't going home just yet. Morgan thinks that Asha's pain is good news, considering that she could start getting her sensation there back and they can help her with it. Park points out that this means more surgery, so now Asha will now get classified as a missing child as she won't be home the time they thought she would be.

Shaun apologizes to Paul for being blunt with him, but mostly can't figure out how and when to lie. Paul says that it's OK, agreeing with Shaun's belief about lying, but states that it might be necessary if the truth does not help. Andrews is also informed about Asha, which he is angered with due to Lim not obeying the rules (though she defends what she saw was right) and he was considering her for chief of surgery. He also gets her to call Asha's parents.

The surgery on Paul goes ahead. They get the cancer out, but he's leaking pancreatic fluid and try to help him. Glassman still hasn't decided on a surgeon, being picky about who to choose, while Dr. Blaize tells him to find one if he still wants her as his oncologist. Asha's parents are brought in and Lim explains the surgery to them, only for them to reveal that her real name is Mara and they refuse to listen to what Lim has to say when Ellen Vahtra (a Child Protective Services representative) appears and refuses their demand to move Mara while an investigation is carried out.

Shaun reports to Paul's family that the surgery went well, but there are possible post-surgical complications though Claire stops him from saying anything else. Although he's still concerned about deception, Lea comes to visit and offers to meet for lunch. However, he states that he doesn't have time and leaves. Still confused, Claire tries to get Shaun to talk to Lea but he states that he doesn't understand or know how he feels.

Mara's parents blame Lim for Mara's current condition, to which Lim retorts about how Mara's parents mutilated her or are protecting the real culprits. Mara's mother admits that Mara's aunt and grandmother did it while they were babysitting her. She also states that it's a rite of passage through the generations to find husbands in their culture. Lim states that Mara can find someone who isn't from them and how they have no right to make statements concerning her for what she was put through. Ultimately, Vahtra focuses their efforts on helping Mara. While Lim suggests the possible surgeries, she also states that they have to make sure Mara isn't in pain. Vahtra orders for Mara to be informed about this as she's old enough to make the decision.

Glassman briefly considers his surgeon to not be someone at the hospital and might have to move out of state for one and an oncologist, though Shaun tries to suggest Dr. Ko whom Glassman has had before. Glassman admits that he's not afraid of dying, but the possibility of being compromised if he survives and what he can be if he can't be a surgeon (the only thing he's really been good at). Shaun offers some comfort by suggesting that Glassman could be his friend when he is informed that Paul is crashing.

Mara is asked about what to do, to which she states that she wants to have her clitoris removed when told that it is the least painful option. While Shaun, Claire and Neil still try to save Paul (whose family Shaun feels should've been informed), Lim is upset about Mara's decision and refuses to be involved. While Andrews is angry with her and Morgan who tries to support Lim, Mara is still consulted again alone about removing a part of her cheek inside and grafting it onto her clitoris to help it. Although Mara still doesn't want to be in pain, Lim goes ahead with it nonetheless.

Unfortunately, Paul dies and Shaun and Claire go to tell his family. Although they blame each other over it, Shaun states that it's not their fault and that he wanted the surgery (which is a lie he tells). Mara's surgery succeeds, for which she and her parents thank Lim. The next day, Lea finds that Shaun is still at the apartment when she gets up. When she comments on this, he does her breakfast while presenting her baseball that she gave him before she left. Whenever he saw it, he kept feeling hurt as she had left him and it's worsened now that she's back as he fears she'll leave again. She tries to reason with him, but he just tells her to leave him. Glassman's surgery also goes ahead with Dr. Ko.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

  • Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Marina Blaize
  • Camille Hyde as Mara/Asha
  • Necar Zadegan as Dr. Jordan Ko
  • Khalilah Joi as Mara's Mother
  • Alimi Ballard as Mara's Father
  • Faustino Di Bauda as Paul Buendia
  • Jordana Largy as Ellen Vahtra

Co-Starring[]

  • Eileen Barrett as Lori Buendia
  • Max Chadburn as Zoe Buendia
  • Conchita Campbell as Sarah Buendia
  • Arthur MacKinnon as Taylor Buendia

Trivia[]

  • Paul's acid reflux leading to cancer is somewhat based on a patient from the episode Both Sides Now from House (TV series), which was also created by David Shore and featured Lisa Edelstein.
  • This is the first time that a character that had appeared in more than one episode has died (Paul having previously appeared in Sacrifice).
  • Christina Chang had previously played a doctor in Numb3rs (a pediatric surgeon), which also featured Alimi Ballard at another point.

Multimedia[]

Gallery[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Videos[]

References[]

External Links[]

The Good Doctor : Episodes
Season 1
#1 Burnt Food#2 Mount Rushmore#3 Oliver#4 Pipes#5 Point Three Percent#6 Not Fake#7 22 Steps#8 Apple#9 Intangibles#10 Sacrifice#11 Islands: Part One#12 Islands: Part Two#13 Seven Reasons#14 She#15 Heartfelt#16 Pain#17 Smile#18 More
Season 2
#1 Hello#2 Middle Ground#3 36 Hours#4 Tough Titmouse#5 Carrots#6 Two-Ply (or Not Two-Ply)#7 Hubert#8 Stories#9 Empathy#10 Quarantine#11 Quarantine: Part Two#12 Aftermath#13 Xin#14 Faces#15 Risk and Reward#16 Believe#17 Breakdown#18 Trampoline
Season 3
#1 Disaster#2 Debts#3 Claire#4 Take My Hand#5 First Case, Second Base#6 45-Degree Angle#7 SFAD#8 Moonshot#9 Incomplete#10 Friends and Family#11 Fractured#12 Mutations#13 Sex and Death#14 Influence#15 Unsaid#16 Autopsy#17 Fixation#18 Heartbreak#19 Hurt#20 I Love You
Season 4
#1 Frontline Part One#2 Frontline Part Two#3 Newbies#4 Not the Same#5 Fault#6 Lim#7 The Uncertainty Principle#8 Parenting#9 Irresponsible Salad Bar Practices#10 Decrypt#11 We're All Crazy Sometimes#12 Teeny Blue Eyes#13 Spilled Milk#14 Gender Reveal#15 Waiting#16 Dr. Ted#17 Letting Go#18 Forgive or Forget#19 Venga#20 Vamos
Season 5
#1 New Beginnings#2 Piece of Cake#3 Measure of Intelligence#4 Rationality#5 Crazytown#6 One Heart#7 Expired#8 Rebellion#9 Yippee Ki-Yay#10 Cheat Day#11 The Family#12 Dry Spell#13 Growing Pains#14 Potluck#15 My Way#16 The Shaun Show#17 The Lea Show#18 Sons
Season 6
#1 Afterparty#2 Change of Perspective#3 A Big Sign#4 Shrapnel#5 Growth Opportunities#6 Hot and Bothered#7 Boys Don't Cry#8 Sorry, Not Sorry#9 Broken or Not#10 Quiet and Loud#11 The Good Boy#12 365 Degrees#13 39 Differences#14 Hard Heart#15 Old Friends#16 The Good Lawyer#17 Second Chances and Past Regrets#18 A Blip#19 Half Measures#20 Blessed#21 A Beautiful Day#22 Love's Labor
Season 7
#1 Baby, Baby, Baby#2 Skin in the Game#3 Critical Support#4 Date Night#5 Who At Peace#6 M.C.E.#7 Faith#8 The Overview Effect#9 Unconditional#10 Goodbye
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