“Piece of Cake” is the second episode of Season 5 of The Good Doctor. It is the seventy-eighth episode overall and aired on October 4, 2021.
Synopsis[]
Shaun and the team race to save a pregnant woman’s baby and find her current situation as a convicted felon complicates it even more than they realize. Meanwhile the hospital take on some unexpected changes that the staff are not prepared for.
Plot[]
Salen gives a presentation to the employees of the hospital where she reveals the mission Ethicure. Ethicure has three pillars: 1) the hopsital, 2) the doctors, and 3) patients. She plans to change the hospital's color palette to make it more welcoming. For her doctors, she gives them a bag that has fitness trackers, Ethicure scrubs, and other goodies. She plans encouraging fitness through her doctors as well implement protocols to promote teamwork as well as respect. Salen wants the doctors to stop seeing patients as only patients but also clients with feedback. The goal is to make them happy so they will refer the hospital to family and friends.
Following the meeting, Alex Park and Morgan look at one of Salen's newest equipment, a kiosk like machine that patients can leave their reviews by pressing the faces. The faces range from extremely happy to sad. Alex is not interested in this new technology as he wants to cure patients, not keep clients. Morgan feels the opposite and the thinks the kiosk is cute and believes that Salen is promoting niceness.
Jordan and Asher look at their new fitness watches and talk of the features it has, some being it counts your steps, monitors sleeping hours, and warns where the doctor might be stressed. Asher is not interested in the new watch as he's concerned just how much the watch knows and what it tracks.
Lea and Shaun walk through a hall that is being renovated. She talks to Shaun about Ethicure and asks if he is actually okay with Ethicure. She worries that the new changes will be tricky for Shaun. Shaun likes the changes as they seem reasonable then changes the topic to cake. He asks what cake Lea wants and Lea answers whatever cake their guests want as she believes you can't go wrong with cake. Lea tells Shaun to take a good look at her as he won't see a lot of her and he does, even ignoring his phone call so he can look at her. When Lea brings his attention to the call, he leaves.
In the ER, Morgan informs Park and Shaun of the condition of a pregnant woman. They determine she will need a C-section and take her to OR but a police officer follows them. Park tells her the officer will have to stay out of the OR but the officer rejects the idea as she has to stay with the patient who is revealed to be serving a life sentence for murdering her first child.
Mateo looks at the OR board with Audrey Lim and he tells her that he completed his residency yet they only have him down for two gallbladder surgeries. Audrey tells him to blame someone else, mainly the new management. As they're talking workers wheel new equipment by them and Mateo expresses his desire to use the new equipment. Doing so, he calls Audrey "Quapa" and she asks that he doesn't do that at work. He agrees and calls her Audrey because of Salen's new rule of calling bosses their first names. Marcus Andrews approaches the two and asks how they feel about Salen. Audrey expresses her dislike of the new rules, mainly the new algorithm, while Marcus is amazed that Salen knows what he likes as she filled up his 'dance card' for the week. He then greets Mateo who decides to accompany Marcus for the day as Mateo's 'dance card' isn't as full.
Alex operates on the pregnant woman with Shaun and discusses his case. The pregnant woman, Abby Clemmis, was charged with poisoning her baby with antifreeze but she pleaded not guilty, got pregnant before the trial, and was convicted of the murder. No one, not even her boyfriend, believed her. Morgan is not as sympathetic and tells them to stay focused as they're being timed because of the productivity measure. Shaun watches the timer and Alex tells him to ignore him as he worries that the time will annoy Shaun. However, Shaun likes the time as he likes to know how long things take. Alex talks about the case again and believes Abby was suffering from postpartum depression. Again, Morgan doesn't sympathize as the baby is still dead regardless of what Abby may have been suffering from. Alex believes that earns some sympathy but Morgan disagrees as women are not helpless victims of their hormones. But that's not Alex's reasons as Abby is a person who should be treated by the doctors and not punished. Shaun asks Alex what his favorite cake is. Alex answers angel food cake but Morgan disagrees as she believes that cake to be bland. Salen then walks in and answers her favorite cake is anything with cream cheese frosting.
Morgan talks to Salen and admits her admiration for how Salen is changing the hospital. Salen is indifferent to the compliments and watches as Shaun removes the baby. She's pleased to hear the baby crying and requests that Alex discharges Abby and the baby, much to Alex's dislike as they're a policy that the patients should be monitored for 48 hours. However, according to Salen's new policy, as soon as a patient is stable they will be discharged so they can have room for new clients in need.
Jordan is in the ER treating Madeline, a track runner who is experiencing dizziness and nausea, when Marcus and Mateo approach her. Marcus examines Madeline's abdomen while Madeline believes she's just exhausted from her track meet. They have Madeline step onto a new piece of equipment that scans a patience vitals and tells the doctors the height, weight, temp, and more about the patient. Madeline is shown to be in great condition but she starts coughing up blood.
Abby wakes up from her c-section and asks about her baby, Meggie, who Alex reassures is fine. Abby asks to see the baby and Morgan says it's not possible and Abby will be processed for discharge. Alex wants to run tests to be safe and talks to her about postpartum depression but Abby says she didn't have that with Troy, her first baby, as being with him was the best days of her life. She tells that she's either a victim or a monster for what she did to her baby and tells the doctors the pick a side.
Marcus talks to Madeline about her scans and tells her she has a legion in her lungs. She asks why she's not slowed down by the legion but the rest of her lungs are healthy enough to make up for the legion. They ask about her family's medical history but she doesn't know. Before she can explain why, Jordan walks into the room with a woman, Esther, who asks if Madeline is ok. Madeline claims the woman is not her mother because her parents died two years ago. Madeline is helped into a wheelchair while her mother explains that she didn't give Madeline up, rather she was deported but left Madeline in America to give her a better chance at life.
Mateo says welcome back to Esther in French and reveals that he had worked in Cameroon for a while. He asks if Esther can give them their family's medical history and she does. Esther claims she told Madeline to watch what she eats but Madeline won't listen to her. Madeline's confused as to why she should and how showing up to track meets doesn't make Esther her mother. Esther is offended by Madeline calling Esther by her first name as it is rude in Cameroon. Esther then covers Madeline's legs with her jacket saying to not show everyone her 'goodies' and the people who Madeline call her parents did not teach her respect.
Alex examines Meggie and Morgan says Abby should be sent back. Alex doesn't believe she should be sent back there as the people who were treating her weren't doing a great job. Morgan still doesn't care and wants to send Abby back as soon as possible. Alex is worried about the baby and her lack of responses. He wants to do an ultrasound on the baby.
Salen walks into Aaron Glassman's office and watches as he makes fishing flies. Salen talks about his absence at the presentation and how people might think he doesn't support her. He doesn't support her as she was a fake patient first and now owns the hospital. Salen believes she saved him as she prevented the hospital from being turned into apartment complexes but Aaron doesn't care and he tells her he resigns. Not only that but he mentions he hates the new logo. Salen sits down across from Aaron and mentions how he has loyal followers and that she wants him to stay on the board of directors. Aaron doesn't buy it and believes she wants a puppet. Salen says if he stays on she'll keep his clinic open, tells him to think about, and leaves.
Alex wheels in a cart that has Meggie hidden in it. He informs her of the lack of nutrition Meggie is getting and believes Abby's milk will help. Abby holds Meggie and looks at her loving at first.
Jordan informs Madeline that the mass is malignant melanoma that has spread to her neck, abdomen, and pelvis. Esther tries to comfort her daughter but Madeline shrugs her off. Jordan wants to remove what she can but the prognosis isn't good and with treatment Madeline might not live past 12 months. Madeline denies this as she's healthy and strong. Esther wants them to pray but Madeline doesn't want to as she doesn't believe she is dying and she wants to go to nationals. Esther takes Madeline's hand and says "Que Dieu sauve ma petite fille" (may God save my little girl) repeatedly and Madeline yells at her to stop praying. She gets mad that Esther is pretending to to care for her while Esther says she does care and that she is Madeline's real mother. Madeline doesn't want anything from Esther and tells her to leave. Esther does as Madeline wants and leaves.
In the nursery, Meggie becomes tachycardic. Alex, Shaun, and Morgan help save her and Alex orders tests for the baby as well as a tox screen for Abby. This confused Morgan who walks in the hall with him as she believes Abby to be fine. Alex admits that he let Abby breastfeed her and he thinks that there is something in Abby's breastmilk. Morgan says Abby likely gave Meggie antifreeze because people who kill their babies do that. Morgan then walks away.
Shaun is in an office with Mateo, Jordan, and Asher. He hands out small slices of cake and explains the method in which they'll be voting on the cake. Jordan and Mateo discuss Madeline's case and how they can help her. While doing this, Jordan and Asher give their opinions on the cake and do their votes. Salen then walks into the office and takes a tray that has the small slices of cake on them. She doesn't want to interrupt the group but Shaun informs her than she already has and she does not get a tray of cake because she is not invited to his wedding. He takes the tray back and Salen asks if Shaun is autistic. Shaun doesn't give an answer and Salen informs her that she is neurotypical as well. He doesn't seem to care much for Salen's ADHD and he leaves with the cakes after taking everyone's ballots. Before leaving, he suggests that Mateo look into T-cell therapy.
Aaron tries slices of cakes in his office with Shaun there. Aaron likes all of them but Shaun informs him that that's not helpful in the slightest. He then asks why Aaron isn't working and Aaron answers he's busy tasting cake. He then tells him he wants to take a break and move on but has no idea what he's going to. Shaun wants to know if Aaron is sad about Debbie but Aaron is but it was likely for the best. Aaron wants to take some time for himself and be around different people and get a big change. He then asks how Shaun is coping with the changes and Shaun wants Aaron to help him pick the cake. Aaron says to be selfish and pick the one he wants. He says he's not going to care about anything else because for once he is going to think about himself. Shaun is glad for Aaron and his positive outlook but he was no help with the cake.
Marcus talks to Madeline about the course of treatment for her. She will have to get sicker first before dying. Mateo walks in with a type of chemotherapy that makes the body fight the cancer and cure itself. In Audrey's office, Marcus kicks Mateo off the case as he was supposed to observe and learn, not diagnose and treat. Marcus believes Mateo violated the protocol but before he can defend his opinion, Salen interrupts and talks about how good the Wi-Fi is in Audrey's office. The doctors are speechless as Salen makes herself comfortable. Salen wants them to continue and they do with Mateo apologizing. Marcus thinks otherwise as the trials weren't encouraging and the infection is likely to kill Madeline before the cancer. Audrey asks about the patient but Salen interrupts but she doesn't wish to weigh in on the case. Audrey tells Marcus to give the client what she wants but Marcus disagrees. She informs him that she can take the case from Marcus.
Alex reads the results that show that what Meggie has didn't come from Abby. Morgan still believes that Abby poisoned the baby but Shaun informs him that there are traces of antifreeze in Meggie's blood.
Mateo runs into Esther at the lounge and Esther asks about Madeline. Mateo doesn't believe that Madeline is ready to talk to Esther and Esther explains her reason for leaving Madeline behind. She believes that the people who took Madeline in turned her against her culture and her mother. Mateo knows that Esther did everything out of love but should be grateful to the people who cared for Madeline. Madeline talks to Jordan and thinks if she was more like Jordan, Esther would like her more. Madeline believes Esther is a hippy and always wanted Madeline to be happy, even if she shouldn't. Jordan asks if Esther would want Madeline to be alone.
Shaun comes into Lea's office as he wants another look at her. He hasn't seen much of Lea lately and Lea realizes this but the new program is frustrating her. Shaun suggests a list to help her but Lea doesn't have a heavy workload instead she's doing something that is a waste of time. She still needs to do it, as informed by Shaun. Lea knows this but she wants to vent to Shaun, rather than get a solution. Shaun agrees and he sits across from Lea and expresses his annoyance at finding a cake that everyone likes. Lea sympathizes and Shaun realizes he doesn't want to vet and wants a solution. Lea doesn't have one. Shaun is confused because he is doing as Lea says to do - use his words - but she appears to be upset by this. She apologizes for this then thanks Shaun because he solved her problem. She leaves the room without an explanation.
Alex talks to Abby and informs her that they found antifreeze in Meggie's blood. He is giving the information to the authorities. Abby says they cant let Meggie die before suffering a medical emergency.
Morgan is seen getting her new ID photo and Shaun is next. He talks to Alex about Abby with Morgan weighing in occasionally. Shaun and Morgan agree that Abby should get a hysterectomy but Alex is hesitant because she will never get pregnant again. Morgan fails to see the problem. She then leaves the room as she intends to ask Abby if she poisoned Meggie.
Lea finds Salen and goes to talk to her. She expresses her dislike that Salen pretended to be a patient as she thinks people should explain how they're feeling. She then points out the positive changes and asks if she can design a better program for the hospital. Salen then recites Lea's past regarding her programming skills and says she would like to hear about Lea's program idea.
Morgan, Alex, and Shaun return to Abby's room. Morgan has given Abby an anesthetic that makes people tell the truth. She proceeds to try and talkt o Abby but Abby doesn't want to talk because Morgan is stone hearted and clearly hates her. Alex then asks Abby if she knows what happened to Troy and Meggie. Abby says they got sick and that they got sick because she's a bad mother, not because she gave them antifreeze but beacuse she couldn't protect them. She would never hurt her babies as she is their mom. Morgan and Alex are surprised while Shaun complains about the seams of the new scrubs.
Marcus watches Madeline get prepped for her surgery when Salen joins him in the viewing gallery. She asks if Audrey would've made a different decision had Salen not came in. He doesn't give an answer and talks of Audrey's skills as a boss. Salen says she likes Marcus before she leaves the room.
Shaun is with Alex when Morgan joins them, confused as to why Shaun would re-run all of Meggie's tests. Shaun announces he solved the mystery but not about the case, but about his cake. He will do all the cakes but as tiers. This make Morgan realize something about the case and that Meggie does not have anti-freeze but a type of acid that appears like antifreeze on all tests but one. The acid is made by the body because of a genetic condition and they realize that Troy likely had the condition as well. They realize that Abby is innocent.
Aaron finds Salen sitting in an MRI room. She knows immediately that Aaron is there to accept the offer but they would have to double the money going into the clinic. He knows they don't have the money for that but he will play his role as a puppet very well and offer his support. Salen welcomes him into the Ethicure family.
Madeline wakes from surgery and is told that they got all of the tumor out. Esther then walks into the room and sits by Madeline. Esther talks about the day she gave Madeline away and how she stared at her, trying to memorize everything about her daughter. When she started to cry a younger Madeline comforted her. Esther admits that she grew to hate those that took Madeline but she realizes that if they didn't love her and sacrifice things for Madeline, then Madeline wouldn't be as amazing as she is now. Madeline says that Esther and her can be friends and work to being family. Esther requests to know about Madeline's mother.
Morgan and Alex wheel Meggie back into Abby's room and Morgan addresses Abby. She tells her it wasn't antifreeze and that Meggie will live. Alex hands Meggie over to Abby and says that it's likely that Troy had the same issue as Meggie. Morgan then apologize and Abby nods, seeming to forgive Morgan.
Audrey and Mateo walk into Audrey's room and are congratulated by Salen. Salen asks about the surgeries that Mateo was originally assigned and Mateo says he had them rescheduled. However, one of the patients are now being treated at a different hospital. Salen compares scheduling to saving Madeline's life then talks about Mateo's license.
Jordan watches as Madeline talks to her mother before Asher approaches her. He asks about who Jordan will write the article about T-cells with. They then compare the steps they have taken that day and Asher easily beats her out. He then admits that he cheated by moving his wrist as the watch measures movement not steps. They both then shake their wrists, competing in who can get the most steps.
Mateo and Audrey talk in bed later that night and Mateo says he can handle Marcus. Audrey is doubtful as Marcus will watch Mateo closely. Mateo isn't worried as he will get to see Audrey everyday and that makes his days wonderful.
Shaun finds Lea and brings her a small example of his solution to the cake. Lea loves it and calls him brilliant then reveals that Salen loves her idea for new programming. Shaun goes to wash his hands and acknowledges the soap is different. Lea expresses how proud she is of Shaun for adapting to the changes and how cute he looks in the scrubs. He says the scrubs at itchy and Lea suggests they wash it. Shaun complains about the soap and asks for paper towels. The paper towels were replaced by an air dryer but Shaun hates it as it makes too much noise. He freaks out as the noise continues and Lea tries to comfort him.
Cast[]
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Multimedia[]
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Go to the following page: Piece of Cake/Gallery
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