Stories

"Stories"
Episode Information
Season 2
Episode 8
Overall 26
Airdate:	November 19, 2018
Viewers:	6.84 million
Writer:	Sal Calleros
Director:	Michael Patrick Jann
Episode Chronology
Preceded by:	"Hubert"
Followed by:	"Empathy"

"Stories" is the eighth episode of Season 2 of The Good Doctor. It is the twenty-sixth episode overall, and aired on November 19, 2018.

Synopsis

Dr. Shaun Murphy, Dr. Audrey Lim and Dr. Claire Browne's E.R. patient is forced to reveal a secret to her husband after their treatment caused a complication. Meanwhile, Dr. Neil Melendez, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Alex Park struggle with a patient whose parents don't believe in vaccinations.

Summary

Claire, Dr. Lim, and Shaun rush to the ER concerning a couple, Dawn and Todd Williams, caught in a car crash. Dawn seems to have internal bleeding and they need to do an ultrasound, while Todd appears to have dislocated his hip which Shaun needs to relocate. Claire's ultrasound shows a lot of free fluid and they need to go into the OR, the husband pleads with Shaun to save her as it is their anniversary and she is his everything.

Morgan and Dr. Park are talking to their young patient, Finn Tilley, about his upcoming surgery, but he has minimal reflexes. They have to run tests to find out why he has pain and fatigue and if everything is okay, they can proceed as planned. Shaun joins Lim and Claire in the OR informing them of what the husband has said as he helps them. Meanwhile, Morgan and Park inform Finn's parents Bethany and Noah that his symptoms suggest he has a viral or bacterial infection, which it turns out is because Finn has never been vaccinated following side effects Bethany and Noah's niece suffered from a vaccine. Morgan tries to convince them to vaccinate Finn, but Park sympathizes with them. He states that he's trying to gain their trust and get them to think differently, though Morgan just sees that Park actually supports their dangerous actions. She also states that her best friend at one point considered vaccinating her child, until she got convinced into doing otherwise and then the child died while they go to test Finn for polio.

Claire informs Todd that Dawn is alright, but she had a ruptured fallopian tube and they were not able to save the pregnancy. Todd states that he had no clue she was pregnant as he had a vasectomy before they got married. He then demands to see Dawn saying they made a mistake, though Shaun tells him it is more likely that his wife got pregnant by someone who isn't him. Meanwhile, Aoki tells Dr. Andrews that Claire is being courted by other residency programs, but he doesn't believe she is leaving. Nonetheless, it appears that Claire is doing so as Neil is still freezing her out after she went over his head. Andrews doesn't want to get involved but Aoki reminds him it won't look good to lose two diverse residents in a course of a year.

Park speaks to Bethany and Noah, telling Morgan's story reminding them how dangerous these diseases are but claims that her friend was actually his (to Morgan's anger). Morgan then states that Finn is negative for polio but also asks to do an MRI, while Bethany and Noah apologize but their beliefs hasn't changed. Meanwhile, Dr. Blaize is questioning Dr. Glassman on his recovery, but he sarcastically answers her questions, insisting radiation is going fine and when he forgot his wallet was a minor memory lapse. Although he also forgot where he parked his car, he believes she is blowing it out of proportion. She wants to evaluate his mental health, which he refuses. However, she says if this is memory loss it means he will have to give up driving and have more in-home care. She then opens the door and tells him if anything changes he shouldn't forget to tell her, only to return because he forgot his hat.

Park says he stole Morgan's story because it is good, but she feels that stories don't change minds and he wants to bet alcohol on it. They then find that Finn's spinal cord has been split in two, which he has had it since birth. It then stretched when he hit puberty and tethered to his spinal canal, causing his leg's numbness. They can go in and untangle it, but he could become quadriplegic. While Bethany and Noah agree, Dawn insists she couldn't possibly be pregnant as Todd asks if she had an affair. She insists that Todd could have somehow got her pregnant, which Claire says is highly unlikely but could be possible and can test his sperm count.

Bethany tells Park that they want to vaccinate Finn, as soon as possible. He says they will start the first round right away. He messages Morgan, who learns that the bottle of whiskey Park wants is $500. Andrews sits with Claire, who admits that he pushed her to be more assertive and she will not apologize for what she believes is still right. Andrews promises her that Neil will take her back, but she knows Andrews hasn't talked to him and feels that he believes she is the path of least resistance. Andrews states that she is a resident and still earning her place in the hospital, and if she cares about her job she will speak to Neil. However, Claire stands firm on her decision.

Park gives Finn his first immunization but when Finn goes up to use the bathroom, he collapses and can't feel his legs. Park shouts for a backboard as he needs an OR right away. Shaun sits with Dawn, who says she loves Todd. She leans out, saying Shaun looks very young for a doctor and kisses him. Shaun runs for the door as she swears she was only thanking him for saving her life. Shaun reveals at the nurses' station that Todd's sperm count is zero and Dawn kissed him on the lips for saving her. Lim asks if he wants to file a report, but Shaun has to think about it while he only needs to tell Todd about his test results.

The team for Finn's surgery is busy trying to separate his spinal cords as Morgan bugs Park about his five hundred dollar bottle of whiskey when Finn starts losing his motor and sensory revoked potentials. Neil tells them all to stop touching Finn, as they have to figure out another way to remove the cleft without putting pressure on the spinal cord. Morgan suggests they use the laser to cut any tethering adhesions before removing the septum.

Todd storms in on Dawn, demanding to know if she is leaving him too as he reveals they only have $400 in the bank. He wants her to look him in the eyes and tells him the truth, something she is unable to do. She apologizes, saying she tried to stop but was unable to help herself. Todd storms out, but Shaun sits down with her wanting to know why she married him. She loves him, he's the best thing that came into her life and she can't imagine living without him. She doesn't know why she kissed Shaun and she says it was a mistake, though he suddenly looks closely at her and says he knows why she did it.

Andrews confronts Neil, agreeing how he feels about Claire's actions but Neil didn't get where he is without breaking some rules. He reasons that he can make himself look good as a leader through forgiving Claire. Andrews also tells Neil unless this is resolved it will make it very hard to make Neil Chief of Surgery, including to go to bat for him when bigger issues come up. Shaun barges into a patient's curtain in the ER where Lim is giving a patient staples, saying he won't press charges against Dawn as she has a legal defense; the kissing and cheating are caused by a neurological problem, and he figured that out by a muscle spasm. Lim tells him to go test his theory and goes back to stapling her patient's head.

Finn is out of surgery and is able to feel his legs and feet, but his temperature and heart rate are rising as he has the chills. As Shaun and Claire continue to scan Dawn, Claire is cynical but Shaun is certain she has no reason to lie. When the brain doesn't have a tumor, Shaun says he is sad as the world is sad and complicated and he wishes it wasn't. They show Dawn the scans and she tells them the past few months with Todd were like their honeymoon and now here she is. Claire wants to review the scans, asking Dawn to draw the face of a clock, proving there is a tumor but they are looking in the wrong place.

Glassman runs into Shaun in the hallway, wanting to talk. Glasmman admits his memory loss and doesn't want any tests for it in the hospital as he can administer the tests himself but needs help. Shaun tells him to come over to his apartment tonight and they will test if he is losing his memory. Meanwhile, Morgan and Park reveal Finn has a staph infection at the surgical site; he is stable and resting but needs to go back into the surgery to flush it out, while Park reassures Bethany and Noah it has nothing to do with his vaccinations. However, Noah had no idea Bethany had approved them. She was worried Finn might have got sick and possibly pass it on to their soon to be newborn baby.

Todd sits as Claire and Shaun reveal the tumor is in the chest but forces a protein to travel to the brain, causing mental disorders including lots of inhibitions. Shaun tells Todd to hug and kiss his wife, as she is about to go into a scary surgery. She confirms she had four affairs, but she donated it all and couldn't help it, unable to say no. Claire informs Todd that the surgery will stop Dawn's inhibitions, though Todd cannot handle the fact that she enjoyed her affairs, even if it was in the moment.

Finn is concerned about the situation with his parents and becomes angry, blaming it on Park who tries to reassure him but won't get involved. Neil finds Claire scrubbing in and says he has been asked to speak to her. He tells her she is an excellent doctor and respects her skills. She apologizes for undermining his authority and she was wrong, which he appreciates but she ordered him to take her back and he is in an impossible situation - if he doesn't take her back he is screwed but if he does, he looks weak; so if she says she is sorry, she is giving him cover. He smiles and tells her that he will see her tomorrow.

Claire finds Todd in the chapel, saying they got the tumor and Dawn is fine. Claire also is glad he didn't leave, but he was afraid Dawn was going to die and can't be sure he can forgive her. Claire wants to know if he was ever attracted to other women. He admits he checks them out but never wanted to jump them. Claire says Dawn acted on every temptation she had but she never left him as she was never tempted to walk away from him because she never stopped loving him. Park finds Noah, telling him a story of a couple where the wife lied and they let it fester between them. Eventually the husband moved out and now barely sees his kid. Noah doesn't want any more of his parables, saying it's his stories that brought him here. Park reminds him that he chose to be there, and when he is asked if the story was true, Park walks away claiming it isn't.

Shaun checks over Dawn, who is responsive. Shaun asks if she would like to kiss him, she tells him "a little, but I am not going to", which Shaun says is a good sign. Todd returns to the room, while Claire and Shaun quickly leave, giving them some space. Todd takes Dawn's hands as Shaun says that is a very good sign. Morgan finds Park in the residents' locker room, reminding him that measles kills but broken homes don't. She suggests going to a bar to blow off steam, though he says he is going to the range and says he has three guns. She wants to go, which he agrees if she doesn't talk and pays for her own ammo.

Glassman arrives at Shaun's place. He says Lea isn't home because she's out drinking with friends. Glassman brings his tests out but Shaun asks him his own questions instead, including where he got his furniture which Glassman is unable to answer despite Shaun stating that Glassman knows. Shaun brings out a photo of him and his brother and wants to know if Glassman knows his brother's name. Glassman looks at the photo and says Shaun's brother's name is Sam, but it is Steve; Glassman is losing his memory.

Cast

Starring Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neil Melendez Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Browne Tamlyn Tomita as Allegra Aoki Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo (credit only) Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman

Guest Starring Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Marina Blaize Christine Horn as Dawn Williams Elliott Sancrant as Finn Tilley Reggie Austin as Todd Williams Elyse Levesque as Bethany Tilley Marc Valera as Noah Tilley Co-Starring Juliana Wimbles as EMT #1 Andrew Coghlan as EMT #2

Trivia

• This is the first episode where the title is based on a plot that does not involve Shaun.
• There were a few differences between the American and Turkish version of this episode:
  • While Todd (the husband from the American adaptation) came alone to the hospital with his wife Dawn, in the Turkish adaptation he was accompanied by his three ruffian brothers, who treated the staff hostilely.
  • In the American adaptation, Dawn kisses Shaun who didn't tell anyone except for Claire and Lim, and the conflict doesn't go beyond that aside from Lim asking Shaun if he wanted to file a report. In the Turkish adaptation, when the wife kissed Ali, one of the brothers witnessed this and told the others. Due to them thinking Ali tried to make fools out of them, the situation got out of hand and they beat Ali up in retaliation, until Ferman (Neil's counterpart) came to his defense and fended the brothers off, and were subsequently arrested. In addition, Ali freaked out and caused a scene when the wife kissed him while Shaun simply recoiled and walked away rather perturbed.
  • While in the American adaptation, this case was assigned to Shaun, Claire and Lim. However, in the Turkish it was assigned to Nazli (Claire's counterpart), Demir (Jared's counterpart) and Tanju (Andrews' counterpart), but Ali intervened anyway.
• Glassman accidently misnaming Steve as "Sam" is something of a reference to how Dylan Kingwell once played a younger Sam Winchester in fellow ABC show Supernatural.
  • Ironically, Shaun and Lea's child who was born in Season 6 (Steven Aaron Murphy) has the initials "SAM".
• Claire's insubordination to Neil in Carrots and Glassman forgetting about his wallet in Hubert are mentioned.
• When Aoki confronted Andrews about Claire possibly leaving the hospital, she referred to the hospital possibly losing another diverse doctor. She is referring to how they already lost Jared following Sacrifice and Hello, who initially got his job back by suing the hospital for apparent racial discrimination since he was diverse like Claire.
  • Ironically, Jared's Turkish counterpart did appear in the Turkish version of this episode.
• Claire and Aoki appeared together in a deleted scene where they discussed Claire possibly leaving the hospital.

Multimedia

Gallery

Behind the Scenes

Videos

The Good Doctor 2x08 Promo "Stories" (HD)

The Good Doctor 2x08 Sneak Peek "Stories" (HD)

External Links

• "Stories" at the Internet Movie Database