Good Doctor ep 17: dramatic recap-it

All kinds of love going on in this episode.

It is Friday once again, so here we go with this week's recap of Good Doctor.  I enjoyed this next-to-last-week's episodes well enough.  There was some good stuff and it certainly has me ready to see the finale and how it all comes together in the end.  This episode focused a lot on relationships, all of our many relationships we have going on in the show, romantic and otherwise.  Many I have barely touched on if at all, yet many I've enjoyed watching develop through the series.  How would you all feel if I focus on some of the side relationships going on in this particular recap? 

"Gee Dongsaeng, you mean to tell us that you don't know already exactly what you're going to write about even though you're already writing?  Do you mean to tell us that you just make this crap up as you go along?"

Guilty.

There is so much I could talk about, and for some reason (I totally blame the cold The Husband was kind enough to share with me *cough* *cough* *achoo!*) I am having a difficult time deciding which 8 points to focus on.  There was a lot that happened, and many of them can be linked together as following a similar theme.  On a totally unrelated note, it finally hit me as I was doing my screencaps as usual while watching, that the director really favors certain camera angles.  I swear that so many of my screenshots look the same.  He likes hands.  A lot.  There are a lot of close-ups of hands.  This episode alone I think I got hand close-ups from at least five different scenes.  I could go back and count, but I'm not going to.  I will collage some of them though (since I'm fighting a bit of writer's block at the moment and was curious).

See?  Hands.  Lots of them.  And that was without trying to capture specifically hand shots while watching.

These are things that I probably wouldn't even notice if I wasn't taking hundreds of screencaps, but yeah... a definite bias for certain camera shots.  Another example?  Hot Doc always has his head tilted to the same side and wears the same, maybe, three expressions?  He looks hot while doing it, so I don't really mind, but yeah....  Things like this that you notice by the 17th and 18th episodes of a show. 

But enough of my blathering on...let's get to the episode!  Lots to talk about today!

Dongsaeng's Drama Doctoring of episode 17

1.  The Fallout

Young In Hye has gone septic and is very ill.  She is rushed to the hospital and everyone is immediately there to help her, many of them feeling guilty for their part they played in her worsening condition.  Tensions are running high.  Hot Doc yells at his staff and then is himself yelled at by the mean doctor from the other department.  It turns out though that the events of the previous night really didn't have anything to do with her worsening condition - it had actually started weeks prior and was due in large part to In Hye not taking her medicine as she should have.  So really it wasn't anyone's fault, but of course the doctors are still rattled by this.  When she finally wakes up, we see that In Hye has had a change of heart.  Before, she was wanting to just die instead of continuing to be a burden on her big sister.  Now she wants to live and is willing to accept her sister's gift and get well.  Well, at least something good came of it all, huh?

2.  The Player and His Son

I'm going to talk about all that happens with this young patient and his father as it spans the entire episode.  This is the boy that needs a complicated surgery.  Yoon Seo came up with a possible solution, and when suggested it to the hospital in Boston, Boston decided it would be best, and mom agreed, that the boy go back to Korea for said surgery since they weren't willing to take the risk on a never-before-done operation.  So the boy comes to Korea, to the very hospital of course that dear dad has been scheming this whole time to take over.  Hot Doc and the boy quickly gain a repartee.  Dad starts out making the decision to bring his son to some top doc in Japan, but as the episode commences and both parents see how well their son is thriving in this hospital, the decision is finally made to have the surgery there.  You can tell that Dad still isn't quite on board which makes sense considering the tensions currently raging between him and the doctors there, yet he knows how much it means to his son and it turns out that he's at least not a rotten father.  He's kind of a worm in general, but at least he's good to his kid which earns him back some points.  Kudos dude, you only sort of suck as a human being.  Congrats on that.
 
3.  Blast from the Past

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see this guy show up.  And maybe if I hadn't completely forgotten about his existence and role he played in Shi On's life I would have expected him to appear sooner or later.  Yet, forget I did, so shocked I was.  Shi On gets an interesting blast from his past when the father of a patient turns out to be none other than the boy that issued the challenge to go into the abandoned mine as children that resulted in the death of Shi On's big brother.  I think it goes without saying that there are some unresolved issues between these two, including obviously some anger and resentment on Shi On's part as well as some "aw, crap" feelings from the bully all grown up.  The guy approaches Shi On and apologizes and begs him to take good care of his son.  He even calls Shi On his friend.  Ouch.  That had to have hurt Shi On's heart just a bit, as friendship was all that he had been looking for as a child and that desire to fit in is what led to his brother dying in the accident.  Shi On doesn't immediately know how to respond, but after a little pep talk from Hot Doc, returns and accepts the man's apology.  Good for him!  Our Shi On is certainly maturing by leaps and bounds now.

4.  Dinner for Two

 
Yoon Seo wins some drawing for a free dinner at a restaurant.  She invites Shi On to accompany her.  Once there, it becomes apparent that this dinner prize was intended to be one for couples. The waitstaff is obnoxious in their fawning and innuendos, even pressing the "happy couple" to kiss.  Can you say, "awkward"?  This leads to an interesting conversation between Shi On and Yoon Seo about who you can and can't kiss and so forth.  Is it just me or is it glaringly obvious that she totally has feelings for him but just can't see it yet?  The scene was cute yet kind of uncomfortable to watch because it really was incredibly awkward, the whole of it.  It was certainly a very odd "date" night.  Much like the next date night we get to see...that of Yoon Seo on a blind date.  Since they're similar enough, I'll just lump that one in here as well while I'm at it. 

Yoon Seo is set up on a blind date by her mother, with a man she refers to afterwards as "Prosecutor Voldemort".  Judging by her nickname and her obvious boredom during the date, I'm going to assume that this relationship isn't going anywhere.  What was interesting though was how she left the date as soon as possible and who did she immediately go to see?  Shi On.  Mmmhmm.  Oh, girlfriend's got it bad for our boy and the sooner she wakes up to see that, the happier we will all be.  She shows up and Shi On is surprised to see her.  He tells her how pretty she looks and she tells him of her date.  She then starts pressing him to see if he's maybe jealous.  He plays it cool which really throws her off.  She's being very silly.  He's confessed to her, yet she's still so confused at her own feelings that she feels the need to test him at every turn and corner. 
 
5.  I Don't Want to Be a Burden

I'm going to mention these two conversations together as well as they were both very similar.  Shi On and Yoon Seo are sitting together enjoying a treat at a cafe and Yoon Seo asks him if he's told Jin Wook about liking her.  She knows, and he confirms, that he and Jin Wook often talk of relationships, yet Shi On has never told Jin Wook about his crush on Yoon Seo.  She is curious as to why.  The answer is heartbreaking.  Shi On doesn't want to tell people because he doesn't want Yoon Seo to be mocked.  All his life, those that he showed feelings of friendship for were made fun of because of his condition.  He didn't want her to be caught up in all of that.  He wanted to protect her by not associating himself with her in people's minds.  He feels that it is better for him to suffer alone then to pull anyone else into his reality.  Dang boy, ow!  You can practically hear Yoon Seo's heart break and shatter into a million pieces (or maybe that was just mine I was hearing).  This poor guy is nursing some serious deep wounds inflicted on him throughout his short, yet sad, existence. 

Then we get Jin Wook (aka Cutie Pie doctor) and In Hye's sister and their conversation.  She knows of his feelings for her, largely due to Shi On telling her, and broaches the subject with him by explaining that, once she has this surgery where she donates her small intestines to her little sister, her lifestyle will vastly change and she will no longer be strong and healthy.  It will weaken her for the rest of her life and she doesn't want to become a burden to anyone.  So, as you can see, we have two people here willingly forgoing their own happiness not for lack of reciprocal feelings, but instead out of consideration to the one that would, in their perspective, be burdened by an association and relationship with them.  While Yoon Seo doesn't have much of a response to that at this time, Jin Wook does, and it's awesome.  He tells her point blank that he doesn't see how this would ever be a burden to him.  In other words, when you care about and love someone, you want to help them and support them and you don't see their struggles as a burden upon yourself.  I know Yoon Seo is going to end up feeling the same way, Jin Wook just said it first.  He's awesome.  Have I told you that before?  I love his character and his gentle, kind ways.  He's a doll. 


6.  Chae Kyung and the Hideous Dress

That little brown number that Chae Kyung wears throughout this episode is not doing the girl any favors.  Thankfully though, she is doing herself, and others, some favors and is quickly redeeming herself.  She started out kind of selfish and not very nice, but she is really coming around and I am really liking her more and more.  First, she goes to her stepmother and apologizes, and promises to right her wrongs in honor of her deceased father, the Director and even her, the stepmother she had originally tried to oust.  Then when Shi On returns the expensive sweater to her, she giggles about how it must have made another woman jealous and helps Shi On realize that maybe Yoon Seo does indeed have feelings for him, because if she didn't, she wouldn't have been bothered by another woman buying him an expensive gift.  These two are adorable together!  You know, even when she was at her worst in the beginning, she was still always kind to Shi On which shows her true nature more than her previous angry, vindictive self.  She was hurting and was lashing out, but at her core is a good woman.  This is why when she and Hot Doc rekindle their relationship, I couldn't have been happier for them.  They are really sweet together and I'm so glad things are working out, and not just because it frees Yoon Seo up from his romantic attentions.  And finally, as hideous as I found the brown dress, I did think that the charm on her nail was pretty cool.  I can't imagine that it's too comfortable to wear though.  I mean, if it were me, I'd constantly be snagging it on everything and it most likely wouldn't last long.  She must not have to do dishes or laundry or anything.  Lucky girl.  Very cute nail art, understated yet eye-catching.  At least the stylist scored points on that front.  Still doesn't quite undo the monstrosity of that "thing" she's being swallowed by on the rest of her body, but it does help. 
 
7.  Dr Skele

A good amount of this episode was spent on Dr Skeleton Face, the Chief of Pediatric Surgery.  It's been fun to see his transformation as the drama has progressed, and this episode was certainly no exception.  I mean, come on, he wakes up naked next to Dr Il Kyu, or as I like to call him, Dr Slow-to-Come-Around, what's not to love?  It was hilarious.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's back it up right quick.  An emergency patient comes in to the hospital.  It's a very sick little boy that needs surgery right away in order to survive, but is so sick that that surgery could very well kill him.  In the past, Skele would have refused to operate, but now, thanks to Shi On and his influence and kindness, he has the courage to actually try.  He has found his roots once again as a surgeon and less as a hospital politics player.  There is a very-amusing-in-its-dramatic-overplay surgery that ends in success.  It also ends in our two weak hearts, Skele and Il Kyu, sitting and drinking together.  Il Kyu struggled when he first came to the hospital and wants to know why Skele kept him on.  He suspects that his mother paid him off or something, but no, Skele kept him on because this kid reminded him of himself.  He got his position thanks to the influence of his uncle and was therefore given a chance that maybe he didn't fully deserve or earn.  He saw this young doctor much the same way - slow and maybe not cut out for the job initially, but with the potential to succeed if just given a chance that maybe he didn't fully deserve.  Kind of heartening, yet kind of depressing.  Which is why they both drink until they pass out.  Shi On stumbles upon them passed out there at the table and takes them home.  The next thing we know, they're both in Shi On's bed together, sans clothes.  Cheap, lowbrow, slapstick kind of humor, but I don't care - it was still funny.  Their reactions when they saw each other cracked me up, as did Shi On playing Mother Hen to both of them and feeding them some spicy soup for breakfast.
 
8.  Can Somebody Get a Doctor in Here?

Remember how Hot Doc got stabbed and all?  Well, all through the episode, it has become apparent that his wound has become infected and is causing him some pain.  He treats it himself, but stays mum on the whole thing to those around him.  Idiot.  That kind of macho attitude is what gets people like you in trouble.  Like when you go into the operating room to perform a never-before-done surgery on the son of the Vice President who isn't exactly your BFF and already doesn't completely trust you and your ability.  Sure enough, no sooner has the surgery begun that Hot Doc collapses from the effects of the painful inflamed wound.  Stellar there, Buddy.  I'm sure the Vice President will be thrilled with you and this turn of events.  Lovely.  And that of course is our cliffhanger for the episode and where we leave off for now. 

Okay, so what did you think?  Should I wait and ask that at the end of 18?  I would say more, but I think I pretty much got everything off my chest that I wanted to talk about already, so I'll leave it here for now.  Stay tuned for episode 18 where even more interesting stuff happens.