‘The Good Doctor’: Lim Experiences a Big Disappointment and Shaun Loses His Cool
The Good Doctor is back for season 6 episode 5. During this episode, Lim (played by Christina Chang) experiences a big disappointment and Shaun loses his cool.
Dr. Lim experiences an unexpected disappointment
During The Good Doctor Season 6 Episode 5 (titled “Growth Opportunities”), the show picks up with Lim’s outing with her neighbor. He has been very helpful and always asks if there is anything he can do for Lim when he sees her. During the last episode, they made plans to have dinner.
Lim is excited to finally move on with her life and start dating again after her accident. She was enjoying her time with her neighbor. Everything seems to be going well, and she looks genuinely happy.
At one point, Lim leans in for a kiss, but her neighbor leans back. He says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think that…” Lim thought they were on a date, but her neighbor didn’t have any romantic intentions. It seems like he was just feeling sorry for her, so he went with her to dinner. Lim interpreted his helpfulness and spending time together as interest, but he was just being nice to her because of her disability.
Lim’s neighbor asks if he should go, and she says he should. Unfortunately, he adds insult to injury by hurrying out of her apartment. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The intense pain and rejection can be seen all over Lim’s face.
After a conversation with Dr. Powell, Lim decides not to get the surgery to reverse her paralysis. She realizes she might be rushing her recovery and trying to get back to normal before she’s ready. Lim also realizes her disability brings out the true colors in others. She learned quickly that her neighbor was shallow.
Shaun loses his cool when Lim announces her decision
Lim tells Shaun and the surgery team she’s not going to do the surgery. Shaun asks why, but Lim doesn’t answer. Dr. Andrews says she doesn’t have to explain herself. However, Shaun continues to press Lim about her decision. She comes close to tears and rushes out of the room.
Shaun was upset and told Glassman it wasn’t fair. Glassman tried to calm Shaun down and get him to understand why Lim was backing out of the surgery.
“Tell me the reasons you think it’s not fair, and I’ll try to explain it,” says Glassman. It’s likely Shaun was upset because he revised his surgery plan and did his best to give Lim a chance at walking again, but his efforts were in vain. Shaun had a tough time accepting that Lim wasn’t going to go through with the surgery after all the work he put in.
Our take
It’s disappointing that Lim’s neighbor never thought she would think they were on a date. He assumed because she’s in a wheelchair that she doesn’t engage in romantic relationships. In any other situation, her neighbor’s actions would have been clear signs of romantic interest. He incorrectly assumed he could send mixed signals but that it wouldn’t matter because Lim is in a wheelchair. Hopefully, Lim will meet someone who accepts her completely.
Shaun had the best of intentions, but things just didn’t work out. He’s still learning how to put himself in someone else’s shoes. His new role as an attending doctor will be good practice for becoming more aware of the needs and feelings of others.
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