‘The Good Doctor’: It Looks Like Melendez and Lea Might Have Hooked Up
The Good Doctor Season 3 finale had a lot going on. One interaction you might have missed was between Melendez and Lea. If you pay attention, you’ll notice there was something possibly brewing between them. Here’s Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s take on that brief but significant exchange between Melendez and Lea.
Dr. Melendez had a complicated love life
Dr. Neil Melendez was unlucky in love (and life in general). He was engaged to Jessica Preston, but that relationship fell apart. They clashed on the issue of having children and the stressful work atmosphere didn’t help their relationship much.
In season 2, Melendez and Dr. Audrey Lim begin a relationship, but things go south, and they break up in season 3. Melendez and Claire become friends and start to get close, but it doesn’t develop into a full-blown romance. He dies during the finale, so we’ll never really know his true feelings toward her.
Lea is even more complicated
Lea has been a friend, neighbor, roommate, and now colleague of Dr. Shaun Murphy. She harshly rejected his romantic advances until the season 3 finale. At the end of the episode she tells him she loves him and kisses him passionately. Interactions between these two have gone from friendly to uncomfortable to scary to very confusing. One moment they’re sharing fries in the cafeteria and a few episodes later Shaun is holding baseball bat, ready to smash Lea’s car in. Now they’re kissing and declaring their undying love.
Something was brewing—and it wasn’t the beer
Sometimes events happen off-camera on The Good Doctor. One example is when Audrey visits Dr. Andrews for advice on how to be an effective leader. During this scene, it’s revealed Andrews lost his job, but this was never shown on camera.
Similarly, it’s possible Melendez and Lea had a romantic encounter before the season 3 finale. The way they looked at each other at the beginning of episode 19 suggests something happened between them. Notice how Lea is holding two beers. One was likely for Melendez.
Once Dr. Glassman arrives, Lea looks nervous, as if she doesn’t want him to know something. She immediately says she didn’t know he would be there. It also looks like Melendez is trying to cover for her when he asks if she’s there with a friend. Lea appears to be fumbling for an answer and then says, “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
Melendez is protective of Lea
Lea is definitely on Melendez’s mind. When the hosts arrive, he jumps in to make sure he introduces her. He’s aware of Lea’s presence and seems eager to include her. Also, when the earthquake hits, the first person Melendez yells for his Lea. We find it interesting that he is so concerned with her well-being. Sure, they’re employees at the same hospital, but he seems especially concerned about Lea.
Melendez was a fan of the office romance
As Showbiz Cheat Sheet mentioned back in April, it appears Melendez has a thing for women at work. It looks like Lea was next on his list. Claire was his subordinate, so it didn’t look like things were really going anywhere.
Lea was probably the next best thing because he’s not her boss and it wouldn’t be frowned upon. He already had a complaint against him (thanks to Morgan) because he seemed to show favoritism toward Claire, so he likely felt Lea was a safer bet. Our guess is that Melendez and Lea would have been a thing if the earthquake didn’t happen.
Now that Melendez has crossed over to the other side, we’ll never know.
Read more: ‘The Good Doctor’: Who Plays Dr. Melendez?
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