Sons

## Episode Chronology

**"Sons"** is the eighteenth episode of Season 5 of *The Good Doctor*. It is the ninety-fourth episode overall and aired on May 16, 2022.

## Synopsis

Shaun and Lea make a big life decision and are pleasantly surprised by the support they receive from their friends at the hospital. Meanwhile, when Dr. Wolke’s parents show up with a revelation, Asher struggles to accept that he and his father may never truly understand one another on the season finale.

## Plot

Shaun and Lea are on their fake honeymoon having pancakes in bed before work. Shaun points out the two of them are very good at pretending to be married but very bad at *getting* married. Lea says she doesn’t want to have a wedding anymore, as she is sick of all the things that come with planning a wedding, but still wants the marriage. Shaun looks on his laptop, finding a 4:30 opening at the courthouse tomorrow and Lea reacts positively.

Dalisay is cooking an omelet for Audrey when she gets a call from her ex-boyfriend about the restraining order she filled against him. Audrey extended an offer for her to stay at her place, due to the domestic abuse from Dalisay's ex-boyfriend occurring at home, until she can find a place of her own. She feels bad for overstaying her welcome, but Audrey mentions it hasn't been that long. Dalisay thanks her for taking her in and Audrey thanks her for the omelet.

Jordan, Asher, and Jerome are goofing off in the break room when a couple show up, leaving the trio stunned and confused. Asher asks what they are doing here to which the man responds with "We need to talk to you" in Yiddish. Asher reveals the couple as his parents.

Morgan and Alex work on a patient named Steph Lewis, a 35-year-old woman who had a brain stem stroke 9 years ago leaving her paralyzed from the face down, with her using a computer to communicate. Steph's husband, Julian, mentions all the medications she has taken for her pneumonia but continues to experience high fever, low energy, and night sweats, which is the reason for their hospital visit. Dr. Park concludes the pneumonia caused scar tissue that is compressing her lungs. Morgan says she needs surgery to remove the tissue, to which Dr. Park mentions it is a risky approach that comes with serious risks such as repeated air leaks, respiratory failure, sepsis, etc. Steph chimes in the conversation saying she doesn't care about the risks and is sick of feeling like crap and wants to do the surgery.

Asher's father, Yosel, reveals he has terminal lung cancer and has less than a year to live, with no good surgical options. Because of this, they sought out their son with the hopes of him being able to help Yosel. Asher gives his condolences, but his mother, Miriam, shuts him down and gives him Yosel's medical file, saying God will work a miracle through him. Asher is speechless.

Morgan tells Alex she can't eat lunch with him as she has a job interview with New York Medical Center but has plans to apply for more jobs to make herself look good for a promotion at St. Bonaventure. The couple are stopped by Shaun and Lea who are on a mission to return all the wedding gifts they've gotten, as told by a wedding website, since they canceled the wedding. Morgan tries to convince Lea to have a better wedding than what the couple had originally planned, but Lea still wants a courthouse wedding. Shaun is paged to attend to a patient.

Turns out Shaun was paged to attend Yosel. Shaun lists his medical history in the time he developed lung cancer. He tells him he needs a CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, along with a CBC, blood cultures, and an EKG. He tells the couple he will review the results with Dr. Andrews and find a treatment plan that will help him. Miriam blesses Shaun, annoying Asher as he points out St. Bonaventure is not concerned with religion, but Yosel points out the Saint in St. Bonaventure. Jerome enters the room to draw blood, causing Asher to panic as his parents don't know about their relationship.

The surgical decortication was a success. Steph's lungs expanding completely but Steph still can't move her hand, leaving her husband concerned and asking if she'll be able to move it again but Dr. Lim doesn't know.

Dr. Wolke is preparing Yosel for a CT scan when he mentions he read his letter he sent six years ago. He goes on to explain why it took him so long to read it as he already had the preconceived notion that his father wrote negative things in it. In reality, he wanted to tell him about the family, which Asher finds odd considering it was made very clear to him he was not part of the family when he left. But Yosel gives his side of the story saying Asher chose to leave, wanting him to stay, and were willing to help him find the right path. Asher replies he chose the path that mattered most to him, which was love and accept himself. Yosel then starts breathing abnormally and Dr. Wolke yells for help.

Shaun and Asher are discussing what they saw in Yosel's CT scan and the results are not promising. The tumor has grown and needs to be surgically removed immediately. Asher says his blood count is too low and suggests an echo but Shaun shuts down the idea, saying their is no time as he is bleeding into the thoracic cavity and his lungs are collapsing. Meanwhile, Morgan figures out the anesthesia they used on Steph caused her blood pressure to drop and paralyze the remaining body parts she was able to move. Alex asks her how her job interview went and says it went well. It turns to Lea returning Dr. Lim's wedding gift, which was a blender, and is annoyed at now having two blenders. Now in her office, Lea is trying to return Jordan's wedding gift to her but refuses to accept it and insists her to open it. After several refusals, Lea opens Jordan's gift to reveal a framed picture of her in the wedding dress she loved that wasn't the final choice. Turns out, opening gifts excites Lea and she spends the next 14 minutes opening the gifts she hadn't returned.

Morgan checks on Steph and sees her blood pressure is normal and no further complications and can start eye-tracking. This disappoints the couple as they have already tried that. Morgan says it takes time to get used to and proceeds to leave, but stops when she hears Steph laugh and turns to see Julian and Steph watching a home video of her doing an apartment tour prior to the stroke. Morgan leaves the room to find Alex and tell him they can give Steph her voice back.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wolke, Dr, Allen, Dr. Andrews, and Dr. Murphy are operating on Yosel. Asher notices the scar on his wrist and tells everyone he got it when he was teaching him how to ride a bike, resulting in stitches for both of them. The rest of the gang share stories of their fathers. Andrews' father was a minister who dressed nice every day of the week and taught him how to tie a tie. When he died, Andrews' wore his suit jackets every day for a year. Jordan shares her father was her first chemistry teacher and spent every weekend trying to find the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Shaun has a flashback of him fishing as a kid and remembers it being cold. He snaps out of it when Andrews says Yosel has a malignant pleural effusion. Dr. Wolke asks if draining it is possible but Shaun says it would be pointless as the fluid would keep coming back and spread the cancer everywhere in his chest cavity. Andrews says Yosel's prognosis was wrong; instead of a year, he has a few weeks to live.

After the surgery, Andrews, Shaun, and Dr. Wolke deliver the news Yosel has a few weeks to live. Andrews says they would continue to drain the fluid from his lungs to buy him time and look for other surgeries that could allow him to live longer. Yosel mentions Shabbos, the Jewish holy day of rest, begins that night and that God and him plan to do just that, rest.

Morgan and Alex are in Dr. Lim's office defending their solutions for Steph. Morgan explains the procedure that could give Steph the ability to speak again. Dr. Park is against the procedure as it is brand new technology that has been successful a couple times. Dr. Reznick continues to defend the procedure, but Park says Steph can't handle another life-threatening surgery and argues for the eye-tracking device. Reznick says the couple have nothing, but Park says they have each other and goes after Morgan for pushing false hope and seeing Steph as a burden. Morgan defends herself by saying she is trying give them some quality of life, but Park says she is risking her life because she can't imagine herself making that kind of sacrifice for someone. Dr. Lim agrees with Park that the procedure is risky but not false hope. She tells the pair to talk to Julian and Steph about it and let them decide what they want.

Dr. Wolke walks in on his mother, Miriam, taking out the cables from the TV. Dr. Allen checks in on Yosel and asks if she will be joining them for Shabbos with them. She says she would love to but will be busy researching how to save his life. He says Shabbos is more important as he isn't dying tomorrow. He explains what they do during Shabbos and she happily agrees to join them as she can't say no to God.

Later that night, The Wolke family, Morgan, Alex, Jordan, and Jerome observe Shabbos. Everyone but Asher is having a great time. Alex apologizes to Morgan for overreacting about the job interview and Morgan reveals she was offered the job. Miriam asks Asher if he could say a prayer for the sick for his father, but Asher doesn't want to pray to a god he doesn't believe in. Yosel is upset his son can't honor him on his last days on Earth. Asher argues it's not really his final days and are trying to find a surgical solution. Yosel wants to pass away and be with God in peace and wants Asher to come home and be with his family. Asher wants to be their son as much as he wants to be himself but he can't have both. He then walks over to Jerome and kisses him, revealing he is his boyfriend in front of his parents, saying that is who he is. Asher exits the room, with Jerome following right after, leaving everyone surprised.

In the break room, Shaun notices Asher has been acting different. He asks if it's because Asher thinks his parents would like him more if he acted straight, but Asher thinks they would like him more if he *was* straight. Shaun says his parents would've liked him more if he didn't have autism and Asher's dad is not like Shaun's dad, as his dad came to see him. Shaun mentions the fluid is filling up Yosel's lung faster than they can drain it. Asher compares it to a sink that won't shut off, giving Shaun an idea of giving the tumor nowhere to go. Shaun explains the surgery to Yosel and Miriam and Dr. Wolke explains with treatment after surgery, it should give him a year to live. Yosel asks about his chances of survival of the surgery and the treatment as he doesn't want to die away from home and his family. Dr. Allen is looking from the hallway when she is approached by a man trying to deliver flowers but tells him someone else can take them.

Dr. Lim and Dr. Park are doing the surgery on Steph. Lim mentions Morgan's job offer in New York and sees it as a tough call and says as long as she's at St. Bonaventure, she will be seen as the doctor who used to be a surgeon but can't be anymore. Meanwhile, Lea is helping Morgan create an AI so Steph can be able to speak using her own voice. Lea uses a video of Julian and Steph at their wedding, making Lea reflect on her decision on canceling the wedding.

In the cafeteria, Asher is eating a slice of chocolate cake when Jordan approaches him telling him he's being a jerk. He sees his attitude as reasonable since his parents won't accept him for who he is. Jordan mentions how much of a gem he has been in the time she's known him, but once his parents arrive, he's angry. Asher defends himself saying he has every right to be. Jordan asks why his father came to the hospital and Asher says it was so he could save his life and return him to his real family. Jordan says his father wouldn't have come looking for him if he didn't want to make amends.

Shaun is counting down the minutes until Lea and him get married at the courthouse, but Lea is not paying attention. Instead, she is staring at the picture of her in her wedding dress. Lea snaps out of it, and Shaun asks if she doesn't like the gift. Lea says she loves it, but it's just a reminder of the dream wedding she will never have. Shaun asks if she changed her mind about the courthouse wedding and Lea says as along as he is there, nothing else matters.

Dr. Glassman enters his office to see Shaun waiting. Shaun tells him he's getting mixed signals from Lea about the wedding and doesn't know what to do. Glassman doesn't know what to do either and tells him he'll think about it.

Asher and his mother, Miriam, are at the hospital chapel. Asher tells his mother she should let his father die because he wants to be with God. Miriam refuses to accept his advice since he left religion behind. She get upset and Asher recites a scripture, making Miriam upset since her husband is not facing torture. Asher says it should be his father's decision whether he should pass away. Miriam is angry he would say that and considers it suicide. Asher goes after her for not caring about the Torah. He says he's embarrassed about his old life, but will always defend his parents marriage because he dreams of finding someone who loves him the way they love each other. He goes onto say she doesn't want him to die because she doesn't want the pain that comes with losing someone.

Morgan and Alex are with Steph after the surgery. Alex explains it will take time for the AI to learn her brain waves but tells her she can try to speak. The procedure works as Steph says is able to say I love you.

Dalisay enters the resident's lounge to throw out flowers given by her ex-boyfriend. She is greeted by Dr. Lim and tells her she found an apartment and will move out in a week. Dr. Lim tells her a story about her college boyfriend dumping her and how she got over it in little time, but really, it took a while for her to heal from the heartbreak. She continues to tell her while she may be ready to be on her own, she gets used to things, and mentions how she's gotten used to her breakfasts. She asks her to stay with her for a few weeks as she has enjoyed her company and Dalisay says yes. Then, Jordan walks in and takes the flowers from the trash.

Shaun and Lea are in the elevator ready to go to their courthouse wedding. When they get off, they are stopped by Glassman and Jordan, who surprise them by throwing a proper wedding. Nurse Hawks brings Lea's dress and Jerome brings Shaun's tux.

The Wolke family are outside. Asher begins to tear up when Miriam breaks the silence and jokingly tells him he needs a haircut. Asher and his father exchange looks when Yosel brings him in for a hug and says he loves him. He responds back with I love you in Yiddish. They part ways, officially making amends.

Glassman is helping Shaun with his tie when he mentions he got him something and pulls out rings passed down from his great-great-grandparents. Shaun asks if his father was a good father, but he avoids answering as his father isn't there to defend himself. Shaun asks if they can go fishing again, confusing Glassman as Shaun hates fishing. He has a flashback of him fishing with Glassman when he was younger, saying it's wet, cold, and bored but Glassman assures him it'll be a good memory. Back in the present, Shaun says his father is a good father, confusing Glassman. Shaun says he loves him, showing he sees him as a father, and Glassman reciprocates the feeling.

The wedding is held on the rooftop of the hospital and Andrews is the officiant. He feels lucky he is able to officiate such a special moment. Shaun and Lea say "I do" and are officially married. A montage of Shaun from previous seasons begins, showing how far he's come since his first day at St. Bonaventure and his growth with Lea. During the montage, Glassman is giving a toast, recalling the day he met Shaun, saying he always knew what he wanted and what mattered, and he found it with Lea. He goes onto say they deserve all the good things in life and all the happiness in the world. After the toast, everyone starts dancing. While dancing, Morgan says she wants the job in New York and Alex says he understands. Glassman and Lim admire Shaun and Lea when Jordan mentions the need for more glasses and Lim offers to get more from the break room.

When walking through the locker room, Lim sees Dalisay bleeding on the floor and shouts a Code Blue. Dalisay faintly says her ex-boyfriend is here. He then attacks Lim from behind. She puts up a fight but is stabbed. The two are left bleeding out while the rest of the gang are celebrating on the roof, leaving a stalker on the loose and their fates hanging in the balance.

## Cast

* Fiona Gubelmann as Morgan Reznick
* Will Yun Lee as Alex Park
* Christina Chang as Audrey Lim
* Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo
* Bria Samoné Henderson as Jordan Allen
* Noah Galvin as Asher Wolke
* Hill Harper as Marcus Andrews
* Richard Schiff as Aaron Glassman
* Richard Topol as Yosel Wolke
* Kathe Mazur as Miriam Wolke
* Giacomo Baessato as Jerome
* Kiera Allen as Steph
* April Cameron as Nurse Hawks
* Matthew Clark as Julian Lewis
* Terry Chen as Owen
* Graham Verchere as Young Shaun Murphy

## Trivia

* Asher is revealed to have multiple brothers and sisters and his parents' names are Yosel and Miriam. Asher and Yosel make amends before Yosel leaves.
* It's revealed that the letter from Asher's father that he read in "One Heart" was a good one after all, Asher having been too afraid to read it for six years out of fear of its contents.
* Morgan decides to accept a job offer in New York.
* Shaun and Lea are finally married in a ceremony arranged by Glassman on the hospital rooftop.
* Lim and Villanueva are stabbed by Villanueva's stalker Owen while everyone else is still on the roof, leaving their ultimate fates unknown.
* While talking with Glassman, Shaun is shown to consider Glassman to be his father rather than Ethan Murphy, a sentiment that Glassman returns.
* Nurse Villanueva's stalker, Owen, was the man who tried to deliver flowers when Dr. Allen was watching Dr. Wolke and his family.
* Actor Terry Chen, who portrayed Owen, has starred in the first season of *Bates Motel* (2013-2017), in which Freddie Highmore (Shaun Murphy) played the protagonist. Also, their characters never met in either of these two shows.

## Multimedia

### Videos

The Good Doctor 5x18 Promo "Sons" (HD) Season FinaleThe Good Doctor- Behind the scenes of Season 5 finale (2022)