Autopsy

## Episode Chronology

"*My advice is try to chillax a little. Neither of us is perfect. But we’re okay. We are gonna be… Okay. And that girl who sits in front of you in Advanced Calculus, her name is Staci with an “i,” and she likes you. Way more than she likes me. Peace out...Professor.*"
—Frat Boy Aiden to Professor Aiden as he says goodbye via video

**"Autopsy"** is the sixteenth episode of Season 3 of *The Good Doctor*. It is the fifty-second episode overall, and aired on February 24, 2020.

## Synopsis

When Dr. Shaun Murphy makes an emotional confession, the result may not be as desired. Meanwhile, he becomes obsessed with performing an autopsy on a Jane Doe, which challenges his relationships at the hospital; and Dr. Claire Browne, Dr. Morgan Reznick and Dr. Marcus Andrews treat a male college student with a mysterious split personality disorder.

## Plot

Dr. Murphy, Dr. Park and Dr. Melendez work valiantly to save the life of a woman found on the street, who had a major coronary event. Her carotid artery “blows” after the life-saving intervention, and as a result, the patient bleeds out. Melendez pronounces her dead, but Shaun cannot let the cause of her death go unsolved.

During the procedure, Shaun relates to her coworkers that Carly broke up with him, and while he wishes she hadn't, he insists that he is fine. Park and Melendez do more than show appropriate empathy, and insist that Shaun needs to break down and cry, mope, become despondent, and do all of the other expected behaviors of a dejected lover.

Later, Dr. Murphy and Dr. Browne frantically works to keep the transplanted liver viable but with hours dwindling, Shaun realizes that he has to know the name of the donor.

Persuading Dr. Park by evoking some of his police detective skills, Shaun solicits a trace of a tiny hummingbird tattoo on the victim. The results lead to a revelation that she is Maribel Vantene, once married to a wealthy husband. The happy couple hosted fund-raising soirées for the needy and had a cherished son, Jules. Since Shaun cannot persuade Dr. Melendez, Dr. Lim or other supervisors to grant him an autopsy, he and Dr. Park go to the family residence to find Jules.

When Park urges that it's time to move on, Shaun questions his colleague by asking “how do you move on?”

Jules happens to be at home when Shaun and Alex knock at the door, but Shaun's urgency and Park’s medical protocol have no effect. He coldly tells them that he doesn't care how she died when told of his mother's death.

Shaun grows desperate and makes another plea when he observes Jules leaving. He frantically accosts him in his car, with Dr. Park had to restrain him with all his strength. This time, Jules calls the police, and Shaun is taken to jail. Thankfully, Park pulls some strings, and Dr. Glassman comes to get Shaun released. Dr. Park reiterates that this behavior is about letting Carly go, not an autopsy.

Eventually Shaun explains to Dr. Glassman that he is the only contact in his life who Shaun fully trusts, and he explains that he cannot do what Carly asked, to tell Lea he loves her for fear of also losing her as a friend. Glassman faithfully lays out the options, without judgment, that there is a possibility that she responds with, “I love you, too.”

Shaun tries to talk to Lea late one night at the clinic, but the lingering autopsy issue will not allow him to speak. As a last resort, he goes to Carly's door, seeking her intervention.

He explains that he knows that Maribel didn't die from her carotid issue alone and that he cannot do what Carly asked until the autopsy is done.

Carly and Shaun come to a beautiful moment of their own. Carly questions what she saw with Lea, even though Shaun confesses that “I do love her more…” Once more, she puts aside her own needs and offers Shaun what he needs. “Thank you, Carly,” he says, as Shaun reaches to embrace her in a tender hug.

Risking jail again, Shaun goes to see Jules again, letting him know that he might have the same rare condition that took his mother’s life. He also shares that his mother spoke his nickname, the word for hummingbird, as her last word. In addition, Shaun also shared that Maribel had a tattooed hummingbird on her body, a reminder that “she loved you, she just might have been afraid to tell you,” to the son in question.

Elsewhere at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, Morgan and Claire have to clear the air along the way as they treat a very personable college student, Aiden who doesn't realize he is a completely different person while he is sleepwalking.

Morgan confesses that she was the one who reported Claire for Melendez showing her favoritism, and Claire retorts that “to be so cynical, you’re so naïve.” Morgan agrees that things didn't work out as she thought.

“Are you still sneaking around?” she asks of Claire.

Meanwhile, Aiden’s test results show an arachnoid cyst in his brain causing all his troubles, but at the same time, giving him the audacious “frat boy” side of his personality that possesses all the daring and fun that his dutiful “professor” side never allows. He is torn over what to do. “The frat boy” persona leaves a video of his advice to “the professor,” persona which the patient views after surgery. Basically, the lesson is to embrace all sides of any person, including himself, and that a girl in his class, Staci, much prefers the studious Aiden to the super-partying side.

No person is ever perfect, in any dimension, and the deepest enjoyment comes from simply accepting that truth with humor and grace.

Claire does meet Dr. Melendez at the bowling alley, she insists that their clandestine efforts are “worth it.”

As for Dr. Lim, she ends up in a pursuit of her own, after a little girl named Trinity. At first, the chief of surgery starts to think that she is hallucinating when she sees the young girl appearing and then vanishing in seconds.

She corners the girl in an elevator but, before any information or safety assurance can be gained, she's gone again.

Finally, Trinity gives her the real story and makes her real request of Dr. Lim. She confirms that she was the baby girl left at the ER eight years ago, and Dr. Lim remembers her, “so sick and so small, but look at you now,” seeing how healthy and speedy she is.

“Can you adopt me?” Trinity asks Dr. Lim. She explains that her mommy has “a new daughter” now, and she needs to find another heart to love her. She goes on to explain to the little girl of the ability within the human heart to always love more, and still love “with all your heart.” She describes the feeling of holding the human heart in her hands. She eventually escorts Trinity to her mother, and the reunion is a magic assurance to the daughter. At that same moment, Dr. Lim’s own mother returns her call.

Later, Shaun is waiting for Lea and eventually tells her that he loves her, just as Carly asked him to do. No joy washes over Lea’s face however as she replies with an “I love you, too,” adding the looming “but.” She rightly confesses that she is “selfish and so, so needy.” She asserts that she would be “a challenge for anyone” but too much for Shaun. Shaun, however declares that he is ready for her “selfishness, and neediness and messiness,” but she says that his need to live and work “in a certain way” would complicate their relationship.

Thus, Shaun eventually connects the dots that he cannot be Lea’s boyfriend because he has autism. But argues that the real reason here is Lea herself and her own fears. She leaves him alone in the candlelit space.

## Cast

* Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neil Melendez
* Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Browne
* Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick
* Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park
* Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim
* Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo
* Jasika Nicole as Dr. Carly Lever
* Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews
* Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman
* Luke Camilleri as Jules Ventane
* Ariah Lee as Trinity

Co-Starring* Abbie Jenkins as Nurse Lucy Wagner
* Jessica Van der Veen as Maribel Ventane
* Kayla Deorksen as EMT
* Dalias Blake as Security Guard
* Patrice Jefferson as Trinity's Mother

## Trivia

* When Glassman bails Shaun out of jail, Shaun's toy scalpel can be seen on the counter. This is the first appearance of the scalpel since Shaun broke it in Breakdown. It appears to have been fixed since then.
* This marks Jasika Nicole's final appearance in the series.

## Multimedia

### Videos

The Good Doctor 3x16 Promo "Autopsy" (HD)Shaun Goes to Jail - The Good DoctorShaun and Carly Find Some Closure - The Good DoctorShaun Tells Lea He's in Love with Her - The Good Doctor
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/good-doctor/listings/
2. ↑ http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-2-24-2020.html
3. ↑ https://www.wdtvpress.com/abc/shows/thegooddoctor/episodes/autopsy/