‘The Good Doctor’ Season 3 Episode 17: Has the Shaun-Lea ship finally sailed?
Ever since the episode aired on the night of March 2, there’s endless chatter on Twitter and the could-be couple of Shaun and Lea is the only topic of debate and discussion. We couldn’t help but put forth our two cents on the debacle.
When Episode 16 ended with Lea commenting “you have autism” and leaving Shaun hurt and wondering what it means, it felt like a cliffhanger of a sort. Despite Lea’s harsh behavior, Shaun doesn’t stop making efforts on expressing his feelings for Lea and how he could make their relationship work. But it doesn’t work. No matter how hard he tries, Lea keeps pushing him away and he can’t break through her decision of not wanting to be with him.
We now understand why fans are clearly against Shaun and Lea getting together at all. They might have been good friends, but that is history. Shaun even hurt Dr. Carly Lever to some extent by couching his feelings for Lea and now when he really wants his friend to understand his emotions, she not only shuts him out, but makes the most hurtful comment ever.
Shaun tried to make things “normal” for Lea so she could give him a chance and give their relationship a shot. But it so appears that Lea has made up her mind on not wanting to be with her friend. “You have autism. You cannot fix that”, is not something a friend would say to another. When the scene ends with Shaun walking away, it becomes clear that this ship has sailed.
Or, is it possible that Lea is doing this for a valid reason and there might be a thin ray of possibility for Shaun and Lea to get back together? Here’s why we think it can happen, not that we want it to happen.
It is highly possible that Lea is scared. We know her characteristics by now. She is whimsical, edgy, with a volatile life, whereas, Shaun is orderly, planned, and meticulous. They might be friends but they are very different people. Lea perhaps realizes this and doesn’t want to hurt Shaun and hence assumes this new, selfish, harsh self, so Shaun walks away from her.
She probably still loves him, but only as a friend. Her reasons and intentions might have been noble but we do think her approach was wrong. While we do slam her for her unexpected attitude, we cannot ignore these aspects of Shaun and Lea’s equation.
However, all said and done, whatever happened between these two friends could also end their friendship, or whatever is left of it. Or would it not? What do you think could happen next?
‘The Good Doctor’ will be back for its next episode, on Monday, March 9, at 10 pm/9 c, only on ABC.