'The Good Doctor' Season 3 Episode 5: Is Dr. Shaun Murphy's new romance angle a way to 'normalize' a character with autism
One of the best things so far about 'The Good Doctor' has been the fact that the show addresses conditions like autism and takes us through what could possibly be the life of a Savant.
Although dramatic, which we can peg to creative liberty, Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy is as good as any real autistic person can be. He is indifferent to social norms, exceptionally talented and yet unaware of his or others' emotional intelligence.
And that precisely, makes him lovable. However, in recent episodes, as his character continued to evolve, we started seeing changes in him. Changes that could essentially mean that he is being made to (or rather we are trying to see him as a regular guy) do things that a normal person would do.
Not that we don’t want him to love or be loved. Affection is indeed a great way to help them through their course of life. But that's where the catch is.
Maybe they don't need to live the way as "normal people" define life to be. Maybe because they are exceptionally sharp and can demonstrate certain abilities far better than the average person, that they can manage their minds accordingly.
Shaun could be intelligent, young, and strangely pleasant in his unique way, but for all practical purposes, he is different. Even when he is trying to explore "romance" he is struggling.
His difficulties are portrayed perfectly through the moments that he and Carly share. When episode four ended with him not being able to hold Carly’s hands, it was clear how tough it would have been for him to internalize this whole new emotion he is feeling.
And this just took the next big leap in episode five when Carly made him touch her breast, only to make him think (remember, not feel) that he "was checking for lumps". The entire act might have made him feel something, which he cannot place anywhere in his mind, and is natural for his condition.
The point is that do we really need him to experience romance and go through the typical process of emotions? He might or might not ever feel what Carly tries hard to make him feel.
Is it an unconventional way to make his character evolve and add a touch of normal? Because we all know (and medically so) that, he will never be what we imagine him to be.
Or is it a "creative" way to make him more relatable to us? We would definitely want Shaun to grow as a character, but the question, however, remains, is the romance angle really necessary in that growth?
