'The Good Doctor' Season 4 Episode 1: Will Aaron and Debbie's marriage survive her ignorance towards pandemic?
Spoilers for Season 4 Episode 1 'Frontline Part 1'
Being 65-year-old old, Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) on 'The Good Doctor's Season 4 premiere is already at high risk of contracting the coronavirus — which is still relatively new on the show's timeline in Episode 1: 'Frontline part 1'. His wife Debbie Wexler (Shiela Kelley), however, is younger and doesn't quite understand the gravity of the situation yet. Debbie is a classic example of those early stages of quarantine where age was considered a big factor in the risk of contracting the virus. And the more she cites how she can't contract the virus, the more it agitates Aaron who knows his fellow frontline workers are risking it all. This makes things boil down to a huge row that raises worry for their relationship.
It all starts with Aaron's frustration at being forced to stay home while his coworkers risk everything in fighting an unprecedented but severely deadly virus. Back in the hospital, there's an elderly woman, a middle-aged man and a pregnant woman in labor — all infected with Covid-19. There are people entering the lobby, testing positive, thus leaving all those they interacted with at the risk of being infected. The news of the crisis raises worry in Aaron so it's understandable why watching his wife frolicking around in a mask, visiting the supermarket to buy clams might agitate the older man.
When confronted about why she is taking it so lightly, Debbie either explains she is younger and lesser at risk than Aaron or tries to pacify her husband saying she is trying to make the most of the situation — make it 'fun' for them. This is where Aaron loses his cool. He snaps at Debbie telling her they aren't on a cruise ship to have fun, it's a raging pandemic where people are dropping dead in hundreds and thousands all over the world. To Debbie, this is just another fun thing for the barista to spend more time around her affluent husband. She even brings up going for a walk along the beach and gets angry at Aaron for refusing to — a behavior that practically reeks of privilege and in hindsight makes Debbi practically unforgivable at this point in real-world quarantine.
Aaron too feels the same, but eventually decides to give his free-thinking wife an ounce of consideration. When she takes her blanket and pillows to sleep in the other room, Aaron walks in and curls up next to her in the bed, sort of reconciling their grievances against each other. But is this the last of Debbie's shallowness about the pandemic? Aaron's stern refusal to put up with any of her whims makes him a commendable and responsible citizen in this times indeed, and he sounds like just the kind of person who would drop kick another if they started touting anti-mask propaganda and claim age is more than just a number to this pandemic.
'The Good Doctor' Season 4 will air on Mondays at 10 pm only on ABC.