'The Good Doctor' Season 4 Episode 3: Shaun hugs Lea, tells her 'I love you', why doesn't she say it back?
Spoilers for Season 4 Episode 3: 'Newbies'
Shaun Murphy's girlfriend, Lea, can be a bit too much for him on 'The Good Doctor'. He too, in turn, can be a bit too much for everyone else around him. While he has zero social conventions, Shaun means well, we all know that. But to condescend your own partner and mock them on their personal traits when they're trying their best to show interest in your work is simply not done. But Shaun does that, and even though he tries making up for it at the end of Episode 3 titled 'Newbies', looks like a bunch of honest "I love yous" ain't gonna cut it.
The episode sees new residents arrive at St Bonaventure amidst the ever-soaring Covid-positive cases. Dr Audrey Lim decides to make Shaun, Claire Browne and Alex Park charge of training the first years, despite Marcus Andrews' strict reservation about whether Shaun is fit for the job or not. Shaun does a good job, like the good doctor he is for the most part, but fails at being the good boyfriend in this episode. When it comes to Lea, who was rooting for him being the most honest boss the applicants could ever have, Shaun ends up inadvertently insulting her. He kind of says he loves her breasts so much that with noise-canceling headphones he can almost stand her voice too.
In Shaun's world there is no more to this proclamation than face value; he probably even thought he was being cute and funny with this, but he ended up hitting her worst insecurities, looks like. Even though Shaun tried making up with goofy quirks, Lea clarified she wasn't "mad" at him, but upset. She didn't want to be around Shaun and just go home to be alone. This makes Shaun look around for relationship advice from practically whoever he can find, but at the end of the day, even after an honest heartfelt apology where he clarifies he likes her body because it's hers and other cutesy stuff, things don't end well.
Along with his apology, Shaun also offers Lea a hug and tells her he loves her. We have seen how obsessed Shaun can be about Lea and their friendship turned into a relationship. He can't quite go on without seeing her or speaking with her. To him, these intense pangs of separation are just as confusing as the next thing about relationships, and he's trying his hardest to process it all. But it's not enough for Lea, who clearly isn't done being upset with Shaun. Perhaps why she doesn't match his energy when it comes to elaborate admissions of feelings. In response to Shaun's "I love you", Lea just says "Thank you". She doesn't say those words back. The next episode's synopsis also adds that Shaun will spend quite some time trying to convince Lea to move back in with him despite what she thinks about it so this grievance is far, far from being gone and frgotten.
'The Good Doctor' Season 4 airs on Mondays at 10 pm only on ABC.
