Tonight on NBC their new medical drama “The Good Doctor” airs with an all-new Monday, February 25, 2019, episode and we have your The Good Doctor recap below. On tonight’s The Good Doctor season 2 episode 16 called, “Believe,” as per the ABC synopsis, “The new chief of surgery, Dr. Jackson Han (Daniel Dae Kim), believes Dr. Shaun Murphy is a liability more than an asset and works to keep him out of the operating room permanently.”
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The Good Doctor begins with Shaun (Freddie Highmore) dressing for work, and surprised that Lea (Paige Spara) making him “fresh start” pancakes; but he doesn’t want to be on Pathology, he wants to be in surgery. At the hospital, Melendez (Nicholas Gonzaqlez), Morgan (Fiona Gubelmann) and Claire (Antonia Thomas) come to see their patient, Pastor Clarence (Spencer Garrett), who needs to have a 2-part process of surgery and them chemo afterward. He feels he needs the pain and only wants them to remove the tumor. He explains that he did something unforgivable and this pain is his punishment; admitting he killed someone.
Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) rings the bell at the treatment center, tips his hat as everyone claps. Alex (Will Yun Lee) and Lim (Christina Chang) meet with Sadie Barnes (Kelsey Crane) and her sister, Jess (Natasha Calis), revealing Sadie has a bad headache after a huge climb; Lim suggests she does her high altitude climbs slower and drink more; but Sadie tells them about her feelings of dread before going. Park believes it could be anxiety, but she insists she had a premonition and is sure she is going to die; Lim orders tests.
Shaun is prepping in the change room, putting away the plastic scalpel he got from his brother before he walks into the lab. He is greeted by Carly (Jasika Nicole) who welcomes him to pathology, quickly giving him a tour of the lab. He gets excited when she tells him they are the detectives as the surgeons are just the beat cops. He tries to get used to his new surroundings.
Morgan and Claire discuss with Melendez that Clarence didn’t murder anyone as it was a parishioner he was counseling who killed themselves. Claire wants to override his wishes because he is being stupid because it is his tumor talking. Morgan scoffs at her suggesting she can educate him so Melendez says it is a good idea that she makes him understand he can die on the table too.
Sadie undergoes her MRI, as Lim explains to Park that if they run this test they can send her home reassured that nothing is wrong; but that all changes when the scans come back and they spot an advanced tumor that grows in the tissue that covers the brain. The tumor appears to be malignant and aggressive; the best Lim can offer is palliative care, symptom control with medications. Both sisters cry as they learn it is inoperable.
Claire questions Clarence about whether he believes all people who are sick are being punished, asking if he would like to go see the 8-year old girl down the hall who has lung cancer and tell her she is sick because God hates her. He says she is not suffering as a punishment but so others may have a chance to show her mercy, to show her compassion so she can inspire. Claire doesn’t think it is that simple and Clarence opens up more about Michael and how his wife found his body. He admits he didn’t take Michael’s call because he was having a drink.
Park comes to see Shaun and Carly with a specimen delivery, using it as an excuse to see if Shaun is happy in the lab because if he isn’t, he needs to tell Dr. Jackson Han (Daniel Dae Kim) how he feels and prove that he believes in himself. Shaun suddenly wants to take a break and leaves to go for a walk as Lim and Han agree that Shaun shouldn’t be in pathology as he is a good surgical resident. Han believes he will be gr4eat in pathology as he would never make a great surgeon; she questions him on them knowing Shaun better than him. Han feels that might be the whole problem as Shaun could be an asset in pathology and even like it there. When asked if he cares, Han says he thought Lim might!
Melendez is telling Morgan and Claire how to proceed with the surgery, but when they realize they need more exposure, his vitals tank and they have to abort immediately. Claire stops Clarence from pulling out his needles as he is furious they fixed him since he is no longer in pain. Claire informs him that there was a complication, but it will wear off. He went into shock during surgery and they couldn’t remove the tumor. He wants them to try again as they know they what the issues are and they have learned. His wife wants to know if Clarence thinks that God wants him to die.
Carly says the cause of death on the Atlin case was cyanide poisoning; she found it by smelling olives. Shaun finds the diagnosis they found for Sadie doesn’t match what he found in the sample and wants to tell Lim, but Carly says he isn’t supposed to be running with it since once a test is done they move onto the next one. Shaun wants to take a walk, but she knows what he is going to do; saying they investigate, report and then move on. He promises to try that – next time and bolts out the door.
Claire comes to see Han, who says he has heard a lot about her, including her standing up to a supervisor. She has a list of cases that Shaun put together and feels he might be biased because of his condition. He knows he has autism, and simply found a place for Shaun where he can save lives. He informs Claire that he has mixed feelings about loyalty, but she leaves the binder on his desk before she walks out.
Aaron goes to see Debbie (Sheila Kelley), asking her out. He says he is free every night next week and would like to take her out but she tells him that she is seeing someone. He says that is nothing to be sorry about and it was good to see her.
Melendez talks with Claire and Morgan while they are back in surgery; talking about their religious views, or lack thereof. They are able to remove the tumor but it is measuring half the size as it was on the scan and no one has an explanation, feeling it is impossible to do that.
Lim finds Shaun in radiology, who says he doesn’t agree with Sadie’s diagnosis. He is reviewing the scans showing her the scan and Lim promises to bring his concerns up but advises him not to approach Dr. Han. He learns that Lim would tell Claire to talk to Han because she makes the right decisions when communicating. When asked, Lim admits she doesn’t agree with Han putting him in pathology.
Claire, Morgan, and Melendez are confused as Melendez says every time he reads a case on tumor regression, he is positive the surgeon missed something. He wants them to test anything they can, but have no clue what to do next because if they don’t know what is making him better they can’t do anything. Melendez suggests they monitor him closely and make sure he does the exact same thing every day.
Aaron arrives at Paige and Shaun’s place, where he finds Shaun is alphabetizing their canned goods and checking the expire dates. He confesses his frustration about not being able to talk to patients and he wants to fix people. Aaron says he cannot help him, even if he was running the hospital, it is irrelevant as Shaun needs to stand up for himself and if he can’t, then the new Chief of Surgery is right; or Shaun needs to show him.
The next day, Shaun finds out the room Sadie is in but says he isn’t allowed to speak to her, he is in fact, looking for her sister, Jess. Han catches him snooping through Sadie’s purse and demands to know what he is doing. He takes Shaun to his office, confronting him about what he was doing. He demands that Shaun stays away from patients, their families and anything they own or he will be forced to fire Shaun. Shaun tells Han about Sadie’s social media and that she might have a worm, not a tumor; he feels it is a great idea, but it is a long shot and would get her hopes up.
Morgan and Claire tell Clarence his surgery was a success and without complication. He asks about chemo but they want to run follow up tests and all the medication he is taking. Morgan says the surgery is better than they hoped but it seems the cancer is going away on its own, but they believe there is a medical explanation for it.
Debbie comes to see Aaron at home, admitting she lied about seeing someone. She feels they are not a good match, but he says that isn’t true and wants to know what this is. He tells her to be truthful completely. She reminds him that the last time he fell when they were headed up to bed and he pushed her away. She knows he was sick, but he insists he is better and wants to celebrate with only her. She feels they have fun and likes being with him but bad things will happen as one of them will get sick and need to be taken care of. She thinks he is naive in his thinking; apologizing and glad he is finished with chemo. Aaron watches her leave with disappointment on his face.
Morgan tells Clarence they can’t find a scientific reason for his cure as Claire says there is no reason they shouldn’t proceed with the fusion to eliminate his pain. He thinks there has to be more tests, or find more test. Claire quotes the Bible, saying she isn’t a believer and she isn’t sure he is one either. She tells him people get cancer all the time and pain is part of that but having cancer disappear without a rational explanation is unique. The issue here isn’t God, it is his to forgive himself as what he did cannot be undone but his pain can be gone. His wife encourages him, saying his pain doesn’t do anyone any good. He agrees to the treatment.
Back in the OR, Claire refuses to divulge any information about her religious life and family; Claire does admit that leaving religion was like losing a loved one, causing Morgan to pause. In the lab, Han, Shaun, and Lim review Sadie’s biopsy results. Han tells them to follow him to Sadie’s room, where Park is standing. He informs their patient that she doesn’t have cancer but rather a worm in her brain, which may sound gross, but completely curable. Han says it was Dr. Murphy who saved her, but he refuses to allow Sadie to hug her. Han thanks Shaun for taking the leap most doctors wouldn’t and tells him to take the evening off as he earned it.
Shaun stands up for himself, telling Han he doesn’t want to go on walks nor does he want to leave cases after the tests are done. He doesn’t want to be a Pathologist, insisting Han makes him a surgical resident again. He appreciates him saying that and was wondering if he had it in him to advocate for himself. Han says that what Shaun did today was tremendous but what he did today only proved him right. His weaknesses and skills are equal and he could be a great pathologist as he should think of all the Sadie’s out there waiting for Shaun to save them; Lim witnesses the exchange.
Morgan and Claire say the surgery went well and Clarence’s spine will heal. He is scared that he disobeyed God, but Claire tells him to have faith as he had a miracle that helped him through the dark times. Shaun is up on the observation deck as they perform surgery on Sadie, holding the toy scalpel his brother gave him.
THE END!
