To start- two tidbits of information. One: since I was a kid I have always been uncomfortable around people with disabilities, it doesn't much matter if they are on the spectrum or advanced physical disabilities. Two: I have always really, really enjoyed medical dramas.
I am unsure how unique either of these two things are.
I suspect liking medical dramas is not unique. God knows there's a lot of them.
I am completely clueless how other people emotionally respond to people with disabilities. It's not something I think people talk about. At a certain point we all learn the appropriate responses regarding touchy topics and after learning those responses so often we don't talk about them earnestly ever again. I have never expressed my knee jerk emotional response to what in the 90's we called encompassingly, and admittedly derogatorily, 'handicapped' people but I have always felt guilty about it.
Enter the cross roads of these two seemingly unrelated sentiments, 'The Good Doctor' a show about a young man on the spectrum, highly functioning autism, with some savant traits. I started it knowing that I was going to be uncomfortable, but pushed onward because I was not unsure that I wasn't supposed to be.
Style
I am not such an avid watcher of Television that I can name creators of a show just by looking at it. But about 3 episodes I was pretty sure I had seen this before... at least regarding the packaging. IMDB confirmed my suspicions.
So if you liked the medical drama 'House' about a perplexing, anti-hero-ish genius diagnostician played by Hugh Laurie, and I most certainly did, then you will probably see some elements that look familiar to that show.
The intro to the show seems so similar that it seems less of a rip off and more of an homage, though admittedly playing homage to another show you created is either inexplicably bizarre or delightfully narcissistic.
Beyond that the set up of the entire show is in fact very similar. There's a medical group of 3 students being lead by a gifted singular practitioner. Albeit in this manifestation the main character is not the leader, and they've done a much better job of injecting more people of color into the plot. Of our core foursome two are of African decent, one is Hispanic, and one White- our main character Shaun Murphy, though him being on the spectrum means that technically he's a minority representation of another sort. Sean's mentor/father figure is Jewish and his seeming opposition is African American.
If one can ignore the childish saber rattling of our closeted, and not so closeted, white supremacy society members I think it's praiseworthy to produce a show that is going to make us look at scenarios where all of our selfish preconceived ideas are not played to.
The style of the show- the cut of the shots, the feel of the rooms, and the progression of the plots feel very, very similar to the show 'House'. If I came across information that suggested certain episodes were abandoned plots for 'House' reworked for this show not one part of me would be surprised.
There's no judgement based in this assessment. It's neither good nor bad.
It must be noted that I think the show takes a few episodes to figure out what it is about.
In the first scenes of the show we see Shaun (Freddie Highmore) behave as some interesting mix between Genius, Socially dysfunction, and MacGyver. Admittedly, this is the hook scene for the show. But this is not how Shaun will operate for the entirety of the series. The episodes are not dominated by Shaun triumphing where other non-autistic doctors fail.
And if for nothing else I would applaud the show for that. It doesn't become some indulgent propagandizing 45 minute hallmark show trying to convince you people with 'special needs' can do what 'normal' people can do, or better. It doesn't pander to people without disabilities so that we can see people on the spectrum succeed in some candy coated way and thus not feel anything at all, only be reaffirmed in our comfort. This is a real show. It has some complexity and Shaun's weaknesses are on display as often, and maybe more, than his exceptional genius moments. In truth, other than the occasional moments where Shaun is able to think spatially (which seems his real gift) in a way the other doctors don't think there are not a lot of moments hammering home why Shaun is so special.
Character
I can not speak to how original any of the characters are.
Shaun, with his high functioning autism, is at least an unfamiliar one.
There are so many characters on film these days that most of them seem to become generic forms of each other. But, what I will say is that the show does as good a job as any of making you feel invested in the characters. Though in general it feels like the males are better fleshed out though than the females. Beau Garrett's character, Jessica Preston, feels- at least in the first season- very much a cut out proto-type of the uberdriven, highly successful woman- born to money and cutting her teeth in a male dominated world: Tall, blond, thin, wearing her pencil skirt in every scene like knights wear their armor- as if we might forget what they, and she, were if they were not adorned as such.
Richard Schiff does a great job as Dr. Glassman somehow playing the same character he always seems to play but with enough depth to be almost a real person. Glassman's empathy, affection, and patience are endearing but his frustration, anger, and exasperated pettiness are what sell him. He feels like a person. A good person. Who still handles things poorly at times, can be prone to selfishness, or at times can not see beyond his own affections.
Neil Melendez, played by Nicholas Gonzalez, is the head of the surgical staff who, in the enjoyable TV faux-reality is specifically good at one type of surgery but does every surgery the plot comes across, who actually captains the plot despite the fact that Shaun is the main character. He plays different roles: lovable hard hearted boss, reserved voice of reason, and sometimes villain. Like the early plots who, or what, he is supposed to be seems to be in flux. Some things about him are aggravatingly unexplained- the neck tattoo- and other parts of him, his pursuit of head of surgery, seem out of sync with his personality.
But he too, like all the characters is fundamentally likable. And while there are perplexing or hard to watch scenes in the show, in that regards the show is very easy to watch- the people are all beautiful, and likable. But done in a way that's far far less obnoxious than Grey's Anatomy (which I enjoy though it is so ridiculous often it's hard to keep a straight face).
Warmth
The part of the show I like most is it decency.
If I had to pick what the show was about I would say its an outside looking in view of someone from outside of society's norms who is being brought into the norm, through education, mentor-ship, and experience but who is not asked (because it's not possible) to surrender those things that placed him outside of the normal in the first place.
All of the characters participate in this. And its endearing to see all the characters attempt to help Shaun, not in some heavy handed savior complex sort of way, but in a simple human way.
Shaun too brings something to the table, he is able- in a Forrest Gump sort of way- to often cut through the bullshit trappings of modern day life and speak to fundamental kindnesses that we often forget. Because of his autism Shaun can not easily empathize but he often cares and the expression of that caring manifests itself different because he does not have the 'Sorry for your loss'/ 'In Sympathy' card expressions of empathy that we all so generically employ.
The scene towards the end of the first season where Glassman tells Shaun that he loves him and Shaun, looking away- eye contact is something he can't really do in any situation, his voice awkwardly devoid of the inflection we so often expect, replies 'I love you more' and it carries with it more human emotion than I had felt in a cable TV show in a long time.
There I found myself crying, before of course per the usual social norms of our world- I laughed at myself, wiped away those tears, and called myself ridiculous.
So much on TV is darkness and vitriol. And I have to be honest more days than not I love it. I like how morally complex TV has become. But sometimes its relieving to see good people behave in good and decent ways- especially when it doesn't feel like spoon fed dogmatism or over indulged melodrama.
It won't change your life but it's definitely worth a weekend binge.
Grade: B
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