"Heartfelt" is the fifteenth episode of Season 1 of The Good Doctor. It aired on February 26, 2018.
Synopsis[]
Dr. Shaun Murphy's teenage patient has been confined to her home her entire life due to a rare heart condition. Despite her condition, she has cultivated a large group of friends online and hopes that the surgical team can find a way to give her the life she has always dreamed of having. Meanwhile, a young patient’s perfectly matched organ donor is causing a moral dilemma for the parents and the patient.[2]
Plot Summary[]
Shaun goes to work on the bus, while listening to a song that Lea has shared with the caption "Thinking about pine trees... and you". When he arrives, the security is strong at the front of the hospital as there’s going to be a fundraiser gala. He talks about it in the lounge with Claire, Jared and Morgan while saying that he doesn't like parties, but Neil says that it doesn't matter; all residents have to attend and make a donation.
Neil introduces a new resident, Dr. Alex Park, who is the last of Dr. Coyle's residents. Shaun and Morgan assist Dr. Lim with Spirit, a patient whose heart is outside of her rib cage. She is an energetic girl who documents what is happening on film (which her parents try to stop). As the doctors are preparing to put Spirit's heart inside her rib cage, Shaun finds the view interesting and observes it with a light. Spirit says that she is excited to be able to live her life, which she has never been able to do.
Claire, Park and Jared are assigned Eric Bertrand, a young boy who needs a new liver after rejecting the first one he was given. Neil assigns the boy a full liver exam. Outside of earshot of the parents, he also tells the residents that they need to find a new liver as it's obvious what the boy's biopsy results would be. The task would be hard because the boy is blood type O. Meanwhile, Aoki tells Dr. Glassman that their keynote speaker, Barbara Boxer, for the gala got sick from scuba diving while asking him to invite Aidan Colter as a replacement instead.
Jared is doing a liver biopsy on Eric, who is anxious because it will hurt. Alex gives him a pep talk and shows his charismatic nature. He gets Eric to calm down by talking about music and basketball. At the same time, Morgan and Shaun run tests on Spirit. Morgan asks what Shaun is going to do for the gala, and he says that he has a suit that's new. Morgan says he should get a tuxedo instead of wearing his old suit, but Shawn disagrees. The tests show that Spirit has an enlarged heart, preventing them from performing surgery.
Claire finds a new liver online, but the catch is that the donor, Boris Tirayan, is in prison for seven murders. The staff are all at odds about using him because he’s a killer whom Park thinks wants to escape, but Claire and Andrews think otherwise and Neil nonetheless gets approval. Concurrently, Morgan, Lim and Shaun break the news to Spirit. Lim says that they can stop Spirit's heart from growing, and that she can come back in a few years to try again, but Spirit doesn't want to wait any longer. She also says that she doesn't want to call anymore; she wants to touch others and be able to be in crowds.
A special room is prepared for Tirayan and Park instructs them what to do. He has seen a lot because of his background as a cop and wants to be extra careful. Jared invites Claire to the fundraiser as his date to put their relationship out in the open. Unfortunately, Eric doesn't want the liver transplant because he doesn't want a murderer's organ, and resists treatment. Neil thinks that Eric is being ridiculous, Claire says that it doesn't matter because children don't consent to surgery. However, Jared says that if Eric doesn't cooperate with the anti-rejection regimen they could be wasting a liver that could save someone else's life.
Morgan proposes trying an experimental procedure to Lim on Spirit despite Shaun's objections; he says that the surgery is irreversible and therefore not ideal. Morgan accuses Shaun of not understanding Spirit's feelings, while Lim agrees to the surgery. Aoki also secures Coulter as the gala's keynote speaker and senses a connection between them. Tirayan is transported with maximum security from the back door. Claire, Park and Jared do a full exam on the patient and question about his family history.
Aoki talks to Andrews who is preparing for surgery and tells him that about Coulter. She also refers to a spark between her and Coulter, questioning if that’s okay because he is a potential significant donor to the hospital. Andrews advises her not to, because she wouldn't want others to think that she'd use sex to get a big donation. While he empathizes that it's a double standard, he says that reality is like that.
Eric is resisting treatment despite being given medication to calm him, though Alex gets him to calm again and fall asleep. Shaun seeks advice from Andrews about getting a tux, questioning if Andrews’ clothes made him come off better to others. Andrews says that his clothes were for himself, as well as stating that all that matters is Shaun shows his talent, believing it’s unnecessary for Shaun to buy an expensive tuxedo and suggest he just rents one with help from Andrews’ tailor.
During the surgery on Tirayan, he has an allergic reaction to the anesthetic which prevents the operation. He is enraged and screams for them to try again, but there's nothing they can do. He almost cries and says that he is always the same old person he used to be. Neil tells Eric's parents that without a transplant, Eric would only have a day to live. While operating on Spirit, Morgan disbelieves what Andrews said while refusing to respect Shaun and accuses him of using his autism as a crutch. Annoyed, Lim chastises Morgan while Spirit's operation is successful.
During transport, Tirayan is able to threaten a guard with a gun to his head. Claire tells him not to ruin the good thing that he did, though he grieves that he accomplished nothing. Alex tries to get him to calm down, asking what he wants, and he says that he doesn't want anyone to save his life. Despite Claire trying to stop him, Park tells Tirayan do what he wants. He then pushes the guard away, shoots himself in the head and dies, meaning that the liver can be donated to Eric.
As Coulter and Aoki meet and go off to dance, Claire tells Eric's parents about the news that Eric will get a donor after all and they are ecstatic. Claire also successfully convinces Eric to undergo the liver surgery and casts Titayan in a good light, saying that he wanted to repent and that the liver was a gift for Eric. Spirit is also able to hug her parents for the first time.
Shaun buys an expensive tuxedo in the end. He meets Jessica, who doesn't remember how much her dress costs. She introduces herself to some important people, but Shaun is still awkward and has trouble mingling with the crowd. Morgan talks to Dr. Chen, who is also an important person. At the same time, Claire asks Park if he still believes that people can't change. He replies that he does and that Tirayan did what he did because he wanted to be somebody after he became a nobody again. However, Eric undergoes successful liver surgery and he is grateful, while Shaun leaves the gala and sees Spirit with her friends. She is very happy with the results of her operation and is hugging all of her friends.
Claire and Jared attend the gala together and go to dance. Unfortunately, Jared becomes upset when Claire doesn't remember a song that is playing (Touch - Shura) as the one that they had their first kiss to. He then states that it seems Claire never loved him, which he thought would change but finally admits to himself that it won't, kisses her and says goodbye. As for Shaun, he returns to the party and begins to mingle with a table of doctors, gradually loosening up after Andrews arrives. He says that Shaun's tuxedo looks excellent even though he didn't listen to Andrews' advice. Shaun's blunt honesty makes the other doctors laugh and they get along with him.
Cast[]
Starring[]
Guest Starring[]
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Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- This is the first episode and the only Season 1 episode where the title does not appear in the dialogue.
- Claire and Morgan given their first choice on surgeries from She is brought up.
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