NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Good Doctor season 6 episode 6, "Hot and Bothered." Check out previous The Good Doctor recaps.
The Good Doctor episode "Hot and Bothered" is all about accepting yourself and others for who they are and seeing the value of life at all stages. This includes Dr. Lim (Christina Chang), who is still trying to accept that being wheelchair bound doesn't make her sick. Dr. Danica (Savannah Welch) reminds her that while she may be physically challenged, she is still a whole and healthy woman. She invites her to a basketball game with wheelchair bound players. After her initial reluctance, Lim joins the game and makes the winning shot. One of the players shares that playing with other wheelchair bound persons helps to see herself as a whole functional person and not someone to be pitied. Lim seems to accept and says she'll stop physical therapy.
It’s over 100 degrees in San Diego, which greatly impacts the hospital and its patients. The heat causes a black out and an entire senior home is evacuated to the hospital. The heat wave also affects the hospital's computer servers, causing a shutdown and the backup to kick in. As Lea (Paige Spara) works to fix it, Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) has no choice but to put the hospital on bypass as they struggle to provide care for existing patients.
Dr. Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and Dr. Danica are experiencing friction after Shaun discovers she advised Dr. Lim to take more time before deciding to do the spinal surgery. But they both have to work together on a patient who comes into the ER with a rare condition. Shaun openly disparages Danica in front of the patient, passing it off as her being inexperienced. He also tells Lea he doesn't like Danica, but neglects to mention his core issue is about her giving advice to Lim about delaying surgery.
He takes her off the case until the patient insists she be put back on to challenge him, believing it's the best way to achieve a positive outcome. Shaun relents but refuses to take her suggestions. Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) recommends he try to find common ground with Danica, but his stubbornness won’t allow for that. Danica stands up to him during the surgery, challenging him to listen to her, even if he may think she is wrong, so that he can build on her idea. She also calls him out on accepting her as an "other", saying that being autistic, he should understand this better than most people.
Interns Jordan (Bria Samoné Henderson) and Daniel (Brandon Larracuente), take care of a senior who's body temperature gets so high that it permanently damages her organs, making her terminal. Daniel has difficulty accepting her imminent death. The patient shares how she feels she missed out on life, especially a trip to France, because she was waiting for her husband to get better. In the end, Jordan helps both the patient and Daniel get through the experience by giving the patient a VR trip to Paris while Daniel holds her hand during her final moments, giving her some peace.
Another emergency happens with one of the retirement home residents, who codes and is resuscitated. Subsequent imaging reveals advanced cancer that requires extensive surgery. Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) advises the patient against it, but she insists and wants a second opinion if he won't perform the surgery. She communicates all this with a smile and asks for more butterscotch pudding. Glassman reviews her case and explains the significant risks involved. She still wants to go ahead with the surgery. Glassman explains to Park that the decision is the patient's.
During the procedure, they have to remove the kidney, requiring dialysis for the rest of the patient's life. Dr. Park wants to stop and close up, preferring to give the patient a few good months rather than the possibility of years on dialysis. He shares his experience of a family member living for years in pain after a complicated surgery to save their life, instead of months of palliative care. Glassman simply replies "butterscotch." He explains that for some people, experiencing the good in life with loved ones mitigates against pain and hurt, so they prefer to wring every last drop out of life.
Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelman) and Asher (Noah Galvin) lose a senior patient, looking for him on the streets. Initially, they take the wrong patient back to the hospital, but ultimately find out that the man they found was also wandering in the heat. He would have died if they hadn't found him. Working with seniors and their families all day brings a confession out of Reznick: her fear of being alone isn't about having a partner, it’s not being able to have kids.
The episode ends with everyone coming to some degree of acceptance. Shaun and Danica discover their common love for medieval surgery and share surgery facts, deciding to accept each other. Lim expresses playing tennis on Saturday mornings, seeing her new life and body through renewed eyes. Daniel accepts not all patients' lives can be saved, but treating them with dignity matters. Park realizes that life may not be perfect or pain-free, but it’s important to focus on the good. Perspective makes all the difference.
New episodes of The Good Doctor are on Mondays on ABC. Catch up with The Good Doctor season 6 on Hulu or ABC.com.
