NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Good Doctor season 6 episode 7, "Boys Don’t Cry."
In this latest episode of The Good Doctor season 6, the emotions around creating a family — all the joy and challenges involved — take center stage.
Lea (Paige Spara) is excited about trying to have a baby again after having a miscarriage a year earlier at 22 weeks. So much so that she and Shaun (Freddie Highmore) openly talk about ovulation and sperm motility while placing an ovulation calendar on their refrigerator.
At the hospital, Dr. Andrews' (Hill Harper) ex-wife brings him a case of a mother pregnant with sextuplets after one round of IVF. It's an extremely risky case with two of the babies requiring surgery almost immediately after birth and the other four in neonatal care because of their preterm low birth weight and underdeveloped lungs.
The all hands on deck case brings to the forefront all of the doctors thoughts about starting a family and with such a high risk case, pushes the boundary on what medicine is capable of and at what point do you let hope take over.
Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) and Danica (Savannah Welch) work on a baby that needed surgery while partially in utero to clear her airway. They multitask, also discussing Dr. Lim's dating prospects. Danica confides that she too was hesitant to explore an intimate relationship after her leg was amputated. Dr. Lim decides to give things another go with an impromptu lunch date with another wheelchair bound doctor. When their infant patient develops complications and is too sick for diagnostic testing, the date turns out to have double benefits — a first kiss with a man who's clearly interested and a possible diagnosis for the baby. The diagnosis is correct and they're able to save the baby.
Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) and Jordan (Bria Henderson) work on one of the sicker babies. The baby has spina bifida and also develops lung issues. Dr. Glassman insists it's a lost cause and Jordan volunteers to give the parents the bad news. The new parents refuse to give up, forcing Jordan to think outside of the box, dragging a reluctant Dr. Glassman along with her. Ultimately they literally "sleep on it," arriving on a surgical solution that saves the baby's life.
Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) and Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) also work together on two babies who Dr. Andrews insisted on being co-bed. As they bicker about the treatment plans, Dr. Park discovers Dr. Reznick is searching for a sperm donor. He advises her about the disadvantages of going that route to have a baby but offers to do it himself. Dr. Reznick declines, sharing it would be too painful raising his child without him. They agree to a truce, with him helping her select a donor, all while saving the lives of their two infant patients.
During the ob/gyn exam, Lea and Shaun discover Lea has scar tissue after the miscarriage. She's diagnosed with Asherman syndrome, which results in less space in the uterus as a result of scar tissue. They're forced to confront the prospect that Lea may never be able to carry a child. Lea is devastated. Shaun returns to his neonatal case, welcoming the distraction, discovering that the baby needs surgery. Daniel (Brandon Larracuente) makes an unintentional error during the surgery that could potentially harm the baby, but fortunately the baby fully recovers.
Asher (Noah Galvin) and his boyfriend are in charge of one of the preemies who only needs constant monitoring. During the process, the boyfriend realizes that Asher may not want kids while he wants a big family. The baby develops breathing issues and Asher hurries to intervene. The boyfriend gently picks up the baby, singing softly and the baby's breathing returns to normal. Seeing his boyfriend in paternal mode changes Asher's perspective and he softens his stance on having kids, opening himself up to the possibility in the future.
The team successfully saves the lives of all six babies, to the eternal gratitude of the parents. They even name the baby with the spinal issue Erin Jordan, after Dr. Glassman and Jordan who saved her life.
Dr. Andrews’ ex-wife thanks him for taking the case. She apologizes for cheating and giving up on the marriage. Dr. Andrews admits she wasn't solely to be blamed. She shares that couples sometimes grow apart and get reconnected, to which Dr. Andrews agrees.
After this baby-centric episode, will Shaun and Lea take a new route to having a baby? How will Dr. Lim's new relationship develop? Will Dr. Andrews rekindle the fire with his ex-wife?
New episodes of The Good Doctor season 6 air on Mondays at 10 pm ET/PT on ABC in the US. UK audiences can catch up with the latest episodes of The Good Doctor on Disney Plus.
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