NOTE: this post contains spoilers for The Good Doctor season 6 episode 9, "Broken or Not."
The Good Doctor season 6 winter finale is all about seeing and appreciating people and things the way they are without trying to fix or change them.
Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea (Paige Spara) have started visiting open houses as a new hobby, even though they're not looking to buy. Lea falls in love with a fixer upper but Shaun isn't interested in the chaos involved in a house renovation. Shaun shares his concerns with Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff), who suggests Lea is probably looking for a distraction from not being able to get pregnant right now. He also reminds Shaun that his new rating system for residents was probably his way of distracting himself from their temporary roadblock to having kids.
Shaun gets Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) to assign Lea a new work project, with the hope she'll change her mind about buying the house. Lea finds out and calls out Shaun. He relents about the house purchase but Lea tells him that she wants their first home to be something they both want.
Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) and her new beau are getting serious, planning a road trip together. He finds out that Dr. Lim used to ride motorcycles and asks her if she misses it. His queries into her previous lifestyle is timely, as Shaun, Dr. Glassman and Dr. Andrews share their findings of a surgical option that could reverse her paralysis.
Dr. Lim is hesitant not because she doesn't want to walk again, but out of fear of losing her newfound life she has grown to love. She worries how regaining the ability to walk could potentially change her relationship with her wheelchair-bound boyfriend. He assures her nothing will change and implores her not to refuse the surgery because of him. He proposes to Dr. Lim before her surgery, telling her that she can wait to give him an answer. He just wants her to know he's committed.
Jordan (Brian Henderson) confronts Daniel (Brandon Larracuente) about the shared kiss, letting him know that she needs clarity. Daniel invites her over to his house for a home-cooked dinner. Meanwhile, Asher (Noah Galvin) tells Jordan about a guy he met that he wants her to date. She tries to deflect but ultimately shares with Asher that she and Daniel kissed. Asher is worried and advises her to be careful.
A young man working on weight loss comes into the ER with a head injury. Shaun, Danica (Savannah Welch) and Daniel treat him, discovering he needs surgery. Daniel mentions that he hopes the patient is losing weight for the right reasons.
When the patient has complications with his heart, the team discovers an underlying case of bulimia is causing his problems. Daniel helps the patient explain to his brother, his personal training coach, how his opinion of him contributes to his eating disorder, causing a rift between the brothers. The patient collapses in the bathroom, which results in even more surgery. The brother returns after the surgery, finally realizing how much his actions affected his older brother. They leave the hospital with a plan of working on their relationship.
Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) has started dating someone else. Unfortunately, she has a nose bleed and a bout of dizziness during a kickboxing session. He takes her to the ER for treatment, where things get awkward when Dr. Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) joins the care team. Dr. Reznick goes out of her way to encourage the new relationship, even sending the patient flowers from Dr. Park. When Dr. Park confronts her about it, she confesses she worries they're falling into a pattern that will lead to the two of them rekindling their affair. She reminds him that he said she's not what he wants and that she hasn't changed. She thinks that if Dr. Park moves on to a new relationship, there's less of a chance of them getting back together.
The episode ends with some major developments. Jordan finds Daniel on the floor at home, overdosed. Lea's CT scan is abruptly cancelled, with the technician telling her she's pregnant. She races to tell Shaun, worried about the risk involved with her carrying a pregnancy with her condition.
Why did Daniel start using drugs again? Will Dr. Lim's surgery be successful? Will Leah's pregnancy have complications? Will Dr. Park and Dr. Reznick give their relationship another try? For answers to all this and more, continue watching The Good Doctor, which returns with all new episodes on January 23 on ABC. You can catch up with this season on Hulu.
The Good Doctor recaps
