The Good Doctor: Episodes 1-4 The Good Doctor television show focuses on a surgical resident, Shaun Murphy, who has autism and savant syndrome. It takes place in San Jose, California. Shaun is described as having near-photographic recall and the ability to note extreme details and changes. The first episode started off with a medical emergency with an airport sign injuring a child’s neck. With his medical background, Shaun was able to stabilize the child. The doctors initially refused to listen to Shaun’s requests for further tests for the child and later realized that he was correct. The president of the hospital convinced the board to hire Shaun; however, everyone on the board is skeptical of his diagnosis of autism. The following episodes
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The show could have elaborated more on Shaun’s personality outside of the flashbacks to his younger years. In the flashbacks, we learned about his interest in his toy doctor kit and that he loved his pet rabbit. However, the rest of the episodes that weren’t a part of the flashbacks only showed his medical skills and not much of his life outside of working at the hospital. It is important to demonstrate a person’s abilities, experiences, and interests to work toward informing, accepting, and inclusive attitudes and behavior toward people with disabilities (Renwick et al., 2014). Therefore, it would be nice to see more of Shaun’s abilities and interests outside of the occupation of work. Additionally, Shaun had distinct personality traits that made him an individual with a disability instead of being solely defined by his disability (Black & Pretes, 2007). The Good Doctor differs from other the typical portrayal of disability because it takes place in a hospital and work setting for the majority of the episodes. Shaun is fully integrated into his work community, yet we haven’t seen many other settings in Shaun’s life including where he lives and what leisure activities he participates in. Along with personality and community integration, a few interpersonal relationships are shown in Shaun’s life. Flashbacks provide viewers with a closer look into the close relationship Shaun had with his brother before he died suddenly. Shaun describes how losing his brother motivated him to pursue a medical career. After watching the beginning episodes, I was left wondering what current supports Shaun has. It was unclear if he had left his parents completely and lived on his own. The show did not portray any of Shaun’s friends outside of work. However, I have heard that later in the season he develops an intimate relationship with another person, so it is possible
The show could have elaborated more on Shaun’s personality outside of the flashbacks to his younger years. In the flashbacks, we learned about his interest in his toy doctor kit and that he loved his pet rabbit. However, the rest of the episodes that weren’t a part of the flashbacks only showed his medical skills and not much of his life outside of working at the hospital. It is important to demonstrate a person’s abilities, experiences, and interests to work toward informing, accepting, and inclusive attitudes and behavior toward people with disabilities (Renwick et al., 2014). Therefore, it would be nice to see more of Shaun’s abilities and interests outside of the occupation of work. Additionally, Shaun had distinct personality traits that made him an individual with a disability instead of being solely defined by his disability (Black & Pretes, 2007). The Good Doctor differs from other the typical portrayal of disability because it takes place in a hospital and work setting for the majority of the episodes. Shaun is fully integrated into his work community, yet we haven’t seen many other settings in Shaun’s life including where he lives and what leisure activities he participates in. Along with personality and community integration, a few interpersonal relationships are shown in Shaun’s life. Flashbacks provide viewers with a closer look into the close relationship Shaun had with his brother before he died suddenly. Shaun describes how losing his brother motivated him to pursue a medical career. After watching the beginning episodes, I was left wondering what current supports Shaun has. It was unclear if he had left his parents completely and lived on his own. The show did not portray any of Shaun’s friends outside of work. However, I have heard that later in the season he develops an intimate relationship with another person, so it is possible