The Good Doctor (2017–…): Season 3, Episode 13 - Sex and Death - full transcript

Someone had
a good night.

Do you think all of these
people have had sex?

And if so,
shouldn't they be more happy?

Maybe their experiences

weren't as recent
as yours.

I think about sex
with everyone.

But mostly with Carly.

She and I
are very compatible.

That's great, Shaun,
but H.R. might not approve.

About me
thinking of sex?

No, about saying
you're thinking about sex.



And stop it.

Smiling while talking
to a dying man is not cool.

Dr. Blaize recommended
we speak to you

about a permanent port.

It would simplify
your chemo sessions.

No more hunting
for a vein every time.

Anything to help
with the nausea?

It's a normal
side effect.

Anything you can do
for the... exhaustion?

Anything...

So that my muscles
don't ache?

But you can keep me from
being stuck by a needle.

They're just trying
to help.

I know.



All the doctors
are trying to help.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

But I-I don't need the port.

And I don't need
any more chemo.

Of course you do.

It's going to give you
more time.

Honey, I'm miserable.

Cerebral cavernous
malformations.

Leads to bleeding, clots,
seizures, muscle weakness,

even paralysis.

You have clusters of them.

And they're getting worse.

The woman at Hopkins
gave me a year.

Mass General, two years.

So, what, you figured
I'd give you three?

Some new treatment?

You know the treatment,
Caroline... A lobectomy.

I love the way surgeons
blithely suggest

cutting through
my cerebral cortex

to remove part of my brain.
Hmm.

Why not just take an egg
slicer to my ability to paint?

Yes, it will likely lead
to a curtailment

of your ability
to be creative,

but all of your other
faculties will remain intact.

I had a severe prognosis
of my own recently.

Surgery, chemo,
radiation, the works.

My greatest fear wasn't at
the edges of the spectrum.

It wasn't life or death.

My greatest fear

was survival
as something lesser.

- Then you know.
- And then I had

a revelation of sorts.

Who I am,
how I think of myself

isn't defined by
my skill as a surgeon.

Uh, I'm seeing
you as a courtesy.

I don't do this anymore.

And guess what?
I'm fine.

I'm happier.

You could have 20,
30 more years with your family.

A balanced life isn't
necessarily a lesser life.

I disagree.

Twenty bucks says
Shaun mentions sex

in front of a patient
in the next 24 hours.

He's excited.

I'm sure you were when
a new world opened up.

But he knows better.

- Twenty bucks.
- No.

Morgan.

Oh, I was hoping
I'd see you.

Hello.

Perfect.

I was just wondering where
to get lunch around here.

Any genre,
as long as it's locally sourced.

Is this a friend?

I'm Caroline Reznick.

Oh, hi.

My mother.

What are you doing here?

What beautiful eyes.

I hope...

S-someone...

P-paint...

Mom!

Mom? Mom.

Mom, can you hear me?

Code blue.
We need a crash cart.

*THE GOOD DOCTOR*
Season 03 Episode 13

*THE GOOD DOCTOR*
Episode Title: "Sex and Death"

I've come to take you
to lunch.

It's only 11:15.

M-Morgan told me

that it might be
considered unprofessional

to discuss sex on the job.

So, when you say "lunch"...

It's sex.

I am expected
to be here working.

People in the Pathology Lab

take two 15-minute breaks
on their shift.

If they were combined
into one

and we used the bus that
stops out front at 11:25,

with one returning
at 12:15,

and we borrowed some
of your lunch hour...

You only require 22 minutes
to eat a sandwich...

There would be
just enough time

to get to your apartment
and back.

Have you noticed the time
you've allotted for "lunch"

is fairly short?

Long enough.

Long enough for you,
not for me.

You've only had sex
once in your life.

No one expects you
to win awards,

and it was lovely
sharing the moment.

Are you implying the sex
could be improved on?

Yes.

Does that bother you?

No.

I have no objection
to improving sex.

Although, I thought it was
already excellent.

I'll work on it.

Found the source
of the bleed.

Suctioning and evacuating
the clot cavity.

The Cav Mals
are everywhere.

She could have a massive
bleed at any time.

I thought Morgan's
parents were doctors.

I heard that, too.
Why would Morgan let us think...

Maybe
you should save the speculation

until your hands aren't
in my mother's skull.

Use your inside voice,
Morgan.

Turn down the volume.

Irrigate and remove
the cottonoid.

Why didn't she tell us
she was one of those Reznicks?

Caroline Reznick,
painter.

Her son's a sculptor.
Daughter's a composer.

Didn't know she had
another kid.

They're famous, if you're
into the arts at all.

Mia got you going
to galleries?

Yeah,
I'm kind of loving it.

I've failed Carly twice.

Did you forget her birthday
or stand her up?

Are you talking
about sex?

Uh, Morgan says H.R. would
prefer I avoid that word.

Just to be clear,
are you saying she...

Are you saying
she didn't...

There was no parade.

Oh.

There was a parade for me,

but there was no parade
for Carly.

I want to give her
a parade.

I'll continue reading.

Wait, Shaun,
reading's a great start,

but Carly's a person.

You need to communicate with
her, ask her what she likes.

Yes. I'll make an extensive
list of questions.

It's not just about
questions and answers.

Nonverbal communication
is pretty key in this area.

I'm not good with
nonverbal communication.

Watch her reactions.

See what Carly
responds to.

You'll figure this out.

Mrs. Reznick,
I'm Dr. Park.

This is Dr. Murphy,
Dr. Browne.

- How are you feeling?
- Excellent.

And flattered
that three surgeons

are here to check on me.

They're curious.

About what monster
created me.

I'm sure that's not true.

Morgan, you're smart and nice
and perfectly normal.

I don't think she's
all of those things.

You guys here
to take her vitals,

check her
for any deficits,

and maybe let her know

that she's just gonna keep
getting worse and die?

Your daughter is right,
Mrs. Reznick.

- If you don't...
- Dr. Browne, the day lilies

go so well
with your eyes.

Please take them.

This variety
is from the Himalayas.

Please.

I really am grateful
to you all.

I'm asking other people
to take over my cases.

Check your in-box, and you'll
see the three I've given you.

In your language,
the word "ask"

must mean
something different.

You're a caring,
empathetic person,

and my mother is sick.

As long as we're having
a moment of honesty,

why do you hate
your family?

You told me your mother
was a cardiologist.

No, you told me my mother
was a cardiologist.

I can't correct
all your mistakes.

Was that the mother
you wanted to have?

Cardiac
perfusionist, call the cath lab.

I used to daydream
my mother was a lawyer.

That's just weird.

I'm Oliver.

I have a malignant peripheral
nerve sheath tumor,

so I've only got
six months to live.

I'm Dr. Melendez.

What happened
to your foot?

Skydiving.

First time.

They coached me how to roll,
but it didn't quite work out.

He rented a plane.

A small one.

All the classes were full.
I did not want to wait.

You should've come with me.

I'm afraid of heights.

So was I.

Not anymore.

Hmm.

Nothing's broken.
Ice it tonight.

Try to stay off it
for a few days.

I'll give you
12 hours.

Lots to do, so I might
be okay with limping.

As long as I'm here,

can I get vaccinated
for tropical diseases?

Thinking about
moving somewhere

the weather will be perfect
for the next six months.

The dry season in Costa Rica
is just beginning.

Excellent.

I've always wanted
to see Costa Rica.

They have
mantled howler monkeys

that make this haunting call
at dawn and dusk.

Wouldn't that be great
to wake up to?

Oliver...

Skydiving
doesn't bring happiness.

Neither do monkey howls.

You gonna tell a dying guy he
can't do what he wants to do?

No.

Get me the shots.

What happened to the patient
who was in here?

She checked herself out.

I knew I had to be
in early,

so I tried
not to wake you.

Appreciate it.

I've brought you

a jelly doughnut and coffee...
Thank you.

...to celebrate
last night's breakthrough.

What breakthrough
was that?

Last night.

You had a parade.

During lunch.

You made a lot of noise.

One fairly loud noise...
A moan.

Oh.

Right, right.

You had your elbow
on my hair.

I had a great time
last night,

and I really appreciate

how much effort you put
into my happiness.

But no parade.

Parades
aren't always required.

I'll keep working on it.

Cassie,
stay in Hong Kong.

It would be ridiculous to miss
the premiere of your symphony

because of
a medical glitch.

I have to go.
Your sister's here. Bye.

You're in time
for brunch.

I didn't know where
you were staying,

if you'd left town,
if you'd gone home.

I finally got your new
housekeeper on the phone

and convinced her
I was your daughter.

She said you
never mentioned me.

Oh, Blanca's very forgetful.
Pull up a chair.

Your brother's
out getting salmon.

Ariel's here?
He got great news.

Million-dollar commission...
A bronze piece on the mall.

I'm thrilled.

Can we talk about the fact
that you're dying?

No.

I'm having
a good arthritis day.

Why shouldn't
I feel happy?

You're so lucky you didn't
inherit anything from me.

Morgan.

I thought Mom ditched
the medical police.

Right, the bad guys trying
to keep her alive.

We've all tried to get her
to change her mind,

but you know
what she's like.

I'm using
a little sriracha

just to throttle
your taste buds.

Thank you.

I've been strategizing
with Cassie via e-mail,

trying to figure out a way
to convince Mom...

Did it occur to either of you
to mention any of this

to the only doctor
in the family?

Plenty of doctors
already involved.

And you barely consider
yourself part of this family.

You exclude me,
and it's my fault?

Morgan, in high school,
kids kept asking

about my parents,
the spies.

And my friend Joel
at Georgetown

said you told people your
parents were in the Peace Corps.

And that you
were an only child.

I got tired

of fielding questions
about my famous mother.

It doesn't mean...
Only child.

You're offended that you weren't
in the family I completely made up?

I got tired of hearing
"Your mother is so talented.

"How wonderful
your brother's an artist.

"How amazing
Cassie writes music.

"What do you do?"

Mom!

Grab a towel.

It's not just about
what you do physically.

It's about setting a scene,
offering inspiration.

I mean, do you know
what movies she likes

or what actors
she thinks are sexy?

She likes
the Alien movies.

Something else?

She loves Outlander.

That is a good idea.

Where the hell is everybody?

Complex partial seizure.

Cut her finger off
with an electric knife.

Knuckle's still there,
but we need to get her to an O.R.

Whoa, whoa!
No one touches that but the surgeon.

Bloody towels get
thrown out all the time.

I'm not dumpster diving
while cells die.

The last of
the circumferential sutures.

Good capillary
refill in the fingertip.

What if this wasn't caused
by the Cav Mals?

First the bleeding,
then the seizure...

Pretty typical progression.

It's also possible the
bleeding caused the seizure.

Microbleeds can cause gliosis,
and that can cause a seizure.

And if the seizure
was caused by gliosis,

we could simply remove that
one bit of damaged tissue.

She'd still be terminal,
but...

Shaun is right,
but he's wrong.

Volume!

Shaun's idea
could stop the seizures

and let her keep painting
for the time she has left.

That's something
she'll agree to.

Which is why he's wrong.

If she stops having
the seizures,

there's no way she'll have
the lobectomy

that will save her life.

We don't choose procedures in
order to manipulate patients.

No, we choose procedures

based on what will have
the greatest benefit.

Dr. Melendez, I'd like
to excuse myself

to speak with
the patient's daughter.

Please.

I know not disclosing
a treatment

is borderline unethical,

but when there is a cure that
the patient is ignoring...

You don't want her
to die.

Thanks
for the summation.

But have you considered
it might be more than that?

This cure, it doesn't come
without a cost.

To your mother.

But to you...

..if your mother loses
her artistic ability,

your relationship changes.

If she loses the thing
she lords over you, she...

Maybe she'd be nicer.

You hate the way
she looks at you.

But that is who she is.

Let's try it Shaun's way.

Sorry about
this all-nighter,

but sleeplessness

will increase the odds
of a seizure event.

Which isn't pleasant,
but we need.

All this equipment
will tell us

if it was caused by the Cav
Mals or by a remote microbleed.

You want me
to put on the TV?

I can find something
suitably irritating.

Don't bother.
I'll be staying.

"Cavernous malformations
may leak blood,

"leading to brain
hemorrhage, seizures,

"loss of sensation,
risk of paralysis..."

If you have to do this,

can't you find some
Harry Potter or something?

We can look forward.

Or we can look back.

Do you want to discuss what
a lousy mother you were?

Baby, I know
that stress and anger

can increase the chance
of a seizure,

and you're
so sweet to try...

Shall we go
chronologically?

First day of preschool,
when you promised to pick me up,

but you forgot because
you were showing Ariel

how to underpaint
with raw umber.

You wore a kilt?
How'd it go?

We binge-watched
six episodes of Outlander,

she fell asleep
on the sofa,

so I came back
to work.

Hi. I'm Oliver.

I have six months to live.

Hello, Dr. Murphy.

I'm Dr. Park.

I went out.
In a new Ferrari.

But when I got home,
I started to feel... dizzy,

sick to my stomach.

Fainted and hit my head.

I think I might have been
poisoned by the fugu fish.

You ate a fish
you knew might kill you.

You're emptying
the bank accounts.

Only my retirement savings,
which I'm not gonna need.

You don't have
fugu poisoning.

I know because you're not
already paralyzed or dead.

Ow.

We'll keep you for observation
and run some tests.

Uh, how long?

We have a room booked
in Costa Rica.

Enough.

I can't quit my job
and move to the jungle.

Actually, you can.

I won't stay here.

You're gonna leave me?

I've invited you
to come with me.

I want us to see
Costa Rica together.

You're choosing the
howler monkeys over me?

That's where I rank,
behind the monkeys?

Bella, I love you.

I've loved our 20 years
together.

I want to see Costa Rica.

I want you
to come with me.

But I'm going either way.

Go.

I don't want to spend whatever
time is left with...

Whoever you are now.

I'm happy.

I thought I made you happy.

Jumping ahead. The day I won
the regional science fair,

beating five
other schools,

including those nerds
from Alston Prep,

do you know what
you said to me?

That you were so glad I had
something to fall back on.

I'm aware of your feelings
about me as a mother.

I'm aware that our values
are different.

It doesn't mean
I don't love you.

I always have.

It didn't matter
that you weren't creative.

You seriously don't think
there's creativity in what I do?

I think that's something
technical people tell themselves.

But it's not
a moral judgment.

It's the luck
of the draw.

I'm an artist.

You're a...

Hard worker.

August 12, 2014...
Times art section.

I don't want to hear it.

"Caroline Reznick's showing
at the Armory

"is a lesson in what happens
when a once-interesting artist

"sits too long
on her laurels."

That woman hated me
for years.

She was waiting
for an opportunity.

"Bad judgment
doesn't begin to explain

"what went wrong
with every stroke

"of this ill-conceived..."

I mean, really, how many negative
words can you pile together?

And she hasn't even gotten
to that part

about that
Modern Madonna piece

that you
were so proud of.

What... Remember what she...
What she called it?

What was that?
Put that thing down!

I'm sorry.
It's not gliosis.

I went through that
for nothing?

Mom, we eliminated
a possibility.

That's not nothing.

It's a day I spent
in this hospital

when I could've been
home working.

How soon
can I be discharged?

You need to rest
for a day.

And then we
can say goodbye.

If I only had
six months to live,

I would not stop
being a surgeon.

I would.

I'd move from spa to spa,

having massages and drinks
with little umbrellas.

Then I'd throw a party in the
penthouse of the Four Seasons.

And after everybody left,

I'd go into
the marble bathroom

and painlessly
self-euthanize.

I'd obviously leave
a big tip for housekeeping.

You're very like
your mother.

That's not something
I hear a lot.

Well, he's right.

You would reign like a queen
over your own death,

insisting
on absolute control.

I just meant you each
have a funny way

of picking things up
with both hands sometimes.

I don't think this is
anatomically correct.

Hmm.

Hmm.

Stereotactic laser ablation.

You worked with one of the people
who developed the technique.

We never used to
call it that.

I never liked that name.

Also, it's never been used in
Cerebral Cavernous Malformations.

Not yet.

It would allow us
to target the malformations

without needing to slice
all those cerebral fibers

or remove a chunk
of my mother's brain.

It would have to be applied
to each malformation

with exact precision.

Okay, so do that.
You can't.

You're gonna make a mistake
on one or two of them.

And then you got
more bleeding, seizures,

you got inflamed malformations
growing out of control.

You can.

Even if I was still
a neurosurgeon,

which I'm not,
I wouldn't.

You don't get to quit
who you are.

How long has it been
since you had your hands

inside the source
of what makes us human?

That flow, in surgery,
knowing every move

and just feeling
how right it is...

That's peak existence.

I'm sorry.
I'm not gonna do the surgery.

Are you s...

Are you scared
to pick up a scalpel?

You had months of chemo
and radiation.

Maybe it took its toll.

E-Even a 10% drop in
performance would be unbearable.

Why risk finding it out?

Get out.

Skydiving?

Fugu?

And apparently a yellow suit.

Do you think a deadline
like he has

burns you down
to who you really are?

Or does it just make you
nuts and desperate?

Why can't it be both?

Hmm.

Okay, um...

A little house
in the middle of nowhere.

Two chickens.
One dog.

Nobody who expects
anything from me.

Nobody who is even verbal.

I'm tired of trying
to fix myself.

And I'm tired of being known
as a soft touch.

Not buying it.

There's no way
you would get a dog

if you only had
six months to live.

Wouldn't be fair.

Okay, then I would foster
a series of rescue dogs.

You said you're tired
of being a soft touch,

and yet your fantasy
involves helping.

We are who we are.

It's called stereotactic
laser ablation.

Never liked the name.

He said it's minimally
invasive, and if it works,

it would save my life

and allow me
to continue painting.

If I win,
I win everything.

And if I lose, it's over.

When you first came to see Dr. Glassman,
he didn't offer this option.

Why not?

Stereotactic laser ablation
is a new technique,

and it's never been used
on a Cav Mal patient.

So, he just
didn't think of it?

But then it came to him?

It was my idea.

Dr. Glassman
didn't sugarcoat the risks.

This is the last chance
you've got to keep your art.

I'm not going to complete
my work if I'm dead.

No.

But thank you so much
for trying.

Why didn't you
back me up?

I didn't know you were gonna
throw this crapshoot at us.

Do you even listen
to what she's been saying?

She wants
to finish her work.

She could live
another 40 years,

and her art
would grow with her.

Don't pretend those words
mean anything to you.

You don't give a damn
about art.

Her family
could grow with her...

Her children,
her grandchildren.

You and her don't give a damn
about anything except for art.

You need to listen to me
and do what I tell you.

This is why
we didn't call you.

The competition
in that family

must have been
like a buzz saw.

- Okay.
- Please.

It's perfectly reasonable to
get out of a game you can't win.

You did everything right...

Moved 3,000 miles,
found your own calling,

a career people respect
and value.

Actually, there's a good comparative
measure for how people value things.

We call it money.

And my brother's already
a million dollars ahead.

See how you went straight
to your brother?

Did you ever think he might be
tired of being your competitor?

He won a long time ago.

That's why I left that
dysfunctional world behind.

Really?

Because it seems to me you re-created
the competition you grew up with

the very first day
you got here.

Shingles?
Like, from chicken pox?

The virus was dormant,

then your chemo suppressed
your immune system,

and the virus woke up.

It can be painful,

but the treatment
is very simple.

Do you want us
to call your wife?

No, thank you.

Just fix me up and
release me into the wild.

Back to the bucket list.

She was right.

I'm not the same person.

I'm doing what we all
should be doing.

We all want to cut loose,

but we're
just too practical.

If this had not happened,

I might've lived to be 90,
never looking up.

Dr. Murphy,
what do you want to do

that you just haven't done yet?
What makes you happy?

I want to give Carly...
Shaun.

Oh.

I like a crisp apple.

The way the sunlight
hits my bedsheets

in the morning
in a perfect square.

I like the movement
of wind in leaves.

And the way the
circumference of a circle

is always equal to pi
times the diameter,

no matter what numbers
you put in.

You like the happiness
of small things.

Yes.

Your happiness
is too loud.

Shake your head again.

Didn't he have
a muscle issue?

His range of motion
seems good.

All the better for zip-lining
in Costa Rica, right?

Not right.

We need more tests.

I'm sorry.

I know we want
the same things.

I'd like
to show you something.

Neurons that
fire together wire together.

One neuron goes off,
exciting the next,

creating a pathway
in the brain

that wasn't
there before.

Every time Mom
takes a brushstroke,

every time
you use a chisel.

It's like we're creating
ourselves in the choices we make.

We are creating this.

It's beautiful.

We target
each malformation

with a thermal laser probe.

Just the malformation.

The trajectory
has to be perfect.

You can't
paint over it.

You could show this
to Mom.

But from you,
she'll accept it.

Inserting the laser
probe into the cooling catheter.

Locked and loaded.
Ready to fire.

Dr. Glassman,

are you sure
of this location?

It seems significantly far

from what we saw
on her pre-surgical MRIs.

You know what the brain and
breakfast cereal have in common?

Contents tend to shift
during transport.

Yes, I'm quite sure.

First ablation complete.

Now we just have to do it
perfectly nine more times.

It's gone?

Well, not quite.
But close.

The recent infections
got into the tumor.

Which allowed your
immune system to find it.

But they said it was
an aggressive cancer.

What makes
a cancer aggressive

is its ability to evade
the immune system.

That's no longer true
about yours.

The tumor has become small
enough to remove surgically.

We can make an appointment
to do that in a few days,

once the infection has
fully cleared your system.

Meanwhile,
you can go home.

Congratulations.

Home?

How do you feel?

Tired.

Of being in this place.

Reasonable answer.

Do you feel
your creativity's impaired?

Isn't that the graphic
you use to sign your paintings?

Thank you
for knowing that.

Ariel was afraid
you'd feel vandalized.

Ah, don't be silly.
We'll auction off the door.

Mom, you've thanked
your doctors,

but you haven't said
anything to Morgan.

You know, getting out
of this mess intact,

that's down to her.

Oh, yes, I know.

I owe you everything.

Thank you...

For saving my life.

You're welcome.

Our little plodder
came through.

Not everybody
gets a parade.

Maybe Carly
doesn't have them.

Maybe I haven't
practiced enough.

I've worked on
my surgical technique

for hundreds of hours.

You can't just take the pizza
out of the freezer and dig in.

You have to put it
in the microwave first.

Actually, Dr. Lim,

a toaster oven
is better for the crust.

She's not talking
about pizza, Shaun.

Mm.

Men your age
run out of patience.

They turn off the microwave
before that pizza's ready.

You want to give
a parade, Shaun?

Yes.

You want to give
a great parade?

Are there differences
in parades?

Some have balloons
and marching bands.

Other parades
are sparsely attended.

I want Carly to have
the best parade possible.

I know you do.

Just as you want to be
the best surgeon possible.

When you're in the O.R.,
you commit totally.

You persevere.
Everything else falls away.

You focus entirely
on what you're doing.

That's your superpower.

Now I want you
to take Carly home

and work that parade route

and don't stop until
the band begins playing.

And then go 3% longer.

I will.

See you tomorrow.

All that focus.

Strangely intriguing.

If I only had
six months to live,

I wouldn't want to be
anywhere but where I am.

♪ If you come to find out
who you are

♪ And may you find out

♪ May find you find out
who you are

Are you getting on?

♪ If you come to search
for what is lost

No.

♪ Then may you find it

♪ May you find it at any cost

♪ If you come over from far

♪ May it not touch you
or ever do you harm

♪ Passing slowly
through the town

♪ My feet,
they cannot touch the ground

♪ Of the parade ♪