Hello Hello, and welcome back guys, gals, and everyone in between and beyond. After the cliffhanger last week, as Shaun returns, Lea puts in her 2 weeks at her job, and our conjoined twins Katie and Jenny, recently separated, are both still in a coma. After dealing with all the Korean cliffhangers, this one was actually mild. Like this episode, lets go ahead and jump in. A trend I realized in this episode, maybe the secret message per say, was if you stay the way you are, follow the path you are going on, things might not work out. But, if you leave the path, and return, you might not be where you thought you were at all.
Source: American Broadcasting Company for The Good Doctor.
The episode starts off with Jenny waking up slowly from a coma. As the team is talking about why Katie might not be awake, Shaun walks in, like he has not been missing for the past two days. He admits he was on a roadtrip with his girlfriend, shocking Melendez, Andrews and Dr. Ko. But, we all know he actually needed to take a trip, and it was a crisis. Without that trip, I think Shaun would have been a lot worse, and we got to see some character development last episode. Honestly, I prefer medical side of the story than the love plot, but I’m weird like that. Anyways, the twins are separated, but Katie is not waking. Blood is not flowing to the brain, and without it, Katie is brain dead. Her organs are only working because of the life support she is on.
While the team is dealing with the twins, Jared is suing the hospital, claiming unlawful termination. Sadly, it is revealed through the case, two other doctors have had physical altercations, and both were only reprimanded, not terminated. Jessica approaches Aoki about the situations previously, and the doctor explained the others were stars in their field, necessary at the hospital. But, in Jared’s defense, they were white, and Jared is mixed. So they decide to settle. Jared refuses the offer, only wanting his job back.
Source: American Broadcasting Company for The Good Doctor.
Back with the team, they realize the best way to save Jenny is a heart transplant, but the only perfect match is Katie. They talk with the twins’ mother, who decides to allow the team to take Katie off life support. Oddly enough, she stabilizes. Still brain dead, but breathing on her own. Jenny finds out Katie was taken off life support by her mother’s orders, and refuses to be re-attached to Jenny so Jenny can help her survive. Claire suggests putting them in the same room, to show Jenny Katie isn’t there anymore. Jenny spends the night, and agrees to be reattached the next day.
Claire talks with Glassman in the elevador, about Shaun leaving. She thinks he thinks Glassman is mad at him, hince his resignation. Glassman decides to let Shaun go, signing a letter of recommendation that Melendez wrote. He also promises to back off and let Shaun live his life if he stays. Later, we see Claire talking with Shaun, asking him why Hershey, and commenting how she will miss him if he leaves.
Source: American Broadcasting Company for The Good Doctor.
Once the twins are reattached, oddly enough, Katie begins to wake up. It seems Jenny is supplying the blood flow to Katie’s brain, while Katie is supporting Jenny’s heart. As the time goes by, both girls hearts become weaker. In a turn of events, Katie is supporting Jenny’s heart too well, giving it too much protein, and would cause it to go into cardiac arrest. They, once more, must separate the two, but not before Jenny passes away. It was.. different type of ending, a twist in the heart.
Dr. Andrews is not happy with Jared back, stating how Jared sold his integrity for the job. In fact, no one seems to be happy that Jared is back. Before he left, Jared was the top of the class, doing procedures under Andrews and Melendez. Now, he is on suction, the first task Melendez gave Shaun. We also see Shaun returning the letter of recommendation, merely saying he spoke with Claire. The real twist in the story is Jessica, who is engaged to Melendez, wants to break up. He wants kids, but rather be with Jessica, who doesn’t want kids, and will find other ways to help. Volunteer, coach a little league. She decides she rather break up now, and allow him a chance to be a great dad. I hope Melendez doesn’t break up. I like them together.
I believe we only have one more episode left. The looks of the preview has be worried, but it didn’t say season finale, so who knows. We might have a few more left. I also hope we see Shaun visiting Lea in Pennsylvania. He is borrowing her ball. For now, let’s drift over to the medical side of the episode. Stay Shiny.
Hello and welcome to the medical side of the show. Last episode, we had conjoined twins separated, but no real health issues. Luckily, or unluckily, this one is jam packed.
Lets talk brain dead. Well, more about Alpha and Beta waves. In reality, we usually have 5 wave lengths we work on, through the Alpha and Betas are highest tracked frequency. Betas are channeled during conscious states such as cognitive reasoning, calculation, reading, speaking or thinking. Alphas are what connects the conscience brain to the subconscious. To have no waves on either level means you have no conscience thought, or waves connecting the lower frequencies. Hence, brain dead. Your body can still function anatomically, breathing and what not, but only so long until muscle atrophy wears down.
Source: Science ABC
Lack of blood flow can cause these waves to stop working, as is with Katie. Her arteries to the brain are damaged, and surgery attempts caused her to start having a stroke. One term they used, the Circle of Willis, is kinda cool. It is several arteries that supply the blood flow to the brain, forming a circle. This design creates redundancy for collateral circulation in the cerebral circulation. If one part of the circle becomes blocked or damaged or one of the arteries supplying the circle is blocked or damaged, blood flow from the other blood vessels can often preserve the cerebral perfusion well enough without issue.
What happens after Jennifer and Katie are attached, is the proteins from Katie’s stronger heart flows into Jenny’s weakened heart. They mention the protein levels being too much, almost twice as much, which causes heart failure. The team is worried both girls are about to go into heart failure from too many proteins, which is why they rush to separate the two. In essence, the connection helped Katie wake up, and save one of the twin. Depressing, but still poetic. I wish both survived.
Well, that’s all for now. Stay shiny!!
