‘The Good Doctor’ Recap: Shaun & Melendez’s Lives Are In Serious Jeopardy After An Earthquake

ABC

A severe earthquake means its all hands on deck for ‘The Good Doctor’ season 3 finale. Melendez collapses in the final moments of the episode and Shaun finds himself trapped with time running out.

Melendez, Glassman, and Lea are at a fundraiser for cancer research at a brewery close by when a major earthquake occurs. While Melendez and Glassman are OK, they didn’t come out unscathed. Melendez has a severe abdominal bruise and Glassman dislocated his shoulder. Lea is nowhere to be found. Lim flies into action and brings Shaun, Claire, and Park along to help.

Shaun goes on a quest to find Lea and he makes his way through the unstable rubble. He has a vision of his late brother Steve, who urges him to go back. Shaun saving Lea won’t make her fall in love with him. “You’re not her hero,” Steve says. Shaun keeps going and comes across a woman who has been impaled — twice. Shaun manages to free his patient from the rebar in her shoulder and they wait for help. Shaun asks about Lea and Lim tells him that there’s been no sign of her.

Lim later finds Lea, who is fine. Shaun and the woman have a heart-to-heart conversation and Shaun opens up about Lea. “I don’t want to stop being the person I am with her,” Shaun says. “Lea makes me more. But I don’t make her more. If I did, then Lea would want to be my girlfriend.” Turns out, Lea’s been listening to this conversation via a walkie-talkie.

Melendez is hurt pretty badly and promises he’ll get checked out once he gets back to the hospital. Melendez and Claire end up performing on-site surgery on Marta, the owner of the brewery. During the surgery, Melendez calls Claire “incredible” and Claire looks at him longingly.

Meanwhile, Morgan is forced to take over the ER. Since she can’t use her hands, she has the nurses be her hands. One of her patients needs surgery immediately or she could die, but all the surgeons are busy. Morgan takes off her bandages and prepares to operate on the young girl. Out in the field, Park finds a young man trapped underneath a wall. While Lim tells Park the young man won’t survive once the wall is lifted, Park begs her to try and she agrees.

As Melendez and Claire are taking Marta to an ambulance, the aftershocks begins. As soon as they’re over, Melendez looks uneasy. He passes out right in front of Claire. Meanwhile, Shaun and his patient are fine but water is flooding around them. They don’t have much time. Everyone’s fates will be revealed in the second part of The Good Doctor season 3 finale, airing on March 30.