The Good Doctor Recap: Season 5, Episode 17 — Wedding Cancelled?

The following contains spoilers about the May 9 episode of ABC’s The Good Doctor.

The “wedding of the century” ended before it began.

During Monday’s Good Doctor, Shaun and Lea’s big day was called off by none other than the bride and groom, who mutually agreed to forfeit their Hulu-funded shindig for something a bit less “Gosling and Markle,” a bit more Murphy and Dilallo.

After breaking the news to documentarian Sophie, who didn’t seem the least bit upset when she encouraged them to “go be happy, go be you,” the pair jumped on a bus to… well, a TBD destination.

Meanwhile, after surprising Shaun and Lea at their joint bachelor/ette party, Antonia Thomas’ Dr. Claire Browne scrubbed back in at St. Bonaventure and brought with her a young Guatemalan boy named Lucho, whose metastasized cancer required all hands on deck for a three— nay, four-prong surgical save. The Case of the Week afforded Claire, who is up for chief of surgery in Guatemala, the opportunity to prove herself as a leader. Lim wasn’t initially convinced that Claire was ready to be chief, believing she was too kind (and too empathetic) a person to make tough decisions. But in the end, Claire showed herself to be a competent leader, and Lim learned that you don’t always need to be a hardass to succeed in the position. It’s why she ultimately declined Nurse Villanueva’s letter of resignation (despite a near-fatal oversight at work!) and offered the domestic violence victim a place to stay.

While Thomas’ return was fleeting, the hour managed to deliver multiple Shaun-and-Claire moments, reminding us just how much we’ve missed their friendship in Season 5. After successfully excising Lucho’s brain tumor, Claire expressed mixed feelings about her brief reunion with Dr. Murphy. “I’m happy for you,” she told him. “For how far you have come… for the joy you have found… for the amazing man you have become. And I am sad because I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” Shaun reciprocated, before embracing Dr. Browne with a hug.

What did you think of The Good Doctor Season 5, Episode 17: “The Lea Show”? And what are your hopes for the May 16 finale?