There was a wedding in this week’s episode of The Good Doctor, although it almost did not happen. Dr. Shaun Murphy’s mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman, married Debbie Wexler. It took two trips to city hall, but it finally happened. The wedding was just one of the many emotional moments in the episode “Take My Hand.”
Before Glassman (Richard Schiff) and Debbie (Schiff’s real-life wife Sheila Kelley) went to city hall the first time, Shaun (Freddie Highmore) made him realize that he still did not know everything about the woman he was about to marry. While they waited to get married, Glassman became nervous and suddenly left.
Later, Debbie confronted Glassman about this, reminding him that they have different styles when it comes to making decisions. He likes to examine things from every angle, and she prefers to dive right in. He agreed, but Debbie insisted they were still good for each other.
This surprisingly inspired Glassman to ask Shaun for some advice, which shocked even Shaun. At first, Shaun teased that he had no advice for the situation, but then told him he has already made up his mind. Earleir in their conversation, Glassman referred to his ex-wife as his “first wife,” which insinuated he was planning to marry again.
At the end of the episode, Glassman and Debbie arrived at the courthouse dressed up this time. Shaun and Dr. Carly Lever (Jaskica Nicole) joined them. The couple went through with the wedding in the episode-ending montage.
Elsewhere in the episode, Shaun and Carly’s relationship took another turn. The two had not held hands yet, which Glassman found odd. But the couple has been moving at their own pace. They later met up to watch a movie together, and Shaun started the night by explaining that holding hands makes him uncomfortable.
Carly explained the importance of holding hands, that it is a sign of support. Shaun said he could say all that verbally, but Carly told him it still would not mean as much as holding hands. Carly told him not holding hands would make her feel “separate” from him, so Shaun tried it out. They held hands for a moment before Shaun let go. Carly said it was all right for a moment, and they went on to watch television.
During Glassman’s wedding, Carly and Shaun moved their hands about as close together as they could be without touching.
Meanwhile, Dr. Claire Brown (Antonia Thomas) got some closure after the death of her mother in last week’s episode. She spent the hour working on the case of a woman who could not feel pain with Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann). Claire was not her usual self, but refused to open up to Morgan. She finally did, revealing she had her mother’s ashes in her car. Morgan suggested they spread her ashes, which they did, as Claire sang “Amazing Grace.”
On the bus ride home, Claire left Morgan’s side to go to a bar. She was picked up by a man, and they had sex in an alley. Claire did not look happy about her actions.
In next week’s episode, Shaun is given his first chance to lead a surgery himself.
