TV Talk Tuesday: Premieres

The Good Doctor - ABC, Mondays @10pm

*Premiere Date- September 25th, 2017

Last week, the premiere of The Good Doctor aired on ABC, and if you remember from my first couple of blogs. I listed this show as one of my most anticipated shows of the 2017-2018 Fall season. There were many reasons why this show made that list, and here are those reasons why.

Ever since I took a Disability Awareness class in my last semester of college, I have become more aware of the different mental and physical disabilities that have been a part of some people's lives. So, when I found out that there was going to be a show, which discusses Autism at the forefront of the show, I was really excited. I know a few movies that have touched upon this disability, but not many TV shows. While there were certain things about the premiere that I thought were done really well, there were many issues I had with it. Because of that, I'm not sure if I'll be continuing to watch this show, but I still want to give it a chance. So, I'll watch tonight's episode, and see if anything will change my mind.

Standout: Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy

I was extremely impressed with Freddie Highmore's acting as Dr. Shaun Murphy. His character is a young Autistic individual, who joins the surgical team at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. One aspect I really enjoyed about Freddie Highmore's acting, was that he didn't let the disability of Autism over take him. If you aren't aware of what Autism is, then you really couldn't tell that he was an Autistic individual. But, if you were aware and had knowledge on the disability, by certain clues, you could see that Dr. Shaun Murphy is an Autistic individual.

"Autism refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences."

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

-At the San Jose airport, you could tell that Dr. Shaun Murphy was becoming overwhelmed with everything that was happening around him. From all the sounds, to the people who were fixing a sign that ended up hitting and badly injuring a bystander. While everybody else was going about their days, Dr. Shaun Murphy had to stop and take a moment, as his senses were getting overwhelmed. It's called sensory-overload, and when this happens usually an Autistic Individual will start to do something to calm their senses.

-For Dr. Shaun Murphy, whenever he was experiencing sensory-overload, he would take out his plastic scalpel and rub it with his fingers. We found out that this plastic scalpel was given to him as a present, by his brother, who passed away at a very young.

-Another small sign that led you to believe, that Shaun Murphy might have Autism. Was the fact that he made little eye contact with anyone, and his speech was very calculated. Usually Autistic Individuals are challenged by their social skills.

Other than those signs, you really couldn't tell that Dr. Shaun Murphy was an Autistic Individual. And that's mainly due to Freddie Highmore's acting.

Issues:

There were a few issues I had with this show, that really stood out to me. So much so, that it's making me have a difficult decision, of whether or not I will be continuing to watch the show. That major reason, being when the board of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, wasn't going to hire him because he "suffered" from Autism. Mainly, because they believed that his challenges were going to affect his ability to perform the duties of being a doctor. But it was clear from his medical education, that Dr. Shaun Murphy, would be able to perform the necessary duties no problem. Dr. Shaun Murphy also has Savant Syndrome, which is a "condition where one or more profound and prodigious capacities or abilities far in excess of what would be considered normal" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome

Basically meaning, that he demonstrates exceptional skills and brilliance in certain areas, such as medical practice. But the board of the hospital, still believed that because he is an Autistic Individual, that Dr. Shaun Murphy wouldn't be able to succeed as a doctor. The Doctor who hired Shaun, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), basically gave the reasons I just listed, to prove that Dr. Shaun Murphy was an exceptional doctor who could help out this team. The board, still didn't think so, until Dr. Shaun Murphy helped save a boy, because of something he saw that the other doctors didn't.

What really bothered me, a part from the fact that the hospital wouldn't just hire Shaun because of his exceptional skills and education. Was that they ultimately ended up hiring him, because they felt sorry for him. One of the board members, asked Shaun, why he wanted to be a doctor. He told them of his childhood story; how he lived with an abusive father, who killed his bunny, and how he ran away with his brother after the abuse. He then told them how his brother died from falling off a train, when they were simply having fun with friends. He realized that he wanted to do what he couldn't do as a young boy, and that was to save people. Then the board hired him, which really bothered me. Because all I kept asking is, why couldn't they just hire him based on his credentials, like anyone else? Instead, they hired him because they felt sorry for him, at least that's how I saw it.

Because of this issues that really bothered me, I am not sure if I'll continue with the show. As I said earlier, I will give it another shot, and keep you guys updated on what I decided to do! I'm really hoping that this show turns out to be good, because I think it is such an important show to have in the media right now.

This Is Us, Season Two Premiere - NBC, Tuesdays @9pm

*Premiere Date, September 26th, 2017

This Is Us made a huge impact on not only me, but to millions of other viewers as well, when it graced our screens last year. It easily became on of my favorite shows, possibly even ever. And last Tuesday's season 2 premiere, certainly did not disappoint.

We basically continued on where we left off from last season, starting off on the Pearson's birthdays. Which is how they started off the premiere of season one!

Kevin is working in L.A. on a movie, while Sophie is still in New York taking care of her mom. The couple seems to be on good terms, even though Sophie is struggling with taking care of her sick mom.

Kate is working on her singing, having an audition to be the lead singer of a band. She goes to the audition, but is overwhelmed and scared that she doesn't look the part. She doesn't tell Toby about not going through with the audition, but tells Kevin. Toby is upset by this, especially when he feels like Kevin is disrupting their relationship. They all have an argument at their birthday dinner, but Kate hates the way Toby and Kevin are handling this situation. She basically tells them that she doesn't need a man to help her, and that she can deal with things on her own terms. She realizes that not doing the audition was a mistake, and goes back to the audition location. She sings in front of the band's manager, listens to a few seconds of her singing, and lets her go. Kate is upset by this, because she feels like he didn't give her a chance, because of what she looked like. But then the manager lets Kate know that it has nothing to do with what she looks, but simply because she doesn't have the range or control they need for a lead singer. So she takes the critique and decides to work on it.

Randall really wants to adopt a newborn, just like what his parents did with him. Beth struggles with this, and Randall has no idea why. Almost blowing up into a fight at the adoption agency. After visiting his mom, Rebecca, Randall asks Beth why she doesn't want to adopt. She lets him know that she does want to adopt. But she doesn't want to adopt a newborn, she wants to adopt someone who can get that chance of living a better livelihood. As Beth is telling Randall what she thinks they should do, they are at a park of some sort, where a young kid is hanging out with the wrong crowd. He is probably no older than 12 years old, and is being peer pressured to drink. She wants to give a kid like that a better home.

Throughout the show, we get more flashbacks of Jack and Rebecca. This is shortly after the incident at the club Rebecca was singing at. The event clearly effected Jack and Rebecca's relationship, and they decide that they need a break. So Jack goes to live with Miguel, temporarily. They let their kids know of the situation, and the siblings are not happy about it. By the end of the episode, we are given more clues of Jack's death. We see Rebecca Pearson driving back home, with a plastic bag full of Jack's things. She drives to what looks like is there house, which has been burnt up into flames. She looks towards the house and sobs in her car, both in anger and in sadness. We do not know what led up to the fire, or if it had anything to do with Jack's death. But, we do know that there could be a relation to the fire and Jack's death.

I was curious as to how the producers and writers were going to start this season, and I was certainly not disappointed. I loved how they started it off with William, reading from his poems to Randall. I mean it was clear their intentions were to make us cry, as if we didn't cry enough in the finale of season one. They did a good job, of giving us the main story-line of what this season is going to follow. With that being said, this is definitely not going to be a predictable season. While there are going to be major themes and story-lines throughout this season, you know that they are still going to keep us on the edge of our seat. Especially, when it comes to Jack's death. I am extremely excited for this season of This Is Us, and can't wait to see what lies ahead! If you have not watched This Is Us yet, I would highly recommend that you do, because you are missing out on some great television!

I hope you enjoyed this blog, which recapped the premieres of The Good Doctor and This Is Us. I will definitely keep you guys updated about The Good Doctor, and will also be doing a mid-season recap of This Is Us. So, keep an eye out for that! Once again, thank you for reading!

TTFN,

Chynna Williams at The CW Torch!