Spoilers ahead for the March 22 episode of The Good Doctor Season 4, called "Teeny Blue Eyes."
The Good Doctor dealt with the aftermath of the previous episode's big reveal that Lea is pregnant in a mature way that was both methodical and emotional, resulting in a big decision by Lea and Shaun that is bound to change everything. Despite both having reservations about the timing and their level of preparedness (or lack thereof, to be more specific) to the point that they made an appointment at a clinic to terminate the pregnancy, they ultimately decided to move forward and start a family together. But will they regret the decision, and/or how they made it?
On the one hand, they both put a lot of thought into whether or not they wanted to have a baby sooner rather than later when neither one of them was planning for this in any way other than a general wanting to have kids someday, so keeping the pregnancy wasn't a blind decision. They made their lists, and they each came to their own conclusion with neither pressuring the other, even if they finally voiced their conclusions at the last minute. They know the challenges that they're facing with their jobs and state of their relationship and both of their concerns about Shaun's ASD, and they made an informed decision.
On the other hand, they made that informed decision from a pretty emotional place, and understandably so. Moving forward despite the lack of planning and uncertainty about the timing feels right to them now, but I find myself wondering if they'll regret their decision to move forward the way that they are, once those challenges become very real and not hypothetical. That's not to say that they'll regret deciding to build a family and doubt their relationship, but everything is bound to get very real in the very near future, and the heat of the moment is bound to cool down sometime.
And that "sometime" may be coming sooner than anybody would like. The trailer for the next new episode, called "Spilled Milk" reveals that Shaun feels disconnected from Lea and the pregnancy, much to Lea's dismay. Take a look:
Shaun struggling to connect with Lea and the pregnancy at this point shouldn't necessarily be cause for alarm, even if it is upsetting for Lea. She's not visibly pregnant yet, and Shaun doesn't have the same physical connection that she does. As a surgeon, based on his comment in the trailer, he also may not be able to see the pregnancy as a child until birth.
Not "end of the world" complications for a pair of young people who weren't planning on this, but perhaps some that will make them second-guess their approach to their situation. Paige Spara, who plays Lea, teased to TVLine how they'll navigate the character's pregnancy:
In true Lea-and-Shaun form, we will be covering the experience true to the foundation of their relationship, which is [with] total honesty.
Paige Spara didn't exactly drop all the details about what's to come for Shaun and Lea now that Lea is pregnant, but it definitely sounds like an intriguing story for both characters. Find out what happens next for Shaun and Lea when The Good Doctor returns on Monday, March 29 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC with the next new episode.
"Spilled Milk" will also see Claire blindsided by her absentee father, as if she hasn't already had enough to deal with over the past season! At least the fictional St. Bonaventure has moved past COVID to remove that complication from the characters' lives.
