The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore and Paige Spara react to episode 16's Shaun and Lea moment
Note: This article contains spoilers for The Good Doctor, season 3 episode 16 'Autopsy', which aired in the US last night (February 24).
The Good Doctor's latest episode ended on a heartbreaking note as Dr Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) admitted his true feelings to Lea Dilallo (Paige Spara).
But Lea didn't react to Shaun asking if he could be her boyfriend in the way that he – or everyone watching – had hoped. In reply, Lea told him that she did love him, but she was "selfish", "needy", and a "a total mess", and added that she struggles with Shaun needing things "a certain way".
In a devastating moment, Shaun asked her if she didn't want to date him because he has autism, and Lea found herself unable to answer.
Related: The Good Doctor's fate has been confirmed after season 3
Freddie Highmore, the actor who plays Shaun, directed the episode, and he opened up about the moment to TVLine.
"It's always much more interesting to leave things unsaid, or leave things hinted at when one can, instead of being overly explicit. The last scene is an example of that," he told the publication.
"[Executive producer] David Shore is aware of that, and David Hoselton, the writer on this episode, [does] such a good job of making those emotional moments land without them feeling overwritten."
Speaking about the bombshell question that Shaun posed to Lea, the star added: "I think that Shaun has hit on a horrible truth that Lea has perhaps not thought about before this moment.
"Her lack of response… at least signals that there's something [to] what Shaun is saying."
Related: Freddie Highmore on autism representation in The Good Doctor: "I'm proud to be a part of it"
Meanwhile, Lea actress Paige Spara added that there are "other outside factors that are at play here" when it comes to her character's response to that question.
"Lea does love Shaun. Lea does have a bond with Shaun. That would be her person," she reflected.
"However, would she be the person for him? I can't be selfish in this moment and just say, 'I love you. Let's give this a shot'. There are so many other outside factors that are at play here, and… it's this uncomfortable reckoning of being responsible for someone else, not just under the umbrella of love, but in a different way for someone else's wellbeing.
"I think that hit her in that moment. That's why it's just so overwhelming [and] a bit confusing."
The Good Doctor season 3 airs on Mondays at 10/9c on ABC in the US. The show airs on Sky Witness and NOW TV in the UK.
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