‘The Good Doctor’ and Its Refreshing Take on Childbirth
In the early days of television, pregnancy was referred to in sugarcoated euphemisms, with language dancing around it as much as possible — even the word “pregnant” was too much and was replaced by the much more sanitized “expecting.”
While 1947 sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny is believed to have been the first show to depict pregnancy and childbirth, that credit is often given to I Love Lucy, which wrote star Lucille Ball’s pregnancy into the show. But it is the success of I Love Lucy which helped pave the way for scenes of childbirth closer to reality. As noted in the Los Angeles Times:
“Other American sitcoms followed suit, sanitizing the process of bringing new life into the world while playing women’s physical discomfort and hormonal disruptions for laughs. The typical journey went something like this: the expectant mom ate pickles and ice cream for nine months, perhaps dragging her reluctant husband to Lamaze class, until her water broke in dramatic fashion, she pushed a few times and delivered a perfectly clean, enormous newborn.”
We haven’t come that far since then, really. Most of us understand few things in life play out as they do on TV, but nothing compares to childbirth. The only other life event derailed as often, dramatically, and unrealistically is weddings.
Childbirth on TV is often the same, no matter the genre. The mother’s water breaks suddenly, often at the most inconvenient time. She, or more likely, her partner, meticulously times contractions. Inexplicably, she has no pain relief, aside from exaggerated lamaze breathing, most likely coached by the baby’s father — no epidural, no drugs, nothing. She screams at her partner and blames him for the situation. Labor is fairly quick, as opposed to the hours-, even days-long ordeal it can be. There’s some sort of interruption early on, like a mishap that prevents the father from arriving on time, but he makes it when it matters most, just as the baby is about to be born, and assures his tired, struggling partner she can do this and is doing great. And if you’ve given birth or have been present when it happens, you can’t help yourself — you’ll comment on how quickly it’s over, how large and clean the baby is.
It’s understandable — birth is a major, life-changing event, one that can come with huge risks and complications, and it’s easy to make it more dramatic by adding the simplest mishap. It plays out that way so often, it’s practically a trope in itself.
And so The Good Doctor’s Season 6 finale, aptly titled “Love’s Labor,” was refreshing in its slightly different approach, with a wonderful, at times funny sendup of how childbirth often plays out on TV.
The episode still uses some familiar tropes. While his wife, Lea, is in labor, brilliant surgeon Shaun is asked to perform major, life-changing surgery on a little girl, and despite his hesitation, Lea urges him to go, placing the needs of the patient above herself. “I should be here with you to give you ice chips and hold your hand and talk about the future,” he tells her, and we learn he’s been watching movies for guidance. It’s great framing, in line with his character while also acknowledging the ways fiction depicts childbirth. It’s also a good opportunity to throw in him the clichéd, overused line, “Don’t have this baby without me!” in a way that feels natural and is actually funny.
But it subverts some of the tropes, too. Although she’s excited and having contractions, Lea understands it’ll likely be hours before she’s even ready to push — something most shows either gloss over or exaggerate — and she’s frantically trying to finish up minor tasks like sending e-mails while she can. Meanwhile, the relationship between Shaun and his mentor and father figure, Glassman, is strained, and although Glassman sends a thoughtful gift, he still keeps his distance, refusing to make amends with Shaun at a crucial moment in his life, avoiding a sentimental and possibly cheesy apology scene.
Even when the episode doesn’t totally subvert tropes, it uses them well. Lea’s water breaks in Glassman’s office, and the scene manages to be an entertaining, lighthearted moment between the two characters. Rather than panicked, Lea is apologetic and insists she’ll call a janitor, and Glassman deadpans that the situation marks a first for his office.
And, of course, in the end, Lea and Shaun welcome a healthy baby — still a little too large, a little too clean — affectionately nicknamed “Peanut” but officially named after Shaun’s late brother, Steven.
The Good Doctor isn’t the only show to take a different approach to childbirth, of course. Some shows and movies aren’t shying away from realism, messiness and all — This Is Going to Hurt, for example, streaming on AMC+ and broadcast in the UK on the BBC, where the goal from the start was a more honest depiction of childbirth. But shows like this are still the exception, not the rule.
All things considered, whether “Love’s Labor” was leaning into scenes of childbirth we see all too often or putting its own spin on them, The Good Doctor’s approach to it was a welcome one, proving it’s an event which doesn’t have to be milked for every last ounce of drama it can provide. Instead, it can be presented for exactly what it is — a totally normal event that happens every day.
