Shaun Tells Lea He's in Love with Her - The Good Doctor

After getting some closure with Carly, Shaun (Freddie Highmore) musters the courage to tell Lea (Paige Spara) that he loves her and wants to be her boyfriend. But is that what Lea wants? From 'Autopsy,' season 3, episode 16 of The Good Doctor. Watch The Good Doctor MONDAY 10|9c on ABC, streaming, on demand, and Hulu.

[yamilaq]

That tear in Shaun's eye... God... Just give Freddie an Oscar or something

[tamarinddigges]

Freddie's acting is just so good it's insane. He seriously deserves more recognition for his gift

[narutonaruto]

And it was at this moment Shaun decided to open a motel with his mother.

[lukedaley]

It was really brave of Shaun to tell Lea how he feels about her.

[GirlyGamer]

My husband is autistic and I had these same thoughts when we first got together. There's nothing wrong with those thoughts. You think about how someone's disability will affect your life and if you are willing to face the worse case scenario. I decided I could. Lea seems unsure. I hope they actually have a dialogue about it because I think I would be really powerful.

[peterrodby]

That pause by Lea between " I love you too" and "but" is the longest ten seconds of Shaun's life.

[MsGiono]

I think she loves him too much that she's afraid to ruin their relationship.

[Sarnatuile]

As someone with autism, this hits incredibly hard. Mostly due to the realism. Lea's reasoning is completely fair and solid. It's also really pure and real.

I broke down crying because of the end when Shaun said ''is it because i have autism''. I feel this way a lot of the time.

[charlestoth]

I have Autism and when I told my girlfriend that I have it, she doesn't see me as an Autistic man. She sees the real me through my heart. And even though they're not dating, Shaun and Lea are like me and my girlfriend. This show means a lot to me and Shaun is my hero because what I learn from him, I use it in my daily life. I'm not a surgeon but I use what he learns to my life and it helps me become a better man. Thank you, ABC, for green lighting this masterpiece. Thank you, David Shore, for creating Shaun. And more importantly, thank you, Freddie Highmore, for perfecting his Autistic speech patterns and mannerisms.

[crowe]

Lea understands that she has her own issues and knowing how Shaun has a hard time handling his negative emotions, she didn't want to be the cause of him having breakdowns. I'm sure they'll be together someday but as of now, they both have a lot of growing to do and that's totally understandable.

[ArsArcanum]

She's scared. it's understandable. His autism will make their relationship a challenge and she doesn't know if it's worth jeopardizing their relationship.

[kellharris]

Takening on a relationship with someone who has a disability is a challenge. And lea herself has her issues. I totally understand. She was honest about her doubts for the relationship.

[samkpam]

Paige's acting is so underappreciated omg. And I'm pretty sure they both improvised most of this.

[Harry-bnmp]

As bad as I feel for Shaun, I completely understand her reasoning

[zellar]

Can’t help but think of “I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.”-Forrest Gump

[doodars]

It’s better that she was honest, rather than lying and going out with him out of pity.

[IBEtripz]

If she didnt express herself and then just jumped into a relationship and they had problems everyone would say “u knew he had autism why did u get in a relationship if u knew u couldnt handle it” this had to happen first

[dyronlackrage]

The moment she said "but" that was it.

[ignitetheinferno]

Lea's not rejecting him because of his autism. She had zero problems in the past with it. She has always treated him as a person.

What she _is_ doing is choosing to prioritize his happiness over what she wants.

That's what she was trying to tell Shawn. "I know you love me, I love you too. But you need someone who is stable and predictable. But I'm not her and you would eventually grow to resent and hate me for it."

This is one of those scenes that has awarded my faith in Lea.

[moninaong]

Paige did a great job on playing Lea, this scene broke me (of course first time seeing Lea cry) I hope she can spend more seasons on the show 💛