Some 'The Good Doctor' Fans Are "Disappointed" by Claire's Confession to Her Therapist

From Good Housekeeping

  • The Good Doctor season 3 episode 18 aired on ABC on Monday.

  • At the end of the episode, Dr. Claire Browne told her therapist that she thinks she might be in love with her boss, Dr. Neil Melendez.

  • Many fans were excited by this development, but some took to Twitter to share how "upset" they were by it.


After weeks (or, as some might argue, seasons) of building romantic tension between doctors Neil Melendez and Claire Browne on The Good Doctor, things finally came to a head at the end of Monday night's episode when Claire told her therapist that she thinks she "might be in love" with her boss. Whoa.

For many fans, who've been shipping "Melendaire" (as the potential Melendez-Claire couple is known across the internet) for some time now, this was exactly the exciting development they've been waiting for. But not all fans of the show were thrilled to see that the writers were taking the surgical resident and her boss's storyline in this direction. Why? Because they're still harboring a love for Melendez's past relationship with St. Bonaventure Chief of Surgery Dr. Audrey Lim.

Photo credit: Jeff Weddell - ABC
Photo credit: Jeff Weddell - ABC

Melendez and Lim dated for much of season 2 and into season 3, before eventually breaking up in season 3 episode 8. They had been struggling to maintain professional objectivity while remaining in a romantic relationship, and ultimately, Lim decided it was best they call it quits.

The former couple hasn't given devastated fans any reason to believe they might get back together since then, and Melendez and Claire have only been growing closer in the aftermath. But still, "Limlendez" fans were quick to call out writers for what they believe to be a "disappointing" move.

"How can you put Lim in such a horrible and humiliating situation?! It's unbelievable," another fan tweeted. "They gave us Limlendez and now they take it out like nothing," lamented a third.

We get it. It can be hard to find out your favorite TV couple is done for good! But as of right now, we can't even be 100% certain that Melendez has the same feelings for Claire that she has for him ... or that he would be willing to try dating her after all the complications he experienced while dating his boss, Dr. Lim.

All fans can do is tune in to the two remaining episodes of season 3 to see what happens next for "Melendaire," if anything, and then hold tight 'til season 4 returns in the fall.


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