Summary
For several reasons,The Good Doctor’s long-anticipated series finale wrapped the series up perfectly. The Freddie Highmore-led series changed the television landscape for autistic characters by depicting autism differently.The Good Doctorwas confirmed as ending after season 7, leading to speculation about how it would wrap up.The Good Doctorseason 7 trailerpromised heartbreaking final episodes, and the series made good on that promise. Halfway through the final season, medical resident Asher Wolke was murdered in a hate crime, and several episodes were devoted to the characters' grief over his passing.Dr. Glassman also revealed in the penultimate episode that his brain cancer had returned and was terminal, setting up an emotional final storyline.
EndingThe Good Doctorwith this heavy storyline was risky, as it could have led to a depressing series finale that left those fans who stuck with the series to the end with a negative final impression, as a segment of the fanbase feels happened withHouse,which was created and produced by the same people. However,The Good Doctorhandled this and other storylines sensitively in preparation for an inspiring and upbeat ending. Here is a list of seven reasons thatThe Good Doctor’semotional finale wrapped the show up perfectly.
“Who at Peace”
7Shaun’s Grief On The Good Doctor Was Handled Beautifully
Shaun Went Through All The Stages of Grief As Glassman Prepared to Say Goodbye
The Good Doctorlearned from the mistake it made during “Frontline,” which depicted the beginning of the COVID pandemic in such realistic and graphic detailthat a segment of the fanbase was too uncomfortable to watch the entire episode. Cancer stories are even harder to depict sensitively because the end stages of the disease are horribly painful. However,The Good Doctordid not include any on-screen depictions of Glassman’s final days. Instead, the series wisely focused on Shaun’s difficulties in accepting Glassman’s terminal prognosis.
This focus allowed Shaun to go through all the stages of grief and to ultimately be able to honor what Glassman meant to him and to the world. Shaun refused to accept that no treatment could prolong Glassman’s life and lashed out in anger that Glassman wouldn’t accept experimental treatment, but eventually forgave Glassman for surrendering to his disease andhonored his memory by creating the Neurodiversity in Medicine Foundation.This grief mirrored what a segment of the audience was feeling as it became increasingly clear that there would be no miracle cure during the wrap-up.
6Morgan’s Goodbye Scene With Glassman Humanized Her
Morgan Wasn’t Always Sympathetic, But She Acknowledged An Important Moment
Morgan’s goodbye with Glassman was one of the most emotional moments of the series finale. Glassman offered Morgan any of his possessions, but she simply asked for a paper clip. This odd choice turned out tobe symbolic of her memory of how Glassman had helped her when she was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritisand he helped her feel less overwhelmed.
This poignant moment was perfect for multiple reasons. Morgan’s rheumatoid arthritis storyline was one of her best stories in earlier seasons, as her condition forced her to give up surgery. Bringing the memory up now reinforced the ideathat Glassman touched everyone’s lives at the hospitaland was also a reminder of Morgan’s more human side. Morgan often comes across as sarcastic and selfish, but allowing her to show more vulnerability left a more positive impression and was a strong set-up for her happy scene with Park and their daughter in the flash-forward at the end of the episode.
5Shaun and Glassman’s Relationship Ended on a Positive Note
Shaun and Glassman had a major rift duringThe Good Doctorseason 6 that took a long time to resolve. Shaun’s concerns about Glassman’s health led to the discovery thatGlassman had mini-strokes that made it impossible for him to continue performing surgery. That rift had finally been healed after baby Steve’s birth, but Shaun’s anger at Glassman for not pursuing cancer treatment threatened to tear it wide open again.
Shaun refused to speak to Glassman because Glassman had chosen not to pursue further treatment, and it would have been terrible if he had kept that up until Glassman’s death. However, Shaun and Glassman not only made up, but resolved their relationship in a beautiful way before Glassman’s death. Glassman made one last sacrifice for Shaun when he treated Claire in defiance of the FDA decision and, in return, Shaun took Glassman to the carousel that Maddie had loved as part of spending their last days together,cementing their love for each other before Glassman passed away.
Allowing Her to Survive And Thrive Prevented The Finale From Becoming Depressing
Claire’s season 7 return toThe Good Doctorled to speculation that the character would die at the end of the series, and the story appeared to be going in that direction. Claire developed a serious infection after her lumpectomy that was resistant to antibiotics and threatened to kill her, andher storyline drew an interesting parallel with Glassman’s.Shaun refused to say goodbye to her before she went into a medically-induced coma that she might not survive, and later Lim was determined to find a solution that didn’t involve amputating her arm, even though that was Claire’s best option.
Freddie Highmore Gives Candid Reflection On The Good Doctor’s Emotional Ending: “That Felt Really Beautiful”
Freddie Highmore reflects on the surprising scene in the Good Doctor series finale that was one of his most meaningful moments to shoot.
When the FDA denied Claire’s treatment, it put Shaun in the position of either sacrificing his career by defying their orders andadministering the experimental virus anyway or allowing his best friend to die shortly before Glassman did. That would have been a bleak ending. Glassman making the sacrifice instead made perfect sense and allowed Claire to survive, butwhat made it perfect is that the time jump afterward showed that she and Jared had children together and she worked with Shaun on creating the Neurodiversity Foundation.
3The Good Doctor’s Jump Into The Future Showed Shaun Coming Full Circle
Shaun Not Only Honored Glassman’s Memory But Was Successful In All The Ways That Mattered
The time jump at the end ofThe Good Doctorwas everything the finale needed for a perfect wrap-up.Immediately after Glassman saved Claire, the series jumped ahead 10 years to Shaun giving a TED Talk in which he introduced the Neurodiversity in Medicine Foundation and explained the positive influence Glassman had on his life that he wanted to pay forward. This tribute to Glassman reinforced the series' focus on supporting and accepting autistic people and allowing them to reach their potential.
The flash-forward revealed that Shaun was now Chief of Surgery, completing the journey he had begun when he was a young resident eager to prove he could be a doctor despite others' skepticism about his autism. His final reflections that he had gotten everything he had wanted in life and owed a debt of gratitude to Glassman for his supportwas a beautiful affirmation not only of Shaun and Glassman’s relationship but of Shaun’s ability to achieve his dreams as an autistic person.
2Even The Good Doctor’s Minor Characters Got Happy Endings
The Flash Forward Showed Jerome and Perez’s Futures
The time jump included glimpses into everybody’s futures. The major characters all had happy endings, not counting Glassman’s inevitable death, butThe Good Doctordidn’t stop there.It also took the time to acknowledge some more minor charactersas it wrapped up everybody’s stories. There were two moments that were particularly poignant.
The time jump montage included a brief glimpse of Jerome, smiling and happy with another man. This suggested that Jerome had found new love after the heartbreak of Asher’s death. This was a relief because Jerome had been depressed and was finding it hard to continue working after Asher was killed. Additionally, Daniel Perez made a cameo appearance during the montage, dancing briefly with Jordan. Perez had left the hospital to ensure his sobriety, and he and Jordan were finding a long-distance relationship difficult. It was heartwarming to know that they ended up together at the end,especially since Jared and Claire reconciled, leaving no hope of a relationship between Jared and Jordan.
Finally, Dom was shown working in a clinic. The moment demonstrated that he had found his footing as a doctor despite his emetophobia and tendency to faint at the slight of blood. This glimpse of Dom’s future also reinforced the theme of people being able to succeed in the medical field despite mental health conditions.
These nods to minor characters' happiness alsoreflectedThe Good Doctor’score message that everyone has value, no matter who they are. The series could have easily left minor characters out of the wrap-up and focused only on the major characters' futures. Thus, their inclusion reinforced the idea of treating all people as important no matter who they were.
1Shaun Naming His Daughter After Maddie Was a Poignant Moment During the Wrap-Up
The Name Honored Shaun’s Relationship With Glassman In a Touching Way
The flash-forward revealed that Shaun and Lea had a second baby, a little girl. Although the child was unnamed during the episode, showrunners forThe Good Doctorconfirmed their daughter was named after Maddie, Glassman’s late daughter. Maddie had died of a drug overdose shortly before a teenage Shaun met Glassman, and Glassman became a surrogate father to Shaun partially because of his grief.
Glassman hallucinated that Maddie was there and worked through his grief with her while getting chemotherapy duringThe Good Doctorseason 2.
The obvious explanation for this decision at the end ofThe Good Doctoris that Shaun wants Glassman’s memory to live on. His son’s middle name is after Glassman, so it makes sense that his daughter would be named after Glassman’s daughter. However,there is also a deeper, more poignant meaning to this decision. Shaun naming his daughter after Maddie cements the idea that she was Shaun’s late sister who he never met. Additionally, Glassman’s deepest pain was his daughter’s death, so giving her name to Shaun’s daughter allows her to live on, as Glassman yearned so deeply for.
The Good Doctor
Cast
The Good Doctor is a medical drama television series that tells the story of Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon who has autism, as he navigates his career and personal life at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Freddie Highmore plays the title role. The series premiered in 2017 on ABC.
