Did You Catch 6 This in ‘The Good Doctor’ Premiere?
On Monday night, The Good Doctor returned to television with its highly anticipated second season. It has been six months since fans last saw Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), the gifted surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome, during the season 1 finale of ABC’s freshman medical drama. The first episode of season 2 picked up right where the finale left off, answering a lot of questions that left audiences reeling earlier this year. Here were the most important moments that you may have missed during the premiere.
1.Back in July, a producer from the show tweeted a photo of the script of the first episode. Much to fans’ surprise, the cover read “written by Freddie Highmore.” The official twitter account for The Good Doctor writers confirmed the news in another tweet: “It’s true! Freddie Highmore has written the first episode of season 2.” This means that not only did the actor who plays Shaun star in the premiere—he came up with the plot around his character, too.
2. Dr. Aaron Glassman is no longer the president of St. Bonaventure Hospital.
We learned that Shaun’s mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), has been diagnosed with brain cancer during the season 1 finale. That devastating personal news led to a crisis for Shaun’s career: he became distracted during surgery and made a near-fatal mistake on a patient.
Though his coworkers tried to cover up the error, the nominal good doctor lived up to his name and reported himself to Dr. Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper). Shaun’s decision put Glassman’s job at stake, since he promised that he would step down if Shaun proved to be “anything less than excellent.” The finale left both of their jobs in question, and that question was answered in the opening scene of the season 2 premiere. “The President will see you now,” a receptionist says to Shaun. He enters an office to have his performance review with the president of the hospital—and it’s Dr. Andrews.
3. Dr. Shaun Murphy still has a job—for now.
In Shaun’s review with Dr. Andrews, the former Chief of Surgery says that the young surgical resident “exceeded [his] expectations in terms of expertise and technical execution, but his communication skills are sorely lacking.” Despite that initial promising compliment, Dr. Andrews tells Shaun that he needs to change if he wants to remain at St. Bonaventure Hospital.
4. A new hospital staff member is scrubbing in.
House fans, rejoice! Lisa Edelstein has joined the team of another medical drama: The actress will have a recurring role on season 2 of The Good Doctor as a potentially controversial character. She was introduced in the premiere as Dr. Blaize, an expert oncologist who returned to the hospital at the request of Dr. Glassman after a brief suspension. Though she will be his primary doctor helping him through his cancer battle, the two seem to bump heads.
5. One of the surgical residents left.
After much speculation about the future of actor Chuku Modu on the ABC series, his character, Jared, was written out of the show. Following an incident at the hospital that almost cost Jared his job, he became somewhat of a liability in the eyes of his managers. Unable to mend his relationships with the rest of the hospital staff, Jared accepted a job in Denver. The premiere showed his final day working at St. Bonaventure, which he spent with Shaun, highlighting how far their friendship has come. The final scene also tied up the loose ends of his relationship with Claire as they exchanged a tearful, final goodbye.
6. Shaun’s love interest is back.
ABC confirmed earlier this year that Paige Spara was joining the cast of The Good Doctor as a season regular, so it’s no surprise that her character Lea appeared back in Shaun’s life. Still, the reasons behind her return remain shrouded in mystery, as she suddenly showed up on on his doorstep unannounced. With the loss of Jared and the struggle of Dr. Glassman’s illness, Shaun needs a close friend more than ever—but will Lea stick around this time?
