The Good Doctor star Freddie Highmore has broken down the show’s emotional series finale.
The ABC medical drama came to end after seven seasons last night (May 21), bidding farewell to Dr Shaun Murphy (Highmore) and his colleagues at St Bonaventure Hospital.
The emotional finale saw the devastating death of Shaun’s longtime mentor and good friend Dr Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), before flash-forwarding several years to reveal that Shaun is now chief of surgery at the hospital and runs the Dr Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity in Medicine with Claire (Antonia Thomas).
Surrounded by his friends, his wife Lea (Paige Spara) and his two children, Shaun gives a TED Talk about his journey and how Glassman is the man who made it all possible.
“I wanted to help people, and save lives, and I wanted to make a lot of money so I could buy a television” he says. “But because of Dr Glassman, I have much more than that: I have many friends, I have a family… and I have two televisions.”
Discussing the finale with TVLine, Highmore explained how Shaun had always “prioritised the medicine” because this is “what he needed to overcome the challenges that he has faced”.
“For him to realise that he has gotten to a point in life where he is now surrounded by people who love him, who are there to support him, and who he cares so deeply about, it changes the way he sees his priorities in life,” he added.
“It shows just how far Shaun has come, and what it means to have unconditional love and share that with people.”
The actor continued: “Shaun has come to terms with Dr. Glassman [dying]. He has moved on, he is happy. He has his family, and he will be OK. I think that, for all of us on this show, the same is also true.
“There is a peacefulness in knowing that you have given everything and have done your very best, and I know that all of us feel that, and we are grateful for this opportunity. We also will be OK as we move to whatever is next.”
On what playing Shaun has taught him over the years, Highmore shared: “I feel like where Shaun and I have probably always been aligned, just in slightly different ways, is how Shaun cares so much about the medicine, and doing everything he can to save patients.
“And I feel like, collectively, on The Good Doctor, one of the things that has made it so special is that everyone on it has had that same attitude of wanting every scene to be as good as it can possibly be, and making the most of the opportunities that have come our way and being grateful for them.”
