A season 7 storyline suggests that The Good Doctor might be planning another heartbreaking loss before the series wraps up. For the past seven years, the Freddie Highmore-led series featured autistic doctor Shaun Murphy dealing with professional and personal challenges, often with the help of his mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff). Shaun is now an attending physician and the final season has focused on his relationship with an autistic resident he must teach, but there may be some more serious stories on the horizon.
The Good Doctor season 7 trailer promised heartbreaking storylines as the series comes to its conclusion, and it has already made good on that promise with Asher’s shocking death. Asher is gone but not forgotten, and other characters continue to grieve profoundly over this senseless loss. However, recent events suggest that there is another heartbreaking loss to come, and it will have to happen quickly since The Good Doctor is ending after season 7.
Glassman’s History With Brain Cancer on The Good Doctor
It’s possible that Glassman again has brain cancer. His diagnosis was a large part of his storyline during The Good Doctor season 1. During that time, Glassman believed he was terminally ill and that nothing could change that fact. However, Shaun refused to accept Glassman’s prognosis and insisted on researching alternative treatments that might be effective. It was partially because of Shaun’s determination that Glassman eventually went into remission, but that was far from the end of cancer’s pernicious influence on his life.
Glassman spent much of The Good Doctor season 7 episode 7 attempting to chase down some lab results. It hasn’t been revealed yet what those lab tests were about, but it’s logical to assume that they were brain scans, given Glassman’s history. He not only beat brain cancer after his grim diagnosis, but also had meningitis while undergoing chemotherapy during season 2, followed by learning during season 6 that he had a series of mini-strokes that rendered him unable to do surgery. Someone with that history would want to get regular scans to ensure they stay ahead of future problems.
Why Glassman’s Focus on Secret Lab Tests Is Likely Bad News For Him
Glassman’s attempt to chase down test results was deliberately vague. He could have been trying to find out what happened to tests he had ordered for a patient, but this scenario is far less likely than Glassman calling his own doctor about an imaging study. Glassman worked with one patient throughout the episode, and her scans were already available. Lim made a point of telling Glassman to leave the patient’s images with her so she could analyze them. This seemed like a subtle clue that the images Glassman was ordering had nothing to do with his job.
Glassman’s reaction to learning the results pointed to the beginning of a new, heartbreaking storyline. He made a point of asking whoever was on the other end if they were sure about the results. Afterward, he returned to Hannah’s room and attempted to act as if nothing had happened, but seemed somewhat shaken and distracted. It’s possible that Glassman was heartbroken over another patient’s prognosis, but it’s unlikely that these phone calls would get attention throughout the episode if they were about a patient who had not yet appeared on-screen. With that in mind, it’s likely that Glassman received news about his own health that will come up again in later episodes.
Glassman’s death would leave Shaun heartbroken and make it difficult for him to keep moving forward, especially given the tension between Shaun and Glassman for most of season 6.
Glassman’s Death Would Lead To A Doubly Heartbreaking Series Finale
Asher’s death was upsetting, but Glassman’s would be doubly painful. He has been a significant part of Shaun’s life since before the first episode, having taken him in after the death of Shaun’s brother when Shaun was a young teenager trying to escape his abusive father. Glassman’s death would leave Shaun heartbroken and make it difficult for him to keep moving forward, especially given the tension between Shaun and Glassman for most of season 6.
The Good Doctor should end with Shaun coming full circle by becoming the mentor to Charlie that Glassman was to him. If Glassman dies, that could play into Shaun’s awareness that he has now taken over Glassman’s role in someone else’s life, making for a more powerful ending. Glassman’s history with brain cancer, coupled with the mysterious phone calls he made to the imaging lab, suggests that this might be exactly what happens as the series wraps up.
