There is nothing more frustrating than a television series being canceled without notice, leaving audiences with a cliffhanger ending. Dramas such as Hannibal, A League of Their Own, and Quantum Leap have all ended with no conclusion in sight. That’s why it can be so satisfying for shows to end on their own terms. When it was announced that ABC’s The Good Doctor would be hanging up its stethoscope at the end of Season 7, viewers were worried that perhaps the writers wouldn’t be able to tie up all the loose ends of the story. Luckily, the writing team devised a way to achieve a rewarding completion for the entire series.
For seven seasons, The Good Doctor narrated the journey of Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), a young surgeon with autism and Savant syndrome. Each season follows Shaun as he becomes a more capable doctor and learns to open himself up to friendships and a romantic relationship with his girlfriend, and then wife, Lea (Paige Spara). Viewers are treated to in-depth storylines and intriguing medical mysteries that Shaun and the other doctors must solve in each episode. There are plenty of heart-wrenching conflicts and life-or-death situations, but also a hopeful tone, as the adventures unfold for those working at St. Bonaventure Hospital. With the series finally concluded, how does the story wrap up for everyone in The Good Doctor’s Season 7 finale?
‘The Good Doctor’ Seemed Set for a Heartbreaking Series Finale
There has always been a great deal of tragedy for the characters of The Good Doctor, but Season 7 is even more distressing. One event in Episode 5 seemed as though it would be extra hard to recover from when the beloved character Dr. Asher Wolke (Noah Galvin) was brutally murdered in a hate crime. His death has plenty of long-lasting effects on his friends, including his devastated partner, Jerome (Giacomo Baessato), and his best friend, Dr. Jordan Allen (Bria Henderson). But there turned out to be glimpses of hope in the second half of the season, when the characters try to honor Asher’s memory by continuing to save lives.
Just when viewers thought the end of the season might turn out to be uplifting after all, the rug was pulled out from under everyone. In the penultimate episode, Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas) returns from Guatemala with a breast cancer diagnosis, while Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) reveals to Shaun that his cancer is back, and it’s terminal this time. This double-whammy appeared to mean that the final episode would be full of bad fortune. These two people mean the most to Shaun and his personal journey. Even with Lea and their baby by his side, how could he survive losing both Glassman and Claire?
The Series Finale of ‘The Good Doctor’ Ties Up All Loose Ends
Somehow, The Good Doctor writers manage to cover every storyline in the finale. Shaun struggles to accept Glassman’s diagnosis, but finally, after Lea encourages him to make the most of the remaining time with his mentor/father figure, he is able to come to terms with Glassman’s eventual demise. The episode also follows the team’s quest to save Claire from an infection that quickly spreads and threatens her life. The doctors are forced to make the difficult decision to amputate one of Claire’s arms while she’s in a coma fighting off the infection. After they discover an experimental treatment that will work to cure her, Shaun and his protégée, medical student Charlie (Kayla Cromer), are shut down by the FDA. Shaun is willing to give Claire the treatment (even if it risks his future as a physician), but because Glassman is dying and doesn’t have to worry about keeping his medical license, the senior doctor decides to give Claire the life-saving treatment himself.
Then, the episode flashes forward 10 years. A somewhat older-looking Shaun, now the current Chief of Surgery at the hospital, is standing before an audience, giving a TED Talk. Behind him is a screen with a scrolling list of the names of every patient he has saved over the years. He talks about what he has learned as a physician, and finally, the list stops with Claire’s name. It is only then that the audience realizes that Claire survived her illness; she is sitting in the audience alongside Dr. Jared Kulu (Chuku Modu), with a young girl on her lap. Claire and Jared have created a beautiful family, which is a lovely ending to the story of their reunion in Season 7. The scene also flashes to other characters, including Dr. Audrey Lim (Christina Chang), who has taken on a role with a Doctors Without Borders type of organization, and Jordan, who has reconnected with her love, Danny Perez (Brandon Larracuente). Dr. Alex Park (Will Yun Lee) and Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) have officially adopted baby Eden, and med student Dominick (Wavyy Jonez) has started his own medical practice. Every important character earns a moment for the audience to see where the future has taken them.
Then, Shaun explains that he would not have attained hislevel of success if not for Glassman. Viewers see Shaun riding with Glassman on a merry-go-round which has significance to Glassman’s past, and then the scene cuts to Shaun riding alone, to signal that Glassman has indeed passed away. The next cut finds Shaun riding with Steve and a pregnant Lea, and then again with Shaun, Lea, and an older Steve as well as a daughter. Shaun’s family is now complete, but none of these loving relationships would have been possible without Glassman’s love and guidance and his ability to see what Shaun could grow into. Shaun ends his talk by speaking about the foundation he and Claire have co-founded: the Dr. Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity in Medicine, a touching way to honor the man who believed in him most. Shaun reflects on Glassman’s impact, saying, “He taught me that when you touch one life, you don’t just touch one life. You touch every life that life touches.”
Although the last season of The Good Doctor was supposed to be 15 episodes, it was downsized to only 10 because of the strikes. Despite this obstacle, the series offers a gratifying conclusion for each character and allows a sneak peek into where each of these characters has ended up. There is a lot of heartbreak in the final season, but the drama series ends on a hopeful note.
