After the shocking death of Dr. Asher Wolke (Noah Galvin) and a mass casualty event that nearly brought St. Bonaventure to its knees, it’d be fair to call this week’s episode of The Good Doctor “tame” by comparison. But tucked into the hour was a hint of tragedy to come, and it involved Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff).
His storyline kicked off with him calling another office to check on the status of some images. Although he didn’t say what the images were of, viewers of the show are trained by now to associate “Glassman + scans” with the doctor’s brain. He’s had a glioblastoma, scar tissue, a lesion. And while he’s always managed to beat the odds (if not without great professional sacrifice), the timing of this mysterious development is concerning. If these images do involve Dr. Glassman’s brain, with just three episodes left in the series, how can he both discover and resolve a serious health problem?
To be fair, the images might have nothing to do with Glassman’s brain (or Glassman) at all. Maybe they involve a coworker or a patient, or Dr. Lim’s mother. But the rest of Glassman’s storyline this week, which saw him helping a young woman named Hannah who’s addicted to opioids, nodded to him grappling with his life’s greatest regret—that he wasn’t able to save his daughter, Maddie, who died of a drug overdose. With that in mind, it certainly seems like the writers might be developing a final, redemptive arc for the character.
By the end of the episode, Glassman was able to diagnose and treat the root of Hannah’s pain, which had otherwise been dismissed (hence her eventual addiction to oxycodone). But knowing she was still battling her addiction, he offered to spend time with her (something he did not do for his daughter) and agreed to sit with her and watch TV. That’s when he got a call back regarding the portentous images.
“…And they’re conclusive?” he said, having stepped out of the room. “Can you send them over? I’d like to take a look.”
With that, he returned to Hannah’s bedside.
So what does it all mean? ABC’s synopsis for Episode 9, which airs May 14, confirms that Hannah (played by Schiff’s real-life daughter Ruby Kelley) will continue to factor into Glassman’s storyline. (“Dr. Glassman struggles to manage Hannah, who remains unresponsive to his attempts to help,” it reads.) But as for what that says about his character’s fate, and whether The Good Doctor will end with his death, is still anyone’s guess.
