The Good Doctor has been so beloved that the ABC drama was even made into a meme at one point. Ever since it premiered in 2017, we’ve watched autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) be there for as many patients as possible while going on his own personal journey. Shaun is one of the most unforgettable characters from a popular medical TV drama and the series finale gives him the opportunity to shine.
In The Good Doctor season 7, episode 10 called “Goodbye,” we got to see what happened to Shaun ten years in the future… and had to mourn the loss of a character we have become attached to since season 1. While we’re thankful The Good Doctor gave us a beautiful and proper series finale, we can’t help but debate whether a popular character needed to die.
How we got closure from The Good Doctor series finale
The saddest and most memorable part of The Good Doctor series finale was Dr. Aaron Glassman’s (Richard Schiff) death from glioblastoma. We’ve been on a long journey with Glassman since his season 1 cancer diagnosis. While he lived longer than he was supposed to, he said in an earlier The Good Doctor season 7 episode that he would die.
If The Good Doctor series finale found Shaun saving a random patient, it would have made for a solid enough but run-of-the-mill last episode. Instead, the drama gave us closure by having Shaun come to terms with the realities of life (namely, that people he cares about are going to die). He also saves his good friend Claire Brown (Antonia Thomas), who has breast cancer. The Good Doctor came full circle by showing that Shuan has many meaningful relationships in his life.
Glassman explains that he has three to six months to live. This is tough for Shaun to deal with, and at the beginning of the episode, Glassman says his “plan” is to be with loved ones before his tragic but unavoidable passing. (Yes, we’re tearing up even just thinking about this scene).
Shaun does his best to find a way that Glassman can live, and when he realizes that there is nothing he can do, he puts all his energy into making sure that Claire can live. David Shore, The Good Doctor creator, told Variety that it was key that the series finale wrapped up the dynamic between Shaun and Glassman. Shore said, “it’s very much a father-son relationship, and we were aware of that right from the beginning and we wanted to play that out to the end. The role of a father and handing that off, and getting your child ready for the world.”
On the one hand, we might say that Glassman didn’t need to pass away since he already survived cancer once before. He could still teach Shaun some corny but significant life lessons, right? But there’s also the argument that a series finale needs a big moment or it falls flat. For that reason, we can say that Glassman’s death was the right storytelling decision.
How does Glassman’s The Good Doctor death affect Shaun Murphy?
Shaun Murphy gives a TED talk at the end of The Good Doctor series finale, and shows an incredible amount of growth. The series flash-forwards ten years into the future and it’s emotional seeing where Shuan has ended up. Glassman taught him to follow his career and personal dreams. He and Claire run a foundation and Shaun is also the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital chief of surgery, which is an amazing accomplishment.
The series finale’s conclusion also shares that Shaun and Lea (Paige Spara) have two kids and welcomed a daughter after Glassman passed away. Shaun’s time with Glassman taught him that he can balance work and life and that he can find success on any path he chooses. (We’re crying again).
Glassman has loved Shaun and helped him become more confident, and it has been a life-changing experience. In one scene, Shaun explains that after Glassman is gone, he can lean on his family. He says, “I was okay because I had you, Dr. Glassman. On the day you go to heaven, I will have Lea. I will have little Steve.” Even though we never wanted to see Glassman go, his affect on Shaun made The Good Doctor series finale one of its best episodes.
