For several reasons, The Good Doctor’s long-anticipated series finale wrapped the series up perfectly. The Freddie Highmore-led series changed the television landscape for autistic characters by depicting autism differently. The Good Doctor was confirmed as ending after season 7, leading to speculation about how it would wrap up. The Good Doctor season 7 trailer promised heartbreaking final episodes, and the series made good on that promise. Halfway through the final season, medical resident Asher Wolke was murdered in a hate crime, and several episodes were devoted to the characters’ grief over his passing. Dr. Glassman also revealed in the penultimate episode that his brain cancer had returned and was terminal, setting up an emotional final storyline.
Ending The Good Doctor with this heavy storyline was risky, as it could have led to a depressing series finale that left those fans who stuck with the series to the end with a negative final impression, as a segment of the fanbase feels happened with House, which was created and produced by the same people. However, The Good Doctor handled this and other storylines sensitively in preparation for an inspiring and upbeat ending. Here is a list of seven reasons that The Good Doctor’s emotional finale wrapped the show up perfectly.
Shaun’s Grief On The Good Doctor Was Handled Beautifully
Shaun Went Through All The Stages of Grief As Glassman Prepared to Say Goodbye
The Good Doctor learned from the mistake it made during “Frontline,” which depicted the beginning of the COVID pandemic in such realistic and graphic detail that a segment of the fanbase was too uncomfortable to watch the entire episode. Cancer stories are even harder to depict sensitively because the end stages of the disease are horribly painful. However, The Good Doctor did not include any on-screen depictions of Glassman’s final days. Instead, the series wisely focused on Shaun’s difficulties in accepting Glassman’s terminal prognosis.
Morgan’s Goodbye Scene With Glassman Humanized Her
Morgan Wasn’t Always Sympathetic, But She Acknowledged An Important Moment
Morgan’s goodbye with Glassman was one of the most emotional moments of the series finale. Glassman offered Morgan any of his possessions, but she simply asked for a paper clip. This odd choice turned out to be symbolic of her memory of how Glassman had helped her when she was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and he helped her feel less overwhelmed.
Shaun and Glassman’s Relationship Ended on a Positive Note
The Two Had Often Butted Heads, Including Over Glassman’s Cancer Decisions
Shaun and Glassman had a major rift during The Good Doctor season 6 that took a long time to resolve. Shaun’s concerns about Glassman’s health led to the discovery that Glassman had mini-strokes that made it impossible for him to continue performing surgery. That rift had finally been healed after baby Steve’s birth, but Shaun’s anger at Glassman for not pursuing cancer treatment threatened to tear it wide open again.
Claire Had Her Happy Ending
Allowing Her to Survive And Thrive Prevented The Finale From Becoming Depressing
Claire’s season 7 return to The Good Doctor led to speculation that the character would die at the end of the series, and the story appeared to be going in that direction. Claire developed a serious infection after her lumpectomy that was resistant to antibiotics and threatened to kill her, and her storyline drew an interesting parallel with Glassman’s. Shaun refused to say goodbye to her before she went into a medically-induced coma that she might not survive, and later Lim was determined to find a solution that didn’t involve amputating her arm, even though that was Claire’s best option.
The Good Doctor’s Jump Into The Future Showed Shaun Coming Full Circle
Shaun Not Only Honored Glassman’s Memory But Was Successful In All The Ways That Mattered
The time jump at the end of The Good Doctor was everything the finale needed for a perfect wrap-up. Immediately after Glassman saved Claire, the series jumped ahead 10 years to Shaun giving a TED Talk in which he introduced the Neurodiversity in Medicine Foundation and explained the positive influence Glassman had on his life that he wanted to pay forward. This tribute to Glassman reinforced the series’ focus on supporting and accepting autistic people and allowing them to reach their potential.
Even The Good Doctor’s Minor Characters Got Happy Endings
The Flash Forward Showed Jerome and Perez’s Futures
The time jump included glimpses into everybody’s futures. The major characters all had happy endings, not counting Glassman’s inevitable death, but The Good Doctor didn’t stop there. It also took the time to acknowledge some more minor characters as it wrapped up everybody’s stories. There were two moments that were particularly poignant.
Shaun Naming His Daughter After Maddie Was a Poignant Moment During the Wrap-Up
The Name Honored Shaun’s Relationship With Glassman In a Touching Way
The flash-forward revealed that Shaun and Lea had a second baby, a little girl. Although the child was unnamed during the episode, showrunners for The Good Doctor confirmed their daughter was named after Maddie, Glassman’s late daughter. Maddie had died of a drug overdose shortly before a teenage Shaun met Glassman, and Glassman became a surrogate father to Shaun partially because of his grief.
