How The Good Doctor Set the Stage for a Potentially Tragic Series Finale
The Good Doctor‘s penultimate hour pulls the ultimate bait and switch. Or, at least it seems like the ultimate bait and switch until the episode draws to a distressing close.
Claire is a sight for sore eyes when she arrives at Shaun’s doorstep. Seriously, Antonia Thomas has been sincerely missed since she left the show. But not a minute into holding Baby Steve, Shaun reveals the reason why Dr. Browne has returned from Guatemala: She has a lump in her breast, which is first thought to be benign, but is later found to be cancer.
After back-to-back surgeries, Claire is given good news: The tumor has been removed, and she’ll only require hormone therapy. What’s more, she’s rekindled her Season 1 romance with Dr. Jared Kalu. But following Morgan and Park’s impromptu wedding, Claire runs a fever and passes out. Jared picks her up, gets her in an Uber, and tells the driver to get to St. Bonaventure as quickly as possible. There’s something seriously wrong with Dr. Browne.
That said, we can’t imagine The Good Doctor will kill Claire. Not when Dr. Glassman is living on borrowed time….
Shaun is ready to tell Dr. Lim that Glassy has been letting Hannah live with him while he provides her with opioids — that is, until the two most important women in Dr. Murphy’s life help him see the error of his ways. First is his wife Lea, who helps him see that Glassman is breaking the law for Hannah because he still lives with the guilt of kicking his daughter Maddie out of his home all those years ago, at which point she overdosed. Second is his best friend Claire, who still can’t help but wonder if her bi-polar, drug-addicted mother would still be alive if she’d just told Mom that she loved her unconditionally.
Shaun, in turn, returns home and sits with Glassman. He wraps his arm around him and listens — just listens — as a tearful Glassman cries and confesses that he doesn’t know what else he can do to help Hannah, who is still going out and buying drugs while crashing on his couch.
When Glassman goes for a walk, Shaun heads in and confronts Hannah. He tells her that Glassman never tried to fix him all those years ago; he just loved him unconditionally. Because of that love, Shaun flourished and exceeded all expectations.
“I am still different,” he tells Hannah. “I will always have autism. But now I am proud of that.
“You will always be an addict, even if you stop using drugs,” he continues. “But Dr. Glassman sees you can be more. Why can’t you?”
Shaun ultimately helps Hannah see the error of her ways, and helps her realize that Glassman is ready to love her unconditionally, as if she were his own daughter. She agrees to get help so long as she knows her new friend will always be there for her (gulp). Glassman, in turn, helps Hannah’s parents check her into rehab.
It is clear just how much this means to Glassman. After years of grieving Maddie, he is finally, to some extent, at peace. He also knows that Shaun will be OK without him. “You have grown a lot,” he tells him. “As a doctor, as a father, as a man.” Glassman then confides in Shaun what we’ve been fearing since he received that ominous phone call in Episode 7:
“My cancer is back,” he confirms. “It has progressed to a glioblastoma.”
Shaun tells Glassman that there are new and experimental treatments, but they’ll be of no use.“It’s terminal,” Glassman reveals. “I’m dying.”
What did you think of The Good Doctor Season 7, Episode 9: “Unconditional”? And what are your hopes for the series finale (airing Tuesday, May 21 at 10/9c on ABC)? Let us know in Comments.
It all feels a bit like the House finale with Glassman.
I definitely feel like they have packed way way too much into such a short season.
I am glad they got right to the point with everything this season, without any detours, without smoke and mirrors.
It’s sad to see the show end, it’s sad how it ended/will end for some characters, but this is life. A hospital is not a dream castle outside of reality and the people there aren’t magicians.
I need my dose of hope from my tv shows weekly, though, but I know I cannot always get what I want.
Agh, I knew we couldn’t just end things on a happy note, with that fun wedding celebration. I want to hope there’ll be a miracle with both Claire and Glassman, but yeah, I’m already bracing for a tragic end for one of them next week. Sigh.
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Indeed, though, it was nice to see Claire again, even if the circumstances weren’t all that happy. Always great to see her and Shaun have one of their heart-to-heart talks, and I liked the way she and Jared were reconnecting, too. I like that they seem to be on the same page in their lives, so if they wind up together, I’m good with that :).
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Also liked the way Shaun handled everything with Glassman and Hannah. And as noted above, Park and Morgan’s wedding was fun, too. I both can’t wait to see and am very nervous to see how this show will wrap things up next week. Whatever happens, I feel I might need to have some tissues on hand.
I know I’m going to need like a box! I have a feeling that I will postpone watching the finale because I’m sad that it’s ending but more because it’s going to be brutal to watch.
We already lost Asher which was cruel. And Shaun had so much loss in his life. And now he’s losing the only father that loved him unconditionally. Loved to see Claire back, but I wished for a happier reason. I wish we could end the series on a happier note.
Agree. I get it; life isn’t fair, isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, blah blah, but this season does seem to be forcing and rushing so much negativity down our throats. Sorry, but life isn’t THAT dramatic and morbid for most!
And now i’m glad i never went back to Good Doctor… It’s ironic. the s1 finale helped save my dad. I came home, he wasn’t speaking properly and after seeing S1 I called the ambulance. unfortunately dad also progressed to glioblastoma… I barely got through seeing him like that. To see it progress either too fast or for them to just milk it dramatically will be too much for me. Good luck to them but yeah I am out…
When I found out ABC cancelled the Good Dr I broke down sobbing. Greys boring Anatomy lives 15 plus seasons and you have made millions of fans miserable. Check the Facebook groups. Killing Dr Glassman in the finale is taking away the only real father Shaun had- Huge Bad idea! Why does this show hage to end on tragedy?
Actually we’re on season 20 and counting of greys. I only got through 3 seasons of good doctor before I got bored 🤷🏻♂️
Glassman dies.. Claire healed and lives to have her life with Dr. Thomas and be happy.
Dr.Glassman dies, Hannah is released from rehab and healed. Claire is healed and rekindled her relationship with Jared.
Why are they breaking out hearts so much on the way out??? (It was all I could do not to capital-letters shout.) I’m going to miss this show so much, but wow has these season been emotional!
Really? Why does Glassman have to die…what’s wrong with a happy ending?!? Come on…….
They killed off way too many people on this show.
Because they can never have happy endings on this show as I think the only time they did was season 5 when Shaun proposed to Lea but this show and also parenthood with max burkholder who now playing a completely diffrent role with Ted have showed what people with autism deal with on every day life and it’s because they hired experts and also girl meets world who I should’ve known it was smackle that had autism as I did the same things as her and that show showed that autism is both boys and girls
This last episode was a tear jerker already. My mouth dropped on everything bad that was happening. It’s very sad to let the show end. Excellent writing and series. Hate to see it go. Don’t know how I’m going to watch the finale episode without a box of Kleenex. Thank you actors and actresses, writers and wonderful crew for all your hard work. The show will be missed.
I’m still in awe of how much “Hannah” looks like her dad did when he was younger.
Sure hate to see The Good Doctor, go off air . One of the best shows on TV . We always lose the good ones .
Stopped watching when they killed nick g off. Almost left when Jared left. Thought abt coming back but they made Claire the agony person. I see nothing has changed. Also they gave Shaun EVERY stereotypical autism characteristic and Lea….glad this is ending
I get real life is what it is whatever, but this is a show, I watch shows to escape real life I will never understand the need to end things tragically. All I want is a happy ending for these fictional characters so what. So disappointed.
I love this show! I see it as positive creative and insightful! I wish it could continue. The episode was excellent!
I had not seen that The Good Doctor was ending, which makes this ending even more devastating. If they would only let Shaun help him, so Steve can grow up with a grandpa, that would be redeeming for a terribly depressing season. If only….
I’ve always seen Glassman as Shaun’s real-life Jimney Cricket. Imperfect, perhaps, but he was the guide. And now Shaun has developed relationships beyond Glassman. Sure, it’d be nice to have a happy ending and losing his father figure is not exactly a blissful twist to close out on. BUT, on the other hand, the story ends with Shaun in a place that he can survive this loss. He can function fully on his own in society without Glassman helping him navigate. Real life includes losing our loved ones. It includes grief. And sure, it’s a TV show and an escape – and yet it’s a drama series. It’s not all sunshine and roses. Going out on all highs would feel disingenuous. It would feel contrived. Terminal illness for Glassman is sad. It’s gut wrenching…and yet… I’m going to focus on the good bit of story that Shaun has grown through this series. Early seasons Shaun wouldn’t have survived this loss. This Shaun will.
It’s a great show! It should be continued. If SVU can have 25 seasons, plus, so can the Good Doctor. There will always be people who need help. Thus, the shows does not need to end. It’s an amazing show that demonstrates that people with disabilities have gift, skills and talents that they contribute to the public. Savings lives is so important. Cultivating good camaraderie and chemistry in any series is so important. This series provided that good camaraderie, heartfelt story line and lessons learned that are communicated throughout the series.
The show has been amazing and so inspirational. I’m sorry they cancelled it and will miss all of the characters
I am really going to miss the Good Doctor. In my opinion it is one of the best shows on TV. I have followed it for so long there will be a void without it.
I hate to think it will end with Glassmans death. But it probably will. With Shaun at his bedside. I suspect Claire will recover and LHEA with Jared.
The Good Doctor is an excellent show, so why can’t it have a happily ever after. Why do you have to kill Dr Glassman. Why do all networks have to kill somebody. That’s just horrible. I’m not even going to watch the final episodes. You suck. 🤑
The good doctor is a great series. I can’t believe its cancelled