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How ‘The Good Doctor’ Series Finale Handled Dr. Glassman’s Death

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How 'The Good Doctor' Series Finale Handled Dr. Glassman's Death
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Spoiler Alert: The next interview discusses occasions from “The Good Physician” sequence finale “Goodbye,” streaming on Hulu as of Could 22.

For those who’re on the lookout for the suitable prescription for a stable sequence finale consisting of excessive emotional stakes, comfortable and unhappy tearful moments adopted by a giant dose of hope, then “The Good Physician” delivered on all of these parts in Tuesday’s sequence finale, which wrapped up seven seasons on ABC.

The drama, which premiered on September 20, 2017, adopted the journey of autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) as he grew from surgical resident not solely to being a profitable physician at San Jose’s St. Bonaventure Hospital, but additionally a husband, father and buddy to the colleagues he labored with through the years. Within the sequence, created by David Shore and developed from the 2013 South Korean drama “Good Physician,” Shaun’s autism typically noticed him face conflicts through which he was torn between logic and emotion with the present’s finale digging deep as soon as once more into that area.

Within the episode, Shaun is confronted with two of his closest mates – mentor and father determine Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) and returning buddy Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas, who left the sequence as a daily after its fourth season) – going through life or dying conditions that Shaun felt the utmost accountability to unravel. This dramatic scenario for Shaun drove the present’s closing hour, as the previous couple of episodes effectively locked down comfortable endings for a number of forged members like colleagues Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) and Dr. Alex Park (Will Yun Lee) lastly being wed in final week’s episode.

Shore and government producer Liz Friedman helped us dissect the present’s final episode, together with how the shortened 10-episode closing season impacted its conclusion, why Claire was the previous forged member they selected to convey again and the way they dealt with the dying of Glassman within the episode — whereas conserving an upbeat finish.

When you came upon the present can be ending after Season 7, did it change the tip level you had been desirous about, or do you know this was coming so had time to plan?

Liz Friedman: I had deliberate for a season ender that both was within the ballpark of one thing that might wrap it up, or there have been sure concepts I had of that when you included this little thread, it might launch into subsequent season. I knew [the show ending] was a chance. I used to be making an attempt to maintain everybody’s choices open for so long as attainable. I’m unhappy the present is ending, however I’m glad that we had sufficient discover. We had been capable of regulate, and do a real finale. I’m very proud of how we wrapped up the present.

Have been there any changes you wanted to do exactly due to the writers strike, with fewer episodes for the season?

Friedman: No, that was not within the planning. I imply, a part of going by means of the writers strike was a repeated calculation of what number of episodes we might do if it ended subsequent week. And it was exhausting, truthfully, as a result of even after we got here again, we had the flexibility to do 15 [episodes]. ABC initially stated, no, we solely need 13 after which that quantity acquired lowered to 10. However we figured it out, and downsized our story to make it work for that many episodes.

Did both of you return and watch the pilot in preparation for this closing episode?

David Shore: Yeah, we did. Liz watched immediately, and informed me I ought to watch it, too. I used to be going to observe it anyhow, however she simply stated, “Yeah, it’s actually good.”

Friedman: We had additionally watched it for after we did “The Good Lawyer” spinoff [last year]. There are positively moments that refer again to [the pilot]. Truthfully, it was a little bit of an accident, however we got here up with the story, after which I took a have a look at the Season 1 finale, which was actually about Shaun studying that Glassman had most cancers. And people two tales communicate to one another fairly a bit in a means that actually pleases me. It actually provides an excellent measure of Shaun’s progress over the course of those seven years.

How a lot did Freddie Highmore weigh in on the finale and the way issues wrapped up? Was he concerned with a variety of the alternatives?

Friedman: Freddie’s nice in that. Over the previous few years, I talked to him as I get the subsequent part of tales and I discuss him by means of what’s coming, and he’s a author’s dream viewers. He says, “Oh, that sounds good,” after which he throws in a, “Oh, that kind of jogs my memory of this…” He’s such a dream to work with. We might undergo each script with him, and he asks us about any issues he desires to alter. And nearly each change he desires to make makes the script higher.

As a viewer, the present’s real love story is Shaun and Glassman, particularly with how that relationship has unfolded and the place it results in on the finish of Season 7. Has that at all times been within the forefront of your minds, as nicely?

Shore: Actually that relationship has been completely important to the present from day one, and it was the one fixed to the present all through, including to the unhappiness on the finish. But it surely’s very a lot a father-son relationship, and we had been conscious of that proper from the start and we needed to play that out to the tip. The position of a father and handing that off, and getting your little one prepared for the world.

Let’s discuss concerning the finale with this conundrum that Shaun is in with the lives of each Glassman and Claire at precarious factors. Are you able to discuss crafting that story?

Friedman: We discovered this medical story about microphages, and that appeared like a really attention-grabbing one to inform. From there, we had been desirous about the concept of getting Claire return, and that we’ll have her come again for a comparatively mundane medical process in [the May 14 episode] after which it can fan into this nice thriller within the second [episode]. That labored very nicely to have Claire on the heart of each a dramatic medical story, but additionally have her touch upon all of the change that’s occurred in these folks she’s identified.

The Glassman story that we had been going to have his most cancers come again had been brewing for some time. What ended up understanding actually properly was to have the ability to have the finale and have the 2 sufferers be characters that had been a key a part of our forged. That basically allowed us to simply hold the give attention to what the viewers desires, moderately than making an attempt to introduce an outdoor affected person.

There are lots of people from the present’s previous that you could possibly have introduced again. Did you contemplate bringing another folks again, and the way did you decide on Claire?

Friedman: There had been discuss bringing one other character again that wasn’t attainable, and that actually kind of arrange that it needs to be clear and we must always actually give attention to Claire. Though, Perez [Brandon Larracuente] does make an look on the finish.

Shore: However we didn’t need it to simply be any person coming in for a cameo and saying goodbye. We needed to convey them again and make the most of them correctly.

It was a pleasant twist that Glassman steps in to do that unapproved process to avoid wasting Claire so Shaun wouldn’t must jeopardize his profession. However would you say he’s saving Shaun another time, or is he thanking Shaun for all the pieces he’s finished for him? I saved going forwards and backwards on that.

Friedman: How did you see it, David?

Shore: He’s doing one final gesture for Shaun. Shaun can not quit being a health care provider. Shaun deserves to be a health care provider. We needed Shaun to be prepared to completely sacrifice himself and we needed Glassman to acknowledge, ‘no, I’ve to sacrifice myself for Shaun.’

How about you, Liz?

Friedman: Yeah, a lot the identical. I believe it’s positively a mitzvah as a result of what Shaun has completed is sort of superb and Glassman has been a key a part of that. So this was actually a sacrifice that permits Shaun to maintain using a reasonably miraculous present that he has when it comes to his capability as a health care provider.

Shore: I ought to add that, talking of thanks, there was extra dialogue in that scene at one level and all of it labored very properly, however in enhancing all of it simply acquired boiled right down to the thanks. Shaun has a lot to thank Glassman for, they usually’ve reached some extent that that they had bother reaching the place Shaun is not preventing towards Glassman. He’s simply accepting Glassman.

Friedman: You possibly can inform that David has moved into director mode, as a result of he’s advocating for much less phrases, however I completely agree. The truth is, I used to be the one who stated, “I believe we must always simply make it that — that’s all we’ve got to say.”

Was there ever a state of affairs while you thought you may need extra episodes or extra time and would truly see Glassman die and you could possibly do the funeral? Or was that by no means one thing you needed to the touch?

Friedman: In a distinct state of affairs the place there are extra seasons of the present? Yeah, I’d say that’s distinctly a chance.

Shore: I bear in mind pondering on the day after we had been doing that carousel and that second the place Shaun’s alone on the carousel. It was about Glassman dying however the bigger factor was concerning the finish of the connection and that Shaun goes to be OK. We shot at that carousel many seasons in the past.

Shaun sooner or later giving a TED Speak was an effective way to start out seeing the place he and everybody else find yourself. How did that state of affairs come to the episode?

Shore: I don’t know the place it began from, however I do know it wasn’t me. I simply heard about it. That’s a good suggestion.

Friedman: I truly suppose it got here out of when Freddie and I had been speaking at one level. It was earlier than that they had determined that it was going to finish at 10 [episodes], nevertheless it had began to type in our minds of what would the ending be? And Freddie talked about Shaun standing up and giving a speech and he talked about it within the context of it being a nod to the pilot, that there’s that complete nice part in within the boardroom. Glassman provides this nice speech, and in the end Shaun provides his nice speech.

From that, I used to be desirous about speeches and making an attempt to consider a context that recommended the place Shaun had landed [in the future] after which I stated, “Oh, OK, it’s a TED discuss.” What I believe is attention-grabbing is then independently, David got here up with the concept of Shaun going again to the room the place he did, in truth, that speech within the pilot, so that every one the roads saved connecting to the start.

The names which might be scrolling as Shaun is giving the TED discuss, had been these precise affected person names from the present, or was there one other significance to these names?

Shore: Precise affected person names from scripts previous. We did 126 episodes, so there’s a theoretically 1500 names on that record.

Friedman: And the primary title that comes up, Adam, that’s the boy Shaun saved within the pilot.

Within the final moments, after the TED discuss and your complete forged has gathered and embracing, was that the final scene you shot for the present?

Shore: I want it had been, in some methods, however we might have by no means gotten by means of the day. So scheduling stuff prevented that, however we had been nicely conscious of it as we had been capturing it, and it was a tough time in that regard anyhow. But it surely was beautiful. It was truly very nice.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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