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The Good Doctor: Shaun Murphy's 5 Best Moments From The Series Explored
The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgical resident at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Here's 5 best moments of Shaun Murphy in the series.
The Good Doctor is an American medical drama television series remake of the 2013 South Korean series of the same name. The series stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgical resident at the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Christina Chang, Richard Schiff, Will Yun Lee, Fiona Gubelmann, Paige Spara, Noah Galvin and Bria Samoné Henderson also star in the show.
Dr. Shaun Murphy may be a brilliant surgeon, but viewers who have followed him since The Good Doctor debuted in September 2017 also know him as an endearing, relatable character, having proven himself to the staff at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital many times over and learned life lessons along the way.
Here are five of the most memorable moments of Shaun in the series.
1. Shaun Murphy saved a boy at the airport
In the pilot episode Burnt Food, Shaun witnesses a scene at San Jose International Airport where a glass terminal sign shattered, causing a young boy to have a jugular vein slit. Shaun points out that the doctor was applying pressure to the wrong area and cutting off his breathing. After restoring the boy's breathing, the doctor asks Shaun who he is, and Shaun introduces himself, teasing up the rest of the episode.
2. Shaun opens up to Lea about how he really feels
Shaun and Lea's rocky romantic journey, led to significant growth in their relationship. Season 3 episodes Fixation and Heartbreak showcase Lea's development over four seasons. When Shaun proposed they go on “a real date,” she reminded him that she’d already said “no.”
“Shaun, you’re autistic. You can’t fix that,” Lea said. “You are who you are, and I am who I am — and the two of us will never work.”
Her comments triggered Shaun, who spent time on his couch wrapped in a blanket, telling Claire he wanted to be left alone. Later, Lea found Shaun standing next to her car, gripping a baseball bat.
“I want to smash your car up,” he said tearfully, adding, “I want to hurt you the way you hurt me. … You acted like you cared about me, but you don’t even respect me. You’re flaky, and you can’t keep a boyfriend, and you can’t keep a job, and no one likes you. You’re going to end up alone — and you deserve it — because you’re a superficial, selfish and prejudiced person!”
The heartbreaking moment helps pave the way to Lea overcoming her prejudices, The pair eventually date, then wed at the end of season 5 in a rooftop ceremony atop San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
3. Shaun asks Clary out
The medical drama's strength lies in its ability to show Shaun's gradual journey through his world, as demonstrated in the season 2 episode Trampoline, where Shaun and Claire engage in friendly role-playing so that Shaun could practice asking someone out.
“Here is a stapler, which represents flowers,” he explained as he mustered up the courage to ask out Carly. One evening, he showed up on Carly’s doorstep sporting a suit, holding flowers and a box of chocolates.
“Here are flowers and chocolates. Real ones,” he said. “I was wondering if you would like to eat dinner?”
“Are you asking me out?” Carly said, adding, “On a date?”
When he said yes, he quickly turns around and leaves. Strolling down the sidewalk, he gasped and jumped for joy, leaving Carly to grin while she watched through her front window.
4. Shaun tells Audrey Lim that he misses her friendship
Audrey, stabbed in the stomach during Shaun and Lea's wedding reception, leaving her temporarily paralyzed due to a liver complication. This caused tension between Audrey and Shaun. However, in season 6, when Shaun has a heart-to-heart with Audrey in her office, they slowly mend their broken friendship, as seen in the episode Sorry, Not Sorry.
“I can’t change what happened, and I do not owe you an apology,” he said. “But I am sorry for other things. … In your surgery, the medical choice was clear, and I did proceed, but I did not know what the consequences would be. I saved your life, but my decision also caused you harm.”
“When I saw you hurt and bleeding, I saw my brother Steve when he died," Shaun added. "When I thought I might lose you the way I lost him, I did not like that. I am sorry this has been very hard for you. A medicine-only relationship is not easy. It is not what I want. I have missed your friendship. I have missed you.”
Welling up with emotion, Audrey admitted the attack and navigating a working relationship with Shaun afterward had been “really hard.”
“My life is in a good place now,” she continued. “I’m happy, but still angry sometimes. It may take a while to let that go, but I’ve missed you too, Shaun.”
5. Shaun helps Hannah
The Good Doctor concludes with a powerful emotional moment in he penultimate episode entitled Unconditional, where Dr. Glassman, a struggling doctor, goes rogue by trying to manage Hannah's drug addiction, putting his job at risk. Shaun, who has been staying with Hannah, shares how Dr. Glassman has significantly impacted his life, highlighting the drama's emotional power.
“I’m Dr. Glassman’s son — not biologically,” he said. “Dr. Glassman helped me like he’s helping you.”
“So, basically, we’re both broken toys that are supposed to replace the daughter he couldn’t fix?” wondered Hannah, referring to Dr. Glassman’s daughter Maddie (Holly Taylor), who died years back from a drug overdose.
Shaun explained Dr. Glassman didn’t “fix” him — he “loved” him.
“I’m not like other people. Other kids called me weird. My parents didn’t want me. So, that was how I saw myself,” he added. “But Dr. Glassman saw that I could be more. And now I see myself as so much more, because Dr. Glassman loved me unconditionally. I am still different. I will always have autism, but now I’m proud of that. You will always be an addict even if you stop using drugs, but Dr. Glassman sees you can be more. Why can’t you?”
Shaun's words led Hannah to an epiphany. She resists pill temptation and tells Dr. Glassman she's ready to go into rehab and work towards sobriety.
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