The Good Doctor Season Finale Review: More (Season 1 Episode 18)

All season long, The Good Doctor has shown us what it means to push the boundaries. For The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 18, “More,” this lesson is no different.

Shaun Murphy has been struggling with human emotions all season long. With the finale, his knowledge and experiences with emotions are put to the test.

Personally, I think that placing Glassman’s diagnosis at the end of the season is a perfect way to round everything out. It really brings his and Shaun’s relationship full circle.

Shaun: I need a friend more than I need space.

For some time now the two have been at odds with each other over Shaun’s need for independence. However, that independence is thrown out the window when he learns of Glassman’s cancer.

Shaun’s constant battle to find a solution throughout “More,” shows just how hard this news is to him. He can no longer hide behind his go to “it’s fine” persona.

Everyone knows just how much Shaun understands and relates to emotions now. He has grown tremendously through his interactions with peers, mentors, and patients. He can no longer act as though Glassman’s news doesn’t affect him.

Granted, there is a real chance that he wouldn’t be able to avoid dealing with it even if he was still Shaun from the pilot episode. After all, Glassman is Shaun’s surrogate father and Shaun is Glassman’s stand-in child. The two love each other very deeply and that transcends any understandable emotion.

The whole episode Shaun is distracted, which creates problems with their patient. Most of his colleagues think it is because of the news Shaun receives about Glassman. However, in reality, he has lost his toy scalpel.

Shaun: You can’t die too.

As fans will remember, Shaun’s scalpel was given to him by his brother before his brother died. It is Shaun’s one true link to his beloved sibling and his past.

Losing the toy is a metaphor for the bigger stressor in Shaun’s life; Dr. Glassman’s tumor. Shaun feels his control and focus slipping with the scalpel missing. It’s his way of expressing that he is struggling to accept the finality of Glassman’s diagnosis.

Shaun struggles all the time with expressing how things make him feel. He doesn’t fully understand emotion so he either avoids it or fails to fully communicate it.

To see a physical breakdown of Shaun’s walls, as he relentlessly searches for an answer, is very helpful in how we better understand Shaun. We already know that he can sometimes hyper-focus on things that seem insignificant. Hence his scalpel.

Shaun’s focus on finding his scalpel is parallel with his exhaustive search for a glimmer of hope. When Shaun finally finds his scalpel, he also discovers that Dr. Glassman has found a different diagnosis.

Jessica: You’ve accepted your diagnosis. Shaun hasn’t.

The revelation at the end, that Glassman’s tumor wasn’t as aggressive as originally thought, is actually disappointing. It’s very overdone on television dramas. I was hoping for a unique end to the story.

Instead of having Glassman’s tumor type change (AGAIN), they should have stuck to the aggressive original diagnosis. This would have been way more influential and emotional.

By sticking to the original diagnosis, the show could have explored Shaun accepting Glassman’s imminent death more expansively. It could have shown Shaun finally listening to his mentor and coming to a level of acceptance. This would have been more realistic and less, “Shaun is always right.”

While Shaun giving Glassman a hug at the end was very moving, it would’ve been more so if Glassman was still dying. Shaun could have hugged him in a way that shows he finally accepts Glassman’s death.

I just feel that this groundbreaking show really missed the mark to explore Shaun’s growth even further.

Going into Season 2, it will be interesting to see what is going to happen with Glassman. Who knows, maybe his health will take a turn and the new season will explore the nuances of Shaun watching another of his loved ones die.

While the storyline with Glassman and Shaun had some drawbacks, the conclusion of Melendez’s character development continues to be on point.

Melendez: Everything that happens in this room is my responsibility. We do it together.

In the beginning, Melendez wasn’t much of a mentor and was hesitant to actually teach. To watch him on “More” is fun and exciting. We get to see him put his entire faith in his interns.

He trusts them enough to let them close during a surgery. Not only that he implicitly trusts Shaun didn’t make a mistake. This too is a step forward for him.

Melendez was one of Shaun’s strongest opposers, but now he has complete faith and trust in his abilities. It’s not just Shaun though, he now trusts his whole team. He knows that his job would be nothing without them there to help him along.

Melendez is definitely one of the best things about The Good Doctor. He has consistently shown growth and change throughout the season.

I’m proud of him for making the changes in character that is needed to be a boss/mentor to such a diverse group of interns. While he’s not as closed off and harsh as he used to be, it still comes out in the times that need it the most.

Season 2 is bound to show him taking what he’s learned and continue to be a great leader. I’d love to see more about him and his motivations for the actions that he takes.

What did you think of this episode of The Good Doctor? Share your thoughts in the comments below! You can also check out our review of The Good Doctor Season 1 Episode 17, “Smile” right here.

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The Good Doctor returns for Season 2 this Fall on ABC.

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