‘The Good Doctor’ Season 7 Review: An Emotional Farewell to Freddie Highmore’s Procedural
It’s time to say goodbye to a still riveting medical drama.
Procedural dramas are set up in a way that allows for them to run for seasons on end as there is always a new case to solve or a surgery to do. Despite its success, The Good Doctor won’t make it to Season 20, like the equally popular Grey’s Anatomy. It will instead wrap things up with Season 7 after ABC and series creator David Shore came to a consensus about Dr. Shaun Murphy’s (played by Freddie Highmore) future onscreen. Even though the series was able to maintain its pacing and could easily continue to entertain audiences for a while longer, it is safe to say that maybe carrying on isn’t the right course of action. By ending sooner rather than later, the medical drama can accomplish what few similar titles can — which is achieving a satisfying sense of closure.
‘The Good Doctor’ Season 7 Is a Baby Fest at Its Finest
The series started with Shaun as a surgical resident at the renowned San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. To say that the character has gone through many challenges over the years is an understatement, but these obstacles only contributed to his growth in the medical field and his personal life. Ultimately, the Season 6 finale was a pivotal moment in Shaun’s journey as well, when he finally became a father.
Adding parenthood to his methodical list of responsibilities, Shaun starts off Season 7 feeling like he has mastered the art of changing diapers and putting his newborn son to sleep. However, he quickly comes to understand that babies aren’t bound to follow a schedule. Aside from baby Steve making Shaun and his wife Lea (Paige Spara) exhausted, Season 7’s premiere (the only episode provided for review) is quite literally a baby fest.
From Dr. Morgan Reznick (Fiona Gubelmann) having to deal with Eden’s heart complications to Shaun having to operate on a newborn, babies are key to making this season opener so emotionally charged. Based on this episode alone, it is clear that the series’ core group of surgeons are no longer the same people fans got to meet at the beginning of the procedural drama. They have grown up, matured, and are ready to embrace the challenges of having a family and a demanding career.
After Many Intricate Surgeries, ‘The Good Doctor’ Still Impresses
When it comes to the events in the operating room, The Good Doctor Season 7 proves that there is still space to come up with complex medical procedures that work well within the show’s overall story. After all, one of the patients in question is Morgan and Dr. Alex Park’s (Will Yun Lee) adopted child, which only adds to the level of stress that the San Jose St. Bonaventure doctors undergo when coming up with the best course of action. The case at hand involves both Eden and another young patient, each of whom needs a heart transplant to survive. However, there is only one heart available, making it nearly impossible to decide who is more deserving of this vital organ. This is made even more tense considering that Shaun is fresh off paternity leave, with the premiere’s case the first surgery he decides to take on.
Although the character is known for keeping his composure even when tensions are sky-high, there are moments where Shaun’s new father mentality seeps in and brings an extra layer of complexity to an already elaborate medical dilemma. To avoid spoilers, what can be said about the surgery in the Season 7 premiere is that it is mind-blowing and unexpected, like many other procedures in the series thus far. It sets the tone for the final season, showing that even though there are only a few remaining episodes before this comfort watch comes to a close (10 to be exact), The Good Doctor has the potential to deliver intricate, dramatic scenarios to keep viewers invested until the end.
