Binge Watch Review: The Good Doctor Final Season

The final season ends on a shorter note with only ten episodes. There's quite a bit packed into them, though, and they make for a good watch as everyone's arcs are wrapped. We even get a ten-year fast forward at the end of the final episode to show where everyone is and how they've fared.

Unfortunately, though, before that happens, there is quite a bit of sadness that takes place, and I'm not going to lie. It's not easy to get through. If you've become invested in these characters, it's understandable you'll have a hard time with how their stories play out in the end.

There's a lot of animosity as Dr. Shaun Murphy has to deal with a medical student who is on the autism spectrum. She asks a lot of questions and interrupts, both of which tend to disrupt and annoy Shaun who is still adjusting to being a new father.

The Good Doctor brings the humor when Dr. Lim's mother, Eileen Lim, played by Bess Armstrong, visits, and Dr. Glassman takes a liking to her. While Dr. Lim is absolutely horrified that the pair are seeing one another, they are both happy as clams. Unfortunately, it's a short-lived romance as Dr. Lim's mother returns home. This was a shame as I definitely thought Dr. Glassman had more chemistry with Eileen than he had with Debbie onscreen. Blame that on the writers as Richard Schiff who plays Dr. Glassman and Debbie, who was played by Sheila Kelly, are married in real life.

Dr. Jared Kalu returned the previous season and joined Shaun's team as a first-year resident again because there were no openings for third years. His presence is especially welcome this season as Dr. Claire Browne comes back to the hospital to get a lump in her breast removed. It turns out to be a lot worse than what was discovered in Guatemala, but there's a happy twist as Claire and Jared revisit old feelings and find they're still in love with one another.

Season seven did an excellent job at wrapping up all of the story arcs, even if some of them weren't my perference. Dr. Lim ends up heading to Ukraine to help instead of going to Chicago where she could have rekindled her romance with Clay. I felt bad for her because I thought Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) was her soulmate, and for whatever reason, the writers/producers decided to take the pair in another direction, eventually killing Dr. Melendez at the end of season three.

Dr. Park and Dr. Resnick found their way to the altar, and they both adopted Erin, forming a family while Claire suffered the loss of her arm due to an infection. It's an infection that almost kills her, but Shaun and his team come up with a cure. The only problem is they can't get FDA approval. If Shaun were to help Claire anyway, he would lose his license, which he plans to do.

But Dr. Glassman, who at this time is dying from the return of his brain cancer, steps in and administers the cure, knowing he's not really giving anything up. Shaun has a hard time accepting Dr. Glassman's prognosis and is angry that he won't try some other methods. It leads to tension that takes a while to resolve.

The beautiful ending of the series shows Shaun has, ten years in the future, has now become the chief of surgery. He and Claire both run the Dr. Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity. And everyone has found their happily ever after, with Shaun and Leah having two children, Claire and Jared having one, and Dr. Jordan Allen and Dr. Perez having one as well.

It's a nice wrap-up to the series, but I do wish there had been a few more episodes. I think the storyline with Dr. Glassman and with Dr. Claire Brown needed a little more fleshing out. They both just felt abrupt. But the series wrapped well, and I would give this season a seven out of a ten. Overall, I would give the entire series a seven out of a ten!