In previews for the Jan. 15 episode of The Good Doctor, we see Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) chase love rather than his career as a surgeon at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. The doctor, who has autism and Savant Syndrome, found his first real love in his neighbor Lea (Paige Spara) and is prepared to quit his career and follow her to Pennsylvania, where she plans to relocate. Tamlyn Tomita, the Japanese-American actress who plays Allegra Aoki, Chairman and Vice President of the foundation that controls the hospital, teased the impending backlash of Shaun’s decision, but also why she supports him no matter what.
“The medical world is so stressful on its own, that we’re going to have a little bit more of empathetic eye as to the world of surgeons and especially Dr. Shaun Murphy. We’re going to get to understand a little bit more of what the cost of being the savior of a life or somebody who can assist a person in the end of life in the coming episodes,” Tamlyn told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “It’s all seriously a life and death situation when you come into a hospital. You’re there to be healed in the first place and that responsibility, that burden on your shoulders, can be weighing. I think we’re seeing it weighing down on Dr. Shaun Murphy, but because he’s on the autism spectrum, he’s going to be feeling it a little bit more than everyone else.” In just the second episode of the second half of Season 1, Shaun has crumbled under the weight. While he is extremely intelligent and an incredibly brilliant surgeon, the anxiety of treatment and inability to accept guidance and help has begun to break him down. While Dr. Aaron Glassman (Robert Schiff), Shaun’s mentor and father figure attempts to assist, Shaun pushes him and everyone else away. “From these next few episodes, I think that we’re going to be discussing how we can listen a little bit better and how we can talk to each other a little bit more clearly,” Tamlyn said.
Tamlyn also sounded off on why The Good Doctor has attracted so many viewers, making it one of the top-rated shows on television. “It’s unashamedly a feel-good show. It’s about people who are different. It’s about how people who are different are treated differently and it’s about how people can change and changing their behavior in order to deal with people who happen to be ‘different.’ We learn to better communicate with each other despite all our differences,” she shared. “It’s a beautiful way of learning how to adapt and change and shift and be accepting of so many other people.” We can’t wait for more!
HollywoodLifers, what do you think Shaun will do in The Good Doctor? Is he gone for good?