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Warning: The following contains spoilers from Part 2 of The Good Doctor‘s Season 3 finale.
It was a Good Doctor moment three seasons in the making.
At the end of Monday’s game-changing finale, Lea gave Shaun an “I’m such a stupid idiot for not seeing it, but I love you with all my heart” kiss, marking the start of a romantic relationship — and a happy ending was much appreciated following the events that preceded it.
First, Andrews informed Morgan that her decision to proceed with Tamara’s operation might have cost her her career as a surgeon, having traumatized her joint capsule incisions from the synovectomy procedure.
Later, Park sat with patient Casey at the site of the brewery collapse, as life left the gravely injured teenager’s eyes. The kid’s inability to connect with his father prior to his death left Park so shaken that he called Mia and Kellan and told them that he plans to move back to Arizona to be closer to them.
Then, in a somewhat shocking twist, surgical attending Neil Melendez (played by original cast member Nicholas Gonzalez; read exit interview here) died after succumbing to internal injuries sustained in the aforementioned collapse.
Below, showrunner David Shore (who co-wrote and directed the episode) weighs in on Shaun and Lea’s inevitable coupledom, the death of Dr. Melendez, and the ripple effects that the finale will have on Season 4.
TVLINE | When I watched the finale, I couldn’t help but be reminded of your previous medical drama House, which also shook things up at the end of Season 3 and dismantled the original diagnostics team. Was that what you wanted to do here? Reset the dynamics ahead of Season 4?
A little bit, yeah. I mean, as a writer, and then as a viewer of TV, I never want to be too stable. You want to be ahead of the audience a little bit. If they’re asking for changes, then it’s too late — and not that these would be the things they were asking for necessarily, but you want to shake things up because you want to throw your characters into challenging situations and see how they react. That’s what you like doing as a writer and as a producer.
TVLINE | Did it feel like you needed this catastrophic event to bring Shaun and Lea together — something big to put their feelings into perspective — after how much they hurt each other in the episodes that preceded the the two-part finale?
Yes. At a certain point we were going, “Does he save her life?,” and we almost instantly said no to that. We wanted them together. Whether it will last is another question, but it felt right from the very beginning. Given what we had leading up to this, I didn’t want it to just be that he does something to her that proves she owes him or something. I didn’t want it to be that. It [needed] to be something that showed her, in very extreme circumstances, exactly who he is. She’s seen him, she’s dealt with him, she’s been friends with him, but I wanted her to see that she was wrong. That is kind of a microcosm of what the show’s trying to do [when it speaks to Shaun’s autism]. We all are who we are, we all have weaknesses, we all have strengths, and we all need to be judged on the whole.
Shaun was right in that prior episode: Lea was being prejudiced. He does have limitations and he does have weaknesses, but we need to look at the whole thing. So, we wanted something to force her eyes open to recognize — not to reassess Shaun, but to reassess herself and to recognize that she was wrong.
TVLINE | Why was now the right time to bring Shaun and Lea together?
Early on in Season 3 we had this trajectory mapped out. That doesn’t mean we didn’t second-guess it. It doesn’t mean we’re right. You know, that is the constant battle in TV when you’re dealing with relationships and the struggles of relationships — when is too soon and when is too late? — and I loved the Carly relationship. I loved that and what that did [for Shaun].
TVLINE | Shaun and Carly really were great together. I thought the chemistry between Freddie and Jasika was fantastic. Did you consider letting that relationship continue?
That relationship was so good. The intention was always [that it was] going to be Lea [in the end], and then [departing series regular Jasika Nicole] was so great and that relationship was so great. Absolutely, it made us second-guess ourselves. We’ll still be second-guessing ourselves. We had the luxury of two great relationships, which is what we wanted. It’s easy to chose A over B when B sucks. It’s more difficult to chose A over B when they’re both good options.
TVLINE | We spent the first half of Season 3 watching Shaun navigate his first romantic relationship with Carly. How will watching him navigate this new relationship with Lea play differently in Season 4?
Well that’s what you’re going to have to tune in for, and that’s what we’re going to have to get together in a writers room — virtually or otherwise — and figure out as we go forward over the next few months. I certainly don’t want to tread the same territory. It’s not going to be about first kiss and that sort of thing again. I think it’s going to be less about navigating the beginning of a relationship and more about navigating a relationship.
TVLINE | Moving on to an even bigger development: the death of Dr. Neil Melendez. Why kill him off?
That’s a really tough question. Look, I’m not going to give you a good answer, but Nick has been great. He was so great going down the final road here. These are the horrible decisions you have to make when you’re running a TV show. You want to tell honest stories. You want to tell stories of life and death, and that includes your regulars on occasion, and on occasion you have to make the bad choice because otherwise you don’t have credibility. In order to keep the show honest, every now and again the worst has to happen, and we wanted to throw our characters into this situation, and we wanted to be honest about it. We wanted to see the fallout from that. That’s the extent of the answer I can give you.
TVLINE | Why this character, though?
We second-guessed this decision constantly, still do… Look, we loved throwing him in this world [of the earthquake] at the end and it worked for so many great stories. We’ve got four parallel but different stories going on in these last two episodes — five, actually — and once we were in this world, this is the one that worked for Melendez. But it wasn’t like we were planning for his exit. It was more, “This was the world we were in, and this is the story we were telling, and this is what worked within that world.”
TVLINE | Was there any concern, given Melendez’s status as Claire’s superior, what it would have meant to explore a relationship between an attending and his resident, had Melendez survived?
It was something we were grappling with. We even grappled with it with Lim and Melendez [after Lim was named chief of surgery], and it’s all the more true with Claire and Melendez. If this was a show that was on the air 15 years ago, it would be a very different storyline. We as a society have become, I think, much more enlightened than we were. Things that we glossed over and treated as minor inconveniences, [we are now] recognizing are real issues, and that makes storytelling more challenging in some ways. But it also opens up doors that weren’t there before…
Yes, a subordinate sleeping with her boss is an issue, being in a relationship with her boss is an issue, and we were aware of that. We explored that to some extent, and dealt with the challenges of it, when Lim became Melendez’s boss.
TVLINE | Moving on to another potential cast departure… What is Will Yun Lee’s status heading into Season 4? Is Park really moving back to Arizona to be closer to Mia and Kellan?
We’re not planning on losing him from the show is the short answer. But that has been Park’s challenge, is his dealing with his commitments to work and his commitments to his personal life — a challenge we all face, but is all the more dramatic when you’re saving lives and at the same time your family is a thousand miles away.
TVLINE | With Melendez gone, will Claire look to Lim for friendship, as well as guidance, as she enters her fourth year of residency?
That is one of the things that I look forward to exploring. We touched upon it, you may have noticed, at the very, very end of the finale. It’s literally two lines of dialogue [when Lim says, “We should get a drink sometime,” and Claire answers, “I’d like that”], but it’s two lines of dialogue that excite me.
TVLINE | Likewise. It also looks like Andrews is going to take Morgan under his wing.
He has, and we were certainly going there this season. She disappointed him, but at the very end she proved herself to him. I love that relationship and I want to explore that more as well.
TVLINE | If Claire is working under Lim, and Morgan is working under Andrews, will Shaun divide his time between them on Cases of the Week, versus having all the residents go and back and forth among attendings?
That is one of the things we need to figure out, and that was one of the challenges of the show: getting everybody in and giving everybody a fair shake. As our residents became more senior, the attendings got pushed to the background to some extent and we didn’t like that. So yes, we’re trying to figure out a way to keep the people we have — all of them — and make sure we give them [material]. We’ve got a great cast and we want to make sure we continue to give them good stories and great opportunities.
TVLINE | Will Season 4 kick off with some sort of time jump, to give these characters some time to grieve Melendez before we see them again?
I’ve got some thoughts on that, that until I discuss them with all my writers, I’d rather not discuss them with you. [Laughs] But I think I know what [we’re] doing.
TVLINE | As much as this season was about Shaun’s first relationship, it was also about family. What will be the focus of Season 4?
I think we’re going to be putting him in more of a supervisory role in Season 4 and see how he rises to that challenge. And, of course, the relationship [between Shaun and Lea]. Exploring that, as we discussed earlier, will be a big part of it.
TVLINE | When exploring these themes of family, there were a lot of tragic moments — whether it was the death of Claire’s mother, or the subsequent death of Shaun’s father. Will Season 4 be quite as dark and tragic? Or will it be a bit lighter?
I don’t think we’ll have as many family members die… I hope. [Laughs] We’ll try not to make things horrible for Claire [next] season, but you know, it was wonderful watching [Antonia Thomas] rise and flex her acting chops. She’s so good.
What did you think of The Good Doctor finale (and Season 3 overall)? Hit the comments with your reactions, then go here to read our exit interview with Nicholas Gonzalez.
THIS is why I don’t trust watching a show by David Shore. I thought I’d give him another try after House because I really liked Houdini and Doyle. My bad.
I like Park so he’s leaving. Claire/Melendez was the only relationship I cared about on the show so he dies.
IDGAF about Shaun and Leah, in fact I was hoping that she would be the one to die, so he puts them together.
Yeah, not ‘must see’ TV next year.
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I should have known better.
I agree. I feel like his statement about “honest stories” has it all backwards. Honest stories find drama in the depths of real life, not in danger-porn. These latest episodes show that Shore has a gaping weakness as a writer.
disagree. i thought it was really nicely crafted storytelling. a great way to move things forward and keep things fresh going into next year. i won’t miss meledez after a couple of episodes and looking forward to seeing who comes in to shake things up. and glad park is staying, but of course affected by everything that just went down. (given’s shore’s deadline interview.)
I was thinking the same thing. Well I guess I’ll find another show when the next season comes up! Love Parks and Melendez. Not worth watching anymore.
Park is still on the show which is the BEST news, I love him as much as Shaun. And my dear Dr Kalu from the first season. And Lea a little. I have never cared for Melendez and the weird thing he always does with the side of his mouth. He always creeped me out, even as they tried to make him more likeable. I don’t want to be be mean but in my opinion it’s good riddance.
It’s amazing what creeps some people out (you), I actually find cute. I love Dr. Melendez and have from the beginning. I won’t watch without him.
All I can say is I CAN’T believe you killed off Dr. Melendez….. He was awesome Dr. Parks can go or stay don’t really care for him
Park won’t leave. Melendez needed to stay. That dichotomy between him and Claire was a great story line. He needs to be weittwn back in. After watching Part 1, I vowed not to watch again if Melendez was killed off in Part 2 of the finale. Bye Good Doctor.
Not to be mean, Laura, just to showcase different opinions, but I said after Part 1 if he DIDN’T die, I wouldn’t be back. I hate shows that do fake-outs to get ratings. This was well-crafted, emotional goodbye. And they followed through properly. Kudos for taking the risk. Can’t wait til next year, the show has only got better over time and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from Mr Shore.
I totally agree! I actually “felt” the chemistry and genuine love growing between the two characters. Phenomenal acting! We need that kind of love to pull on our heartstrings, even if it IS
“Only TV” I fell in love with both of them….it will NOT be on my watch list any longer..sorry
His excused for Killing Melendez is BS. There was NO GOOD REASON to kill that character. I am pissed off. I just watched season 3 so it is fresh for me. And I cannot stand Lea.
My thoughts exactly, i am done with the show, my heart is broken
That episode was depressing. Maybe I’m just in a bad head space with everything going on in the world, but honestly I didn’t enjoy watching that at all. I don’t care about Shaun and Lea, so that did nothing to redeem the depressing tone of this episode for me, unfortunately.
I wish we had up buttons so I could vote for this comment.
I’m pissed to the highest pisstivity! I loved the idea of Claire and Neil being together. Why did you do this? I’m so sick about this show right now. Ughhhhh!
Nice! I haven’t heard that phrase in years! Thanks for bringing it back in an appropriate way. And couldn’t agree more about Melendez and brown
So glad he said that they don’t plan on having Will Yun Lee leave the show, just hope they really mean it. He is by far my favorite character (with Morgan a close second). Melendez was pretty to look at but I don’t think I will really miss his character but I was really hoping Lea was the one to die. I have zero interest in her or that love story.
I kept waiting for Leah to collapse & die after the adrenaline stopped, but maybe that could still happen. Adrenaline is still going strong where we left her. She is the least interesting character on the show. I’m mad Melendez was killed off, Park or Andrews would have been a better choice, IMO.
Why oh WHY kill off Dr Melendez!!!???? I Love Sean and Lea but I loved Mendez and Claire too!!!
Killing off Melendez was a big mistake. Many other characters could have been in that bed. Going to lose a lot of audience. I will still watch but a lot won’t and your competing with way too many series on Netflix and Others. Lost a huge demographic there, very bad decision
Killing off Melendez was a bad idea. Way bad! Exactly what happened to TWD when they killed Glenn – rating went down!
I am so upset that they killed off Melendez. He was my favorite of all the doctors. I loved him with Claire. I am not fond of the blonde girl–Morgan. She always seems to have a nasty attitude. I am on the fence about Lea. Didn’t particular like Shaun with Carley. She was so bossy and pushy, so I won’t miss her that much.
These comments are terrible. It seems that the majority of you have the mental age of a four your old and don’t understand the first thing about good and realistic story telling. When in real life does someone that dies actually deserve it? You don’t care about Leah and Shawn, then you don’t care about the show, there relationship is representative of Shawn’s development. If you stop viewing after this episode then you are most likely simple-minded and living in some sort of fantasy unable to accept any hints of realism. This just means that viewership next season will be composed of actual intelligent people.
I feel he’s really missing the point of the problem with Shaun and Lea getting together. It doesn’t matter what her feelings about Shaun’s autism are (and honestly, I never really thought that was an issue for her). She acknowledged she had her own flaws as well that she needed to work on, so it wasn’t just about him. And Shaun was still reeling from a breakup. He’s not even remotely ready to be in a relationship with anyone else right now.
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But setting all of that aside, the fact remains that whatever Lea’s reasons, she said she wasn’t interested, and Shaun should’ve respected that. He didn’t. He kept pressing her, he screamed at her, he was ready to take a bat to her car. No woman would, or should, want to be with a guy who behaves that way and doesn’t learn to back off when she says so.
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So that, for me, is the biggest reason I do not want those two together right now, if ever. At the VERY least, if they’re going to do anything, they need to be spending their time repairing their friendship, before they even consider the idea of pursuing anything romantic. I would much prefer the show focus on that instead.
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I do love the idea of Claire and Lim bonding next season, though, and seeing Shaun moving up a little bit professionally. And I do like hearing that Park may not be gone after all. Would be nice to keep as many people as we can. I also like the idea of Andrews and Morgan interacting more, I do agree they had good scenes tonight.
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Yeah. Should be interesting next season.
Absolutely agree on the Shaun and Lea stuff. There is zero reason to want them together now after seeing how they treated each other the last couple episodes. Him venturing into abusive territory with the screaming and threats and her attitude towards his autism. This didn’t feel like a “she saw the light” moment, It felt like a decision made in the heat of a moment, where emotions are high, that will be regretted later.
Exactly. It proved Shaun’s erroneous point…that if you just try hard enough, you can succeed at anything, even making someone want to be with you when they don’t. I kept wishing someone would ask him, “Was Carly a failure because she couldn’t make you want her more than Lea? Is there anything she could have done that would have changed your mind?” This resolution is not relatable. Lea could have admired his heroism without it changing her mind about being his girlfriend…and that’s probably what would have happened in real life. Maybe next season he’ll meet someone who likes him and is attracted to him for who he is day-to-day…that would be much more satisfying.
She (Lea) could have admired his (Shaun’s) heroism without changing her mind about being his girlfriend if the situation had ended there. However, she additionally happened to hear him over the walkie-talkie sharing with that woman Vera all of the ways that she (Lea) had changed and impacted his life. Perhaps that wouldn’t have happened in real life, but it did happen in the episode and it did give her reason to change her mind.
Leah should have died. I don’t think I will be watching the show anymore. Melendez was my favorite on the show. Bad Move!
SCREW DAVID SHORE!!!! THIS POST MORTEM IS BULLSH*T!! AND IT DIDN’T HELP ONE BIT!! OUT OF EVERYONE THEY COULD’VE KILLED OFF THEY KILLED MELENDEZ!!!! YOU COULD’VE KILLED OFF LEA!! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! SHE’S THE MOST USELESS CHARACTER ON THE SHOW!
MELENDEZ??? I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!! WHYYYY!!! WHYYYY!!!! SOMEBODY WAKE HIM UP!! DO CPR!! GET THE PADDLES!! TURN THOSE MACHINES ON!! TURN THOSE MACHINES ON!!!!😢😢😢😭😭😭😭😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I am so with you on this one Shannon. Not only is Melendez handsome but his character had flavor and flair. I was so looking forward to seeing he and Claire getting together and Claire settling down, getting past her commitment-phobia and going on to having a long, heathy and beautiful relationship. They looked so good together.. Mr. Shore bring back Melendez and make it a dream segment.
How many more times are going to see the “victim pinned under/between obstruction who will die once it’s removed” subplot?
First time I remember seeing it was on Homicide, with the guy sandwiched between subway trains. And, just like this one, the victim-to-be couldn’t connect with a loved one before it was over.
Oh well, watch enough TV, see the same plot points over and over
Saw the same episode on Homicide: Life on The Streets way back when.
Andre Baugher (sic) won an Emmy for it.
I don’t see any Emmys coming out of this episode. They’ll be lucky if they get any TV-Line Honorable Mentions for Performance of The Week! 🤔
Yeah, that was my immediate thought too. (Homicide episode). And it was a subplot in the movie “Signs”.
They did the same in an episode of ‘Murdoch Mysteries’ (S11, “The Accident”), as well.
He also did it in House. Just rinse and repeat, it seems. She died from a fatty embolism, though. At least Melendez made it to the hospital. Heavy eye roll, though. I hate that tey killed him off.
Definitely a mistake taking out Melendez..
The excuse of avoiding a relationship with Claire, i feel is overblown. I will probably. not continue to watch it. . He had a lot to offer, and the character could have been developed more. If you needed to remove a character, it could have been Lea or Lim. Won’t be watching anymore!
Yep, and there was a documentary filmed while making that episode that is worth checking out as well. I have Homicide on DVD, I might just have to pull that one out and watch it.
I very much enjoyed the season as a whole and thought it was well-crafted, both compelling and poignant (especially Claire’s and Morgan’s storylines, Shaun/Carly, and those last scenes between Dr. Park and Casey).
However, I’ve never cared for the Shaun/Lea dynamic and still don’t. It shouldn’t have to take a life-threatening situation for one person to realize how amazing the other is when that other person has been an incredible individual, doctor, friend, etc. the entire time. I find that unbecoming, as are Lea’s biases which, I suppose, have been washed away with that two-line apology and kiss.
That said, I love the show, think the actors and writers do a great job, and can’t wait for season 4. Just wanted to express somewhere that as a viewer/fan, I can’t support the main relationship because it feels unearned on her part. Characters — and people in general — as thoughtful, talented, and determined as Shaun deserve someone equal to them, not someone who magically sees the light after seasons of refusing to remove their blinders.
That was horrible Melendez & Claire were my favorite!!! I don’t think our house will watch this EVER AGAIN!!!! Bad job writer’s and it crushed the HOPE of true love in a very depressing time in 2020!!!
Not so sure Melendez is gone!
Huh ?
I was thinking the same thing, there was nothing officially announcing his death, sure Claire left his room crying, but there was no certainty of his death so I’m still hopeful. On the Shaun and Lea situation I absolutely hate it, I guess no doesn’t mean no after all, terrible message to send the public not to mention such a corny ending. Very disappointed in one of my favorite shows, the ending SUCKED!!!
I agree with some of the comments hate that the Dr. had to die love him as an actor love Shaun too but agree didn’t like to see that he and Lea is back together he professed his love for her over and over and everytime she said that she did not love him….hope our Dr. isn’t really dead because they did not let us see the body.
He already did an interview saying he’s leaving the show. He’s dead unfortunately
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Claire and Lim leave crying but they did not say
‘oh he is dead’. Maybe he will come back???? Sure hope so.
That was one of the worst season finales I’ve ever seen and I have seen some crappers. They should second-guess themselves over breaking up Shaun and Carly for him and Lea, a far lesser pairing. When did this show go from great medical drama to cheap soap opera?
I have watched the show from the beginning…truly enjoying the “doctor dynamics” Shaun’s adjustments to new social scenarios and his mentors and peers acclimating to him.
But…killing off Melendez??? Ridiculous!!! He was one of my favorites…supporter of Shaun…etc. Not sure why that happened unless the actor demanded more $$$ !!
…keeping Lea??? Ridiculous!!! She’s SO annoying, immature, fickle, presumptive, irreverent, …. I could go on. Why Shaun couldn’t have stayed with Carly is beyond me…I guess the writers figured Lea had the personality fractures that Shaun can iron out and Carly was TOO put together. …tunnel-thinking, if that’s the case.
All-in-all, Melendez dying…not cool; Lea getting with Shaun…not cool!
I’m so pissed off that Melendez died !!! It should have been Leah. I’m so over the Shaun and Leah thing. Ugh!!! We all wanted Clair and Melendez together. They are the only reason I watched the show. I’m not watching The Good Doctor anymore !!! Thanx dumba** Shore !!!
I really can’t believe Dr. Melendez died at the end… so sad and disappointing!! Loved him on the show…this shows not gonna be the same… what a let down!!
Good to hear that Park should be back. He brings a ton of heart to the show. Cares so much for everyone.
Very saddened and disappointed that Melendez is gone. He was such a big part of the show. Loved him. Loved and hoped he and Claire would get together. Leah should have been the one to die. Don’t like her character and Shaun could have moved on. BIG Mistake for viewers!!! Better make a miraculous cure for his character in the season premiere or loose a lot of viewers!!!
Lea should have died Instead of Melendez. She’s boring and so cliche. I feel Melendez would have had a better story with Clair then whatever story the writers can come up with Shaun and Lea. Melendez will be missed😔
He is leaving the show sad 😢 broke my heart ❤️ at least at the beginning of season 4 give him a funeral a closure for those who might have missed it. He deserves that much dying off the show.
This was one of my favorite shows. I’m really disappointed and upset that Melendez was killed off. I think you could have put he and Claire together. His death was so sudden. With all the death and destruction in the real world I would’ve really enjoyed a beautiful and happy storyline. Please bring him back I don’t know if I will watch without him.
It would be great to see a medical show that develops characters in such a way that allows the audience to learn, explore and grow with the show, appreciate the complexity and challenges of life. Season 1 of The Good Doctor felt like it was that show, and some of season 2 and then it turned into a nightmare! First with silly wasted episodes of Shaun exploring love – simply exhausting! I left the drama for part of season 2 and half of season 3, returning from S3E12. Then now to somehow end the season with a cheap melodramatic shock event is borderline offensive. Then this really poor example of an interview pretending to mirror reality – which one COVID-19? Basic plot – “New Amsterdam created a stir when they killed off Max’s wife let’s kill someone off too and maybe we can get 3 seasons too!” If you noticed they did not callously kill of any of the key characters in NA! You killed off Melendez, in a very very cheap plot with little creativity! To be honest, David Shore almost sounded like the decision was flippant, almost punitive! The one good thing though is that as much as I like Claire and Lim and Shaun and Park and Andrews and Aaron, the core cast, killing off Melendez was such a juvenile plotline that I have no interest in this journey with anymore.
Unlike most people I actually like Shaun and Lea together, Paige and Freddie have great chemistry. That being I couldn’t really even enjoy that because aside from that one aspect, this hour was just so overly depressing. I will give them credit for the shock value though. I thought, given how the entire second half of the season seemingly focused on two relationships, I thought all four people would make it out alive (though Shaun was more obvious then the other three). I was for the first time in a bit genuinely shocked.
I’m super missed off about the death of Dr. Melendez and I am never watching this show ever again. EVER!!!