The Good Doctor's 8 Wildest Storylines That I Can’t Believe Made It Into The Show

Summary Although The Good Doctor's attempts at representation are grounded by good intentions, it doesn't always succeed.

The Good Doctor has consistently "jumped the shark" or leaned into bizarre medical mysteries.

Even early seasons of the medical drama incorporated wild stories.

With 7 seasons under its belt, The Good Doctor has had its fair share of wild storylines. While the show may be well-intentioned by centering on autistic surgeon Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), it also doesn't always boast the best representation. Nonetheless, the hugely popular TV series has cemented its place as a beloved medical drama — even if it has jumped the shark in more than one instance. As mentioned, The Good Doctor follows Dr. Shaun Murphy, who relocates from his rural home to San Jose, California's prestigious St. Bonaventure Hospital.

Shaun's mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), serves as a strong support system, though the young doctor-in-training eventually makes friends with his colleagues, namely Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas). Despite his abusive childhood, Shaun becomes a promising surgeon. Moreover, although he doesn't always connect with people in ways they might expect, Shaun learns to navigate life, love, and work, all while challenging the at-times ableist people around him. Again, The Good Doctor might have great intentions — and some solid moments of representation — but the show also features some unbelievably weird and wild moments.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

8 Melendez Dies Of Internal Bleeding After Getting The All-Clear

Season 3, Episode 20, "I Love You"

While The Good Doctor's legacy will be cemented by other elements of the series, there's no denying that Dr. Neil Melendez's (Nicholas Gonzalez) season-three death marked a turning point for the show's overall quality. One of the most upsetting moments in the series' history, Melendez is injured during an earthquake. After getting the all-clear, the surgeon's health suddenly tanks. During surgery, Claire and Lim discover that they can't repair Melendez's bowel, which means he'll die of internal bleeding. Writing a beloved character off a series is never easy, but Melendez's ending could have been handled in a less melodramatic way.

7 Shaun Steals A Box Cutter From TSA & Performs Surgery At An Airport

Season 1, Episode 1, "Burnt Food"

In its pilot episode, The Good Doctor goes all in on a truly wild storyline to illustrate Shaun's inventive surgical approach. After a young boy, Adam, suffers an accident at the San Jose airport, St. Bonaventure Hospital's newest surgical resident gets to work. Realizing that Adam's lung is in distress, Shaun searches for a sharp object. Eventually, Shaun steals a box cutter from the TSA agents and performs an emergency procedure. While it's certainly a noble effort that displays Shaun's quick-thinking manner, it's also one of the most unhinged surgeries in the history of TV medical dramas — and that includes Grey's Anatomy's clipboard surgery.

Related What That Original Character's Return Means For The Good Doctor Season 7 As The Good Doctor series finale nears, viewers are worried that one character's return means an emotional death is on the horizon at St. Bonaventure.

6 Shaun's Father Kills His Pet Rabbit In A Needless Act Of Violence

Season 1, Episode 1, "Burnt Food"

ABC's The Good Doctor features many emotional character endings, but it also started off at an emotional high point. In the very first episode of the show, Shaun Murphy experiences a harrowing flashback to his childhood. His abusive father, Ethan, berates him for being "different" from the other kids at school. In addition to verbally abusing and shaming his autistic son, Ethan grabs Shaun's pet rabbit from the little boy's arms and kills the animal in a violent outburst. Clearly, The Good Doctor was trying to convey just how awful Ethan is, but the rabbit moment — which is pretty corny looking — ends up just feeling wildly out of place.

5 A Sober Patient Comes Into The Hospital Intoxicated

Season 3, Episode 5, "First Case, Second Base"

In one of season 3's episodes, The Good Doctor tackles a wild medical case when Morgan and Claire treat a sober patient named Curtis. Despite maintaining his sobriety for six years, Curtis shows up intoxicated at St. Bonaventure Hospital. Dealing with acute grief and high emotions in the wake of her mother's death, Claire refuses to believe Curtis, insisting that he must have broken his sobriety and is lying to them about it. Strangely enough, Curtis has a benign tumor that's causing him to be intoxicated. The rare condition, known as auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), or gut fermentation syndrome, is a truly wild turn of events.

4 A Marlin Gets Stuck In A Patient

Season 3, Episode 3, "Claire"

In another season 3 episode of The Good Doctor, a fishing accident leaves a patient with a marlin sticking out of his leg. To make matters more complicated, the fisherman doesn't want St. Bon's surgeons to damage his prize catch. Shamus O'Malley, the man impaled by the marlin, ends up in the fish's debt. While the surgeons are examining Shamus' injury, they discover something shocking: the fisherman has aggressive cancer, and his leg needs to be amputated. Between the idea of a marlin impaling a man and that very same fish leading to a life-saving cancer diagnosis, "Claire" is one of the show's wildest episodes.

3 One Good Doctor Patient Almost Drowns In His Own Fluids

Season 3, Episode 12, "Mutations"

In yet another season 3 outing, several of St. Bon's surgeons — Shaun, Morgan, Andrews, and Lim — are assigned to treat James, a patient who's navigating a rare genetic mutation. Unfortunately, James is also suffering from swelling, but his condition makes it nearly impossible to treat the issue. If the surgeons are not careful with their course of treatment, James could literally drown in his own fluids. Funnily enough, a fish saves yet another patient on The Good Doctor when Carly and Shaun realize that a zebra fish holds the answers to James' life-saving treatment.

Related The Good Doctor Season 7 Killing Off 1 Specific Character Sent The Wrong Message The shocking death of a major character halfway through The Good Doctor's final season sent a negative message that contradicted its focus.

2 The Good Doctor's Biohacker Patient

Season 5, Episode 13, "Growing Pains"

In season 5 of The Good Doctor, a teenager named Trent winds up in Asher and Shaun's care after an infection crops up in one of his fingers. While that's not wild, the cause is more than a bit cutting-edge: Trent's infection stems from his many biohacking implants — a kind of body modification process. In essence, biohackers aim to enhance or change their bodies' functions with technology or biochemical elements. The emerging field is pretty DIY, making it not only risky, but difficult for some folks to fully grasp. Undoubtedly, it's one of the show's wilder plots.

1 Lim & Villanueva Are Stabbed In The Good Doctor Season 5 Finale

Season 5, Episode 18, "Sons"

In The Good Doctor season 5 finale, Shaun and Lea finally tie the knot. In true St. Bon's fashion, the couple get married on the hospital's roof, surrounded by their colleagues and coworkers. After the couple exchange vows, The Good Doctor plays a touching montage, accompanied by a speech from Glassman. In a wild tonal shift, the show then cuts to Lim, who's walking through the locker room. Soon enough, she comes across nurse Dalisay Villanueva's body; he's bleeding on the floor. Lim's ex-boyfriend appears and stabs her too, leaving Lim and Villanueva bleeding out while everyone else celebrates.

The Good Doctor series finale airs on May 21, 2024.