Going Against the Odds: The Good Doctor
By Amber Arnaout
The television industry has seen a countless number of medical dramas from Grey’s Anatomy, to Scrubs, to Doogie Howser. Nevertheless, the popularity of this genre continues to grow with the release of each new show. This season ABC released its newest show, The Good Doctor, created by David Shore, who happens to also be the creator of House.
Every medical drama seems to have the same plot and storyline, the main character has some type of disadvantage and has to prove to their peers that they are capable of being great. in order to make a medical drama interesting, it depends on the execution and The Good Doctor does this very well.
The main character, Shaun Murphy, is a surgical resident at St Bonaventure medical hospital and struggles to be accepted by his colleagues due to the fact that he has high functioning autism and Savant Syndrome. They question his qualifications and whether his mental health may affect the hospital and patients in a negative way.
Murphy seems to be oblivious to their views towards him, but is actually extremely aware. since he is straightforward by nature, his personality is a rude awakening for the doctors around him and forces them to reflect on their actions and perception of things.
As each episode progresses, we see flashbacks of Murphy’s childhood and the hardships he endured in order to get to where he is in life. His abusive home life made it difficult for him as they weren’t able to adapt and accommodate for his needs. His father did not bother to take the time to understand his condition and merely rejected him as a child.
Murphy found happiness in his younger brother. One day he passed away in an accident and Murphy was left in complete shock and terror. However instead and wallowing in guilt, Murphy makes it his goal to become a surgeon and save people since he was not able to save his brother.
The flashback seen in the first episode alone is enough to make most cry. Despite the fact that this plot line has been reused time and time again, The Good Doctor manages to give a refreshing twist it.
