‘The Good Doctor’ Fans React After Shocking Unexpected Death

Martin Holmes April 3, 2024, 7:57 am

Freddie Highmore in 'The Good Doctor' - Season 7 Episode 1 — ABC/Jeff Weddell

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Good Doctor Season 7, Episode 5 “Who At Peace.”]

The Good Doctor isn’t pulling any punches in its seventh and final season, as Tuesday night’s (April 2) episode saw the shocking death of a fan-favorite series regular.

Noah Galvin‘s Dr. Asher Wolke was killed off in the fifth episode, titled “Who At Peace,” in a violent antisemitic attack. After helping at a patient’s wedding ceremony, Asher drove the rabbi back to his synagogue, where they came upon a couple of thugs vandalizing the temple.

Asher confronted the vandals, which led to the fatal attack.

“What do you care?” one of the assailants asked, while the other responded, “He’s a Jew too.”

“I am a Jew. A gay one, in fact, and I’m calling the cops,” Asher replied.

The thugs dispersed, and it looked like the situation was resolved, but they soon returned and struck Asher in the head, leaving him for dead. By the time the rabbi returned, Asher was no longer breathing.

While all this went down, Asher’s boyfriend, Jerome (Giacomo Baessato), waited for him at a nearby restaurant, where he planned to propose to him as a surprise on their second anniversary.

Noah Galvin as Asher Wolke in ‘The Good Doctor’; Jeff Weddell / Disney via Getty Images

A title card at the end of the episode read: “If you or anyone you know has experienced antisemitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ+ related incidents or hate crimes, or if you want to learn more about what you can do to stop hate, please visit splcenter.org.”

The death was further confirmed when a preview for next week’s episode showed characters attending Asher’s funeral.

Viewers were blindsided by the brutal killing and took to social media to share their reactions.

“ASHER!! That entire scene just shattered my heart,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).

“Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by #thegooddoctor,” added another.

“THEY — JUST — KILLED — ASHER — OFF — SUDDENLY — AND — MERCILESSLY — LIKE — THAT?!?!?!!?” said another commenter.

Another wrote, “THE GOOD DOCTOR JUST KILLED OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER…..THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY’VE DONE THIS I’M SICK #thegooddoctor”

“Absolutely no point in killing off Asher this close to the series finale. What was [David] Shore thinking? I’m not sad, I’m pissed,” said one fan.

Bess Armstrong to Recur in 'The Good Doctor' Final Season

“I am rarely shocked by a tv series but #thegooddoctor ending tonight was totally unexpected, and brutal. It actually shook me up a bit,” wrote another.

Galvin joined The Good Doctor in Season 4 in a recurring role; he was promoted to series regular at the end of the season. His other credits include the ABC sitcom The Real O’Neals, the Disney Channel’s The Owl House, NBC comedy-drama Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and the Comedy Central series The Other Two.

Check out more reaction to Asher’s death below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

#TheGoodDoctor what a shocking twist of events at the end of this episode. Not Asher – one of the more well developed characters on this series. This is very sad. #NoahGalvin was the actor playing Asher. pic.twitter.com/DCnXIL2YVT

— Wendy (@perfectrose2011) April 3, 2024

Never saw that coming. #TheGoodDoctor

— The Good Doctor Squad/#savethegooddoctor (@TGDsquad2) April 3, 2024

This reminds me of what they did to Melendez ☹️ a cheap and quick death for shock factor. What the heck! I loved Asher #TheGoodDoctor

— Melena (@haysalto) April 3, 2024

This one pain me cause why?!
There was no reason whatsoever to kill this character, he could have left the hospital like this other girl did.
Not killing him off totally.#thegooddoctor
It’s the way I didn’t even see it coming https://t.co/nfBsXHB0DK pic.twitter.com/zFYO9ai7Nr

— Ishola Olatunji (@IsholaOlatunj18) March 31, 2024

The previews for next week show that Asher does not survive the attack. I feel so bad for Jerome and for Jordan. Jerome was going to marry Asher, and Asher was Jordan’s best friend. I can’t believe he’s dead. #TheGoodDoctor

— Amy Danko (@FebWriter) April 3, 2024