Why Did [Spoiler] Die on ‘The Good Doctor’? Episode’s Writer Addresses Shocking Decision

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

The Good Doctor sent shockwaves across the fanbase when it killed off a major character in Season 7 Episode 5, which aired on Tuesday, April 2 on ABC. In the week since, fans have wondered why the medical drama would kill off a main character with just five episodes left in the series (due to production delays, the final season is 10 episodes instead of the usual 13). Adam Scott Weissman, a writer on the series, has explained the decision.

In the episode, Noah Galvin‘s Dr. Asher Wolke explored his relationship with religion as it involved both a patient and his relationship with fiancé Jerome Martel (Giacomo Baessato). He helped a rabbi back to his synagogue following his patient’s wedding, where Asher encountered two vandals. Asher stood up to them and it was believed they fled the scene, but the episode later revealed that they returned to attack him, and Asher died of his injuries. Meanwhile, Jerome was waiting at a restaurant for his love, where he planned to propose during their anniversary dinner.

“We came into this [episode] with the thought that life doesn’t always have happy endings. Sometimes things happen suddenly and in a tragic way,” Weissman told The Wrap. “Oftentimes [these issues] become real when it happens to someone you know or someone we love on TV, so this horrible thing happens that also brings it home for our viewers.”

According to Weissman, this was the result of Galvin being ready to move on from the series, and they used his departure as an opportunity to address the rise of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes in the United States in recent years. He said they believed the story “was a satisfying ending” for the character.

Disney/Jeff Weddell

“Asher’s final line when he says, ‘I’m not just a Jew, I’m a gay one, too.’ Those were two identities that prior to that he hadn’t been able to reconcile,” Weissman said. “He felt like he had to choose, which is what he is sort of going through in this episode. Him being able to come to that conclusion that I can be both of these two things was super important to us.”

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Weissman also acknowledges the “bury your gays” trope — a pattern in TV and movies where queer characters are killed off for reasons related to their sexuality — saying that they tried to remain “conscious” of it while writing the episode. Co-showrunner Liz Friedman, who is a lesbian, helped the writers through the episode’s creation. Weissman said that he sees the death as heroic.

“It’s a sad note, but it’s also a high note in that it’s a heroic moment for him where he embraces all sides of his identity and does it to protect someone else and to protect the sacred space,” he explained.

Asher’s funeral will be seen in The Good Doctor Season 7 Episode 6, revealing how everyone at San Jose Saint Bonaventure Hospital is grieving this tragic loss.

The Good Doctor, Tuesdays, 10/9c, ABC