The Good Doctor Writer Explains Major Character’s Death

Observe: The next story accommodates spoilers from “The Good Physician” Season 7, Episode 5.

“The Good Physician” left viewers speechless after a serious character was killed off throughout a hate crime in Tuesday night time’s episode, a darkish wrinkle for the ABC medical drama midway by way of its seventh and closing season. Sequence author Adam Scott Weissman mentioned that the loss of life of Dr. Asher Wolke was prompted by actor Noah Galvin’s need to maneuver on from the collection, whereas additionally providing the possibility for the present to carry to gentle the rise of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ assaults within the U.S.

“We got here into this [episode] with the thought that life doesn’t at all times have completely satisfied endings. Typically issues occur instantly and in a tragic means,” Weissman advised TheWrap in an unique interview. “Oftentimes [these issues] turn into actual when it occurs to somebody you understand, or somebody we love on TV, so this horrible factor occurs that additionally brings it dwelling for our viewers.”

The hour, titled “Who at Peace” and co-written by Weissman and Peter Blake, adopted as Asher (Galvin) revisited his Jewish upbringing whereas serving to to facilitate the marriage of a dying affected person, basically serving to him work by way of his personal qualms with the faith after rising up queer within the Hasidic group. The episode additionally noticed Asher wrestle with whether or not or not he was able to take the following step in his relationship with companion Jerome (Giacomo Baessato), suspecting he was able to suggest to him as they neared their two-year anniversary. After the affected person’s marriage ceremony, Asher helped the rabbi again to the synagogue, the place they encountered two vandals. Although Asher appeared to scare them away, the episode ended with them returning and killing him as Jerome waited in a restaurant, able to pop the query.

A person near manufacturing confirmed to TheWrap that Galvin was certainly keen on pursuing different alternatives, which prompted the writers to craft an earlier exit for Asher. The character was first launched in Season 4 in a recurring function earlier than being promoted to collection common for Season 5.

Although Asher’s destiny served to touch upon real-life points, Weissman emphasised that the objective of Episode 5 was to carry the character’s story to “what we thought was a satisfying ending.”

“Asher’s closing line when he says, ‘I’m not only a Jew, I’m a homosexual one, too.’ These have been two identities that previous to that he hadn’t been capable of reconcile. He felt like he had to decide on, which is what he’s kind of going by way of on this episode,” Weissman mentioned. “Him with the ability to come to that conclusion that I may be each of those two issues was tremendous vital to us.”

Weissman additionally acknowledged that the writers’ room was “aware” concerning the present falling into the “bury your gays” trope of killing off queer characters for the sake of tragedy. Moreover, he praised showrunner Liz Friedman — who he famous is herself a member of the LGBTQ group — for guiding the writers by way of crafting the emotional hour.

“It’s a tragic be aware, but it surely’s additionally a excessive be aware in that it’s a heroic second for him the place he embraces all sides of his identification, and does it to guard another person and to guard the sacred house,” Weissman mentioned.

A preview for subsequent week’s episode promised a memorial for Asher earlier than the medical doctors are swooped again to the hospital for an emergency scenario. With out revealing too many particulars, Weissman promised that the aftermath of the assault and Asher’s loss of life will play a key function within the remaining characters’ trajectory within the present’s closing episodes — together with Jerome.

“The Good Physician” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes can be found to stream the day after premiere on Hulu.