10 Best Episodes of The Good Doctor Ranked By IMDb Ratings (Photo Credit –IMDb)
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ABC’s The Good Doctor bid an emotional farewell to fans in 2024 after seven memorable seasons. With his abilities, intelligence, and empathy, surgeon Shaun Murphy made his place not only in his colleagues’ but also the audience’s hearts.
Throughout seven seasons, the medical drama aired 126 episodes, some of which stood out, being loved the most by the audiences and achieving the highest IMDb ratings. Here are the 10 best episodes of The Good Doctor, ranked per their IMDB ratings.
10. Season 3 Episode 20: I Love You
IMDb Rating: 8.7
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The season 3 finale, I Love You, was an emotional rollercoaster that showcased the extent to which doctors can go to save their patients’ lives. The episode followed an earthquake in San Jose, after which the St. Bonaventure Hospital staff put their own lives in danger to treat the injured population. It also marked the beginning of Lea and Shaun’s relationship. Apart from these heartwarming moments, the episode also remains memorable for Melendez’s unfortunate death.
Breakdown is admired for Freddie Highmore’s masterful portrayal of Shaun’s meltdown. The episode follows the confrontation between him and Dr. Han after the latter transferred him to internal medicine. While Shaun was capable enough to be a part of the surgical team that carried out a tumor removal operation, he was instead asked to work on a different case. Feeling dejected, Shaun lashed out at Dr. Han and stood up for himself.
8. Season 1 Episode 18: More
IMDb Rating: 8.8
More served as the perfect finale for season 1, with Shaun fighting his personal battles that impacted his job, and Dr. Glassman being diagnosed with brain cancer. And while Shaun made an error in judgment while dealing with a case, his colleagues were put in a dilemma about whether they should complain against him. Emotions ran high throughout the episode, with Shaun facing challenges in both his personal and professional lives.
7. Season 7 Episode 9: Unconditional
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Unconditional is remembered for Shaun’s powerful speech in support of Dr. Glassman after the latter put his job at risk while trying to help Hannah with her drug addiction. At the same time, Claire returned to San Jose and was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, while she rekindled her romance with Jared. By the end, it was revealed that Dr. Glassman was once again suffering from cancer, which had become terminal.
6. Season 7 Episode 6: M.C.E.
IMDb Rating: 8.9
M.C.E. is counted among the most emotional episodes of the show, as the hospital staff was still coping with the loss of Dr. Asher when a mass casualty event took place and put them back on duty. Shaun was made in charge of the hospital, in the absence of half of the staff who were away for a conference. The surgeon kept his emotions aside to manage the chaos at the hospital, while Lim dealt with her own struggles.
5. Season 5 Episode 7: Expired
IMDb Rating: 8.9
One of the most heartbreaking moments in the show came in the episode Expired, where a pregnant woman lost her baby. The episode followed Shaun and Lea, who came across a pregnant lady badly injured in a car accident. Her baby was delivered prematurely and died after being given expired vials. Shaun then had an outburst and shouted at Glassman and Lea while smashing the vials, which made up for an iconic scene.
4. Season 2 Episode 18: Trampoline
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Season 2 finale, Trampoline, marked a shift in the staff’s perspective toward Shaun, as the surgeon was attacked in a bar and was admitted to his own hospital. The episode brought out a new trait of Shaun’s personality as he insulted a man at the bar before being attacked by him. At the same time, Melendez and Lim went public with their relationship.
3. Season 2 Episode 10: Quarantine
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Before the world went into a lockdown due to COVID-19, The Good Doctor gave a glimpse of what a pandemic could look like in the episode Quarantine. The episode followed two patients who passed out at the airport due to an airborne respiratory disease. The hospital was then quarantined, which caused panic among the staff. There were several ups and downs in the episode, which resulted in intense drama.
2. Season 6 Episode 16: The Good Lawyer
IMDb Rating: 9.1
The Good Doctor was in need of a Good Lawyer in this episode as a patient sued him citing that his arm was amputated by the surgeon unnecessarily. Shaun hires a novice lawyer named Joni to represent him in the trial. Joni, who struggled with OCD, was supposed to get her own show, with this episode serving as its pilot, however, ABC dropped the plan later. The episode remains memorable as two professionals struggling with different conditions came together for a case and ended up winning it.
1. Season 7 Episode 10: Goodbye
IMDb Rating: 9.6
The series finale, Goodbye, is the highest-rated episode of the show. The episode gave a satisfying ending to the series, with Shaun welcoming his daughter with Lea, and opening the Dr. Aaron Glassman Foundation for Neurodiversity in Medicine in honor of Glassman. Meanwhile, Danny and Jordan, and Jared and Claire also got their happily ever after. 10 years later, Shaun was seen giving a TED talk as the Chief of Surgery, marking the perfect conclusion to the show.
