The Good Doctor‘s Season 3 finale shook the series with a massive earthquake that caused major damage to the San Jose area. While many characters’ lives were put in danger, Dr. Neil Melendez was the one character that met an untimely end. Let’s look at why how Melendez was written out of the show.
A main player since Season 1, Dr. Melendez was a surgeon who worked at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital alongside the likes of Dr. Shaun Murphy. But after being hit by the earthquake rubble, Melendez sustained internal organ damage, which led to his death. Consequently, this meant the character’s actor, Nicholas Gonzalez, would be exiting The Good Doctor. Fortunately, unlike some TV departures, the decision was a mutual one by the actor and the show’s creators. In an interview with TVLine, Gonzalez said he felt he was “leaving The Good Doctor at a really great place.”
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The Good Doctor creator David Shore would elaborate on why he decided to kill off Melendez in an interview with Deadline, claiming it was nothing personal. “We wanted to lose a character that we would feel something about, and feel pain about, and certainly, he’s a character that so many of them have been in touch with,” he explained.
And Dr. Melendez’s death was certainly an impactful one. In the seasons prior, the character had developed deep relationships with many of the characters. In fact, he had just broken up with Dr. Audrey Lim and only recently began developing feelings for Dr. Claire Browne. In a heartbreaking but touching scene, Melendez and Browne confess their love for each other in some of Melendez’s final moments. Because the doctor was so connected to various characters in The Good Doctor, the creators knew his death would be deeply felt. “I think that would have been largely true for any of our characters, but it’s particularly true for him,” Shore continued in the Deadline interview.
Melendez’s death was not only felt by the characters, but it rocked the audience, as well. Fans were upset that one of the show’s beloved characters was suddenly killed off, especially before he and Claire could start a real relationship. Even Gonzalez thought Melendez had unfinished work, telling Entertainment Weekly, “Part of me is sad to see a character I respected a lot go, someone I felt that still had a lot more to say but there wasn’t always that opportunity.”
While no one likes to see a character die, crises like this are what make series like The Good Doctor so compelling. Melendez’s influence on San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital will always be felt, and given that Gonzalez briefly reprised his role in Season 4, it’s possible everyone’s favorite surgeon could find his way back before the series ends.
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