'The Good Doctor' Spoilers: What's Next for Shaun and Glassman?

Spoiler alert! The Good Doctor's most beloved surgeon, Dr. Shaun Murphy, is officially a dad. In tonight's Season 6 finale, "Love's Labor," his wife, Lea (Paige Spara), gave birth to a son. "It’s kind of crazy," Freddie Highmore, who plays Shaun, tells Parade of the storyline. "It feels so momentous."

Of course, the episode wasn't entirely joyous: Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff), the baby's honorary grandfather, didn't show up for the child's birth. In previous episodes, we saw Glassman become increasingly angry with Shaun for going over his head to report his mini-stroke—a move that ultimately forced Glassman to relinquish his responsibilities as a brain surgeon.

The most heart-wrenching moment of the Season 6 finale came when the new parents were about to take their first family photo—each wearing special hats embroidered with "Mom," "Dad," and "Peanut" (their nickname for the baby, who they named Steve after Shaun's late brother)—and we see Shaun put the "grandpa" hat he'd gotten for a no-show Glassman back in Lea’s hospital bag.

Below, Highmore shares his thoughts on where things are headed for Shaun and Glassman, what fatherhood might be like for his character and when he'll start shooting Season 7.

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How do you think becoming a new father will change Dr. Shaun Murphy?
First of all, it’s just kind of mad that we’ve arrived at the point where he is, indeed, a father. I know that [co-creator] David Shore had in his mind the idea that Shaun being a father could at some point be the end of the whole show. It made me quite nostalgic filming that episode, looking back at the journey that he’d been on and everything he’s gone through. And I guess at the same time, it also makes you look towards the future, because it feels like this whole new reinvention of who he is.

I’m not a father myself, but I can only imagine the way in which it will shake Shaun’s world and change him fundamentally as a person. So it will be really exciting in Season 7 to get to explore probably the biggest change in Shaun that we’ve ever had.

Shaun is tidy and orderly—and babies are not. Are we going to see that conflict play out in Season 7?
I certainly think that will play into the next season. Obviously, it’s this joyous beautiful moment for them in the finale, getting to see Shaun and Lea in one of the most magical moments—if not the most magical moment—that humans can go through. I feel like for now it’s [about] the beauty, the hugeness of it. And, of course, that’s tinged with a slight bittersweet sense, since Glassman isn’t actually there to celebrate with them.

But as you say, I think moving forward, it won’t be a smooth ride. It’s not just this beautiful journey of the two of them holding their baby very sweetly and lovingly forevermore. It’s certainly going to be a challenge for both of them individually and as a couple. What it’s like on a daily, hourly basis to have a baby…I think those things can form the basis of entire episodes for Shaun, because those small steps can be so difficult and challenging and interesting to watch and go through.

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When I had my son 17 years ago, I was like, 'You’re really letting me take this child home? Where’s the manual?' Did you and Paige get any prep in terms of holding this baby in the finale, or will there be a baby bootcamp for Season 7? 
No one’s gone into the practicalities. Though you’re right, maybe this is a great way forward. One of the things that I think Paige just captured so beautifully at the end is not just the complete love and adoration for the new baby, but also that sense of wonder and surprise and shock and disbelief that another human being has been brought into the world. I just thought she was so brilliant and moving in those last few scenes.

Let’s talk about Glassman. Can he and Shaun mend their relationship? What do you think Shaun wants?
I think it’s interesting to try and figure out exactly where Shaun is at the end of the episode with regard to Glassman. I’m not sure that it’s necessarily obvious to the audience in those last moments, and I think that’s probably okay because there’s a whole lot that will need to be unpacked. I think on some level, having Baby Steve is so much bigger than anything else—the problems with Glassman seem far away compared to the magic of having one’s own child.

I think there’s a slight sense of Shaun accepting that Glassman hasn’t come, and on some level, accepting his decision—not necessarily agreeing with it, but to some extent, coming to terms with it when that grandfather hat doesn’t get used and they just have the three of them smiling for a loving photo. But I think, long-term, those feelings of being abandoned will certainly prevail. Because [Shaun] does see Glassman as the baby’s grandfather, and he will want him to be a part of his life.

Do you have something specific that you do to de-stress after shooting? There’s a lot of highly emotional scenes.
There’s something cathartic about doing them. You sort of feel good for having let it out. But of course it’s been a long season and I feel like everyone is excited and happy to have a little bit of a break and then come back again in Season 7.

Do you know when you go back to Vancouver, when shooting starts again?
Not yet, not exactly. But hopefully some time in the early summer.

Is it like a little reunion when you guys haven’t seen each other for a few months?
It is. It’s always lovely to be reunited in the Vancouver summer. It’s obviously been a difficult few years for everyone with COVID, for a variety of reasons. It’s really nice now that it’s—not over and finished, but easier to deal with—to be able to spend a bit more time with people in person rather than just chatting over Zoom or from behind a mask.

The Good Doctor airs on ABC on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET.

Next, The Good Doctor Will Say Goodbye to One of Its Series Regulars at the End of Season 6