Freddie Highmore has directed the episode of The Good Doctor season 2 airing this Monday, Feb. 18, at 10:00 p.m. Titled Risk and Reward, the show will introduce the new Chief of Surgery, Dr. Jackson Han (played by Daniel Dae Kim).
The actor told KABC that he enjoyed working as the director for The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 15. It's not Highmore's first shot at directing, however, as he also helmed episodes in his previous series, Bates Motel.
Highmore also said he's extra proud of The Good Doctor because of the positive reaction from people with autism. His character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, has the mental condition and the series shows how he's trying to navigate his personal and professional life as someone born with an autism condition.
"Shaun can't represent everyone on the spectrum, we're telling his individual story," Highmore said. "But when it resonates personally with people it means an incredible amount."
Meanwhile, Highmore's co-star Nicholas Gonzales spoke with TV Line to say that his character, Dr. Neil Melendez, won't have a good first encounter with the new surgery chief. Their first interaction on The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 15 will have Han telling Melendez that one of his surgeries has been canceled as Dr. Jackson throws his weight around San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
Dr. Jackson is also not going to get along with Highmore's character. Preview clips from The Good Doctor Season 2 Episode 15 shows Shaun telling his best friend and mentor Dr. Aaron Glassman (played by Richard Schiff) that he's been working with the new chief and it's not going well.
Apparently, Dr. Jackson's main concern with Shaun is that he doesn't understand if he has done anything wrong after the latter makes a slip-up in the operating room. The two have a tense exchange where Han threatens Shaun that he's not going to be a surgical resident any longer.
The Good Doctor season 2 has four more episodes left to air for the rest of the series and Dr. Jackson's character will recur in those remaining episodes. However, fans of the medical drama don't have to worry as ABC has confirmed the show will return for season 3, as per Entertainment Weekly.
The Good Doctor also stars Antonia Thomas (Dr. Claire Browne), Hill Harper (Dr. Marcus Andrews), Christina Chang (Dr. Audrey Lim), Fiona Gubelmann (Dr. Morgan Reznick), Will Yun Lee (Dr. Alex Park), Tamlyn Tomita (Allegra Aoki) and Paige Spara (Lea Delallo).
