Good Doctor: Melendez Dying Was Inevitable, But Also? The Writers' Fault
The Good Doctor writers had no choice but to kill off Melendez, as his main storylines had no potential left whatsoever.
The death of a beloved character on a television show can evoke strong emotions among fans. This was certainly the case for TGD fans who were saddened by the death of Dr. Neil Melendez in the Season 3 finale.
Some members of the huge TGD fandom, especially Neil and Claire shippers, even attacked showrunner David Shore and the writing staff on social media for the tragic ending of Melendez's arc. But was his death really as absurd as fans continue to point out?
The death of Neil Melendez took viewers by surprise. Critically injured in an earthquake, he succumbed to severe internal injuries and died just one episode later. But before he died, he confessed his love for Claire in one of the most, if not the most, heartbreaking moments of the medical show.
Though not something that was heavily foreshadowed or hinted at, Melendez's death actually made sense and can be explained by the character's arc in general.
The writers had backed the character into a corner. If he had survived Season 3, his potential romantic relationship with Claire would have presented a lot of challenges from a narrative perspective. Since Melendez was her superior, their relationship would have been problematic to explore. After all, the show had previously tackled a similar storyline with Audrey Lim. Repeating the same love arc with a new partner would not have made much sense.
It is important to remember that the show is primarily focused on Shaun Murphy and his journey. In that regard, Melendez's role had become insignificant. In Season 1, Melendez served as Shaun's antagonist to eventually become his supporter. In subsequent seasons, he served as a mentor to the autistic doctor, but their relationship was not particularly close and there was not much Melendez had to offer.
While the writers could have potentially created more compelling storylines for Melendez, they couldn't write around the romance angle, which had become central to the character but unnecessary to the show.
This, along with his role in Shaun's development, which had become stagnant, were key factors that kept viewers engaged with the character.
With both becoming a burden for the writers, when it came time to choose a major character to kill off in the Season 3 finale, the choice naturally fell on Melendez.