By Bel Hernandez
Last night’s season three finale of ABCs The Good Doctor shocked fans worldwide when their beloved character of Dr. Neil Melendez, played with profound conviction by Nicholas Gonzalez was killed off.
It was a surprise to fans around the world but for Gonzalez he had been been told by show runner David Shore, two thirds of the way into season, three that Dr. Melendez would be killed off.
In an interview with TV line, Gonzalez talks about the awkwardness of the situation; Continuing to film each episode knowing, what some of his cast members did not, that the season finale would be his last.
In an interview with TV Line, Gonzalez talked about that.
“TVLINE | So you really only had a few weeks to process everything…
[Gonzalez]: Which is really interesting, you know? Filming all that with the knowledge [that Melendez was going to die].”
In yet another interview with Entertainment Weekly Gonzalez talked about his feelings about leaving the show:
“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, and I feel like we really built a beautiful world around that character, as much as can be in a show like ours where we’re still a procedural as well. The ever gracious Gonzalez added, “So to me, it’s been nothing but a blessing.”
The storyline certainly did not prepare viewers for the sudden death of Melendez, in fact there is not a specific reason in the story line that this was coming. Shore was vague about the reason of the demise of Dr. Melendez when Deadline writer Matt Grobar point blank asked him that specific question:
“DEADLINE: So, there was no specific reason Dr. Melendez ended up on the chopping block?
SHORE: I’d rather not go into it, particularly. None of it is personal. You know, Nick was fantastic, and there’s nothing I can say to you that will make you go, “Oh, yeah. Okay. It had to be that way.” 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. Lim had a relationship with him; Claire was starting a relationship with him; Shaun obviously had his thing with him, although their paths don’t really cross in the finale. I think that would have been largely true for any of our characters, but it’s particularly true for him. Look, this is the nature of these sorts of shows, I believe, is you go forward, and people come and go…”
Fans across the world who took to social media had plenty to say about their favorite doctor’s death. Hundred of thousand fans took to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to express their opinion — almost every single one wants Dr. Neil Melendez back at the operating table.
Resurrect Dr. Neil Melendez on The Good Doctor. #ResurrectDrMelendez