Semiotic Analysis of Television Episode of “The Good Doctor”

“Burnt Food” is the name of the first episode of the television series, called The Good Doctor, which came out on September 25, 2017, on ABC. The Good Doctor is a series in the genre of medical drama, based on the Korean drama of the same name, that tell a story about a young man, called Shaun Murphy, who has been diagnosed with autism, yet has a Savant syndrome, which makes him have an above average memory, who aspires to be a successful surgeon. The show presents Shaun’s life in the hospital, as a surgical resident, his communication with colleagues, people’s attitude towards him and his disease. The first episode, “Burnt Food,” shows the hospital’s board meeting, during which the board is to make a final decision on whether Shaun should begin his surgical residency. The first episode of the ABC TV series The Good Doctor, “Burnt Food,” challenges the widespread belief that autistic people are unable to communicate clearly and have fundamental human interactions, without the help of other people. The episode places Shaun Murphy, a young man with autism and Savant syndrome, into the intense hospital environment, which helps show the abilities of the people with autism.

From the very beginning of the episode, series show us Shaun Murphy’s morning routine, where we can see that he does everything neatly and quick while leaving alone, which shows that people, diagnosed with autism can leave a full life on their own. The first minutes of the episode show, how young soon-to-be surgical resident, Shaun Murphy, is getting ready for his plane. We can see that he packs his bag, and performs basic human actions – brushes his hair, washes his hands, leaves the house. Without knowing the context of the show, one would not assume that Shaun has a disease, which is characterized by difficulty in social skills, communicating and using language and abstract concepts. In the board meeting, which is shown to take place at the same time, as Shaun is on the way to the hospital, the President of the clinics, Dr. Aaron Glassman, who was the one, who decided to give Murphy a chance, states “He’s high functioning, he’s capable of living on his own, capable of managing his own affairs.” (“Burnt Food”, 00:04:46-00:04:51) In the case of the person without any mental disorder, the characteristics described would not be used to hire a surgeon, however, in the case of Shaun, those are enough to give him a chance, as there is a stereotype around people with autism is that they are not able to function in society without the additional assistance.

One scene in the episode shows Shaun Murphy’s ability to decide in the critical situations, which is considered unlikely for people with autism, as it portrays Dr. Murphy performing a surgical operation on a young boy right in the airport hall. On Murphy’s arrival to the San Jose Airport, he witnesses an accident, where the glass sign falls, and lands on a boy, causing him a trauma. A man from the crowd, who seems to have the necessary medical knowledge, immediately responds to the accident, trying to save the boy’s life. However, Shaun corrects him and proceeds to examine a young unconscious boy. With the improvised tools, a scene shows that Murphy is capable of operating in the non-medical environment.

What is more, he succeeds in the so-called operation, saving the boy’s life. People with autism are usually described as having “deficits in social communication and social interaction” (Luciano, 15), as well as “requiring support” (Luciano, 15), in some cases, substantial. In the episode, Shaun Murphy is shown to have communicated with the people successfully, as well as have performed a specific medical activity, which requires professional skills in a critical situation, which challenges the common belief about autistic individuals.

The flashback scenes in the episode show that Saun has been able to live in the inconvenient environment, alone, only with his younger brother, since he was 14 years old. Many people, who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, experience troubles with socializing, therefore have to have support with daily life communications. Thompson et al. (2) state that autistic individuals “commonly experience poor transition outcomes including unemployment, limited participation in further education and low rates of independent living, with most having few friendships.” In the context of the episode, Shaun has experienced troubles with his father, which has eventually led to him and his younger brother escaping from their home. Brothers have to live in an abandoned school-bus, with both of them being far from legal age. Even though the majority of the decisions are on Shaun’s brother, he still manages to live without the parental support. It is common that autistic people live with their parents for a long time after reaching the age of legal decisions, yet Shaun Murphy shows that, due to the conditions that he faced, he had shown from the small age that he could be a functioning human being without the support of another human being.

Contrary to the belief that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder are not able to respond well to the social situations that require much communication, one of the scenes in the episode shows that Dr. Murphy can give a speech that convinces hospital’s board to give him a place as a surgical resident. The episode’s main plot revolves around people in the board of the hospital judging Shaun, based on his disorder, not wanting to accept his exceptional memory, and him proving, without the intention to do so, that he will be able to serve as a surgical resident successfully. Even though Shaun’s skills helped him save boy’s life, the majority of people in charge do not want to give him a chance, as they are afraid that he will make many mistakes. The final point in the board’s decision is Shaun’s speech, based on which, the final decision will be made. Performing in front of many people can be a stress factor for most of the people, even without any Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, Shaun can give clear reasons, on why he wants to be a surgeon, which leads him to be a surgical resident. If the speech had affected the board’s choice, who, before, were strictly against him in their hospital, it means that Shaun Murphy can communicate and respond to social situations well enough to work in the hospital, despite his disorder.

The portrayal of the people, who are somehow ‘different’ from the majority of the public is vitally important, in order for these people to not feel excluded. In the last few years, it seems that the world has become more tolerant. Therefore, the media has focused a little more on showing the most talked about topics on TV. One of the examples of the TV series that’s main focus is a person, who is considered ‘different’ is The Good Doctor. The show revolves around a young doctor, who has autism and has Savant syndrome. The first episode of the series, “Burnt Food,” shows that, despite his disorder, Murphy is able to communicate well, and what is more, perform specific tasks in a critical situation, which is usually considered unlikely for the people with autism. In this way, “Burnt Food” of The Good Doctor challenges the popular stereotype that autistic people are not able to communicate clearly and have fundamental human interactions, without the help of other people.

Works Cited

Luciano, Kristy. “Autism spectrum disorder.” Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 29.10, 2016: 14–15. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000496963.97119.ef

Thompson, Craig, Bölte, Sven, Falkmer, Torbjorn, & Girdler, Sonya. “To be understood: Transitioning to adult life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” PLOS ONE, 13.3, 2018. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0194758

“Burnt Food.”The Good Doctor, written by David Shore, directed by Seth Gordon, ABC, 2017.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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