The Good Doctor Season 7's Shocking Main Character Death Explained

Contains Spoilers for "The Good Doctor" Season 7,  Episode 5 — "Who At Peace"

"The Good Doctor" is headed toward its conclusion — and a courtroom-centered spin-off. But tragically, one of its regulars won't make it to the final episode alive. During "Who at Peace," Dr. Asher Wolke (Noah Galvin) dies as the result of a hate crime attack. He and Rabbi Benjamin (David Attar), whom the team had brought to the hospital to perform a marriage ceremony for a patient, confront a pair of criminals defacing a synagogue. In defending the rabbi and synagogue, Wolke is killed after the antisemites beat him.

The episode concludes with a title card reading, "If you or anyone you know has experienced antisemitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ+ related incidents or hate crimes, or if you want to learn more about what you can do to stop hate, please visit splcenter.org."

It's a sad death for Wolke, who had long been ambivalent about his Orthodox Jewish upbringing throughout the series but embraces it thanks to his boyfriend, Jerome (Giacomo Baessato). Tragically, Jerome is last seen sitting in a restaurant in the episode, waiting to propose to Wolke.

Galvin has been a regular since Season 4, and while he isn't the only "The Good Doctor" star who departed during Season 7, his co-stars are understandably still adjusting to his departure.

Noah Galvin took to his Instagram on April 3 to post a farewell to "The Good Doctor" and his co-stars. Under a bevy of behind-the-scenes pictures and videos, he captioned the post, "I spent the last four years in Vancouver working away from my fiancee and dog and family. It was hard but these people made it really worth it. I love you @thegooddoctorabc thank you for everything!!"

Galvin's co-stars weighed to express their well-wishes.  "I love you deep," said Bria Samoné, who plays longtime "The Good Doctor" supporting character Dr. Jordan Allen. "Lerve you," wrote Christina Chang, who portrays Dr. Audrey Lim. "I'm so glad that I had an opportunity to meet you and work with you! [You're] amazing," added Kayla Cromer, who plays newcomer Dr. Charlotte Lukaitis on the series.

What inspired the ending of "Who at Peace"? Episode writer Adam Scott Weissman told TheWrap that one of the most unfortunate truths of life is that sometimes, we don't always get the happy ending we deserve. "It's a sad note, but it's also a high note in that it's a heroic moment for him where he embraces all sides of his identity and does it to protect someone else and to protect the sacred space," said Weissman. In Episode 6, audiences and the show's doctors will attend Wolke's funeral. Hopefully, streaming this episode of "The Good Doctor" will help bring them all a bit of closure.

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.