'The Good Doctor' Character Officially Exits in Season 6 Finale
The Season 6 finale of The Good Doctor saw the anticipated exit of Brandon Larracuente, who portrayed Dr. Danny Perez beginning in Season 6, Episode 2. While fans may have been worried about how the exit would happen since the finale included a car accident that involved both Dr. Perez and Dr. Kalu, it wasn't as bad as it seemed, and it turned out to be a very fitting departure.
After getting into an accident in a tunnel due to dense fog, Perez and Kalu were trying to help people in the other cars involved. Unfortunately, another car came speeding through, and she couldn't stop in time, hitting a car with Perez on top as he was helping someone, and he went flying. With serious injuries, he had to have surgery but refused opioids due to his addiction. However, as long as his body dealt with the pain, he was at risk of cardiac issues and potentially dying. Not wanting to see him in any more pain or risk himself, Jordan administered fentanyl.
Perez was upset at Jordan at first but later came to his senses. Now back at Day 1, the resident made the tough choice of returning home for his recovery, even if it meant leaving Jordan. While we've only seen him for a single season, fans got to see the roller coaster that Perez went on when it came to his addiction and sobriety. When it came to his exit, co-showrunner Liz Friedman tells TVLine that the storyline was satisfying as it called for the ultimate declaration of love:
"As you said, we were playing the long game with the two of them, and there was something that felt right to us as storytellers about them not being able to get their timing right," Friedman expressed. "It felt real. When we came up with the notion that Jordan, in order to save his life, would have to let go of the idea of having a relationship with him, that really was pleasing to me. It felt like the ultimate kind of declaration of love — a sacrifice of the love, in a sense. It's a dynamic I've been fond of ever since they used it between the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman."
When Brandon Larracuente's exit was announced, there was worry that Dr. Perez would get the Dr. Melendez treatment and die in the finale. However, since it seemed like there was still a possibility for him to return in The Good Doctor Season 7 on a guest-star basis, there was a pretty good chance he would live to see another day, and luckily, he did. Since Larracuente has already booked another role on the upcoming Prime Video series On Call, his return to St. Bonaventure may not be for a while. But at least fans will still be able to see him on TV in the future.