Is The Good Doctor finally getting back on track now that the series is ending?

The Good Doctor Season 7 Episode 1 was one of the strongest stories we've had in years. Shaun and Lea's conflict over Steve's schedule didn't take over the entire hour and complemented the main story nicely.

And Morgan was a lot more tolerable than usual, too. If this farewell season stays focused on change and growth, the series will go out on a high note.

Morgan's behavior throughout the hour was the opposite of what I expected.

She's usually fiercely committed to her path, so I predicted in my The Good Doctor Season 7 Episode 1 spoilers that she would fight bitterly with the other mother over the heart. I've never been so thankful to be wrong!

Morgan still pushed Park away, at least until he called her on it.

But she also bonded with Mrs. Pierce over their infants' need for heart surgery, was hesitant to accept Shaun's solution if it meant greater risk to the other baby, and graciously accepted Mrs. Pierce's offer of a rosary.

Those were sweet, emotional scenes, giving me new respect for Morgan. It seems motherhood has softened her, and she's finally outgrowing her snarky, take-no-prisoners attitude.

Lim: You can't be here, either of you. You can't be anywhere near this.
Morgan: I can't be anywhere else so unless you sedate me...
Lim: That can be arranged.

• Permalink: That can be arranged.

It wasn't realistic for Morgan and Park to be allowed to sit in on the discussion of which baby would get the donor heart despite Morgan's insistence that she had to be there. Then again, there wasn't a single doctor on the case that she didn't know personally, which wasn't overwhelmingly realistic either.

Shockingly, Morgan kept her promise to stay out of the decision and encouraged Shaun to say what he felt, even if it was bad news for Eden.

And despite her initial resistance to letting Park be part of this painful moment in her life, she acknowledged that Eden was as much his daughter as hers by the end. 

Morgan and Park could easily have had another split for the sake of drama over this entire situation, but instead, it drew them closer.

Will the series end with Morgan finally letting Park into her world? She has a baby and a man who wants to help raise him.

These three are a family now whether or not she marries Park or lets him officially adopt Eden, too. But it would be awesome to wrap things up with them, making everything legal.

Besides nobody coming to blows in the waiting room, the best part of the dilemma over the heart was that there were no clear-cut guidelines for who should get it.

Both babies were in dire straits; the heart was an equally good match for both of them, and both mothers were desperate for help for their infant.

Shaun's ability to detach came in handy here; he could reason things out logically in a way others couldn't, concluding that the child with zero chance of survival without the transplant should get priority over the one with a low, but non-zero, chance.

True to form, he found a solution that worked for everybody. 

The Good Doctor used a tired TV trope of the surgery being complicated and making it appear Eden wouldn't survive, but as the scene faded to black, I did not doubt that both babies would make it.

The Good Doctor occasionally goes for the tragic ending, but most of the time, the doctors pull off miracles at the last minute, especially Shaun.

The show attempted to go for a twist by having the doctors come out looking exhausted, only to announce that both babies made it. But was anyone surprised?

It would have ruined that twist if Eden's heart restarting had happened on-screen, but it felt abrupt the way they did it. One second, she was flatlining; the next, the doctors said she was fine.

Still, that was when Morgan acknowledged that Eden was Park's daughter, too, which made up for any weirdness.

The Good Doctor also deftly weaved in several subplots. Lea and Shaun's disagreement about schedules could have been a disaster, but it turned out to be a surprisingly relatable plotline.

Even new parents who are both neurotypical struggle with schedules sometimes.

This problem was exacerbated by Shaun's belief that the world would end if Steve were two minutes late for his nap.

Still,  anyone who has ever had to deal with a screaming newborn could empathize with Shaun and Lea's desire to organize Steve's sleep schedule so they could get some sleep,p too.

And how sweet was that final scene with Glassman? I'm glad he finally stopped avoiding Shaun, marking an end to this ridiculous anger at Shaun for humiliating him.

I teared up when he told Steve he was his grandpa. Steve seemed to calm down when Glassman took him as if Grandpa Glassy was exactly who he needed.

Jared and Jordan also made up by the end of the hour.

You know, I'm trying to stay positive and focus on the good things in my life, like a job I love and the friends I thought I had. But I feel like everyone's moving on and I'm being left behind.

Jordan

• Permalink: You know, I'm trying to stay positive and focus on the good things in my life, like a job I...

I've never been a huge Jordan fan, but I sympathized with her feelings of isolation after Perez left. No one seemed to have any time for her. Lea tried, but the baby interfered; Jared was nursing a grudge, and Asher was too busy with Jerome.

I've been there, and it's not fun. Hopefully, Jordan and Jared's rebuilt friendship will help her have brighter days.

The interim board president story was the weakest of all the subplots.

Glassman and Lim having to co-lead the hospital seemed like a silly solution, though maybe that's because this never works out when people co-CEO on Days of Our Lives.

Even before we got there, Glassman's constant insistence that he was too old and tired to rejoin the board got on my last nerve.

Why is he even working at the hospital if he feels he's too old to do anything?

This season's premiere exceeded my expectations by miles!

But what did you think, Good Doctor fanatics?

Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.

The Good Doctor airs on ABC on Tuesdays at 10/9c.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.