A journey begins...
Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon, moves from his peaceful country life to join the surgical team at St. Bonaventure Hospital. But first he will have to face the hostility of other doctors.
- Abusive Parents: Shaun's alcoholic father physically and emotionally abused him, and also killed his pet rabbit, causing Shaun and his brother to run away from home. His mother was an enabler and never did anything to prevent this abuse.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: One of the flashbacks of Shaun when he was a kid shows that his abusive father killed Shaun's pet rabbit by throwing it against a wall.
- Big Brother Instinct: Shaun's younger brother, Steve, who protects his older brother from their father and school bullies alike. Rather than see him as a strange person and get annoyed, which you could easily expect, Steve is made out to be one of the most pure-hearted characters by finding ways to get Shaun out of harmful situations and things that make him happy. He ultimately receives a Promotion to Parent when their home life becomes too toxic for Shaun, outfitting an abandoned bus to live in for them.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The episode had an additional resident on Melendez's team, Dr. Elle McLean (Irene Keng). She was never seen or mentioned again afterwards.
- Didn't Think This Through: One of Shaun's issues due to upbringing and autism - when he tries to get a knife from security to perform emergency surgery on an injured boy, he never considers how absurd his request is, nor does he think of taking one of the boy's parents to corroborate his claims. This gets him tackled when he tries to take one anyway, with security even noting he was lucky not to be shot.
- Dramatic Irony: The B plot of the episode focuses on Glassman's colleagues deciding whether or not to confirm Shaun's hiring due to concerns about his autism. They're just about to deny it when they learn about the A plot - Shaun helping treat a boy injury by a falling sign.
- Establishing Character Moment: The entire episode introduces everything we need to know about Shaun: his autism, his controlled habits, his difficulty in interacting with people and his brilliance as a doctor.
- Poor Communication Kills: Almost literally - while Shaun does explain why he needs a knife from security, the absurdity of the request makes them assume he's messing with them. They only let up after they've already tackled him to the ground when the mother of his current 'patient' comes over and confirms that he is serious.
