| “ | Would you ever have said something like that to a patient as a resident? As a med student? And Murphy doesn't even understand he did anything wrong. [...] No matter how hard he works, no matter how hard you try and help him, his limitations are not going to change. He's going to continue to inflict them on our patients all in the name of diversity and inclusion. | „ |
| ~ Han to Lim about Shaun. |
Dr. Jackson Han is the main antagonist of the second season and the overarching antagonist of the third and seventh seasons of the ABC medical drama The Good Doctor.
He is portrayed by Daniel Dae Kim, who also played General Fong, Hiroshi Sato and Ozai in the Avatar franchise and Johnny Gat in the Saints Row video games.
Biography[]
Season 2[]
In "Risk and Reward," Han is appointed as the new Chief of Surgery at St. Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital after Dr. Marcus Andrews, the hospital’s president, is forced to relinquish the position. On his first day at the hospital, he skips his own welcoming party, instead going straight to surgery where he introduces himself to his new subordinates and takes on the case of a baby with severe birth defects. When Dr. Shaun Murphy honestly tells the baby's mother that her anti-depressants may have caused her condition, Han chastises Shaun, exhibiting apparent distrust towards his autism. Though he later concedes that Shaun has talent after his unique diagnostic skills help to save the baby at the last minute, Han announces to Shaun that he’s having him transferred to Pathology so he can still help patients but won’t be in contact with them.
In "Believe," Han adamantly rejects the attempts of Shaun’s colleagues Dr. Claire Browne and Dr. Audrey Lim to speak on Shaun’s behalf. Later, he catches Shaun going through a patient’s purse and brings him into his office, where he furiously demands to know why Shaun was defying his orders. Shaun instead makes his case of the patient being misdiagnosed. Han then agrees to test Shaun's theory which proves to be correct, leading him to publicly credit Shaun as the pathologist who saved the patient's life. However, Han still refuses to transfer him back to Surgery on the grounds that Shaun's skills are proof that he belongs in Pathology.
In "Breakdown," Han gets Shaun, Lim, and Dr. Neil Melendez out of trouble with the medical review board for their actions during a quarantine. He then takes on the case of a man with a 200-pound tumor. He still refuses to involve Shaun in the surgery, leading to an argument with Melendez who asks for Shaun to be brought in to help deal with a complication that is preventing the surgical team from completing the surgery. Han ultimately reaches a compromise where Shaun is brought in to consult only and Shaun provides a solution to the problem. Shaun later confronts Han and forcefully demands that he be transferred back to Surgery. Han stands firm by his decision, prompting Shaun to suffer an emotional breakdown as he yells "I am a surgeon!" at him. Han looks back at him with slight sadness and fires him.
In the season finale "Trampoline," Han is confronted by Andrews about his handling of Shaun and rebuts the president’s defense of Shaun by claiming that Shaun hasn’t been given responsibility, only things to do. Andrews later questions if he paid too much money for Han and correctly guesses that Han knew someone who was autistic. Han confirms Andrews’ claim and reveals that the person in question died.
Later, at a board meeting, Han meets Dr. Aaron Glassman, Shaun’s longtime mentor and the former president of the hospital, who speaks in Shaun’s defense, stating that Shaun still communicates despite not communicating in a way that’s expected of a non-autistic person. Han remains adamant in his decision to fire Shaun and tells the board that to rehire Shaun, they must fire him, confident that they will refuse. Suddenly, Andrews realizes that Shaun isn’t ready to move on and, in a surprising move, fires Han in front of the board, though at the cost of his own job. Han is replaced by Lim as Chief of Surgery.
Season 3[]
Han did not appear in the third season due to his termination, but was mentioned once by Dr. Deena Petringa when she tried to refute Dr. Lim's new measures of accessing the OR in her very first day as Chief of Surgery, remiding her that both Han and Dr. Andrews wouldn't authorize staff overtime. Han isn't mentioned or referenced to again after this.
Season 7[]
Han is mentioned by Shaun when he complains to Glassman and Lim over the intrusive behavior of Charlie Lukaities, an autistic med student who idolizes him, by reminding them how hard his time working at the hospital was due to many people doubting his abilities. He brings up Melendez assigning him to scut work on his first day and threatening to fire him, as well as Han transferring him to Pathology. When Shaun stays firm on his decision about Charlie making an excellent pathologist, Glassman points out that he's sounding just like Han when he did the same thing to him. Shaun continues to find it hard to work with Charlie when Lim and Glassman keep insisting on it, until Shaun has finally had enough and kicks her out of the OR after she makes a mistake and refuses to own up to it. Because of this, Charlie files a complaint against Shaun. However, when the hospital faces a massive casualty event, Charlie proves to be very useful handling the situation professionally and helps ease Shaun's emotions when he nearly has a meltdown over the stressful environment and the doctors bombarding him with questions, allowing Shaun to choose which doctor has to do what. Shaun eventually changes his mind about Charlie, who decides to withdraw the complaint.
Enemies[]
- Dr. Shaun Murphy - Former Surgical Resident, Former Pathologist
- Dr. Neil Melendez † - Former Attending Cardiothoracic Surgeon
- Dr. Claire Browne - Former Surgical Resident
- Dr. Audrey Lim - Former Attending Trama Surgeon and Succesor
- Dr. Marcus Andrews - Predecessor and Former Superior
- Dr. Alex Park - Former Surgical Resident
- Dr. Morgan Reznick - Forrmer Surgical Resident
- Dr. Aaron Glassman - Former Board Member
Quotes[]
Part 1[]
| “ | That won't be necessary. I'll scrub in. (Lim: And who are you?) I'm Jackson Han. Your new Chief of Surgery. | „ |
| ~ Han |
| “ | (Shaun: I think the music is a little distracting.) I feel the same way about operating without music. | „ |
| ~ Han and Shaun's first exchange. |
| “ | Dr. Murphy, did you tell the mom that she caused her baby's birth defect? (Shaun: No. I said that her antidepressants could have.) Why did you tell her that? (Shaun: It's the truth.) And is that relevant to her current medical situation? (Shaun: No.) And how did you think that answer would make her feel? What did you think would happen? The mother is devastated. The father is furious. I would be, too. | „ |
| ~ Han berating Shaun for his honesty. |
| “ | (Lim: Social cues are hard for Shaun, but we've been working with him--) You should be focused on your own shortcomings, like retaining the formula for vascular impedance. | „ |
| ~ Han dismissing Lim's attempt to speak up for Shaun. |
| “ | (Shaun: We could patch each individual hole in the heart if we cut open the ventricle--) Don't change the subject, Dr. Murphy. (Shaun: I didn't, Dr. Han. We were talking about the baby.) Really? You don't see a difference in the nature of your discussion before I arrived and after? | „ |
| ~ Han confronting Shaun. |
| “ | Dr. Murphy, do not talk with those parents again. | „ |
| ~ Han, to Shaun. |
| “ | (Lim: You're pretty tough on my residents. Rebuking them in public, pimping them with questions during surgery. Shame-based learning isn't my style.) I'll bear that in mind. But this isn't about my treatment of the residents. You're concerned about Dr. Murphy. | „ |
| ~ Han, to Lim. |
| “ | (Lim: Well, a lot of doctors have less-than-ideal bedside manner. He's young--) Would you ever have said something like that to a patient as a resident? As a med student? And Murphy doesn't even understand he did anything wrong. (Lim: Shaun has hard-wired differences in the way he perceives things.) Exactly. No matter how hard he works, no matter how hard you try and help him, his limitations are not going to change. He's going to continue to inflict them on our patients all in the name of diversity and inclusion. | „ |
| ~ Han talking about Shaun. |
| “ | You really do have remarkable diagnostic skills. I have to admit, you're an asset to this hospital. (Shaun: Yes, I am.) I spoke to the Residency Director of Pathology. And we both agree you'll be a great fit there. (Shaun: I'm a surgical resident.) As a pathology resident, you'll touch cases and lives across all the medical departments. It's an opportunity for you to help patients without having to deal with patients. Given your difficulties with communication and social cues, I think it will be a much better fit. (Shaun: No, thank you. I have been working very hard at my communication skills.) Hard work isn't enough. You have to do the job. (Shaun I am a surgical resident.) You were. And you're gonna do great work in pathology. | „ |
| ~ Han announcing to Shaun he's transferring him to Pathology. |
| “ | I've heard a lot about you. I'm aware you stood up to a supervisor. Is that what's happening now? (Claire: Um, I put together a list of cases which Dr. Murphy contributed to. Uniquely.) You're a loyal friend. (Claire: I've specified the ideas he had ideas that no one else around here could have--) Do you think I hate him? (Claire: No. But I think you might be biased against him because of his condition.) So he doesn't have communication issues? I'm wrong about that? (Claire: No. But he--) If he had the flu, I would tell him to stay home until he got better. (Claire: He has autism--) I could tell him to stay home until he gets better. Instead, I found a place for him to help us, to save lives. And you should know I have rather mixed feelings about loyalty. | „ |
| ~ Han rebuffing Dr. Claire Browne's attempt to advocate for Shaun. |
| “ | What are you doing? | „ |
| ~ Han catching Shaun going through a patient's belongings. |
| “ | Dr. Murphy, any reticence I had about removing you from Surgery just vanished. You shouldn't be in contact with patients. Or their families. Or anything they own. Do you understand, or am I gonna be forced to fire you? | „ |
| ~ Han berating Shaun for defying his orders. |
| “ | As did Dr. Murphy. This is the pathologist who noticed an abnormality in one of your tests. That led us to this discovery. | „ |
| ~ Han praising Shaun as the pathologist who saved a patient's life. |
| “ | (Shaun: I don't want to go on walks. I don't want to move on from cases after the tests are done. I do not want to be a pathologist. Dr. Han, you need to make me a surgical resident again.) I appreciate you telling me that. I was wondering whether you had it in you to advocate for yourself. But the truth is, Shaun, what you did today, it proved I'm right. Your skills are tremendous. Your weaknesses equally significant. You could be a great pathologist. Just think of all the Sadies out there, waiting for you to save them. | „ |
| ~ Han not changing his mind about Shaun. |
| “ | (Melendez: We need to get Murphy in here. It's a blood flow problem. Murphy has a special talent for visualizing complex anatomy.) We don't have time. We need to stop the P.E.S. now. (Melendez: Page Dr. Murphy.) No. Do not page Dr. Murphy. I get it. You like him. But we don't have time for an audition. (Melendez: I'm trying to save my patient's life. My patient. Which means it's my call.) I am also trying to save your patient's life, so I'm urging you to stop wasting time. | „ |
| ~ Han clashing with Melendez during surgery. |
| “ | (Shaun: No. I'm a surgeon. I am not leaving your office until you reinstate me.) What are you doing, Shaun? Do you think ordering me to do something will change my mind? Do you really think it's a good idea to try and bully me? | „ |
| ~ Han being confronted by Shaun. |
| “ | (Shaun: I am a surgeon. I am a surgeon.) Do you realize that you're proving my point? That you're acting immature? Showing that you don't know how to communicate and you can't control your emotions? (Shaun: I am a surgeon!) But you do have a talent that I value. So I'm gonna give you one last chance to maintain your dignity and leave my office now. Because if I have to call Security, you understand that I'm also gonna have to fire you. (Shaun: I am a surgeon! I am a surgeon! I am...I am a surgeon!! I am a surgeon, Dr. Han! I am a surgeon!) | „ |
| ~ Han uncompromising in the face of Shaun's meltdown. |
| “ | (Andrews: I am concerned about how you dealt with Dr. Murphy.) Have you known anyone else with ASD? (Andrews: Not well. Have you?) When you give people responsibility they can't handle, the results can be devastating. (Andrews: Well, every time Dr. Murphy's been given responsibility, he's risen to the occa--) He's never been given responsibility. He's been given things to do, but always with someone right behind him. I'm the first one to really challenge him. And he failed. | „ |
| ~ Han being confronted by Andrews. |
| “ | (Andrews: Dr. Murphy saved another person today.) Encountering an emergency is not a job qualification. And how can you trust a doctor who doesn't have the sense to tell someone he was injured before passing out? (Andrews: It's no longer a request, Jackson.) Am I only allowed to do my job when you agree with me? (Andrews: You knew someone on the spectrum. What happened to them?) They died. But if either of us are making decisions based on our personal experiences, we're making the wrong decisions. You paid a lot of money for my judgment. (Andrews: Too much, I'm starting to think.) Well, that was the point. I didn't need the money. I needed the commitment. You went out on a limb for me. You fire me now, you look like a fool in front of the board. | „ |
| ~ Han revealing his past experience with ASD and blackmailing Andrews. |
| “ | (Glassman: Dr. Han, Dr. Murphy may not communicate like you do. He may not communicate like I do, but make no mistake, he does communicate. And he inspires.) Well, welcome back to the Board, Dr. Glassman. I've heard of your insights and passion, and I'm grateful to witness it. (Glassman: Thank you.) But I didn't fire Dr. Murphy because he doesn't inspire. I fired him because he was irrational, unprofessional. He couldn't calm down. He couldn't control himself. I stand by that decision. And if Dr. Glassman insists on putting this to a vote, the issue isn't whether Dr. Murphy should be working here. The issue is whether I should. Whether I control my staff. Because I can't work here if I don't. | „ |
| ~ Han at the Board meeting, "Trampoline" |
Part 2[]
| “ | (Andrews: Just as you have the power to fire someone under your supervision, so do I.) You're gonna fire me to save Dr. Murphy. (Andrews: He's not ready to move on. Neither am I.) | „ |
| ~ Han's last line. |
Trivia[]
- Dr. Jackson Han has seen some popularity on social media due to people reposting and making memes out of the scene where Shaun cries "I am a surgeon!" to him. Several people have also come to defend the character's "evil" actions, viewing them as righteous or logically sound.
Gallery[]
