After a short hiatus, Doc returns with an hour that highlights some of the best of what this series has to offer and also where it can falter at times.
There are moments of “Saints and Sinners” that will stick with me and feel vital for the characters, but Doc Season 2 Episode 6 also felt “off” with its editing in a noticeable manner.
It was a bit choppy, and the scenes lacked an effortless flow or transition between one thing and the next. However, it still managed to move some of the plots forward incrementally.
Michael and Jake Against All Odds
I love a good bromance, a compelling enough dynamic between unsuspecting characters that shouldn’t work but somehow does. And that’s what we got during this hour with Michael and Jake.
When you remove the Amy factor, there is an interesting element to their dynamic in that they’re clearly both good men with a protective streak that doesn’t solely extend to just the woman whom they love.
The UNOS debacle was bound to come up at some point after the events of Doc Season 2 Episode 1, and we’ve been casually joking about how Michael has been holding onto his position by a perfectly groomed chin hair since the series began.
Jake was right in pointing out that the board was intent on making Michael the Fall Guy for the sake of regaining their UNOS accreditation.
In fact, if they didn’t get him for this, they’ll find something else because the truth of the matter is that Michael is good at his job from a humanistic aspect, but from a business, capitalistic, strategic angle. Not so much.
What I respect about Michael is that he knew what he did, the risks he took, and knew his morally right decision for that moment didn’t abide by the rules and could cost him everything. And he was willing to take that to the chin.
More Alike Than Different — Is This the Start of New Bromance?
It’s easy just to assume that Amy fueled his actions, and there’s no doubt that her being a hostage didn’t help matters, but what this hour solidifies is that Michael likely would have done the same thing regardless of who he was in there because he genuinely cares about others and instinctively wants to protect them.
The only time he got remotely fired up about his potential fate was when it seemed like they’d come after Gina and Jake, too.
And we know he loves Gina — she’s family. I still maintain that the Michael/Gina dynamic is one of my favorite, most underrated relationships on this show.
But he also wouldn’t want anything to happen to Jake, not because he’s an extension of Amy and someone she cares about, but because Michael seems to care about people in general. We see what he was willing to risk for Sonya as well.
So, as much as we can talk about how terrible he may be in this position, it’s also why you can’t help but respect him in it. He has a good heart, decent intentions, and the signs of a great leader, with compassion and empathy — a nice contrast from what we typically see.
And Jake isn’t much different. I respect that he’s also a man who genuinely wanted to take responsibility for this part in things, unwilling to let Michael take the fall, despite Michael being the one in charge at that time.
He didn’t put Michael in any position that Michael hadn’t already put himself in, but he was willing to own his part anyway.
Is Jake Slowly Becoming a Rule Breaker?
However, what was surprising was that he forged a medical report to save Michael. Somewhere, somebody will probably grumble about how it’s all Michael’s fault that Jake did this, but goodness knows Michael didn’t ask him to do any of this, and Jake made this decision of his own free will.
I’m shocked to see that he did something so flagrantly and boldly unethical and illegal, given that he has also spent much of the series walking a particular line when it comes to these types of things.
It wasn’t so off base that it felt entirely out of character (we’ve seen how he has covered for Amy in ways), but it was interesting to see how he immediately went all-in on this with no hesitation — and for Michael.
Truthfully, that’s something I’m going to be ruminating on for a while, especially since there is no way that this doesn’t come back up again later, right? It can’t be that easy, no?
Regardless of how things played out, Michael and Jake’s working relationship, stripped of the love triangle element, is actually interesting and something that the series should explore further.
And Gina? Well, she makes everything better.
Stagnancy, Thou Name is Jake Heller
Of course, we weren’t completely free of the love triangle in this hour. Amy didn’t hide the fact that she was unimpressed with Jake flaunting his flirtation with a patient’s sister in front of everyone at the hospital.
She didn’t find it professional and called him out on it while continuing with the rest of her day. And things between Jake and Sonya remain painfully awkward.
He happily hooked up with Casey, and he even agreed to another date with her. All seemed well for him with this clear rebound. But the second Amy texted him, thanking him for helping Michael, he dropped Casey like a bad habit.
Instead of just enjoying the final evening with her, he presumably went home alone, maybe to pine after Amy again. The whole Casey thing wasn’t exactly scintillating, but Jake’s stagnancy here isn’t much better. We’re at an impasse with this relationship, and it’s hard to say what should happen at this stage.
Sonya is Temu Amy for the Day
Was anyone snorting over the fact that Sonya has all this smoke for Amy damn near every second of the day, and yet she seized the opportunity to behave just like her?
Sonya’s attempt at being “authoritative” just came across as needlessly bitchy, and I hate just casually saying that.
You cannot tell me that she wasn’t channeling “Old Amy” with her behavior. She desperately wanted people’s respect to prove to herself and others that she should be the Chief Resident, but it came across as sad and off-putting.
Doc has a Sonya problem. What can they do to rectify the situation? Who knows?!
Her attempts to keep Amy in line were understandable, even if they seemed more like micro-managing. And she was right about TJ being too pushy with Lydia. However, she was also harsh with Malcolm, often judging him because he was an inmate.
And her “pep talk” after he shared his story was so staccato and robotic. It felt impersonal and forced. And it especially contrasted with TJ’s genuine compassion and sympathy, which he exuded throughout the entire case.
I love TJ because, at times, he can seem judgmental, but it’s based on his experiences. Still, at other moments, he’s a genuinely compassionate and sympathetic person who tries to treat patients with the respect they deserve.
Forget Sonya, TJ. Never Change.
Most probably expected him to be one way as a son of two cops, when in actuality, he showed a level of grace that made me love him even more.
My heart broke for Malcolm, but maybe that bit of humanity he experienced at Westside is what he needs to become the man he was on the path toward being before everything went sideways because of grief.
Speaking of grief, Amy’s connection with Chaplain O’Leary was the most compelling element of the hour. Timothy V. Murphy is so good at playing nefarious characters that it was a jolt to the system to see him play a good one, and a chaplain at that.
Amy never seemed like someone who would have strong faith in higher beings or find solace in a place of worship or speaking to a man of God; yet, interestingly, O’Leary was someone to whom she confided her pain for a bit.
During those flashbacks, her grief was still fresh and palpable, and O’Leary managed to get through to her. She also appreciated his comfort and words of wisdom and reassurance. Chances are, he was one of the few people she let in at that time.
Amy, Faith, and Grief — a Surprising Cocktail
We got our first glimpses of how Amy was grieving before she completely shut down via her moments with him, and the hour juxtaposed those with her falling into a similar habit of confiding in and getting comfort from him in the present, even as she was trying to save his life.
But once she entered that angry phase, not even O’Leary could get through to her, and it was a fresh tragedy that came with that. She lost a bit of peace when she shut down on him.
However, she reclaimed some of it again when he gave her the advice she needed about how to deal with Katie.
And one of his most profound statements — and it was so simple — was in acknowledging that there is a reason we have these rituals when we lose someone.
They’re paramount for our ability to process and grieve. Katie’s not attending Daniel’s funeral kept her from properly grieving, but that, combined with how Amy shut down and the family fell apart, became a perfect storm of unprocessed grief and trauma.
Flashbacks Remain Doc’s Most Useful Tool
I don’t personally believe that you have to attend a funeral to grieve properly. I have loved ones who can’t participate in funerals but have their own ways of mourning that work out just fine for them. But it doesn’t seem like Katie had anything else.
Ever since Amy (re)learned of Danny’s death, I wondered if we would ever get that moment when she went to his grave. It felt like an instrumental part of her new grieving process as she dealt with the death of her son all over again.
Amy had that moment with Michael at the museum, so I’m thrilled that the grave site itself was something that was for her and Katie. They both needed to face it together and grieve, fully, for the first time.
For all of Katie’s frustrations, she hasn’t been much different from Amy regarding how she handles conflict, and it was emotionally gratifying to see Amy truly step up and put her foot down as a mom to Katie, even as Katie was pushing Amy away.
In an hour about healing, making peace, and forgiveness, Amy and Katie truly shone in a way they were always meant to, as their dynamic and how they continue to grow is the type of storytelling that makes Doc so emotionally satisfying and special.
Katie is Her Mother’s Child
Ryan’s Kids Shake Things Up
I appreciated the effort in moving the Ryan Clark arc forward, even if it didn’t feel right for this particular hour.
Hannah calling in reinforcements with her brother was interesting enough, but her attempts to get into Amy’s computer made me cringe.
Thus far, she seems to be able to maintain cordiality with Amy, which makes me wonder if it’s a ruse for her or if she’s able to separate her feelings enough to recognize that Amy doesn’t remember anything in her current state. It would be unfair to treat her differently as a result.
I can’t figure Hannah out beyond the fact she jumped to the most extreme option rather than spending more time trying to assess.
However, Amy remembered Ryan’s face when she looked at Hannah in the locker room, and now we have to see in what context a picture of Ryan will appear. Will she put two and two together? Amy is always at a disadvantage here!
OK, feel free to let me have it in the comments below. How did you feel about this episode? If you have some strong thoughts, I’ll see you below!
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