When I think about this season of DOC, there is a lot that felt right and a lot that didn’t. BUT, at the end of the day, it was a solid set up to a new series. That being said though, Doc, Season 1, Episode 10 felt like 40 minutes of trying to wrap up as much as possible in case the show was cancelled. The other two minutes felt like a hail mary in case the show was renewed.
It’s nto to say though that I don’t respect the way the story was told. Writers have a purpose for everything and I think that the ending was a perfect way to set up a second season.
Doc is a rare show that even as I find myself thinking “meh” with somethings that happen, I always think that this show has a fast pace on somethings and is absolutely intriguing because of it’s cases and because of its story lines. It’s been a powerful season full of ups and downs.
It’s also been a powerful season full of characters that you become invested in and want nothing but the best for.
That – to me – is good television.
The season finale left me staring at the screen, with such an exciting medical case where the team had to work together. There was a train derailment that left TJ in charge of triaging patients, as he’d been a combat medic. It was pure chaos, and yet everything made sense.
THE TRAIN
What I love about Doc is that – from what I have interpretted – is that they let the doctors play to their strength. They also are able to show us that each doctor has strengths and I feel that is what makes this show different. I know I am going to get blasted for that.
One of DOC’s strengths is the relationships and the way that the group sticks together. It’s not “soap opera” but what it feels like is real life possibilities and chaos. I find that to be a good thing, because the layers come off slowly.
TJ was a combat medic and he falls into being the lead really easily here. And I absolutely loved seeing his strengths shine. He’s been a character I have found it hard to understand – because he’s been all over the map. But what we learn quickly in this episode is just how great of a doctor he is.
The MVP of this episode – well in my opinion that is Gina. Gina hears about the train and she thinks she knows who did it. It’s one of her patients. As the patient she is in talks with everyone tht she can talk to, trying to figure out where her patient is. Gina has spent a lot of time this season, helping the doctors within the hospital.
It’s been nice to see her help patients because you see what type of doctor she is.
What was also nice to see was when she puts Amy in her place and reminds her that it’s not always about Amy. I smiled BIG when she told Amy that there was a time that she should have been ther for her.
It was yesterday.
Set those boundaries, Gina. I love it.
THE SAVE
When you’re in the middle of chaos and you have to assess the injured it can not be easy. There was parts of this episode where tears started to fall from my eyes. I hated seeing people dying. I hated seeing what it was doing to the doctors and nurses.
But I also know that happens in real life and in hospitals.
One patient – there was an issue where some doctors thought the patient couldn’t be saved, but they were able to figure out how to do just that. Seeing the doctors continuously take turns with chest compressions, they are able to save him.
It’s them doing this that makes the show slow down a bit, giving us a chance to really look at the characters, their past and present. It’s because of this, we get moments to really examine how they feel and what is affecting them. Seeing something like that allows us to appreciate what they are going through.
Things affect everyone differently and some are able to hde it, but some wear it on the their faces.
AMYS CASE
Amy working on a couple who just got married isn’t the best idea. It’s not because she’s a bad doctor, but she’s just being quite the negative nancy right now. These two patients are so filled with love for each other – me, a cynic – was like thank you, but I may puke from all the love.
But, for Amy, working on couples in love, is difficult too because he heart is all over the place. She’s spent this episode basically avoiding Jake, who is in love with her. She’s not being open to him and letting him know what Miller said. It’s like she put up a wall immediately, which to me, signified that her emotions weren’t there for Jake.
She didn’t trust him.
When you don’t trust someone, you can’t love them the way they deserve to be loved.
Amy was able to help the patients and when the young man tried to talk to her and passed out, she helped. She’s a good doctor with great instincts and needs to believe in that. She also needs to transfer that over to her personal life.
I think that Amy getting these patients was good for her. It was good for her, because Amy needs to confront the things about herself that she may not want to. It was seeing her with them that made me realize that the distant Amy is still in there, but I also think that doesn’t mean that is where she’s going to go permanently.
We have to remember that Amy has been through a lot and she’s still learning how to live with all of that grief, confusion, and memory loss.
THE CONFRONTATION
Michael needs to remember that one should never leave electronics laying around. Anyone learned a long time ago that text messages don’t need to go on every single device.
He forgets his iPad in the car, and his wife sees it. She also sees messages Amy left, telling him they need to talk about what happened. Nora seeing this has got to be hard. She’s been the one that has picked Michael up off the ground because of all of the things that Amy has done to him.
Michael admits the kissed and that could not have been easy. But he truly seems very matter of fact about it. That’s kind of weird – in my opinion. While I am positive that some people don’t like Michael, I do. I’ve felt like he’s needed to be understood more, because he, like Amy, is having to face things again.
Only thing time, he’s getting the responses that he wanted originally and that has to be confusing.
Nora takes it upon herself to confront Amy, which is very uncomfortable to watch. While I do believe that Nora has every right to confront her, I don’t believe it’s fair to throw all of the things that Amy did to Michael in her face. She doesn’t know what happened – Amy, I mean. But also, that is her and Michaels business.
The hard thing is that Maitra over hears it all and that’s never going to be good for Amy.
THE FIRING
Well, well – karma was making its rounds this episode and when it comes to Dr. Miller, I am not mad. Every time that man opens his mouth, it’s filled with lies.
Before you come for me, I do understand that with most everything that he’s done, it’s been after an episode with his son. I do have sympathy for that, but I would also argue with anyone, that the same way that he expected Amy to take time, he should have done the same. PTO, leave of absence, etc – do what you need to do to make sure that your son is okay.
There is no redemption for him when he makes Amy believe that she was responsible for a death that he was the one responsible for. He destroyed Amy as a doctor. It’s one of those things that NO ONE can recover from.
I can tell that Amy has changed because she was so destroyed over it that she went to visit the patients wife and apologize to her. She wanted to take responsibility for what Miller told her that she had done. It’s in that act that she finds out that she didn’t do what Miller had said.
Amy reporting the situation to Michael and the board – I admre that. I admire the fact that Amy continues to grow, even though she’s struggling. And she is struggling.
Amy has seemed to struggle between the Amy that was and the Amy that is growing. She shuts herself off and I don’t think it’s intentional. What I do believe is that Amy’s mind knows her grief – not only over her son passing, but the ends of relationships. She’s going through a lot in her mind and I think that she’s struggling with that. Which is normal.
Amy has to make choices and the old her is trying to break through. Katie has tried to reach her and stop her from doing that. It’s a lot to place on a teenager, but it’s also a teenager that loves her Mom and will not give up her.
Miller is fired, which I may have stood up and cheered for. I thought that it was perfection that they showed him packing up his office and no one there. To me, it was a show of what he meant to the people at the hospital – a statement that no one was willing to follow him or cared.
THE LOVE TRIANGLE
It’s been a long day for everyone and the team decides to go out for drinks. It’s good to let yourself be free and not stress at the end of the day. Them having fun is something that I thought was great.
What I didn’t think would happen is that Dr. Maitra would tell Jake about what she overheard between Nora and Amy. She gave no effs’ and let it all out. It wasn’t a surprise that Jake didn’t believe her – or at least told her that.
But what did shock me was that Jake really didn’t have that trust in Amy. Yes, he wasn’t wrong to feel that way, because Amy wasn’t being good. Instead she was in Michaels office and that is where Jake finds her.
He doesn’t disturb the situation. The show leaves it with him seeing them in the office. I applaud the move.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Katie telling her Mom how she felt about things was everything that I needed. I feel like her standing up for her own heart, was amazing and showed her strength.
- Dr. Maitra being a snitch is gross
- I do love it when the team comes together to solve things
- Bye Dr. Miller…
- Love the ending and love the chaos of the show, but this did feel a little scattered at time
Would love more analysis about where you think Michael and Amy are at the end. By his actions in the episode I think he cares more about Amy. I think it will play out him being a good guy with his commitment to the baby, but ultimately he and Nora will part ways because he’s still in love with Amy. Nora can’t compete with Amy and clearly Michael’s heart is with Amy. He waits to talk to Amy and didn’t go home to talk to Nora yet. They embrace and kiss again, right? I think Amy and Michael will get together officially end of season 2.
I don’t think that they will be together. I think Michael is a good man, and he may still be in love with Amy, but he has been through too much. We know that their relationship destroyed him, and I do think that he’s going to remember that. Though it is nice to be wanted and needed, Michael has that and he’s taking his wife being there for him for granted. The thing is – though I want to speculate about what is in that room and what will happen between Amy and Michael, I don’t feel like any of us know enough to speculate on what happens next. In the 10 episodes this season, i don’t believe that we’ve explored enough about the past 8 years that she forgot to figure out who she’s going to be with. I do believe that the show was able to show us a lot of who people are currently, I do not think we’ve seen enough of Michael and Amy and that part that led to a divorce. That moment where they said enough is enough. I’ve said before that he loves her, that he’s getting a part of her that he wanted. But I don’t believe that we know any of these characters well enough to figure out where they are going next. 10 episodes wasn’t enough to do that. Especially when there were parts of episodes that seems irrelevant and wasted time in the first 5 episodes.