Checking in on Port Wenn since Martin (Josh Charles) and Louisa (Abigail Spencer) kissed for the first time last week, we find a lot going on. But that’s nothing new for this town. The townspeople usually keep Martin’s medical practice busy, and the typical small-town relationship conflicts always pop up.
What makes FOX’s Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 11 stand out compared to other episodes is the humor and performances.
MORE: “Port Wenn-ings and a Funeral” was big for the shippers! Relive the fun with our review of Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 10!
“Since when do you care nothing about rules and decency?”
The writers decided to go big with the medical case in this episode. Amid a flu outbreak, Martin finds a handful of patients with symptoms of the plague. That’s right, bubonic plague. Of course, we have antibiotics today that will cure people of the disease, but the word “plague” still has scary connotations.
The first patient with the symptoms is a shady traveling petting zoo owner. Sure enough, she sold an illegal fennec fox– adorable, but still illegal– to a local resident. Its fleas are the source of the plague cases. This show has already established Port Wenn as a place where anything can happen, so this development fits right in.
Viewers also know what to expect from the townspeople’s reaction to these events. One group of people has to briefly quarantine at the doctor’s office, while another has to do the same at the Salty Breeze restaurant, and the combination of characters interacting at each location really pays off. It is often hilarious.
For example, look for the characters of Gil (Michael Potts) and Doug (Adrian Enscoe) from the first episode. This episode made me laugh harder than this show has in a while. “Mind Your Own Buboes” might actually be the most consistently funny episode this show has ever done, or at least it is to me.
MORE: If you want to experience the time the original Doc Martin visited Best Medicine all over again, just read our review of Season 1, Episode 9!
“Is that how you really feel about love?”
The forced proximity among the neighbors of Port Wenn also leads to another problem in this episode. Everyone is gossiping about Martin and Louisa’s kiss. People involving themselves in each other’s business is something Martin hates, and now that’s exactly what he and Louisa are going through.
The whole town knows they kissed. However, not everyone knows that Martin walked it back, which is similar to the source material for this series. Martin and Louisa on Doc Martin went back and forth for a long time. Shippers need to get used to that on this show, too, and determine how slow a burn you’re willing to wait for.
For me, the actors make this process worth it. Charles and Spencer are both talented, and Spencer really gets a chance to shine in this episode. Louisa is likeable as always, but here she also goes through emotional growth. She realizes that she wants a baby. She wants that more than she wants a specific relationship, and Spencer plays all the heavy emotion of this situation really well.
Though this means Louisa and Martin are not getting together any time soon, we know they are mutually attracted to each other, so their story is not over. Martin’s pessimistic view of relationships is going to need some work before they can unite for good.
MORE: Remember that time Port Wenn had its very own bog body? Our review of Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 8 has all the details!
“What if the universe is like, you can have all the good things?”
Speaking of Martin’s character development, this episode makes progress there, too. He has been so resistant to connections in Port Wenn. Romance may not be moving forward for him right now, but other relationships are, despite his attitude. Mark (Josh Segarra) directly asks Martin if they are friends.
I don’t think Martin would’ve said yes before, but at this moment, he seems to understand the truth and admits it. Even more important, Martin stops pushing away the dog that has been following him around the entire show and accepts the animal into his life. I feel like this is big for him. This added responsibility can only bring him closer to being the man who can be with Louisa.
Related to that, I am glad the writers did not go the overdone and unwanted route of a love triangle with Martin, Louisa, and Mark. At least, they haven’t yet. And it doesn’t feel like they will in the future either. Mark’s reaction to his ex kissing Martin proves that. He’s angry at first, but that’s more about his friendship with Martin than about Louisa.
Later, when Martin insists the kiss “meant nothing,” Mark tells him he’s lying to himself. This is more interesting than a typical, stupid love triangle could ever be. Despite the state of the central ship, Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 11 is one of my favorite episodes of this show so far. What can I say? Port Wenn keeps me coming back.
Best Medicine airs at 8 PM on Tuesdays on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.
