I’ve missed you, Port Wenn! I’m happy to return to the quirky Maine town for a new season of FOX’s Best Medicine. The wide array of amusing townspeople, the unusual medical cases, and the seaside setting have all been missing from my life. I’ve even been looking forward to Dr. Martin Best’s (Josh Charles) terrible bedside manner! “Be Careful What You Fish For” begins the second season of this show with all of those things. Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 1 is an eventful episode, one that provides a lot of laughs and enjoyable details.
When we last visited Port Wenn, Martin had just stopped Norwegian developers from ruining the town’s bay. He also learned the Maine Medical Board was investigating him for letting his assistant, Elaine (Cree), draw blood without a license. Almost no one in town knows Martin developed a blood phobia. Not even his aunt Sarah (Annie Potts). That phobia is why he quit his successful surgical career in Boston and took over the local practice in Port Wenn. Even though Martin’s grumpy demeanor didn’t fit in, he became a part of the town, much to his chagrin.
Now, life in Port Wenn marches on in Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 1. This season premiere features a fun medical case for Martin to solve, a lot of things happening for various characters, and a great veteran guest star.
MORE: As the new season begins, read our wishlist for Best Medicine Season 2 and let’s see how lucky we get!
“The level of stupidity in humans cannot be underestimated.”
Martin faces irritation as soon as the season begins. While he treats patients, a monitor from the state medical board watches his every move. This young woman is not likeable at all. To make things worse, she got her medical degree from the Cayman Islands Institute of Medicine. Yeah, that’s right. Unfortunately, the way conservatives are running our government, the prospect of an unqualified bureaucrat determining if someone much more qualified gets to keep their job is depressingly realistic. Martin’s distaste for other people has never been more relatable than it is in this situation.
Big things are happening for Elaine, too. Her acting talents have made her the face of Port Wenn’s new tourism campaign, and her romance with Al (Carter Shimp) also takes a step forward when he asks her to come with him when he starts at Columbia University. It’s questionable whether this move will actually happen. (Doc Martin, the British show this series is based on, did change Martin’s assistant a couple of times, but the character of Al never left town.) This young couple is an important part of the Port Wenn community. For now, though, Elaine and Al are planning for a big life change.
MORE: Refresh your memory about where we left everyone in Port Wenn by reading our review of Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 13!
“We all have things we don’t like about ourselves.”
The writers devote a satisfying amount of screen time to the episodic characters, too. Sarah’s friend Judith just got out of the hospital for double pneumonia, and Martin has to advise her not to smoke around her oxygen tank. It probably doesn’t shock you to know she doesn’t listen. But the legendary Andrea Martin plays her! That means we love her anyway, and when she gets a compelling speech about things you don’t like about yourself, she nails it. Veteran talented actors are such a pleasure to watch. When Martin and Potts share scenes, magic happens.
Martin’s other medical case in this episode is also magical. There’s a mermaid in Port Wenn! Not really, of course, it’s a woman in a mermaid costume, but a mythological creature would not be out of character for this town. A lot of humor comes out of Sheriff Mark’s (Josh Segarra) interaction with the mermaid. Lots of references to The Little Mermaid, and he starts trying to speak a mermaid language, like Dory speaking whale in Finding Nemo! Mark also seems romantically interested in the woman in the costume, Cecilia (Ellen Soraya Nikbakht). I don’t know yet if that’s what the writers have in store, but I’m interested! Mark is a cinnamon roll who deserves to be happy.
MORE: If you want more details on what happened last season in Port Wenn, just read our review of Best Medicine Season 1, Episode 12!
“You get the friends you deserve.”
Martin and Louisa (Abigail Spencer) also deserve to be happy. Together. Unfortunately, Martin is back with his ex, Eden (Eliza Coupe), right now. No one around Martin is shipping him with Eden. Not Sarah, not Elaine, not his dog, no one. I’m certainly not, either. But part of the reason Martin is with Eden is because she made him think she didn’t want him to change. She certainly changed around his office, though. And now she wants him to leave Port Wenn. Martin is not receptive to this idea, which is probably surprising even to him. They’re not as compatible as Martin thinks. It’s clear to me that this relationship has an expiration date.
I can be patient while I wait for the Martin and Louisa ship to progress. Their connection got a lot of good scenes in season one, and this episode shows it is still there. Louisa is part of the reason Martin feels comfortable enough to tell the town about his blood phobia in this episode. That moment may be his biggest progress as a character so far, and Eden isn’t even there to see it. That tells me that Martin and Louisa are the ones with the long-term future. Louisa trying to have a baby on her own is not going to change that. As I said, Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 1 is an eventful installment. It makes me eager for the rest of the season to come.
Best Medicine airs at 8 PM on Tuesdays on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.
