Port Wenn has always had a lot of traditions, and Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles) has always found them silly. If he joins in, it’s reluctantly. But the new episode of Best Medicine changes that. Sort of. “Crate Expectations ” is more about Martin’s place in Port Wenn than anything else. Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 3 is a significant installment for its main character, while delivering some of the biggest laughs of the season so far.
MORE: Don’t recall what happened last week in Port Wenn? Our review of Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 2 has you covered!
“I’m still recovering from the last time she made an effort.”
This episode begins with a Port Wenn tradition we’ve already seen in season one: karaoke night at the Salty Breeze! Martin’s girlfriend Eden (Eliza Coupe) wants to shut it down because of the noise. Yeah, shocking! Eden has always looked down on Port Wenn, calling them “lobster people,” and it’s different from Martin’s feelings towards the town. Even when he first arrived, Martin was more of a misanthrope than a snob. However, Eden has a change of heart when she sees Louisa (Abigail Spencer) wow everyone with a song. Eden decides to participate. She badly (and I mean BADLY) belts out “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and a man faints to the floor.
Of course, Eden’s singing didn’t actually cause the man to faint. But the writers draw a lot of comedy out of this situation throughout the episode. I’m not going to mention how hard I laughed when the three teens who heckle Martin pretend to faint when Eden tries to sing around them, and then Martin’s dog does, too! This dog is a good actor. The show needs to use him more. This moment is a nice complement to the one in the first season finale when he growled at seeing Martin and Eden together. Copernicus is a good boy! His feelings about Eden are clear, and the audience will need to remember that as Martin’s romantic life continues.
MORE: If you want to relive the start of this season in Port Wenn, just read our review of Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 1!
“He deserves a fair shot.”
There’s more evidence that Martin and Eden are not endgame here, too. This episode is not focused on the romance, but a couple of moments still show that the Martin and Louisa ship is not going anywhere. Exhibit A is the look on Martin’s face when Louisa is singing “I Only Wanna Be With You” for karaoke night. As any fan of Timeless will tell you, when Abigail Spencer locks eyes with her love interest while singing to him, that’s shipping magic. This happens right in front of Eden’s face! Neither Martin nor Louisa are homewreckers, so I don’t anticipate a cheating storyline, but the writers keep using screen time like this for a reason.
For now, Martin is committed to Eden, and he defends her against the town’s teasing about her singing. We also see new layers to Eden when she admits she cares what Port Wenn thinks about her. I think all this is laying the foundation for Martin to eventually move on to his forever relationship with Louisa. The same could be said for Louisa’s unsuccessful date in this episode. The guy gets spooked when she’s honest about using IVF to get pregnant on her own. I think it’s only fair that Louisa has a chance for romantic attention while Martin is with Eden, but it won’t be with this guy. This sequence does show how solid Louisa’s friendship is now with her ex, Mark (Josh Segarra). That’s a positive storytelling point.
MORE: The storytelling of last season is still paying off in Best Medicine and our review of Season 1, Episode 13 can help show how!
“I can’t unsee that.”
The Port Wenn tradition everyone is focused on in this episode is the lobster crate race. Contestants run as far as they can across a bridge of crates floating in the water. Thanks to physicals before the race, Martin figures out his childhood bully, Glendon (Patch Darragh), might have cancer. Martin is forced to enter the race himself to convince Glendon to seek treatment. This is when Martin’s relationship with Port Wenn takes a step forward. Though he didn’t want to compete at first, Martin winning the race proves that his life is more and more integrated into this town as time goes by.
Another important thing about Martin’s win is that Louisa is the first to come up to congratulate him with a hug. It’s worth noting that Eden is not even there to see Martin win. This is only because Martin and Eden are in a long-distance relationship, but every choice means something, especially when it comes to ships. This moment is about Martin’s place in Port Wenn. The detail of the hug is about Louisa’s place in Martin’s life. I hope the humor and character development of Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 3 are just a taste of what this show has in store in the future.
Best Medicine airs on FOX on Tuesdays at 8 PM and streams the next day on Hulu.
