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Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
4.3
It isn’t easy to return to the basics when you’ve been on top for so long.
Amy started her first day back at Westside during Doc Season 1 Episode 3, and it would’ve been silly of us to expect that there would be smooth sailing.
However, despite some bumps, she’s shown her compassionate and earnest approaches toward patients and healthcare amid flashbacks that may not have colored her in the best light.
The hospital politics in this series are enough to make a girl gnash her teeth, and given the fact that I’m battling a horrible toothache at the moment, it’s inadvisable.
Treating patients is the easiest part of the gig when others around don’t like you or have ulterior motives.
Molly Parker continues to do a fantastic job of capturing the vulnerability of Amnesia Amy as she takes this new phase of her life in stride and tries to adapt as best as possible.
And she does it in the most human and relatable way possible via dark and witty humor and quips.
Truly, Amy is a woman after my heart, and she’s such a compelling lead as she’s placed in this bizarre position not many could handle half as gracefully.
She’s a smart woman, and even though she doesn’t often comment on the vibes she’s getting from those around her, you can see her filing things away and taking note of it anyway.
We can’t imagine what it’s like to be immersed in your former life while feeling like you’re the butt of the joke and no one is cluing you into why that is.
In many ways, it’d be so much easier if some of the people who give her the frosty treatment simply expressed their issues with her so that even if she doesn’t remember them, she’d know where she stands or express some amends.
Amy managed to do that with Richard, the last person who needed any expression of empathy from the woman.
Ugh, Richard is slimy and loathsome, but Scott Wolf is so good at making me detest this man.
The reaction to Amy’s return went as well as expected, but it’s infuriating how most of these staff members can’t muster up an ounce of professionalism or decorum.
Most people have to work with someone they don’t like or maybe even flat-out hate, but they can get the job done without these “butthurt” feelings, constant griping, and potshots.
Maybe it worked out well enough when Amy was their superior, and they could have a bitch session, but at this point, constantly beating this dead horse about how terrible she was, feels like punching down for the sake of it.
Sonya, in particular, is challenging to warm to because her issue with Amy goes beyond Amy’s harsh statement about her not deserving to be a doctor.
Is there more to their relationship than that one moment between them? How long do you hold onto a grudge and, worse yet, allow it to interfere with how you conduct yourself in the workplace?
Of course, there’s the underlying thing; it feels like Sonya has feelings for Jake, and perhaps she resents the closeness that Jake and Amy shared before she learned about their romantic relationship. The latter pushed her over the edge, making her snippy and an instigator.
It’s not to say that Amy didn’t have a lot to deal with in the past. Every time we get a flashback to her, it’s easy to understand how she alienated so many of those around her.
There’s this annoying thing where people assume that basic kindness and respect are weaknesses or shouldn’t be reasonable expectations.
Amy viewed the interns as snowflakes because they did not respond well to her blatant disrespect and teardowns. It was annoying, but it was typical outdated, tired thinking.
I never understood the desire to presume younger individuals who often saw the ramifications of how workforces treated their loved ones were somehow “too sensitive” for cutting through the bullcrap and not wanting to be disrespected.
Plus, Jake was right in that not everyone responds to things or even learns the same way.
That has always been true and a reality, not some new revelation; recognizing that and adapting within reason is just logical.
Hell, there’s nothing wrong with a hardass, so Amy getting on TJ’s case about what he missed during that flashback and even reminding Jake that he shouldn’t clock out until he knew everyone was good was fair game.
However, the degree to which she kept harping on it, especially in front of a patient, was certainly out there, and you can understand why her behavior was an issue not only for her subordinates but also for her patients and the hospital suits.
No patient wants to hear about how the young doctor currently working on them nearly killed their last patient. And humiliation rituals to belabor a point already made ad nauseum is excessive and makes you less of a mentor and more of a dick.
The contrast between Amy and TJ in the past and the present was a nice highlight of this installment because we saw how TJ has improved over time and how difficult it is for him to no longer defer to Amy.
Jake continues to be a beacon in the storm for Amy and viewers when everyone else seems downright awful, apathetic, or secretive about her.
But what I enjoy about Jake is that he’s not without flaws, too. He’s just as biased about Amy as everyone else. She’s the woman he loves, so he’s her most faithful soldier and a chronic Amy Apologist.
He wasn’t wrong for overriding Richard’s decision to pair Amy with Sonya on her first day back. It was a disaster waiting to happen and genuinely felt like a setup to screw Amy over and maybe get her booted once and for all or benched.
Richard’s reasoning only made sense if we ignored Sonya’s inability to control her animosity toward Amy for a second.
However, Jake screwed up by pairing Amy with the greenest doctor in the crew, a mentee and someone who has always admired and seen Amy in nothing but an authoritative role.
If anything, Jake should’ve shown her the ropes himself on that first day, if only to minimize drama and get her acclimated. But it’s also evident how difficult it is for Jake to be in the same room as her.
The inevitable happened when TJ deferred to Amy when he wasn’t supposed to, and it resulted in their patient dipping out and nearly dying.
Amy made up for it when she investigated the workplace, hoping to figure out what may have caused her patient’s illness.
She was able to hone in on her quick assessments and snap judgments and apply them properly rather than the assumption that he was lying and was still battling alcoholism.
I love a doctor who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and get to the bottom of something, and Amy going the extra mile was a lovely sight, not to mention paid off.
Meanwhile, Jake’s patient, Dante, was another reminder of how tragic love can be. Dante and Ruby were such an endearing couple, and it was adorable to hear them teasing Jake and Sonya so much.
The moment she died, my heart sank for the man because I knew he wouldn’t be able to survive without her.
It was a case that had Jake reflecting a lot, and we got glimpses at how Jake got past Amy’s walls a bit with that shared holiday meal. You could feel the sexual tension in that moment and the shift in their dynamic with the flirty banter.
Food sharing is its own form of love; let’s be real!
It tied nicely with Amy learning that Jake was the person who knew her email password out of everyone.
He also knew the password’s meaning, which was a nice moment that showed how so much of Amy’s rough exterior in the past was because of the pain she felt losing her son.
Given how her son died, even how aggressive she came across with TJ about his cardiac patient had a deeper meaning.
There are so many little pieces to Amy that click into place, which is why, even at her worst, it’s heartbreaking that many could never see or attempt to get past that.
The email development was a great crumb for all you Jake/Amy shippers out there. But the most exciting part of that is now Amy may finally see something of pertinence in her emails that let her know about Richard.
He’s terrified over her remembering what she learned and blowing him in. As a result, he’s desperate to get her out of the hospital because he fears that the likelihood of her being in familiar territory may bring her memories back.
Richard is so overtly scheming and plotting that Amy isn’t the only one who could bring him down. Michael also notices Richard’s pushiness and demeanor, but Jake sees right through him.
The two keep locking horns, and Jake doesn’t back down easily. Jake knows that Richard has an agenda, and he’s always paying attention.
Jake and Richard’s power struggle is one of the most fascinating aspects of the series.
Over to you, Doc Fanatics.
What do you think Amy will find in her emails? Did Jake make the right call shielding Amy from Sonya? Sound off below.
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