Well, does that mean it’s the end for Joan?
In many ways, Doc Season 2 Episode 17 wrapped up Joan’s arc in a way that felt much simpler than I had envisioned.
That’s not even to say that it’s a problem that it has, but after so much of the drama, bordering on melodrama, the simpler approach to some of these arcs has been a bit surprising.
The hour was mostly devoted to Joan, and it was actually a nice change of pace that Doc got to expand on its other characters a bit, even if it meant centering on one of the new ones.
With that broader approach, we had a more well-rounded hour that actually utilized all the characters in some way, and we still had two compelling medical cases.
The Joan arc was the particular standout here because we’ve been waiting for her past and the truth about her MDS to come up and bite her in the butt a bit.
And it did, but it didn’t turn out nearly as disastrous as I could have envisioned. I’m grateful that she stopped performing surgeries before she killed someone, and I’m especially grateful that her final risky surgery didn’t result in her friend dying.
Javi was so sweet, and it’s clear that those two cared deeply about one another, especially during the years they spent working together overseas, saving lives.
Joan has always been this maverick, and so much of her identity is wrapped up in her career, so it made sense that she’s been struggling with the prospect of losing all of that.
She wanted to go out on her own terms, but as more people latched onto her illness, it was impossible for that plan to come to fruition.
But I do wonder how long she would’ve felt compelled to keep going had the others not found out and put pressure on her.
Was I the only one confused about the timeline situation? I couldn’t quite place the exact moment when she found out and told the truth to Amy.
It was obviously well before she took on the job, so she lied to Jake about not knowing about her diagnosis until after.
But for some reason, I kept thinking it was something she had been struggling with for much longer than just a few months.
Nevertheless, it was a bit of a mess, and it prompted Amy to return to her treatment just so that she could conjure up the full memory and confirm Joan had been lying about her illness.
I still think the best course of action should have been to go directly to Michael. He likely would’ve consulted with Amy anyway, and much of the results would have been the same.
But I guess this way, Joan got to end her surgical career on such a high note, with a surgery that’s for the books, wherein she removed every organ from Javi’s body just to extract all the granules he had, and put them back in.
It suits Joan that she got to go off on such a high note, but it’s still insane that, for the most part, everyone would confront her and then wring their hands as she did absolutely everything she wanted to do.
It was always Joan’s world, and the others just lived in it.
The flashbacks were solid enough in that they gave us more context for her strained relationship with Ethan, but I also didn’t feel like they were essential.
The dialogue they’ve had before has sold us on more than enough to give us the full picture.
But I still love that Amy could reach Ethan and they could have a much-needed reunion, putting some of the past behind them.
Ethan was understandably frustrated, having spent his entire life coming in second to his mother’s career. And the worst part about it is that, because of the work Joan did, she could always moralize that she was saving the world and making a grand difference.
And thus, he could come across as selfish for merely wanting his own mom there with him when he needed her most.
Because no matter what problems he had, they would never be as bad as the problems of the less fortunate elsewhere, right?
It’s frustrating when you bump up against that wall with a person. And it totally invalidates your feelings. I could understand why Ethan felt as he did, and even when he took a break from his own mother.
Nevertheless, I’m glad he’s back, and now that Joan is sick and can no longer practice, she has the time and perspective and can work on fixing her relationship with her son.
The negative part of me can’t help but point out that this can only happen as her career ends, though.
Interestingly, some of the crucial moments that pack an emotional punch happen offscreen. I would’ve loved to actually hear how that first conversation went with Joan and Ethan, or even Amy talking to Ethan about his mother’s condition.
Hell, it would have been nice to hear how that conversation with Michael went, too. It’s like the story arc had all of these high stakes, and then they just peter out, and everything is fine in the end.
And we got this big, emotional speech that Joan gives at the end. It’s a good one, but the emotions would’ve landed better if this specific arc had played out consistently enough for us to invest more.
Joan has barely been in the position long enough for us to feel the impact she has had on the department and other doctors. The tears and strong emotions don’t land as hard because we didn’t get that kind of time to care as much.
It felt like sending off an established, beloved character whom we had for seasons, except Joan doesn’t fit the bill in that regard. And it totally skips past accountability and consequences.
But I still found it enjoyable in its own way, too, so I suppose that’s worth something.
We also got an update on Rachel, which was nice. Thankfully, she doesn’t have breast cancer. And Jake was the perfect support for her during that trying time.
The man even left his job early to sit in a diner and share a sundae with her. They’re cute together as friends, and Jake is just such a giver, and sometimes I wonder at what point he just gives too much of himself.
I still can’t figure out how or even if Jake’s closeness with Rachel will factor into anything with his relationship with Amy.
He seemed torn up that he had to hide something from Amy, and then he was uncertain about how casual her reaction was to it.
But would they have even teased the potential for a different reaction if it were meaningless? I don’t know.
The situation with Rachel was another arc that was a bit underbaked, so we’ve simply moved forward like this, just… is what it is.
And Michael’s update with Nora was just a nice nod at them moving forward. It’s a big step for him to sell the house and split the proceeds with Nora for Simon’s benefit.
I chuckled when she told him to stop being so kind because she needed to hate him.
Hating him is easier to reconcile with what’s going on. It feels true to form that he would do whatever was necessary to make this divorce a smooth transition and to support Nora and Simon however he can.
I’m sure part of it is guilt, but he just generally seems to be that type of guy. But now, they’ve tinkered with him so much as a character that going back to this man who always seemed noble is just, I don’t know.
But hey, I love Michael. I’m glad things are smoother with him and Nora, and he seems to be embracing this next chapter of his life, even if the process of getting him there was messy.
And I’m sorry, I still am fully embracing Doc’s Men In Black Mindwipe and enjoying Richard.
I love how he prefaces every valid and ethical thing he says with an acknowledgement that he’s the last person who should be saying it.
Sue me. I love a self-aware man.
Interestingly, he is a decent mentor, and I thought he handled TJ well the whole hour. He’s willing to cop to things as the senior authority in the room, but he calls things out and pushes back.
I can see where it took him some time to get to this place, maybe.
Max continues to be a pain in the ass, and the second we learned that the patient was a billionaire techie, I figured he’d be meddling in the case however he could. Why can’t the suits ever leave the doctoring to the doctors?
And TJ, bless his heart, was so out of line as an intern, trying to bring up risky surgeries. His patient was a risk-taker, and that’s fine, but he also can’t get his hopes up about something that he can’t guarantee.
He got swept up in trying to impress the CEO and this patient, and it showed.
Richard was right about Voight having a God Complex, and constantly dangling the opportunity of taking his “business” elsewhere, so to speak, was irritating.
Max will jump through any hoop if he thinks it’ll get them money. But I respected that Richard was leveling with this man, and he wasn’t backing down or submitting to him just because everyone else was willing to do so.
Hell, Richard is even taking lashes when people assume it’s him screwing up versus someone else.
Is Doc sailing past some of what Richard did to get here? Sure. Does it feel like they’ve pivoted from him plotting to him just genuinely trying to turn a new leaf?
Absolutely. Do I mind it, though? Not really. I can work with this version of Richard, even if I have to suspend belief.
He’s finding his footing, and he’s making this situation work. It’s also generally nice to see that he’s a pretty great doctor.
Damn you, Doc. I’m not a Richard hater anymore.
And it’s nice to see TJ under someone else’s tutelage. I also don’t know how I’m feeling about the TJ/Sonya thing. I need you guys to help me unpack their chemistry in the comments below. I’m torn.
Voight opting to freeze himself now rather than spend the last months he has alive with his wife was not the least bit shocking, ugh, rich guys. But that was generally a decent case.
But now I need to hear from you guys about this one, Doc Fanatics.
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