Warning: Contains SPOILERS forDocepisode 4, “One Small Step.”
Episode 4 of Fox’s latest medical dramaDocis arguably the best episode of the series to date, but its biggest success is finally explaining Amy’s poor treatment of patients and colleagues during the years leading up to her brain injury. Her callous nature and focus on becoming chief arose from the loss of her son Danny, but that loss still never completely justified her dismissive treatment of everyone around her. As petty as her colleagues seem for mocking her medical situation, seeing how she treated them makes it hard not to understand their resentment.
Critics didn’t fail to notice this, either. Many of the negative reviews accounting forDoc’s 44% Rotten Tomatoes scorefind it difficult to sympathize with Amy. OneUSA Todayreview specifically points to her family relationships, stating that “Amy’s every interaction is loaded with dramatic irony, but the audience isn’t in a good spot knowing that her teenage daughter actually hates her.” WithDoc’s season 2 renewalstill hanging in the air,the show needs to establish Amy as a more sympathetic character. Episode 4, “One Small Step,” has thankfully taken a giant leap toward accomplishing just that.
Doc Episode 4 Fully Reveals What Happened To Danny
Danny’s Death Is More Complicated Than His Arrhythmia Alone
While it seemed like the subplot involving Amy’s emails inDocepisode 3 was leading directly to a confrontation with Richard, the first thing she finds is actually a video from her daughter Katie’s birthday party. It starts off normally, but an argument toward the end hints thatAmy blames Michael for what happened to Danny. She tries to ask Michael why she’d blame him, but he refuses to explain. He even instructs Katie not to say anything if Amy asks. The episode reveals bits and pieces through flashbacks, but Michael finally tells Amy the entire story at the end.
Gina was telling the truth when she said that Danny died on a school trip when his arrhythmia acted up, but it wasn’t technically as unexpected as she made it sound. Although Danny appeared ill getting off the bus,Michael neglected to check Danny’s pulse despite knowing he had a heart condition. Amy blamed Michael for the loss of their son ever since. This explains her dismissive nature toward other doctors, since the doctor she loved most let her down in a tragic way. But another part of the story sheds even more light on Amy’s coldhearted manner.
Danny’s Death Justifies Amy’s Icy Demeanor In Doc
As much as Amy outwardly blames Michael for not checking Danny’s pulse, episode 4 ofDocreveals yet another layer to that story. Despite the series making it seem like Amy became a workaholic in response to Danny’s death, the reality is thatMichael was only chaperoning Danny’s trip because Amy canceled so she could work on her day off. Michael beats himself up and experiences frequent nightmares because he knows Amy would have checked Danny’s pulse, but the sadder implication is that she likely knows it, too.
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This offers an alternate justification for Amy’s obsession with taking full control of every patient’s care. It’s not just that another doctor let her down, but also thatAmy’s secretly terrified of what might happen to a patient when she’s not in the room. It doesn’t make the “cold doctor” persona less of a frustrating trope, andUSA Todayisn’t entirely wrong to describe Amy as “every stereotype TV has ever developed about an unfeeling doctor.” But knowing where it comes from explains why she feels like she has to be that way.
Amy & Michael’s Reconciliation Sets Up Her Redemption
Doc’s Cast Should See A New Side Of Amy From Now On
When Michael finally tells Amy the story of Danny’s death and how her resentment led to their divorce, she’s able to see herself from a perspective that no one’s completely offered her yet. Not only does this lead to them reconciling, butAmy’s able to see how her incessant need to be right hurts those around her. This could lead to a vital character shift heading into the back half of the season. WhileDoc’s high ratingsindicate it’s most likely guaranteed a renewal, seeing Amy truly make up for her past could be vital in generating a better critical response.
Even though Amy’s generally more compassionate since her injury, her insistence on disagreeing with other doctors’ treatment decisions hasn’t really changed.
The easiest way forDocto do this is to simply have Amy apply what she’s learned about herself from Michael to her interactions with other colleagues. Even though Amy’s generally more compassionate since her injury, her insistence on disagreeing with other doctors’ treatment decisions hasn’t really changed. It also doesn’t help that Amy has the highest tendency of anyone in the ward to put a patient in critical condition before saving them at the last minute. Watching her let supporting characters take charge more often would be the best possible way to redeem both tendencies moving forward.
