Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Doc Season 2 Episode 3.Episode 3 of Doc “New Blood” wastes no time raising the stakes for the season. It’s Joan Ridley’s (Felicity Huffman) first official day as Chief of Internal Medicine, and right from the jump, it’s clear that Westside is in for a major shake-up. This episode might be the best of the season so far, balancing an emotionally charged medical case with the deepening mystery of Amy’s returning memories. We also get to see Huffman fully step into her element as Joan, commanding every scene while hinting at the secrets she’s still keeping close. The writers don’t drag their feet either. By the end of the episode, we’re left with more questions than answersabout what Joan’s really up to and how it’ll impact Amy moving forward.
Dr. Ridley’s First Day as Chief Sets off Sparks in Episode 2 “New Blood”
Joan Ridley’s (Huffman) first day as Chief of Internal Medicine doesn’t exactly go smoothly. Almost immediately, she’s undermined by Amy (Molly Parker), who’s caught in the middle of a difficult and controversial case, and she clashes with Gina (Amirah Vann) in a way that exposes just how strained their past really is. When Joan weighs in on Amy’s unconventional TMS treatment, what begins as a calm exchange between colleagues quickly turns personal. Joan accuses Gina of letting emotion cloud her judgment, while Gina fires back that Joan has never truly known what’s best for Amy. It’s a sharp, layered confrontation, especially after Gina tells Amy she’s never trusted Joan and she never will.
Joan’s leadership style is firm, methodical, and just a little cutthroat, which are qualities that are bound to rub her staff the wrong way. To her credit, she’s clearly dedicated to both her patients and the hospital, and Huffman plays her with a perfect mix of empathy and no-nonsense authority. There’s also some definite tension between her and Amy about her taking the chief position. Amy tells her not to “get too comfortable” in the chair that should belong to her. It’s definitely playful, but it also feels like the seed being planted of their inevitable power struggle, especially as Amy’s memories of her own time as chief begin to resurface. By the end of the episode, it’s clear Joan’s need for control isn’t just about her new position. It’s about something deeper that she’s hiding.
Amy’s Memories Are Complicating Things in Season 2, Episode 3 of ‘Doc’
After going through a few rounds of TMS treatment, Amy is finally making progress, but it’s coming at a cost. Headaches, nosebleeds, and emotional strain signal that her brain may be unlocking more than she can handle. Following last episode’s memory of Joan urging her to leave Michael (Omar Metwally), the flashes are hitting harder and faster, and the fallout is spreading to everyone around her. One pivotal moment comes when Amy remembers overhearing Sonya (Anya Banerjee) confessing feelings for Jake (Jon Ecker) and tells him about it. It’s something he’d rather not know, but mid-conversation, another memory crashes in: Jake telling her he loved her the day of the car accident. Ecker’s performance at that moment is so layered and heartbreaking. Jake wants Amy to remember their relationship, but he’s been so hurt by what’s happened between them recently. That also plays out in their first steamy kiss since he caught her with Michael, which again was an emotional and complicated moment.
Meanwhile, Michael’s reaction to Amy’s returning memories is equally fraught. His wife Nora (Sarah Allen) senses his unresolved feelings, and his own discomfort suggests he’s hiding something about their past. As Molly Parker teased in our interview, not everyone around Amy is a “reliable narrator,” and that uncertainty is becoming one of the show’s most fascinating threads, blurring the line between what Amy remembers and what others want her to believe.
A Risky Medical Case Mirrors Amy’s Own Struggles
The episode’s central case follows Claire Pinto, a patient secretly managing her multiple sclerosis with experimental stem cell injections from Mexico. When she arrives at the hospital vomiting blood, Amy and Gina quickly discover that her supposed “traditional remedies” are masking a much riskier treatment. The case becomes an ethical minefield about medical tourism and desperation, which is a topic that feels unfortunately all too relevant. Claire insists the injections have helped her and refuses to stop, even knowing the risks. She’d rather keep fighting than return to a life defined by limitation, which is something Amy deeply understands.
When Amy goes over Joan’s head to request a medical flight to Mexico, she’s denied, escalating the growing tension between them. But when Claire secretly has her next dose shipped in, Amy makes a fateful choice and administers the injection herself. The decision nearly kills Claire and lands Amy in serious trouble with both Jake and Joan, but I love how it feels driven by empathy, not recklessness. I also love how Doc always manages to use its medical cases to dig into character over driving plot, but this one, in particular, does both seamlessly. Amy knows what it feels like to be desperately trying to reclaim a life that was stolen from circumstance. But that compassion comes at a cost, especially with Joan in charge, who reminds Amy that she’s “still auditioning.”
Joan’s Secret Comes to Light as She Lays Down the Gauntlet In ‘Doc’ Episode 3
After Amy goes over her head and Joan learns about her struggles with the TMS treatment, she accuses Amy of taking advantage of their friendship and warns that her behavior has become increasingly reckless. But in an omniscient flashback, we see that Joan is hiding a devastating secret of her own. She confides in Amy that she’s been diagnosed with MDS, a rare blood disorder that could progress to leukemia. Amy tries to be supportive, but her instincts as a doctor take over when she points out that if Joan’s hand starts to tremble, she won’t be able to operate anymore. It’s a tense exchange that reveals both their respect and resentment for one another, and the complexity in their relationship that we’re only beginning to uncover.
The reveal reframes Joan entirely. As Molly Parker also noted in our interview,Doc doesn’t really have villains, only people making impossible choices in tough situations. If Joan is meant to be an obstacle for Amy, this reveal definitely humanizes her more, and even though Dr. Richard Miller (Scott Wolf) was also hiding something. This secret feels fresh and personal. By the end of the episode, Joan’s first speech as chief praises the hospital’s talent but ends with a chilling warning: in the next two months, every doctor will face a strict evaluation, and not everyone will make the cut.
Knowing Joan’s diagnosis and Amy’s memories continuing to resurface, Episode 3 sets up the most emotionally charged and high-stakes episode of Doc so far this season. The looming evaluation promises to breed competition and unease within the department, while the web of personal dynamics, from Amy, Gina, and Joan’s uneasy triangle to Jake’s tension with Sonya and Michael’s complicated marriage, adds even more volatility. It sets up a ton of great questions as the season moves forward and, with a larger episode count this season, it’s only just getting started.
All new episodes of Doc air on Fox Tuesday nights and are available next day to stream on Hulu.
- Release Date
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January 7, 2025
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Russell Lee Fine, Rebecca Thomas, Jono Oliver, Michael Goi, Nicole Rubio, Amanda Row, Marisol Adler
- Writers
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Judith McCreary, Katie Varney
- Felicity Huffman is hitting all the right notes as Dr. Joan Ridley so far.
- The triangle between Amy, Gina and Joan is just as compelling as the Season 1 love triangle
- The writers use the medical case in the best way possible for Amy’s character
