‘Best Medicine’: Martin Makes Major Confession to Louisa

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Best Medicine Season 1 Episode 8 “The Bogfather.”]

The people of Port Wenn have a bit of fun (like Elaine’s Claw & Order: B.O.G. web series) when it seems there’s a murder on their hands, but when it comes to the identification of the body found in the bog in the Tuesday, February 24, episode of Best Medicine, it hits home for Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles).

Though initially Mark (Josh Segarra) investigates it like it’s a present-day murder, the body ends up being centuries old, an early Port Wennian, who DNA testing determines is an ancestor of Martin’s on his mother’s side, sine there’s no match for his aunt, Sarah (Annie Potts). James Brewster was a notorious recluse, mainly kept to himself in shack by bog, and always found cause to quarrel when he could, Mark reads from the records. “This sounds like Doc,” he laughs. Only Louisa (Abigail Spencer) notices it getting to Martin, who walks out.

Meanwhile, Martin continues to deal with his blood phobia, notably when it comes to Louisa’s bloodletting (for hemochromatosis, an iron overload disease). He quickly leaves the room when it comes time for Elaine (Cree) to step in to start the IV, then, after, Louisa tracks him down and confronts him about seemingly being unable to stand being in the same room. “I don’t have the time to deal with the emotional insecurities of every patient,” he says. He likes the body from the bog (prior to the identification) because “unlike humans, corpses don’t talk back, they don’t tease, they don’t gossip, their tender little feelings don’t get hurt, they aren’t a constant tsunami of needs an opinions, and at least with a corpse, I won’t be surprised when it doesn’t listen to me.” As Louisa sees it, “I never thought you were a right fit for Port Wenn, and now you’re proving me right.”

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But after the body’s been identified and Martin spends some time along at home, he goes to see Louisa to apologize for his behavior. “The way I spoke to you at my office, it was wrong,” he says. That’s not enough for her, and she wants to know what’s going on with him. Then comes his big confession.

“I have a hard time… with … blood, a phobia about blood, a blood phobia, if you will,” he admits, struggling to get it out. Yes, he’s “a surgeon who can’t stand the sight of blood. I came here hoping I could still practice medicine. It’s proven harder to do than I thought. That’s why Elaine assists me. and why I act like a lunatic every time I try to take your blood.” She asks why he’s telling her now. “I don’t want to be the bogman,” he says, referring to the nickname some of the townspeople started giving him after the ID.

Francisco Roman/Fox

Elsewhere in the episode, we learn just how gullible Mark is when he finds out his goldfish didn’t really run away. “Wait, he didn’t join a rock band?” he asks in shock after that news from Geneva (Didi Conn). “You and my mom told me that he was in a band called Cutie and the Goldfish.” Geneva’s response: “I never could understand how he got into law enforcement.” Later, Martin checks that Mark “actually thought a goldfish could sing.” Mark argues, “Well, I had a dog who could read my mind.” Oh, Mark.

What did you think of Martin’s confession to Louisa? Let us know in the comments section below.

Best Medicine, Tuesdays, 8/7c, Fox

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