Summary
Best Medicine still has some hiccups in “Take Me Out of the Ballgame”, including a repetitive premise, but the characters and setting are beginning to bed in.
Best Medicine is proceeding… oddly, I think it’s fair to say. On the one hand, it’s doing a very solid job of fleshing out Port Wenn as a setting, and several of its inhabitants not named Doc Martin, and these two aspects both power Episode 3, “Take Me Out of the Ballgame”. But it’s also doing a really bad job of evolving Martin’s character in a way that doesn’t constantly put him at odds with the locals. I get that it’s funny for him to be a pariah, or at least it was the first time, but there are only so many times the local doctor can save the day before the idea of everyone mistrusting and resenting him seems a bit farcical.
Again, though, what works about this episode, particularly, is that it isn’t really about Martin; he’s more of an avenue for fleshing out other characters and more of the local colour. Elaine is particularly well served here, much to my surprise. She’s the classic wannabe influencer archetype, which typically feels designed to exclusively irritate me, but she’s genuinely charming and is developing more and more depth as we go.
It’s the same with Sarah, who has largely existed until this point to be the sole person in Port Wenn – aside from his nemesis, Glendon Ross – whom Martin has some kind of personal connection to. But that’s not ideal for a character who is a lifelong resident of a particular place, since it can prevent them from feeling of that place if they only ever interact with the main character. Sarah’s on-again-off-again silly romance with Eddie serves this purpose, and the introduction of Bar Harbor, a rival town, opens things up a bit.
Thanks to that rivalry, there’s an us vs them feeling to most of “Take Me Out of the Ballgame”, which is so-called because it revolves around an upcoming baseball match. Port Wenn’s star player is Glendon’s son, Glendon Jr., but he picks up an injury that Martin worries might be more serious than it appears, especially if he plays in the game. Of course, the rest of the town, especially Glendon Sr., who keeps threatening legal action, just wants to push on and hope for the best, the town’s reputation taking precedence over Glendon Jr.’s health.
Again, this feels just a touch too reiterative of the bean thing, since it positions Martin against the entire town. Josh Charles is believably frustrated about it, but that doesn’t disguise the obviousness of the plotting. As before, what this is building towards is Martin’s vindication, as he eventually has a slow-motion dive to save Glendon Jr. during the baseball game that is very funny but also prompts Glendon to stand up to his father and defend Martin. It’s a nice moment, but it would work better if the exact same sequence – Martin annoys the town, ends up being right, everyone forgives him – hadn’t just played out in the previous episode, as it makes the first vindication feel pointless.
You can see this problem a few times in Best Medicine Episode 3. In the aftermath of the baseball game, Glendon Sr. thanks Martin for saving his son, who had essentially overdosed on protein powder at the expense of his bone density just to try to make his old man proud of him. But then he drops in an ominous little line that suggests he’s going to remain an antagonist either way, almost as if the show doesn’t have any other ideas about what to do with him.
It’s sometimes difficult drawing a line between genuine character flaws and people being difficult for the sake of it, for script reasons. Martin constantly upsetting everyone is a fundamental part of the show’s texture, but in situations like this, it can feel too broad and forced. Stuff like Elaine forgetting where the paper files are is funny, and works because she’s distracted by her own issues, which is right for her character. There’s definitely a balance to be achieved here, I just don’t think we’re there quite yet.
The whole thing is undeniably very charming, though, and people are already invested, as well they might be. I think we’re getting over some of the early humps, which is to be expected. Down the line, Best Medicine might coalesce into something really good and pretty unique (aside, obviously, from the show it’s a remake of). Time will tell.
