Developed by Barbie Kligman, Fox’s ‘Doc’ tells the story of Amy Larsen, a celebrated doctor who loses a huge chunk of her memory after getting into a car accident. During the long and grueling recovery process, she finds herself thrust back to the bottom of the medical ladder and is tasked with finding her way back to the top. What’s worse, however, is that just about every relationship Amy treasured is now altered beyond recognition, which leaves her almost completely alone. However, Dr. Joan Ridley, once her professor and now her mentor and close friend, is one of the handful of people who have remained unchanged. That is only true on the surface, though, as behind closed doors, Joan appears to be hiding a dark secret about herself, which ultimately forces its way out by the end of the season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Joan Ridley is Set to Make Her Exit From the World of Medicine
The final moments of ‘Doc’ season 2 episode 17 confirm that Joan’s time with Westside Hospital is coming to a close. After coming clean to the entire staff about her ongoing battle with MDS, Joan reveals that she is officially stepping down as Chief of Medicine and that she will be wrapping up all of her duties by the end of the week. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that her time with the larger world of ‘Doc’ is also coming to a close, as there are still plenty of potential plotlines left to be explored, especially when it comes to Joan’s personal life. For now, only her exit from the medical world is confirmed, and even then, there is always a chance of her featuring as a hands-off medical consultant, as well as a recurring mentor figure for Amy, Sonya, and many others.
While the episode closes Joan’s arc as a doctor with what is likely her swan song surgery, it also introduces Joan’s son, with whom she has not been in touch for the past 2 years. With the truth about Joan’s illness out in the open, we can expect her to interact more with her family, and perhaps rebuild the lost connections along the way. On the professional front, her exit means that the battle for the position of chief is now in full swing. While Amy and Sonya have been the top contenders this season, there can very well be a curveball at the end, and it all depends on Joan’s judgment. However, the most unpredictable element in her arc is the disease itself, as it has been repeated multiple times that her MDS is making its way to a leukemia diagnosis. As such, whether or not Joan makes it out alive is a question in and of itself.
Felicity Huffman Might Continue as a Recurring Member of the Cast
Joan’s goodbye to Westside doesn’t directly translate to Felicity Huffman’s departure from ‘Doc.’ While fans can expect her to make fewer appearances going forward, chances are that the veteran still has a heavy-duty role in the narrative, at least until the next Chief of Medicine is decided. So far, most of Joan’s trips to the doctor have been off-screen, but with the cat now out of the bag, the writers can create new plotlines with Amy potentially joining her in the treatment journey. This means that Huffman and Molly Parker likely have several more scenes in the cards. However, the fact that Joan is scheduled to quit medicine in a week’s time in the narrative puts into doubt how long her actor will stay as a part of the show.
Recalling when she first took on the role of Joan, Huffman described her chemistry with her co-stars as the most formative element in her portrayal. In a conversation with People, she explained, “On one hand, you’re the new kid in school, and who do you have lunch with. And on the other hand, it’s up and going, and it’s full of excellent actors.” With such potent synergy on screen, the creators are unlikely to part with Huffman any time soon, but the looming fear about her character’s potential demise can also make for the show’s most intense plotline yet. As such, whether or not the actor continues to be a part of ‘Doc’ rests on the decisions her character makes in the episodes that are to follow.
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