‘Best Medicine’ Season 2 Episode 6 Recap and Ending Explained: Savannah’s Return and Martin’s Heartache
This ‘Best Medicine’ recap looks at “Can’t Stop the Healing,” which aired on FOX on November 3 and sent a familiar troublemaker back to Port Wenn. The hour pairs a town full of supposed miracle cures with a painful turn in the story of Martin and Louisa. Spoilers follow for the full episode.
The American adaptation of ‘Doc Martin’ follows Dr. Martin Best, played by Josh Charles, a Boston surgeon turned small town doctor who hides a phobia of blood. Heading into this episode, Martin had ended things with his girlfriend Eden and shared an emotional hug with Louisa. That emotional footing matters when the ending arrives.
Savannah’s Return and the Miracle Cures
The engine of the episode is Savannah, played by Heléne Yorke, an alternative healer whose fox gave six people the plague during her first visit. She returns with a naturopathy license and opens a healing center in the back of Irma’s salon. Before long, the town is buzzing about miraculous cures.
Martin, predictably, sets out to debunk every one of them. Plenty of residents side with Savannah, and one patient even points out that her line is longer than Martin’s. Another suggests she might fix the doctor’s personality, and Martin fires back that she hasn’t cured the patient’s.
The scheme unravels when a carrot diet turns a woman orange. TV Fanatic noted that Jackie Hoffman of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ played the main eccentric patient, and that Martin and Mark had to stop a stampede of people coming for Savannah. It is broad comedy, but it keeps Martin’s skepticism at the center.
The Salty Breeze Storyline and Supporting Threads
A second storyline unfolds in the kitchen of the Salty Breeze. George is preparing for a visit from an influential food critic when Savannah offers to cure his cold, and her homeopathic remedies leave him unable to taste anything. It is a small problem with large stakes for the restaurant.
Greg suggests bringing back Gina, the pizza truck owner from earlier in the season, who helps George improve his scallops. According to Soap Central’s recap, the critic turns out to be one of Martin’s patients in disguise. The twist gives the subplot a neat payoff without pulling focus from the central romance.
Other threads move quietly in the background. Sheriff Mark struggles to tell Martin about his hookup with Eden, and Elaine lands a New Hampshire agent and books her first audition. A SpoilerTV reviewer observed that Martin did not seem to care much when Mark finally got the news out.
Ending Explained as Parker Reveals a Shared Past
The emotional core belongs to Parker, played by Jack Cutmore-Scott. He is Martin’s medical monitor and he is growing close to Louisa. Martin’s grumpiness grew after he saw Parker and Louisa kiss, and Elaine and Aunt Sarah both liked Parker, adding fuel to Martin’s internal fire.
The episode then turns the screw. Parker complained to Louisa about what a grump Martin is, revealing that Martin was his professor in medical school. Louisa panicked that a slighted Parker might use his review as petty revenge, though he promised to remain impartial.
In the final scenes, Louisa confronts Martin about that history. Martin asks what she likes about Parker, and she answers that he is a good listener, which leaves Louisa in tears after the conversation. The reply lands hard because it names the quality Martin lacks.
Martin’s last move is quieter. He offers to be there for Glendon, a local bully, if Glendon begins cancer treatment. Comic Basics reads this as Martin’s first real attempt to become the kind of person Louisa says she needs.
What the Ending Means for Martin and Louisa
The healing plot and the romance plot are linked by one idea. Savannah’s methods are exposed as anything but miraculous, yet Louisa’s answer suggests that being right is not the same as being heard. That is the gap Martin keeps falling into.
The Parker storyline has been planned for some time. Parker arrived after Martin was reported to the medical board for letting Elaine draw blood because of his phobia. Executive producer Rodney Ferrell told TV Insider that the storyline is “a juicy, big arc of the season.”
The SpoilerTV reviewer felt that Louisa’s breakdown shows she still cares about Martin more than she ever will about Parker. The same writer is curious how Martin will deal with Parker, since it could go okay or turn very ugly. Abigail Spencer has previously said she is happy to stretch out the romance for Louisa and Martin as good television.
Next week’s “Love Is a Battlefield” airs November 10 on Fox, with Martin concerned as residents show tremors and odd behavior during the Port Wenn Revolutionary War reenactment while he is still dealing with Louisa’s new relationship. With Parker holding both Martin’s career review and Louisa’s attention, do you think Martin’s offer to Glendon is the first real step toward earning her back, or does Parker’s easy way with people give him the edge?
