Is Felicity Huffman’s Joan Ridley Leaving ‘Doc’?

There’s another major chance coming to Westside in Doc Season 2 after the Tuesday, March 10, episode.

Heading into “Good Hands,” more and more staff are becoming aware that something is going on with Joan (Felicity Huffman), and soon, she cannot avoid the reality of her situation anymore. TV Insider spoke with executive producer Barbie Kligman about Joan’s major decision about her future. Warning: Spoilers for Doc Season 2 Episode 17 ahead!

Joan tells Amy (Molly Parker) that she has myelodysplastic syndrome (but not that there’s a good chance it becomes leukemia), but claims she was diagnosed a few weeks ago, after she took the chief job at Westside. We know that’s a lie, and Amy, who’s already pushing Joan to tell Michael (Omar Metwally), soon figures that out as well when she begins having memory flashes and goes for TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) to help remember all of that moment.

When she confronts Joan again (and again), bringing up the prednisone she’s taking to get through a shift, the doc still refuses to listen. She also reveals that her son, Ethan (Connor McMahon), doesn’t know yet; he hasn’t returned her calls since two years ago, when she stayed overseas instead of coming home when his son was sick.

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But Amy calls Ethan, and he comes to Westside and reunites with his mom. After, Joan thanks her and tells her she knows what she’s going to do. She calls an all-hands and informs the staff of her diagnosis.

“It’s advanced, and it’s time for me to accept that it’s not something I can outrun. So, last night will be my final surgery, and next week will be my last as your chief. I’ve spoken to Dr. Hamda, and he has agreed to facilitate a smooth transition and never fear, you will all receive your long-awaited evaluations before I go. I like to think that I still have some wisdom to impart on the next generation,” Joan says. “So, as my friend reminded me today, we go where we’re needed, and right now, there are more important places for me to be than inside an OR or behind a desk. Being a doctor has been the privilege of my life. Being your chief has meant more to me than I expected.”

And with that, we’re left to wonder about Felicity Huffman’s future on the show. TV Insider asked Kligman just that, and she confirms Joan is “very present” in the rest of Season 2. The remaining episodes will also reveal who will take over as chief.

But what would it have taken for Joan to realize she needed to take this step back if not for Amy calling her son? “I don’t know,” admits Kligman. “I feel like Amy calling Ethan was maybe the only thing.”

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The EP adds that Joan putting a patient’s life in jeopardy also could have been the wake-up call she needed, but she’s quick to point out, “I don’t know that she ever would’ve let it get that far. I think that would’ve done it, but that would’ve been too late,” she says. “And the truth is, I think Joan is so controlled and so careful that I don’t think it ever would’ve gotten to that, but I think Amy did the only thing that could be done. The only person that could really get through to her was her son and her love for her son and her wanting to repair that relationship. And I think that makes it hit her over the head: What am I doing?”

But we can’t forget that Joan did push herself to continue working for as long as she did, and that is going to have consequences, warns Kligman: “She was significantly hard on herself, pushing boundaries beyond the point that she should have, and she will suffer the consequences.”

We’ll also see how this affects Amy going forward — yes, Joan is her boss, but she’s also her friend. “It’s impossibly hard on her,” says Kligman. In upcoming episodes, “we will get to see through flashbacks some things that’ll really give us insight into Amy’s earlier life and will speak very much to the origins of her relationship with Joan. And that will have an impact. We’ll understand how much deeper it even goes than the love we’ve already seen between them.”

Who do you think will take over as chief? Let us know in the comments section below.

Doc, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox

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