Abhiroop Das
Developed by Barbie Kligman, Fox’s ‘Doc’ tells the story of Amy Larsen, whose life came to a complete halt following a horrific accident that took away eight years’ worth of memories. With the loss of her past also comes a radical change in her personality, and Amy must grapple with her shifting and churning interpersonal relationships, as well as the stream of changes that have enveloped her profession. Over the course of this medical procedural series, we also learn that Amy was not without her enemies, and with no way of recollecting what transpired years ago, she is essentially at their mercy. Hannah Clark, a new doctor at Westside Hospital, is one such character who, along with her brother, Charlie, vows to take revenge for her father’s maltreatment by Amy. However, things get out of the siblings’ hands in no time, leading to a drastic turn of events.
Fear and Guilt Likely Force Charlie to Make an Attempt to Take His Life
At the end of ‘Doc’ season 2 episode 11, Hannah finds her brother, Charlie, lying motionless with bottles of pills lying next to him. All things indicate that Charlie has seemingly taken his own life, and judging by how long he hasn’t been picking up Hannah’s phone calls, it feels like she is too late. However, given the cliffhanger nature of this conclusion, whether or not Charlie is truly dead cannot be ascertained for sure. It is entirely possible that he will be taken to Westside and potentially brought back from the brink of death. However, given how much time has passed since he swallowed the pills, Charlie’s chances of living are slim to none. Incidentally, this chain of events is foreshadowed earlier in the episode, when we get a clear glimpse into how his father, Brian, took his own life, which adds a cruel, cyclical touch to this tragedy in the making.
While Charlie’s suicide cannot be confirmed just yet, the exact reasoning that led to his decision can be found in the episodes prior. Charlie, along with Hannah, engineered various illegal tactics to bring down Amy’s medical career, be it by hacking into her account and manipulating data, or by stealing her personal information and even replicating it using AI to trick people. However, things take a more drastic turn when, in an effort to get rid of his digital footprint, Charlie shuts down the entire hospital’s system for a split second, causing a diagnostic glitch that ironically leads to the death of Hannah’s patient. This sense of guilt, alongside the fear of getting caught, is likely what led to his attempt.
While ‘Doc’ does not have a history of such dark conclusions for characters, Charlie’s antagonistic presence in this season can lead to an exceptional scenario. Even in the case where the doctors save him, the police are closing in on the AI originators fast, and with Amy recognizing Brian from her memories, it is a matter of time before the truth comes out. Considering the severity of the crime, Charlie will almost certainly go to jail, adding to his frustrations in life. Above all, it was likely Hannah’s aggressive rejection of him that served as the last straw, pushing him to attempt to take his own life.
Daniel Gravelle Might Make at Least One More Appearance
Given that Charlie’s fate is still up in the air, Daniel Gravelle’s time with ‘Doc’ is unlikely to come to an end so soon. At the very least, he has a good chance of appearing in the next episode, wherein the mystery surrounding his unconsciousness will be answered. In the scenario where Charlie is truly dead, Gravelle’s performance might be limited for the episode, and the chances of him appearing on the show beyond that are slim to none. However, a case can be made for him surviving the suicide attempt and taking center stage in the follow-up episodes, which means that there is a strong possibility of Gravelle’s role deepening down the line. However, most details still point to his passing, indicating that a more reactive than proactive role may be in the cards for the actor.
Flashbacks are amongst the most consistently used narrative devices in the show, given that a large chunk of the show is about Amy’s amnesia. Within this episode, we see brief flashbacks detailing Charlie’s reaction to his father’s passing. As such, it is possible that in the future, the show will present more about Charlie’s arc in the form of a flashback, potentially from Hannah’s perspective. Given the ongoing police investigation into the hackings, it is likely that the Clark family will continue to be a recurring topic for the next few episodes to come, which means that there are possibly still some major beats left in store for both Gravelle and his character.
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