Best Medicine Season 2 is here, and so is a new format! I'm trying to incorporate your suggestions from last year's survey, so this time Gen Z panelist Gabriela and I trade hot takes, then my Unspoiled panel (Mel, Doug, and Carol Doehler, none of whom have seen Doc Martin) takes over. Every few episodes, I plan to have Doc Martin-spoiled Best Medicine fans giving their takes. Five months have passed in Port Wenn, and writer Liz Tuccillo wastes no time tying up the Season 1 finale's loose ends. Al Large (Carter Shimp) is headed to school in New York. Is Elaine (Cree) going with him? And why is Al still giving Bert (John DiMaggio) grief? Then there's Eden Montgomery (Eliza Coupe). She has redecorated the office, put Elaine in a dental-assistant coat, and is also Louisa's fertility doctor. Gabriela thinks there's nothing wrong with Eden. Doug thinks she's conniving and points to one "I need to see Louisa" moment as proof. Freudian slip, or all part of the plan? Meanwhile Peter Cronk (Ben Lewis Doherty) and poor Copernicus are being pushed aside, and Aunt Sarah (Annie Potts) says Martin (Josh Charles) has taken a few steps backward. Louisa (Abigail Spencer) is juggling IVF, two jobs, and a lot of loneliness. Watching her third-wheel on the couch with Al and Elaine hurt a little. Martin's blood phobia also goes public, and Aunt Sarah is not happy about who got told first. This episode also brings us a mermaid. Cecilia washes up in Port Wenn, and Sheriff Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra) handles her story with more heart (and more actual police work) than we've seen from him before. Is this the grown-up Mark we've been waiting for? We also get Sally Mylow (Clea Lewis) and that neck brace, the Judith (Andrea Martin), Geneva (Didi Conn), and Aunt Sarah trio (more of them, please!), and the teens (decrepit? Puh-LEASE!). Plus the sea urchin economy at the Salty Breeze, a smoking gag that had us crying with laughter, and what increased tourism can mean for a town like Port Wenn. Speaking of smoking, good messages: don’t smoke, if you have a mental health crisis, getting professional help is good, and phones can be addictive! So tell us in the comments: Eden, friend or foe? Who should Mark end up with? Too soon for everyone to learn about the phobia? And a question for our UK viewers: when Louisa pays for her own IVF, or someone jokes that mermaids don't have insurance, how does that land for you if you're used to the NHS? If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe, like, and comment. See you next week, Besties! Chapters: [0:00] Cold open [0:18] Welcome: Best Medicine Season 2 premiere panel [0:49] Gen Z hot takes with Gabriela: Eden, Cecilia & Louisa [12:53] Mel, Doug & Carol join: "Time to go in the walk-in" [14:36] Eden: conniving or just in the way? [18:34] "I need to see Louisa" - Freudian slip or on purpose? [19:53] Lovable weirdos and Aunt Sarah's hurt feelings [21:52] Peter Cronk, Copernicus and a flatter Elaine [26:47] Mark grows up: the Cecilia investigation [30:19] Sally's neck brace, plus Judith, Geneva & Aunt Sarah [32:42] Love and relationships: who should Mark date? [36:20] Al vs. Bert, and Martin & Louisa back to square one [41:12] Sea urchins, the Salty Breeze and TV tourism [45:24] Questions for you: US insurance vs. the NHS [47:06] What's new with the podcast this season