Best Medicine Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Port Wenn’s First Murder Revealed Several Secrets

Critic’s Rating: 4.45 / 5.0

4.45

Procedurals have overtaken primetime television, so if you can accomplish making a murder mystery funny, you’ve got a winner.

Best Medicine Season 1 Episode 8 tackled their first murder in Port Wenn, and everyone’s reactions to the crisis were hilarious.

Mark loved handling an important case, while Martin preferred dealing with a patient who couldn’t argue with him or ignore his advice.

I also loved how the Bogfather crime led to so many secrets being revealed. That’s the way with small towns. Nothing stays hidden forever.

Some of these secrets the series likely won’t visit again, but others, like Martin’s or Al’s, may play a bigger role later in the season.

Port Wenn’s First Murder Brought Hilarity and Entertainment

I’ve sympathized with Martin and Mark. They’ve been typecast in the same roles since the beginning of Best Medicine.

Martin has played the irritable doctor who no one listens to, while Mark has played the fun-loving idiot who’s still in love with his ex.

While I’ve grown fond of both of them, I enjoyed seeing them loosen up when a murder hit Port Wenn.

While the actual residents seemed afraid, most of the main characters relished the excitement of solving a murder.

The Salty Breeze has become almost another character, and I loved how they decided to store the body there to work on it. It guaranteed fun and hilarity, even though Martin and Mark tried to keep people out.

I loved that Bert and Greg decided to cash in on this absurdity of the murder. These two were completely shameless, and it was entertaining.

It was even funnier that George initially disapproved of this, but when he heard how many repairs the money would pay for, he joined in—Port Wenn ethics at its finest.

Martin did such a 180 from not wanting to be involved to having fun collecting clues. It allowed him and Mark to work together as equals as they investigated the cause of death.

Even Mark thought that Martin seemed to be having fun. Martin worked with facts to eliminate a suspect and establish a timeline.

That’s what he excels at, facts and figures, but emotions often trip him up. This time, he and Mark learned from each other, and their friendship seemed more solid.

Small Towns Breed Secrets

No one actually thought that Geneva killed her husband, right? It seemed too convenient the way she confessed and begged Mark to arrest her.

I love Mark, but I’m not sure he should have run over there before finding a way to identify the body.

However, Best Medicine was not a crime procedural, and it added some layers and levity with Geneva’s reactions to dealing with Mark.

Mark was still as naive as a child, believing no one would lie to him and that his pet fish was alive, but that’s part of his charm.

Geneva preferred being known as the sweet grandmotherly woman and could even take a murderess over a jilted wife.

Her husband left her for her sister, and she’d felt abandoned. While I understood that, we’ve seen so many people check on her. Everyone loves her.

Was the Bogfather a Cold Case or a Piece of History?

The murder ended right where it began, as a piece of history. The victim was from the 18th century and could have been one of the early Port Wenn settlers.

Martin was uncharacteristically excited to discover this and wanted the body displayed in a museum, while Mark thought they should solve the cold case.

We’ve never seen Martin care about this town, and it’s starting to crawl under his skin.

George and Mark began pouring over books, eager to learn more about him, whereas Martin discovered that the Bogfather had at least one descendant in Port Wenn.

One thing is certain. Port Wenn residents were always eager to earn extra money.

Almost everyone lined up, except for Bert. Why didn’t he want Al to get tested, either? What was he hiding from his son?

Elaine Learned How Much Al Meant to Her

Elaine and Al are exact opposites. She can’t wait to escape Port Wenn and become famous, while he seems content as a small-town handyperson.

They made a great team, shooting her Claw & Order podcast and inventing the crime board. Elaine would make a better detective than a medical assistant. She’s in tune with gossip and knows everyone.

Everything went great until Al called her his girlfriend, and Elaine only wanted to be flirty friends, making Al feel used since she only called on him to record her podcasts.

I felt for him since he seemed like such a loyal lapdog, and I enjoyed that Best Medicine Season 1 Episode 8 gave him more of a storyline.

Besides giving Al a backbone, his genetic testing revealed that he had Marfan syndrome. His symptoms were manageable with his gangly body type, but Al grew worried since he looked nothing like Bert.

It sounds like the series may attempt an arc in which Al learns he was adopted, and Martin tries to assure him that family isn’t always about genetics.

I’ll be excited if they do because I’m adopted, and while I knew from childhood, learning as an adult adds a twist.

Al will feel hurt that Bert kept this from him, and I wonder what other secrets there are.

I’m relieved he’ll have Elaine since Elaine realized how important Al was to her when she thought he might have a life-threatening illness.

These two were cute, but their dreams don’t align.

A Realization Caused Martin to Change Perspectives

I almost wondered if Martin should become a medical examiner because he thrived in “The Bogfather,” assisting Mark when he didn’t have patients asking questions.

But he took his frustrations out on the wrong person – Louisa. She felt hurt because he acted weird when taking her blood and then blamed it on her being overly sensitive and inquisitive.

Martin didn’t realize how much he craved genuine connections until George and Bert revealed that he was an ancestor of the Bogfather, James Brewster.

When Mark discovered that James Brewster was a loner who liked to argue with everyone, so many people joked that Martin sounded just like him.

I felt horribly that so many locals considered Martin the butt of a joke instead of appreciating all he’s done to treat them.

But Martin realized he didn’t want to be that isolated or die without anyone caring, so he apologized to the one person who deserved it.

I was relieved that he admitted to Louisa about his blood phobia, so she knew he didn’t run away because of her. Maybe now their relationship will take off.

Over to you, Best Medicine Fanatics. Did you enjoy Port Wenn’s first murder, or should Martin stick to treating live patients? How will Al’s diagnosis affect him?

Let us know in the comments.

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