Certain, there’s some Important Character Syndrome with Amy Larsen on Doc, however that’s as a result of she is the primary character.
We’re following her story, and because the protagonist — even a deeply flawed and considerably tragic one — we’re inclined to sympathize with and root for her. She seems like an underdog, and we would like her to persevere.
Nevertheless, simply because Amy feels just like the hero in our story, does that imply the opposite characters are villains?
Doc Calls For Us to Sympathize with Amy, and We Do
The sequence makes us sympathize with Amy. After we met her, she was chilly and blunt and didn’t care a few filter. It was obvious that most individuals round her had grown bored with her brusque supply and prickly persona.
However we’re used to a personality like this.
A lot of Amy’s traits as a medical skilled aren’t new. From The Resident to Gray’s Anatomy, Home M.D., and The Good Physician, we’ve seen medical doctors on all spectrums starting from full-blown jerks to emotionally inaccessible or socially awkward and challenged.
Amy Larsen’s habits isn’t outdoors of the realm of what we’re used to. Whereas she poses some challenges from different characters and even viewers that may very well be rooted in old-fashion sexism (by some means, males are all the time allowed to be dicks!)
However even forward of her anxiousness that wiped away her reminiscence and her curmudgeonly methods in Doc Season 1 Episode 1, we noticed that she had a softer facet together with her hottie subordinate Jake and that she was at the very least a ball of snarky enjoyable when paired together with her finest good friend, Gina.
In consequence, Amy was a personality you rooted for, even when she had some unsavory and prickly moments.
Sonya Appears Imply, Petty, and Infantile
As we immediately linked with Amy and discovered to sympathize together with her post-accident due to her amnesia, we additionally may ascribe her unsavory habits to her grief pre-accident.
When you possibly can at the very least perceive why somebody behaves as they do, even if you happen to don’t excuse them, it’s simpler. Doc does properly with this relating to Amy, who has the posh of being a deeply flawed character whereas nonetheless being likable or relatable.
Shouldn’t this additionally apply to all of the folks affected by Amy? You’ll suppose so, proper?
One thing will get misplaced in translation relating to characters like Sonya, who reads as infantile and petty relating to the grudge she nonetheless harbors in opposition to Amy and who says some extremely imply issues.
It was uncomfortable to witness a bunch of Amy’s colleagues commiserating over her misfortune, cracking jokes at her expense, and coming throughout as disturbingly insentive because it will get for a bunch of medical professionals.
But, because the anti-Amy (or sufferer of Amy) who will get probably the most constant display time, Sonya sometimes experiences the brunt of backlash and criticism from viewers due to her anti-Amy stance.
However is that honest?
Amy Wreaked Emotional and Psychological Havoc on Everybody Round Her for Years
We’re coming into Amy’s story as her world is upended. She’s the lady who misplaced her little one, and her grief induced her to lash out at everybody round her always for a few years.
Now, she’s at the hours of darkness about how she handled others and fully eroded wholesome and significant connections in her life.
It’s value sympathizing with Amy, however it doesn’t erase all of the horrible results she had on different folks, and none of them disappear as a result of her reminiscence did.
Sonya feels deeply harm by Amy. To date, we solely know that Amy questioned whether or not Sonya ought to be a physician as a result of she didn’t like how Sonya dealt with one thing.
We noticed that after Amy obtained her tooth into somebody for his or her errors or incompetency, she didn’t let go. She was vicious and imply, and it might not have been one of the best strategy to bringing out one of the best in others.
No good comes from downplaying how Amy’s feedback or therapy have an effect on others, and it’s not some badge of honor for many who are fantastic placing up with it. The implication of that’s poisonous in its personal proper.
Amy’s remark was imply, however it didn’t seem to be one single incident that will reduce Sonya so deeply that she couldn’t let go of it. There needs to be one thing else. Maybe we’ll get extra particulars because the sequence progresses.
We Don’t Know What Sonya Overcame to Be A Physician
The restricted character improvement and background for Sonya is a double-edged sword right here.
Not understanding a lot about Sonya means it’s extra evident for viewers that her complete persona as a personality appears to be hating Amy.
In consequence, her anger comes off as one-note as a result of, in contrast to Amy, we don’t have a wealth of data to assist us sympathize with this character.
However not understanding a lot about Sonya additionally means we may very well be lacking the larger image relating to why there’s pressure between her and Amy.
Offhand, we don’t know what it may’ve taken for Sonya to change into a physician, how passionate she could have been in regards to the job, and what it’s like for her to observe her dream.
Amy Probably Not Upholding an Unstated Expectation of Uplifting a Fellow Lady is An Affront
Relying on her story, Amy’s difficult and downright dismissal of Sonya’s capabilities may very well be heart-shattering and demoralizing for Sonya.
It’s troublesome sufficient as a girl in male-dominated fields, not to mention as a girl of colour.
It will possibly sting while you’re keen to search out encouragement, allegiance, and solidarity in an completed lady it’s possible you’ll look as much as, solely to get the identical sort of dismissal one would get from heaps of males.
It may clarify why Amy’s phrases and mistreatment are far worse and have higher implications and results on Sonya than something or anybody else in her life. It’s a particular sort of betrayal – breaking an unstated contract.
We don’t know the entire story behind Amy and Sonya’s beef, but when she thought Amy could be a mentor for her and Amy fell in need of that shortly, it might make sense that Amy’s habits was a private affront to Sonya and one she will be able to’t let go of.
Contemplating we don’t understand how deeply Amy harm Sonya (or a lot about Sonya), is it potential that we viewers are too arduous on her?
If we will prolong Amy grace and sympathy as a result of we perceive the foundation of her ache and habits and see the great individual she is now, ought to we give Sonya that very same courtesy?
Sonya Nonetheless Makes It Very Onerous
Possibly we should always have the ability to give Sonya some grace and take into accounts what she has endured, however Sonya makes it fairly rattling arduous to try this.
To try this together with her, we’d nonetheless want her to increase the identical to Amy in some capability, and since she doesn’t, it’s troublesome.
Sadly for Sonya, we don’t see a lot of how Amy could have affected or harm her. We see and listen to all of her makes an attempt to undermine and demean Amy.
To Sonya’s disservice, it merely comes throughout as an unresolved vendetta that Sonya can’t let go of lengthy sufficient to keep up a way of professionalism and decorum.
As a result of we solely see Sonya’s reactions in knowledgeable setting on the hospital, they constantly painting her in an unflattering mild. It additionally doesn’t assist that Sonya’s obvious animosity towards Amy usually comes out unprompted.
It usually appears that Sonya needs to affect how different folks deal with and understand Amy by way of her actions and habits.
It’s the most definitely purpose her habits stands out to viewers and prompts them to be a lot more durable on her than they’re sympathetic.
Are a few of us Doc Fanatics too arduous on Sonya? Probably so, however till they develop the character higher, there’s little to work with relating to Sonya.
However you be the choose. Tell us. Are Doc Fanatics too arduous on Sonya? Let’s hear it beneath.