'Best Medicine' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap and Ending Explained: Martin Makes a Choice

Port Wenn has a way of pulling people back, no matter how hard they try to leave. For Dr. Martin Best, that pull has only gotten stronger as the season has gone on. This week’s ‘Best Medicine’ put his plans, his heart and his small town on a collision course.

The episode, titled ‘No Place Like Om’, aired Tuesday, October 13, on FOX. It followed Martin as he tried to take time off for the first time to attend a gala in Boston with his girlfriend, Eden, played by Eliza Coupe. It also marked the day the seniors at Port Wenn Day School were set to graduate, which raised the stakes for Louisa, played by Abigail Spencer, in her first graduation as principal.

Spoilers follow for the full episode and its ending.

Martin’s weekend plans collapsed almost immediately. Three older residents began showing strange symptoms after returning from a wellness retreat, and one of them was the school’s bandleader, putting graduation at risk. Miss Ruth appeared to be high on caffeine, Mary Lou was unexpectedly lactating and Fred, the driver’s education teacher, was sweating more than usual. Every time Martin thought he could leave, another problem arrived.

Martin and Mark, played by Josh Segarra, visited the Happy Grove Retreat Center, which turned out to be legitimate rather than a cult. The center’s CEO had noticed that Fred seemed off during the group’s visit. At the retreat, Mark connected with the gurus, while Martin ended up falling into a mud bath.

The cause was far more ordinary than anyone expected. Tim, a home health aide, had been mixing up the seniors’ medications. He did not know he was color blind, and he sorted pills after dropping them.

The results were serious. Mary Lou’s symptoms came from Fred’s anti-nausea pills, while Ruth’s arthritis pills gave her pancreatitis. Ruth’s lithium then sent Fred into renal failure, and he passed out. Martin discovered the mix-up quickly, which prevented a worse outcome.

When Fred needed calming, Martin tried to get him to picture a happy place, but he struggled to do it himself. Louisa stepped in and described the docks, a moment that quietly said a lot about where Martin’s comfort really lies. Reviewers noted that he spent the episode putting patients ahead of his own plans.

Notably, Eden never appears in the episode. Her gala remained a destination Martin kept trying to reach, but the story kept pulling him back to Port Wenn. By the end, that contrast was the point.

Louisa spiraled over making graduation perfect, partly because she wanted to prove herself as a first-time principal. She was also terrified to take a pregnancy test to see if her IVF treatment had worked. With Elaine and George at her side, she eventually took it, and the result was negative.

At graduation, she abandoned a polished speech for an honest one about friendships and showing up for each other. She then surprised Mark with a diploma, honoring him as the final graduate. He had missed his own commencement after a high school prank, and teens rushed to give him a cap and gown. His mother, Sally, played by Clea Lewis, also took off her neck brace and let it fly with the caps.

Fox lanza tráiler de "Best Medicine". Un brillante cirujano deja su vida en Boston para ser médico rural en el pueblo donde creció. Su mal humor choca con los excéntricos vecinos… pero podrían ser justo lo que necesita. Estreno: enero. https://t.co/ZoWDBbcUmu
— 🎞🎬 (@TuSubMedia) November 3, 2025

George, played by Jason Veasey, wanted to retire the lobster rolls at the Salty Breeze, and his husband Greg, played by Stephen Spinella, worried it meant George was unhappy in their marriage. George reassured him that there is nowhere else he wants to be. He later put lobster rolls back on the menu to cheer up Louisa.

Elsewhere, Sarah, played by Annie Potts, rented out her spare room for graduation weekend. Her first guest was her ex Eddie McCroy, who pretended to be a visiting father to spend time with her. He cooked her a steak and watched her favorite show with her, and her friends were charmed.

The final scene is the heart of the episode. Martin waits at the train station for his ride to Boston, watching a livestream of Louisa’s graduation speech. Something changes in him, and he does not board. Instead, he returns to Port Wenn and goes to find Louisa.

The choice reads as a turning point, even if Martin does not fully admit it. Louisa’s negative pregnancy test removes one obstacle between them, and Martin skipped a hospital gala that could have been a step back toward his surgical career. Reviewers have taken it as a sign that he is choosing Louisa over Eden, with circumstances still needing to catch up to his feelings.

The series follows Martin as the town’s GP in Port Wenn, Maine, while he hides, and now has revealed, his fear of blood. The season picks up 5 months after the first, with his relationships with Louisa and Eden still unresolved. ‘Best Medicine’ airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.