Mel, Carol, and Gabriela join Chesla to dig into Best Medicine Season 2, Episode 3, “Crate Expectations.” It’s karaoke night in Port Wenn!
Eden Montgomery (Eliza Coupe) grabs the mic, and the gang splits on whether her singing is comedy gold or something to watch through your fingers. Sheriff Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra) throws himself into it, but is the town’s teasing of Eden a welcome or a warning? Martin Best (Josh Charles) has her back, though nobody’s sold on how he says “girlfriend.” And Greg Garrison (Stephen Spinella) and George Brady (Jason Veasey) prove once again that they hold the town together.
When Lorenzo (Malachi Nimmons) keeps fainting, Chesla suspects the “Mary Hart effect,” but the real cause surprised everyone. Meanwhile, a positive pregnancy test among the male sea urchin workers, including Blake (Brandon Gilpin), sets off a testicular cancer hunt. Is Glendon rehabilitated, or still the bully who won’t let Martin forget his childhood crate race? The group digs into their history.
Aunt Sarah Best (Annie Potts) coaches Peter Cronk (Ben Lewis Doherty), who then coaches Martin. Chesla (nerd!) wonders if that makes it transitive coaching, while Gabriela sees Peter as Sarah’s similar-to-Martin second chance. So why did Peter run right past Martin’s open arms? There’s also a family of fibbers, some fixed crates, and “Marty One Crate.”
Louisa Gavin (Abigail Spencer) and Mark both have dates out of town. IVF becomes a first-date icebreaker, and “now you made me be mean” divides the group, with Gabriela as Louisa’s number one defender. Then there’s that hug after the crate race.
Elaine Denton (Cree) gets to show her character’s depth plus gives Al Large (Carter Shimp) a much-needed talking-to about Bert Large (John DiMaggio).
Plus: guest actors celebrating their TV debuts, how well the writers capture Gen Z humor, Chesla feels good about a GOAT coincidence, and predictions about whether Martin makes it to Boston.
Thanks to HeyJude1963, Amis1887, and Elizabeth Washington for the comments we worked in! We’re just seven (now six!) subscribers from 200, so like, subscribe, and keep the conversation going.
Chapters
[00:00] Cold open: Gen Z humor done right
[00:29] Welcome and intro
[00:45] Karaoke night: Eden sings, Mark goes all in
[02:06] Lorenzo’s fainting and the Mary Hart effect
[03:18] The teens and Copernicus the dog
[04:28] Guest actors’ TV debuts
[05:17] Is the town teasing Eden or being mean?
[08:11] Greg and George to the rescue
[09:17] Eden’s red light blanket and gold mask
[11:07] Why did Eden keep singing?
[12:10] Marty One Crate and Aunt Sarah’s coaching
[13:10] The fibbing Best family
[14:24] Peter’s hug goes to Aunt Sarah
[15:15] Louisa and Mark’s dates
[16:20] “Now you made me be mean”
[19:54] IVF as an icebreaker
[21:02] The hug
[22:37] Louisa and Mark: friends or more?
[23:46] Peter Cronk and Aunt Sarah
[24:17] Elaine’s mom, and Elaine sets Al straight
[27:47] Free Bird and Geneva
[28:56] The pregnancy test mystery and the urchin business
[30:50] Martin and Glendon’s history
[35:00] Mark’s mother and Aunt Sarah’s “nooner”
[35:50] Can Aunt Sarah handle Eden?
[36:27] Eden’s vulnerable side
[37:59] Chesla’s fan fiction coincidences
[38:37] Predictions: will Martin make it to Boston?
[41:42] Thanks and the road to 200 subscribers
