Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doc Season 3, Episode 6, “Facade.”

I swear, every time I watch Doc, I think I’m finally going to get an answer to something that’s been bothering me, and instead I end up with about ten more questions. This episode was no exception. We had a patient whose past came back to haunt her in the worst possible way, a few moments that genuinely made me happy, and some people who are making it increasingly difficult for me to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Sometimes, Put the Phone Away

The episode opens with a woman who is clearly not doing well on a subway platform. She’s unsteady, she’s confused, and there’s a man standing there watching her. But instead of asking if she needs help, he pulls out his phone and starts recording.

Seriously? Is that where we are now? Somebody is visibly struggling, and your first thought is to get it on video?

Thankfully, when she falls onto the tracks, other people rush to help before the train arrives. I was relieved, but I was also angry. That man had an opportunity to do something useful, and he chose to film her instead.

I had no idea at the time just how much that decision would matter later in the episode.

A Little Happiness Before Everything Goes Sideways

TJ and Sonya finally told each other they love each other, and I was so happy!

I really do love these two together. After all the uncertainty surrounding their relationship, it was nice to see them having an honest conversation about how they feel. I’ve been rooting for them, and I want them to have a chance to figure things out without everybody else’s problems getting in the way.

Of course, that was probably asking a little too much from Doc.

Meanwhile, Amy is experiencing more of those intense flashes of memory, and she’s concerned enough to talk to Gina about medication and further testing. I understand why Michael is worried, especially considering what happened when Amy previously tried to manage her symptoms without telling anybody. But I also understand why Amy is frustrated. She’s taking steps to address the problem, and it must be exhausting to feel like every decision she makes is being scrutinized.

Then we meet Sofia, the woman from the subway platform, and something about her situation immediately feels wrong.

Amy and Jake notice that the scar on her abdomen doesn’t look like the appendectomy scar she claims it is. And when a man shows up calling himself her uncle and starts trying to arrange a transfer to another hospital, I wasn’t buying it. Sofia seemed nervous around him, he was taking control of the conversation, and even Amy and Jake appeared suspicious.

I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I knew there was more to this story.

Well, Hello, Nina Barker

The flashbacks take us back a year, when Amy was still chief of medicine, and introduce us to Nina Barker, Graham’s stepmother.

Amy is questioning a proposal to use donated money for a cosmetic surgery wing, and she doesn’t realize that Nina is the woman behind the donation. When she finds out, she doesn’t backpedal or suddenly start agreeing with her. She stands by her opinion.

I loved that. Amy has never struck me as somebody who’s particularly impressed by money or influence, and I appreciate that she’s willing to say what she thinks even when it might make somebody uncomfortable.

Back in the present, Nina visits Graham, who’s been stuck doing paperwork after Amy caught him pushing his responsibilities onto Kyle. And if you read my review last week, you already know how I feel about Graham Barker.

That little weasel hasn’t done much to improve my opinion of him.

What caught my attention, though, was Nina asking about Amy’s returning memories. Graham wants to know whether there’s something between the two women that he should be concerned about, and Nina tells him there isn’t. She also mentions that she ran into Amy and Amy couldn’t have picked her out of a lineup.

Interesting.

Why does Nina seem so interested in what Amy remembers? And why do I get the feeling there’s more to their history than we’re being told?

Sofia’s Story Was So Much Worse Than I Expected

Amy and Jake’s suspicions about Sofia turn out to be justified when they discover a capsule lodged inside her abdomen, causing a bowel obstruction. The capsule had contained cocaine, and suddenly that scar makes a whole lot more sense.

I already suspected Sofia was in some kind of trouble, but what she eventually told Amy was far worse than I expected.

She was only sixteen when her boyfriend got her involved in transporting drugs. When one of the capsules ruptured, he took her to somebody operating out of a garage, where she underwent surgery. She woke up with stitches, never knowing that another capsule had been left behind.

And when she tried to get away from that life, he threatened to kill her.

She eventually cooperated with the DEA, entered witness protection, and started over under a new name. Sofia is actually Monica Fuentes, and the man I was so suspicious of isn’t her uncle at all. He’s a U.S. Marshal trying to keep her safe.

Well, that certainly explains his behavior.

But then we find out that the video from the subway platform has gone viral, and I was right back to being furious with the man who recorded her.

Think about that for a minute. This woman spent twelve years hiding from people who wanted her dead. She built an entirely new life, and now her face is all over the internet because somebody decided to film her during a medical emergency.

And it gets worse. Another woman who entered witness protection around the same time was killed after breaking protocol. Sofia has every reason to be terrified, not just for herself, but for the people she loves.

Now We Know Why Nina Was Asking Questions

The flashbacks continue, and we see Amy taking Nina to a clinic that provides care for underprivileged women. Nina agrees to contribute millions of dollars, and I actually started thinking that perhaps I’d misjudged her.

After all, she listened to Amy, considered a different perspective, and agreed to support something that could make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Then she brought up Graham.

Nina wants Amy to consider taking him on when he finishes medical school. Amy immediately recognizes the situation for what it is and makes it clear that she’s not comfortable giving somebody special treatment because of their family’s money.

And apparently Nina doesn’t like hearing no.

Because that’s when she brings up Ben Grant and a clinical trial Amy previously consulted on. She makes it clear that she knows something about that trial, and she believes it gives her leverage over Amy.

Hold on. WHAT?

I’ve been suspicious of Ben since before this season even started, and seeing Nina use his past with Amy as leverage certainly isn’t making me feel any better about him.

What makes this especially disturbing is that Nina knows Amy doesn’t remember their history. She knows Amy couldn’t even recognize her when they crossed paths.

I already wasn’t particularly fond of Graham, and now I’m starting to understand where some of that attitude might come from.

The People Sofia Has to Leave Behind

As if Sofia’s situation wasn’t frightening enough, the doctors discover another obstruction and a capsule that could release cocaine into her system if it ruptures during surgery. Amy brings Ben in to help, and thankfully they’re able to get her through it.

But the medical emergency is only part of what makes this story so heartbreaking.

Sofia’s boyfriend, Sean, discovers that the woman he’s loved for six years has been living under a different identity. His daughter sees Sofia as a mother, and now he’s being told that the life they’ve built together might have to end.

I understood his anger. Imagine finding out something that enormous about somebody you love. But I also understood Sofia. She was a teenager who had been threatened and exploited, and when she finally got a chance to escape, she had to follow the rules that were supposed to keep her alive.

Jake’s conversation with Sean was one of my favorite moments of the episode. He helped Sean look at things from Sofia’s perspective without dismissing how hurt he was. And when Jake talked about falling in love even when you’re not supposed to, I couldn’t help thinking about his own relationship with Amy.

When Sean decided he was going wherever Sofia went, I was genuinely happy. I wanted them to have that chance.

But Sofia ultimately decides to leave without him, and as much as it hurt to watch, I think she made the right decision. Sean has a daughter, and Sofia doesn’t want either of them living in fear because of her past.

Amy’s conversation about love, loss, and second chances was beautiful, too. Sometimes letting somebody go is the most loving thing you can do, even when it’s painful.

And I appreciated that Amy finally apologized to Jake for how things ended between them. It wasn’t a lengthy conversation, but it offered a little more understanding of what happened, and I was glad they had it.

Ben Grant, You Are Not Helping Your Case

While all of this is happening, Ben loses a significant amount of funding for his artificial-heart trial, and TJ wants to help him find a solution.

I understand why. TJ believes in the project, and it’s an opportunity to be involved in something that could change people’s lives.

But when that solution involves Sonya’s father, things get complicated.

TJ asks Sonya to introduce him so he can speak to her father about the trial. She agrees, but the conversation takes a very unexpected turn when she becomes emotional and tells her father that she and TJ are together.

And that she’s pregnant.

Oh, my goodness!

I knew Sonya was struggling with how to tell her family, but I certainly wasn’t expecting her to announce it in the middle of a conversation about funding.

Her father is understandably surprised, and afterward Sonya is upset with how everything unfolded. She feels like Ben used them, and honestly, I can understand why she feels that way.

Then Ben comes in, happy that the trial has secured the money it needs, while Sonya and TJ are clearly having a difficult moment.

And I’m sitting there thinking, does this man ever stop to consider how his decisions affect the people around him?

I understand how important the research is. I understand that securing funding is necessary. But I don’t like the way this played out, and I especially don’t like seeing Sonya and TJ caught in the middle of it.

Graham Barker Just Can’t Help Himself

As if Sonya hasn’t had enough to deal with, Graham decides to add a little more drama to her day.

First, when she reminds him not to rely on his family’s privilege, he brings up her wealthy father.

Really, Graham? Your stepmother is actively trying to use her influence to help your career, and you’re going to make comments about somebody else’s family?

Then he tells Sonya that Amy wasn’t doing the procedure she claimed to be doing and that Kyle was involved in something happening on the fourth floor.

Now, we know why Amy and the others were keeping Sofia’s treatment quiet. Her identity had been compromised, and the fewer people who knew where she was, the safer she would be.

Graham doesn’t know any of that. But he knows just enough to start trouble, and that’s exactly what he does.

This is why I haven’t trusted him. He seems far more interested in getting under people’s skin than learning how to be a good doctor.

Oh, That Ending!

Toward the end of the episode, Michael delivers a message to Amy that Nina Barker wants her to take a special interest in Graham.

Well, isn’t that interesting?

After seeing what happened between Nina and Amy in the past, I couldn’t help wondering how Amy would react if she remembered that conversation. Instead, she agrees to give Graham the attention he needs, without realizing what Nina is trying to accomplish.

And then we get that final scene.

Sonya heads down to the fourth floor, sees Kyle, and realizes that something has been going on without her knowledge. She wants to know what’s happening, and she’s told they were trying to protect her.

And that’s where the episode ends.

Seriously, Doc?

Sonya has already had an incredibly emotional day, and now she’s discovering that people she works closely with have been keeping something from her. We know there was a very good reason for the secrecy, but she doesn’t have that information yet.

I really hope that once she learns what happened, she’ll understand why they couldn’t tell her.

I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to seeing how all of this plays out. Between the secrets people are keeping and the ones Amy can’t even remember, things at Westside are getting awfully complicated. And knowing Doc, I have a feeling we’re nowhere near the end of it.