In the opening scene of this episode Mel and Doc are talking about a patient and are having a disagreement as to the best form of care for that patient. Mel was very hurt by Doc’s inattentiveness to her suggestions, which she is more knowledgeable in than him regarding this patient. She is frustrated and accuses him of having ‘made up your (his) mind about me (her) before we even started working together,’ to which he responds, ‘Oh no, no, no. That was professional intuition.’ This was a sharp jab at Mel, and shows that Doc stereotyped her into the category that being a woman means you cannot have professional jobs. He also had a real problem with her when she questioned some of his out dated medical practices.
At this point in the series, I would like to point out that Doc would be labeled as masculine on the Bem Sex Role Inventory, because he likes to assert his power, thinks he is right, and does not fear standing up for what he thinks is right. Mel would be labeled as androgynous, because although she is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs, she shows a lot of compassion for her patients, care, and also reflects back on her past a lot. So far, I have not seen any men with these experiences of flashbacks.
It will be interesting to see if any changes regarding Sex Roles appear as the series goes on and the characters develop.
Shared by: Lucca Kenyon
Image Credit: Netflix