ITV’s “Malpractice” does a deep dive into the corruptions and criminalities that often remain unseen in the medical world, where lives are saved, yet death is an inevitability, no matter how good a doctor might be. Grace Offori-Attah presents a show where Dr. Lucinda Edwards finds herself in the middle of an investigation following a patient’s death under her supervision. Season 1 was a blast, and we can’t deny it was a poignant experience watching a doctor battling addiction try her best to juggle between saving her own life from falling apart and doing her duty of saving lives, even sometimes at the cost of her own wellbeing. But the first season ends on a major cliffhanger, and we need to have “Malpractice” Season 2 at the earliest to find out what happens to Lucinda “Luce” Edwards and the team at Accident and Emergency at the West Yorkshire Royal Hospital.
Spoilers Ahead
The Story So Far
At the end of season 1, the MIU team, comprised of George Adjei and Norma Callahan, visited Lucinda, who was almost murdered by Zubair Singh, the owner of the Wellspring Pharmacy Chain, with information. They informed her that Eva Tait, the wife of Dr. Rob Thornbury, confessed about her role in administering her patients at the Guelder Clinic to her husband, who’d prescribe them drugs while they were in recovery. These drugs were peddled by Zubair’s company, and a huge section profited off these rich addicts in recovery. Lucinda’s superior and mentor, Dr. Leo Harris, was also in on the whole scam and would profit from the illegal sale of drugs that’d be declared unfit for use. Both Tait and Harris were arrested, while Zubair was stabbed by Yussef, the young boy Lucinda had saved after he’d been shot. The season ended with Lucinda heading for the tribunal after her husband Tom asked her to confess that she does have an addiction problem and she needs to come clean. However, the show left several questions unanswered in anticipation of “Malpractice” Season 2, so here are the things we can expect to see in the next season.
Lucinda’s Fate
So first and foremost, what happens to Lucinda? Her representative had told her that if she came clean about the diazepam addiction she has, the tribunal might spare her for illegally prescribing meds to Camilla Woodham, who wasn’t her patient. However, on the other hand, Lucinda stands to lose her medical license and be struck off from ever being able to find a job as a doctor anywhere. She’ll have the support of her husband Tom and daughter Abbie, though she’s too young to understand anything, but if she loses the job, how will she run her family? She’s the primary earner in the family, and if her license is revoked, Lucinda might have to give up Abbie to foster care because she’ll be unable to provide for her. However, the addiction is ruining her as well; she shows the classic signs of withdrawal whenever she doesn’t have her drugs, and it’s making it impossible for her to work, further hampering her job. Unless Lucinda gets clean, she won’t be able to continue anyway, even if she gets to keep her license. So, recovery is the single biggest necessity she has right now, even more than her need to stay employed. We’ll surely find out what happened to her in the next season.
What Happened To Zubair Singh?
The next question is the fate of Zubair Singh. We watch him get stabbed by Yussef, the lad Lucinda had saved, but we never figure out the reason behind this action. Were Yussef and Buddy tasked with taking out Zubair before he could expose the secrets of the whole ring of selling illegal drugs, and they were just the means of carrying out this assassination? Or was this murder attempt personal? Lucinda had saved Yussef’s life, and he was very grateful to her for helping bring him back from death’s door, so finding out that Zubair was the one who tried murdering Lucinda could’ve enraged Yussef enough to attempt to kill him. Interestingly, we do see Zubair bleeding out, but there’s no confirmation that he actually dies from his wounds. In case he’s rescued in time, he might prove to be a valuable source of information, and through him, a lot of secrets can be uncovered regarding this illegal drug trade. Additionally, if he’s alive, he can turn state witness and testify against the ones who might want him dead, and he’ll be protected from any future attacks like the one he’d just experienced.
Who Are The Other Bosses?
Next, there’s the question of who else might be involved in this corruption. So far, Harris, who was one of the primary founders of Developing Aid, the fund that was used as a front for the illegal drug business, has been arrested, and Zubair Singh, whose pharmacy was used to supply drugs, has been stabbed. If we go by the theory that Harris was one of the four and Zubair was the other, that still leaves us with two more individuals who are still absconding and need to be brought down before they can do any more damage. In case the hit on Zubair was orchestrated by the other two, that means they can try the same on anyone else who they might think is a liability in exposing their illegal business and might want them gone. Thus, “Malpractice” Season 2 will have to answer who the other heads of this business are and how wide this ring actually is. Unless all the heads can be brought in, the illegal drug trade won’t stop, and more people will keep dying. Thus, all eyes are on season 2, and we hope Ofori-Attah brings out the second season quickly to answer all our questions.
