The Road Ahead for TJ
The aftermath of the recent pregnancy revelation on Doc is only just beginning, according to series star Patrick Walker. In an exclusive interview, Walker opened up about his character, TJ, and the difficult path ahead following the news that his girlfriend, Sonya (Anya Banerjee), is expecting.
“As we’ve seen this episode, he is avoiding things, and he’s going to continue doing that. He’s going to be putting on a lot of different faces, and then there’s going to come a moment where everything hits the fan,” the 33-year-old actor shared. “He has to anticipate some consequences.”
A Long-Term Transformation
Walker teased a significant shift for his character, emphasizing that the development will be a slow burn rather than an immediate fix. “It is over the course of a lot of episodes. What’s beautiful about this story line is that things get addressed a little more, but it doesn’t really get resolved quickly. It stretches over time. It’s something that will get addressed through the entire season.”
He explained that the narrative taps into universal experiences, noting, “What I found from asking men about their experience when they found out they were having a child—and even women about their partners—is that there’s a moment where men realize life is about to change. That is where the complexity comes for anybody. But then TJ is dealing with his mental health, so that takes it to a whole other level of complexity.”
Balancing Fatherhood and Mental Health
While TJ is reportedly “happy” about becoming a father, he is also approaching the situation through a tactical lens. “He sees it as a mission. He’s going back to his roots: if there is a challenge in front of us, these are the steps we need to take to accomplish said mission,” Walker noted. “People in the heat of the moment make choices, and it ends up working in his favor in a much different way than he expected.”
Beyond the pregnancy, the show will continue to explore TJ’s struggle with PTSD from his military service. Walker expressed enthusiasm about diving deeper into this aspect of the character during the third season of the Fox medical drama.
“We will see this journey of him getting to that place with his mental health. But what’s beautiful is that it’s not easy,” Walker remarked. “The TJ case is something that’s stretched, and you really get a chance to see him getting help. It’s just really challenging for men to do, especially Black men. I like that it’s not easy and it takes time.”
Doc airs on Fox on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.