In season three of 'Doc', Doctor Fanti might get his memory back – but at what cost?

Andrea Fanti’s given the chance to get his lost memories back, only to discover not everyone wants him to remember the past.

Doc Nelle Tue Mani - Season 3 - Episode 306 Credit: Lux Vide S.p.A. / Sony Pictures Television

—The following article contains some spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. If you haven't watched Doc before, we strongly suggest heading to

SBS On Demand

, where all three seasons are streaming, before reading on. —

Over the two seasons of Doc, Doctor Andrea Fanti (Luca Argentero) has been defined by what he’s lost. Shot in the head by the father of a patient of his who died, the bullet erased the last 12 years of his memory. Once the arrogant head of the Internal Medicine Department at Milan’s main hospital, he went from doctor to patient, his memory reset to the very start of his medical career. But what if he could get it all back?

Since he was shot, he’s become a kinder, more caring figure at the hospital. Working with a team rather than just ordering them around has created a much closer bond with his fellow doctors. With his private life in ruins, the hospital has become the only place where he still feels like himself, painful changes to his family life things he’s only been told about.

New challenges await Andrea Fanti (Luca Argentero) in the new season of 'Doc'. Credit: Lux Vide / Sony Pictures Television

The end of season two saw him step up and re-apply for his old position of Department Head, only this time he was doing it to save the unit and the careers of his co-workers. It looked like he’d finally come full circle, reclaiming the parts of his old life he still wanted and leaving the rest behind. But as season three starts, he’s provided with the possibility of recovering all of his lost memories – and throwing his entire world into chaos all over again.

While following the personal struggles of Italy’s most handsome doctor (and there’s a fair few challengers for that crown amongst the cast) is a perfectly valid reason to watch Doc, there’s a lot more going on at Milan’s Policlinico Ambrosiano hospital than just Fanti’s private life. Romances between doctors, power struggles within the administrative side of things, a steady stream of patients with strange or seemingly incurable ailments; it’s all part of the daily grind.

In season three there’s an episode where Fanti gets into a battle with an AI to prove that human doctors are still the best when it comes to diagnosis (no spoilers, but we’re not going to get an all-robot episode of Doc any time soon). There’s also, in the best tradition of medical dramas, an episode where a major disaster – in this case, an earthquake – plunges the hospital into anarchy. Being trapped in an elevator is bad enough, but being trapped in an elevator during an earthquake with a pregnant patient about to go into labour? Again, it’s all part of the daily grind.

Season 3 has plenty of medical mysteries for Dr Fanti and his team to solve. Credit: Francesca Di Stefano / Lux Vide / Sony Pictures Television

The new episodes also introduce new faces, including Giacomo Giorgio, Laura Cravedi and Elisa Wong as new residents and Ariadne Scommegna as a new member of the administration.

But the real focus this season is Fanti’s journey to recover his memory, which rapidly uncovers a whole new range of problems. Under the guidance of Dr. Enrico Sandri (Giovanni Scifoni), Fanti is hoping that the new program he’s undertaking (based, in part, on the sounds of an old vinyl record he used to listen to) will help him find his way back to his past. Trouble is, the more he recovers, the more it seems that what he was told he was missing and what he’s getting back don’t match up at all.

What would Fanti regaining his memories mean for Giulia Giordano (Matilde Gioli)? Credit: Lux Vide / Sony Pictures Television

For the last two seasons, Fanti’s ex-wife Agnese (Sara Lazzaro) has been someone he’s been chasing after. He doesn’t remember them splitting up; he’s been told that after the death of their son he became remote and distant, pushing her away. His efforts to win her back have been slow but steady, and by the end of last season she was single again – if not exactly rushing to take him back. Now the memories that are surfacing are telling him that’s not how it went. And Agnese is clearly worried about what he’s going to remember if he keeps on going down this path.

And what about Giulia (Matilde Gioli), Fanti’s fellow doctor who’s clearly still in love with him (and lucky to get much more than a thumbs up after saving a patient in return). Their past relationship was just one more thing erased by the gunman’s bullet. She has a lot to gain if his memory returns; if Agnese is the one holding him back, then Giulia is definitely the one driving him forward.

Only question is, will it be worth it if the secrets that come with those returning memories tear his life apart?

All three seasons of Doc are streaming now at SBS On Demand.