Dr. Wedgewood (Erin Karpluk) is the hidden villainess of "Blood Work", episode 4.02 of Republic of Doyle (airdate January 13, 2013). She was a doctor at a community outreach center for drug addicts in Buckmasters Circle, having worked alongside the centre's owner Vince Lanegan until he was arrested for selling Oxycodone out of the center.
In actuality, however, it was Dr. Wedgewood who had been selling drugs out of the clinic, having been doing so under the orders of Taylor Gossard, a notoriously violent drug dealer who had control over Buckmasters Circle. Taylor also orchestrated Vince being framed and arrested for the drug operation, forcing Billy Cantrell (a volunteer at the clinic) to claim during Vince's trial that he was the one selling the drugs.
Dr. Wedgewood was approached by Jake and Malachy Doyle after Vince escaped police custody, as he wanted Billy to recant his testimony and clear his name. Dr. Wedgewood continued to claim Vince was behind the drug selling and pointed them in the direction of Billy, covering up her role in Taylor's scheme. Not wanting Billy to come clean about her crimes, however, the evil Dr. Wedgewood killed Billy by injecting him with a fatal amount of Oxycodone, later staging his death to look like an overdose caused by his heartbreak over Vince's "crimes". Dr. Wedgewood later was forced to confess to dealing drugs, however, after Malachy and his wife Rose walked in on Taylor threatening Dr. Wedgewood at knifepoint, demanding he give her the security tape that showed him planting drugs in Vince's office. During her confession, Dr. Wedgewood claimed she was forced by Taylor to aid in his drug selling operation and that she had feared Taylor would kill her if she tried to report him to the police.
Taylor was initially suspected of killing Billy to cover his tracks, but Dr. Wedgewood was revealed as the true killer when Des Courtney looked at the tape of Taylor planting the drugs, with Wedgewood being visible in the doorway. An enraged and vengeful Vince later confronted Dr. Wedgewood at the clinic, holding her at knifepoint when Jake, Malachy, and Des Courtney arrived to stop him. As Vince blasted Wedgewood for helping Taylor deal drugs in Buckmasters Circle and for letting him be sent to prison, the villainess attempted to justify her actions, claiming she hadn't "forced the pills down anyone's throat" and that the drugs would've gotten to the street anyway. Vince then prepared to kill Wedgewood to stop her from supplying Taylor with more drugs, but was stopped when Des tackled and disarmed him. Dr. Wedgewood was then placed under arrest for drug charges, with Walter McLean assuring Jake and Malachy that there was enough evidence to charge her with killing Billy as well.
Trivia[]
- Erin Karpluk also appeared in the 2003 video game CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as the vengeful Leda Callisto.
Quotes[]
- (Vince: "I mean, how many addicts are out there wasting away because of you?") No, no, I-I didn't force those pills down anyone's throat. (Vince: "Shut up! You wrote the prescriptions and Taylor sold them to the addicts!") That stuff was going to hit the streets anyway, OK, at least I was there to control it!" (Dr. Wedgewood's callous justification for her actions)