Carlos Nieto (Third Watch Character) - Monte 'Doc' Parker

Monte 'Doc' Parker

Monte 'Doc' Parker is a fictional FDNY paramedic on the television show Third Watch. He was portrayed by Michael Beach. Doc appeared in the first four and a half seasons, and in the final episode as a cameo.

Personality

Doc is the paramedic supervisor at the firehouse and is in charge of everyone else. He's one of the best paramedics in the city, but often takes the job too seriously and lets his emotions get in the way. Doc will take the blame for many incidents, even if they were not directly his fault. Doc is quite possibly the most conflicted character in the entire series, dealing with many traumatic events and occurrences from his past as well as during the course of his time on the show.

Background

Monte 'Doc' Parker was born in 1962 in New York City, one of 5 sons of John and Mrs Parker. As a youngster he accidentally killed his best friend over a girl, something that would come back and haunt him in the future. After high school, Monte spent four years at City College, doing a course in business and administration. After graduating, he spent 2 years selling stereos before switching to office suppliers. Bored, Monte considered joining the Air Force, but was turned down due to poor eyesight. He ended up joining the FDNY in 1985 as a paramedic (an error, since the FDNY did not provide EMS until the merger of 1996), after seeing paramedics in the street and thinking the job looked good. He acquired the nickname 'Doc' and was partnered up with Jerry Markowitz, the two regarded themselves as brothers. Jerry helped Doc overcome the death of his wife Debra, who was killed in a boating accident in 1998. Doc and Debra's last words to each other had been an argument. He holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do (World Tae Kwon Do Federation).

In 1999 rookie Carlos Nieto joined the paramedics, and on this day Jerry was shot. Carlos became Doc's partner, but Doc considered him temporary until Jerry got back. When he found out that Jerry was taking permanent retirement on disability pay, he took the news hard. Carlos then became his permanent partner, but the two had very different styles and more than once Carlos thought about getting a transfer. They also competed for the affections of ER doctor Sara Morales, eventually Doc "won" - she was the first woman since his wife died that he felt comfortable with, and the two began a relationship.

Doc's father John, a widower like his son, took an overdose of his medication and Doc and Sara managed to save him. What looked like a simple accident was soon revealed to be deliberate - John Parker's quality of life was slipping away and he wanted to die. Eventually Doc helped his father to die. Doc and Sara later broke up in 2001 when she accepted a job in Philadelphia and he wished to stay in New York.

Doc was nominated for "Paramedic Of The Year" in 2002, but was caught on camera (he was being filmed by a documentary crew) performing medical procedures that almost paralysed a young man. Doc felt guilty over this. Later, when an explosion killed Alex Taylor and Lt Johnson, Doc took the news very badly as his guilt increased. He accepted a promotion to a desk job, but was demoted back down to normal paramedic after beating up the guy whom Alex had replaced on the day she died.

Doc left the series in 2004 when a new captain was assigned to the firehouse, replacing Jimmy Doherty. He had a reputation for closing down firehouses. Doc snapped and shot him. He intended to hold him hostage for the length of time it would take a paramedic to reach the neighbourhood if the station was shut down. It soon become apparent that the true cause of Doc's actions, in addition to the sum of all the painful and traumatic events in his life, was his inability to deal with the horror of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, even three years later. Once his good friend NYPD officer John Sullivan convinced him to surrender, Doc was arrested and sent to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he remained until the end of the show.