Open Heart Theory Page

Welcome to the Open Heart Theory Page. This is a place where you can discuss confirmed, debunked, and unconfirmed theories from the Open Heart series.

Confirmed Theories

 * Roommates: The summary of Book 1, Chapter 3, led people to believe that the MC will end up rooming with other hospital employees. This is confirmed at the end of Chapter 2 when they suggest moving into an apartment with Jackie, Elijah, Landry, and Sienna
 * Gender: Due to the backlash Ride or Die received for being gender-locked, it was believed that this book would allow us to choose whether we want to play as a male or female. This was proven correct when Pixelberry confirmed that we can choose our gender.
 * Friday release: Several people believed that this book would air on a Friday and take the place of The Elementalists. This is confirmed given that the first two chapters of this book and the book finale of The Elementalists aired on February 22nd, 2019.
 * Patients: Given that this is a Medical Drama, it is believed that at least one of our patients may die. This was confirmed in Book 1, Chapter 4, when Dolores Hudson, an old friend of Dr. Ramsey, died in childbirth.
 * The identity of Patient X: It is believed that Patient X is someone close to Ethan similar to Dolores, someone very influential, or Dr. Ramsey. At the end of Book 1, Chapter 7, Patient X is revealed to be Dr. Banerji, Ethan's mentor.
 * Landry as an antagonist: Fans have theorized that Landry sabotaged your character's pager. He's one of their roommates, which gives him easy access to their stuff; he idolizes Ethan as much as your character does; he sees patients as cases rather than as people; he feels downcast at not being No. 1 on the intern list, implying his desire to get the job; he goes to the hospital as early as 4 a.m., an opportune moment to do shady things. Landry admits in Book 1, Chapter 14, that he is the saboteur.
 * Ramsey's love life: It is believed that Dr. Ramsey may have had a failed relationship in the past, which would explain why he's particularly hard on the MC. It was confirmed that he had a relationship with Dr. Harper Emery but they broke up.
 * Identity of the man in Book 2, Chapter 2: It is believed that he is Bryce's or Ethan's father. Alternatively, it's theorized that he is someone who wants to complain about some medical treatment. In Chapter 3, he is confirmed to be Alan Ramsey, Ethan's father.
 * Declan Nash's return: Players have theorized that Declan will return in Book 2 to cause more problems to Edenbrook because he said "this isn't over yet" towards the MC. He does return in Book 2 and though he has yet to do anything villainous, the MC and their friends make it clear that they think he's up to no good.
 * The person who told Mass Kenmore about Stephanie: It is believed that either Aurora or June told someone at Mass Kenmore about your patient Stephanie so that they could offer her more money if she gets herself treated there and not at Edenbrook. In Book 2, Chapter 8, it is revealed that Aurora told Tobias Carrick, but didn't intend for Mass Kenmore to steal one of Edenbrook's patients.
 * Landry will return: Given that the summary for Chapter 8 of Book 2 mentions the growing tensions between Edenbrook and Mass Kenmore, it is believed that Landry Olsen will make an appearance since he transferred to Mass Kenmore at the end of Book 1. In Chapter 8, he does make an appearance and reveals that he plays for Mass Kenmore's softball team.
 * Mass Kenmore: After this hospital is mentioned more than once in books 1 and 2, with Landry having transferred to Mass Kenmore and Aurora being asked to transfer, and after Ethan stated in Book 2, Chapter 3, that many more hospitals will be affected by the budget cuts, it is believed that at some point of the story, we will get to see Mass Kenmore. This is proven in Book 2, Chapter 9, when you sneak in to persuade Senator Ed Farrugia to leave Mass Kenmore and go to Edenbrook.
 * Trilogy: Due to the MC having a three-year residency at Edenbrook and the first book taking place during his/her internship, it is believed that this series will be a trilogy. On June 18, 2020, PB confirmed Book 3 is in development, thereby confirming this series will be a trilogy. On May 28th, 2021, PB confirmed that Book 3 would be the last book in the series.
 * Funeral: There are multiple suspects on who the funeral at the beginning of Book 2 is for. The funeral is confirmed to be Danny and Bobby's in Chapter 12.
 * Naveen: Naveen has been distinguished as Patient X in Book 1, which leads several players to believe his illness is going to come back and result in his death.
 * Kyra: Kyra has been revealed to have lung cancer and her chance of survival is around 10 percent. The theory gained more traction since the end of Book 2, Chapter 8 when she collapses in her office and tells the MC "it will all be over soon", implying that her cancer has advanced too far in order to be treated and will eventually kill her.
 * Esme: A related theory after Chapter 4 states that Esme may cause whatever leads to the funeral. The reason given is that the MC hardly spends time being a mentor for Esme who is considered by players to not be ready to work on her own. This could result in Esme making a mistake that endangers a patient.
 * Rafael: Given Rafael's selflessness when he is on his duty, many players have theorized Rafael may suffer when helping out the others. Alternatively, as Rafael is leaving the town, many players believe Rafael may be killed in a plane crash.
 * Sienna: Many players have theorized Sienna has serious depression as she questions herself being a doctor in Book 1, and seems unable to get along with her intern in Book 2.
 * Bobby Gunderson and/or Danny Cardinal: Both of them die when a biological weapon is released in the hospital.
 * Alternatively, it is theorized that one or several interns may die, given that something similar happened in Season 6 of Grey's Anatomy to some characters who had just joined the hospital.
 * Book 3: It is believed Book 3 will be set to take the place of Baby Bump, Book 2, similar to how Book 1 was set to take the place of The Elementalists, Book 1, which means Book 3 will be a Friday book. This is confirmed when the release date is revealed to be February 19, 2021.
 * Leland: Given his motives for acquiring Edenbrook, players believe he will be the big bad of Book 3. This gains traction in Chapter 2, when a patient warns us to be wary of him, and more in Chapter 3, when he says he's calling the shots in the hospital now that it's his. This is confirmed in Chapter 15 as he convinces Anika Grover to purposefully sue Ethan as well as provide the wrong reports to Naveen.
 * Panacea Labs: Due to their shady nature, it is believed that Panacea Labs will end up becoming antagonists later in the story. While they as a whole don't directly antagonize the MC, Chapter 15 of Book 2 reveals that they are guilty of Medicare fraud.
 * Cause of death: One theory about what leads to someone dying is about a character running amok, probably causing casualty which would lead to the funeral scene. In Chapter 11, a poison attack by an assassin led to two casualties, whose funeral takes place in the following chapter.
 * Declan is blackmailing Jackie: After the MC discovers that Jackie is supposedly working with Panacea Labs at the end of Book 2, Chapter 6, it is believed that she is isn't doing it of her own free will and that Declan could be blackmailing her over her current financial situation. In Chapter 7, Jackie reveals that she is treating a patient who has a certain disease to which Panacea Labs has the only treatments available.
 * The reason why Danny died: It is believed that the reason why the writers chose to kill off a supporting character like Danny instead of a more prominant character like Rafael or Kyra was to avoid potential backlash if said characters died.

Debunked Theories

 * Aurora as an antagonist: After Chapter 10, some players started theorizing that Aurora was responsible for the sabotage of your character's pager and that her aunt may be involved as well. Your character finds out that it was Landry, not Aurora, in Chapter 13.
 * Dr. Banerji as a villain: Some players believed that Dr. Banerji would be the big bad of the first book, and his quitting his job was dictated by ulterior motives. That theory turned out to be false: Dr. Banerji's resignation was caused by his serious illness, and he is revealed to be kind and friendly towards your character.
 * Female Love Interests in Book 2: It is believed that either Aurora, Esme, or June will be a love interest in the second book. This is debunked as neither of them become a love interest throughout the book.
 * Michelle Nguyen: Given that the ending of Endless Summer where you sacrifice yourself is considered the canon ending, it is believed that Michelle may have a role in this series given that her goal is to become a neurosurgeon. This is debunked as she doesn't make an appearance throughout the series.
 * Aurora: It is widely believed that because Aurora prefers the most interesting cases, she'll make a mistake on a patient's diagnosis that will put their lives in danger, hurting her reputation and humbling her that she matures and develops as a character. This is debunked as she hasn't been reported for any misjudgments regards her patients.
 * Hospitals combine: It is theorized that just like the hospitals Seattle Grace and Mercy West on the show Grey's Anatomy, there may be a fusion of hospitals. This is hinted at towards the end of Book 2, Chapter 11. This is debunked in Book 3 after Bloom purchases Edenbrook.
 * Senator Farrugia will be a recurring antagonist: Given that he mentions that some of his donors are pharmaceutical companies, one of those may be Panacea Labs, which would make him an ally of the MC's old enemy, Declan Nash. Farrugia is also fully aware that the Edenbrook staff know of his corruption and may attempt to ruin their careers if they try to expose him. This is debunked as he doesn't make an appearance after Book 2, Chapter 11.
 * Farley's death: Because third books often focus on relationship development, there is a theory that Farley will die in book 2 and MC and LI (or Non-LI) will live together in Book 3 and develop the relationship from there. This is weakened by the fact that the MC diagnosed lyme disease early enough. This is debunked as Farley doesn't make an appearance in Book 3.
 * Dr. Thorne will be a recurring antagonist: It is believed that Dr. Thorne will continue to harass Esme and that he will serve as one of the villains in Book 2. This is weakened by the fact that if Esme correctly diagnosed him, she mentions in Chapter 13 that he apologized to her, and if she diagnosed him wrongly, she mentions that the condition he really has forced him to resign. This is debunked as he doesn't appear after Chapter 13.
 * Parenthood: It is believed that Ethan will adopt Dolores' baby and become a parent to him.
 * Alternatively, Ethan will be the baby's godfather while his aunts raise him.
 * In Chapter 17, one of baby Ethan's aunts, Alma, confirms she adopted him.
 * Mystery: People have split beliefs into the kinds of mysteries we'll solve at Edenbrook. While it appears that the MC will be helping people with medical ailments, it is believed that we may have to end up solving a crime at the hospital. It is also believed that a mysterious epidemic will impact the area and the MC will work to find a cure. However, nothing of the sort happens.
 * Sienna's boyfriend: It is believed that Sienna's boyfriend, Wayne, is cheating on her. This is debunked later.
 * June will be an antagonist: It is believed that June will end up being one of the villains in Book 2 due to her trying to psychologically manipulate the MC and stating that she has trouble getting along with Ethan. This is debunked when June leaves Edenbrook at the end of Book 2 permanently.
 * Ethan and Tobias: It is believed that Ethan and Tobias had a relationship in the past due to Tobias' flirtatious comments towards Ethan, despite supposedly being enemies. The real reason for their feud however, turned out to be that they loved the same person.
 * MC's mental health: It is theorized that there could be a story arc that revolves around the MC struggling with Survivor's guilt and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, although this doesn't happen at the end.

Unresolved Theories

 * Levi: Players found similarities between the plot of MC's patient Teresa Martinez in Book 1 and Esme's patient Levi Coates in Book 2, as both patients suffered from long term illnesses, both were treated with medicine by Panacea Labs, both doctors searched for ways to help them, both patients died in their sleep and in both cases, the patients could have a party in a premium scene in the chapter they died. It is therefore believed by players that Esme assisted Levi to commit suicide and that the rest of Book 2 will be about her hearing.
 * Alternatively, it is believed that the medicine by Panacea Labs caused his death.
 * Some also believe that June could be involved, since she said in Book 2, chapter 16 to the MC that Esme should take a fall for the hospital, which suggests she's pressuring the MC to put more of the blame on Esme to avoid getting the blame for messing with Levi's dosage. All of these theories are unresolved by the end of the series given that it was never explained what really happened.