St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 6 Review: I Left a Woman on the Table

St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 6, “I Left a Woman on the Table,” is all about resurfaced exes, competitive dance-offs, and reworked perspectives. Joyce comes so close to understanding the nursing crisis in the hospital, while Matt grapples with the return of his ex-wife, and Bruce befriends his romantic rival. 

St. Denis Medical, “I Left a Woman on the Table” 

Matt/Violet/Serena/Ron is easily the strongest episodic arc, and rightfully earns its place as the A-plot. However, as enjoyable as the concepts of the B and C plots are, they’re not quite up to par. Admittedly, they feel less fleshed out and rushed, which is a shame.

This reviewer would love to see more of Bruce and Steve’s rivalry, but with the same resolution as in “I Left a Woman on the Table.” It’s a delightful subversion of expectations to have the pair become friends, to be sure, but let’s take a bit more time to arrive at that outcome. That said, Josh Lawson and Stephen Schneider make for a great comedic duo. 

Then, there’s the Joyce/Alex/Val plotline. We’ve already seen Joyce contend with nursing issues in episode four, “Two Docs, One Conf,” when she attempts to show the nurses love during Nurse Appreciation Week. St. Denis Medical deftly addresses the staffing deficit and inadequate pay nurses face in the medical world.

While this storyline in “I Left a Woman on the Table” is weaker compared to the A-plot, there’s a ton of narrative potential here. This could easily be a throughline in Season 2, a multi-episode arc explored on a deeper level. The stakes feel high enough and warranted, especially for our titular hospital. 

What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Circling back to the Matt/Violet/Serena/Ron plot, there’s a lot of fun to be had with this new insight into Matt’s backstory. Jessica Lowe fits right in with the cast as Violet, Matt’s ex-wife. She plays off Mekki Leeper and David Alan Grier well. There are also a ton of great micro moments that make this episodic arc feel fully realized. 

For example, Serena’s charged glances at Matt effectively build on her unexpressed feelings for him and propel the Serena/Matt will-they-won’t-they storyline. Kahyun Kim adeptly delivers grounded work, providing intriguing dynamics in this elevated sitcom world. Even Ron simply scooting his chair closer to Serena to watch Matt and Violet kiss is a delightful micro moment befitting his character. 

The scene with Bruce in which he claims that marriage isn’t for him is a terrific showcase of Josh Lawson’s talent and his understanding of this character. His facial expression betrays the “laid-back” tone of his voice. We see more layers to Bruce and how lonely he truly is. 

That Was Only 25 Percent

“I Left a Woman on the Table” is a solid outing, if only for the character beats and the strength of the A-plot. The multiple plotlines don’t quite gel as well as usual, but where St. Denis Medical always shines is in its compelling comedic performances. 

Stray Observations: 

• Fun fact: You might recognize Jessica Lowe as Bambi from the criminally short-lived Minx. 
• Ebenezer being one of Matt’s middle names is hilariously expected and unexpected. 
• I’m adding “Son of a bouncy bunny” to my lexicon after this episode. 
• I’d like to see Ron attempt to live in the Montana commune, if only for comedic purposes. 
• We need a full-length version of the Bruce versus Steve dance-off scene. Please, and thank you. 
• The crew asks our cast multiple questions on this episode. Is this the first time we’ve heard them address those in front of the camera? 

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St. Denis Medical airs new episodes every Monday at 8/7c on NBC, with next-day streaming on Hulu. 

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