St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 11 Review: This Isn’t Bingo
St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 11, “This Isn’t Bingo,” sees Joyce and Bruce staring down the barrel of their own mortality, while Ron and Matt are locked in a fudge match. Meanwhile, Chaplain Steve hijacks Alex’s senior health fair presentation, and Serena tries her best to conceal her fondness for him. It’s a stronger overall outing than the previous episode, even if not every storyline is on the same level, quality-wise.
St. Denis Medical, “This Isn’t Bingo”
The Alex/Serena/Chaplain Steve A-plot is weaker than the other storylines, more so because of the Alex aspect. This isn’t the first time audiences have borne witness to Alex in envy mode, so that part feels repetitive, narratively. While the Serena/Alex pairing is delightful, it would be nice to explore other dynamics beyond it.
That said, the Serena/Chaplain Steve of it all makes up for the tired jealousy plot. Steve is more charming here than we’ve seen previously, and he has an easygoing chemistry with Serena. Alex’s envy of Steve feels contrived, and it’s merely a setup for the Serena/Steve reveal, but it’s still a fun reveal, nonetheless.
Of course, it’s all plot fodder for the inevitable Serena/Matt coupling. It’ll be interesting to see how Matt reacts to Serena casually dating the hospital chaplain. Speaking of Matt, he and Ron are always an entertaining duo, and St. Denis Medical seems hellbent on squeezing every last drop out of them in Season 2. Ron vying for Fudge Lady’s attention (unbeknownst to Matt) is the silly plot we need to balance out all three episodic arcs.
Fudge It
“This Isn’t Bingo” boasts some of the best reactionary expressions we’ve seen in the series thus far. David Alan Grier, in particular, is the king of micro — and macro — expressions, especially when he faces the camera. It makes Ron’s jealousy (jealousy is the name of the game on this episode) all the funnier. Who knew the stakes for fudge-eating could be so high? It also allows Mekki Leeper to be the “straight man” in a pairing.
Joyce and Bruce are a duo we seldom see in the show, so their shared episodic arc is a thing to behold. Their attempts to pacify the DNR patient are hilarious, especially the somber diversions to offering her cafeteria options as recompense for reviving her. Her desire to die forces Joyce and Bruce to examine their own lives.
It’s a somewhat serious storyline that addresses bodily autonomy, respecting one’s wishes, and making the most of life. Here, our pair gets introspective about their own mortality. St. Denis Medical expertly balances thought-provoking themes and comedy, and not just in this particular plot. The varying degrees of silliness across the three episodic arcs are well-balanced.
I Like to Move It, Move It
True to form, the episode also folds two of the plots into one, having them converge toward the end of the third act. It’s all so seamless. Really, this series is at its best when it relies on its talented ensemble.
“This Isn’t Bingo” is a solid standalone story that also continues a few character-centric, seasonal plotlines, such as Joyce still reeling in the aftermath of breaking off her engagement and Serena’s dalliance with Chaplain Steve. Like real life, we see these characters move 10 steps forward and 15 steps backward, and it’s this relatable messiness, coupled with the show’s razor-sharp humor, that makes them a joy to watch.
Stray Observations:
- Alex and Keith’s parody of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” simultaneously thrilled me and made my back hurt. Maybe I should’ve been in the audience with the senior citizens.
- Matt would be popular with the oldies (complimentary).
- Never stand between a senior citizen and their bingo. You won’t survive.
- Fudge Lady’s grudge against Ron (with Ron promptly stealing her fudge in retaliation) is the rivalry we need. It’s not heated, but it’ll do.
- Serena, I get it. Chaplain Steve is charming. But he’ll always be Jeremy Santos to me (Broad City forever).
What did you think of this episode of St. Denis Medical? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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St. Denis Medical airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.