St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 9 Review: You’re in His Bubble Space

St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 9, “You’re in His Bubble Space,” is a strong return after the holiday break, complete with relationship drama, autonomous children, and unexpected self-reflection. The Joyce/Sanderson wedding arc comes to a surprisingly quick conclusion, and admittedly, the series is better for not dragging out that plotline.

The outing also provides breadcrumbs aplenty for Serena/Matt shippers (Merena? Satt?). One might even consider said crumbs enough to constitute at least a slice of toast. 

St. Denis Medical, “You’re in His Bubble Space” 

All three storylines are pretty solid in “You’re in His Bubble Space.” True to the show’s format, at least two of the arcs seamlessly feed into each other. However, here they’re tied together thematically, forming a more cohesive narrative whole than usual.

“Sacrifice” is the word of the day, kids. Should Joyce sacrifice finding true love in the name of safety? After all, we as viewers have known from the get-go that she doesn’t love Sanderson. How much autonomy do you give your kids? Do you sacrifice control in the name of freedom? Ron and Alex trade parenting stories, impelling the former to evaluate his treatment of his son from decades ago. 

Make Way for the Sharks 

Then, there’s the Serena of it all. Should she sacrifice her close friendship with Matt to take that leap into romance? The episode cleverly dissects this word and what it means to these characters as they examine their actions and relationships. 

St. Denis Medical Season 1 frames Serena and Matt’s bond through Matt’s perspective, while Season 2 shifts the focus to Serena and her blossoming feelings for Matt (well, more like her resisting those feelings). “You’re in His Bubble Space” gives Serena the platform to digest those emotions … and promptly abandon ship in favor of a quick, reliable good time with Chaplain Steve. 

Hey, this is a judgment-free zone. This reviewer loves a good old-fashioned sitcom slow burn, and watching messy characters stumble into mistake after mistake until they finally face the romantic music. Us being frustrated by Serena and Matt’s refusal to take that next step makes for great TV. 

They Grow Up So Fast 

“You’re in His Bubble Space” also sees Joyce and Ron exhibit character growth. Interestingly, their respective journeys mirror each other. It’s not insignificant that the series has been planting seeds for a Ron/Joyce romance, and this parallel only verifies the evidence.

While Ron gets introspective and rethinks his harsh parenting style, Joyce finally gets assertive in her relationship with Sanderson, eventually leading to her ending their engagement. It’s wholly satisfying watching a woman stand up for herself and what she wants. Their breakup also blesses us with another hilarious performance from Steve Little as Sanderson.

Here’s hoping he pops up again on St. Denis Medical in some capacity (while Joyce revels in her single gal era). 

Stray Observations: 

• Having stepped on a rusty nail before realizing I was overdue for a tetanus shot, I can confirm that, yes, you need one. I became the example doctors use to advocate for tetanus shots that day. 
• A Vampire Diaries mention in the Year of Our Lord 2026? What is this, 2010? 
• “Boy Velma” really is the best descriptor for Matt. I cackled at that line. 
• Hell hath no fury like a child denied their Nerds Gummy Clusters. 
• I think I need to add “Smonday” to my calendar to alleviate/ward off the Sunday Scaries. 

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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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