St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 15 Review: Everyone Loves Portland General
St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 15, “Everyone Loves Portland General,” finds Bruce at a crossroads as he struggles to make a crucial decision. Meanwhile, Ron depends on Matt to recover his password, and Serena finds that babies can be quite useful. Quality-wise, this outing is just as strong as last week’s narratively pivotal “Happy Birthday, Matty,” but for different reasons.
St. Denis Medical, “Everyone Loves Portland General”
While last week’s episode focused on the world’s favorite golden retriever of a nurse, “Everyone Loves Portland General” puts Bruce front and center. His growth in Season 2 has been a thing of beauty. When Bruce gets an opportunity to work for a better-funded hospital with significantly more pay, he jumps at the chance to leave our titular hospital in the dust.
Honestly, it’s understandable. Who wouldn’t want to be paid what they deserve and/or recognized for their talents? This move plays right into Bruce’s vanity, too. Josh Lawson is an underrated talent in the sitcom scene. He deftly navigates the complexities of the push-and-pull between Bruce’s ego and his inherent goodness.
Bruce’s goodbye scene is hilarious. It cleverly puts Bruce’s awkward social skills on display while showing that he’s making a genuine effort to connect with everyone (albeit clumsily). Bruce is used to being the top dog at St. Denis, but when he visits Portland General, he finds himself at the bottom. His cringe-worthy (but humorous) interaction with the PG surgeons also shows that perhaps Matt has rubbed off on him more than he’d like to admit.
We Are Family
Ultimately, his decision to remain at St. Denis — even for less pay — is indicative of his development as a character. And that moment when he and Matt exchange “I love yous”? Like the Grinch, this writer felt her heart grow three sizes (metaphorically). Whether they like to admit it or not, the staff at St. Denis is a family.
This even applies to Ron and Matt as they grow closer in “Everyone Loves Portland General.” Ron is initially resistant to Matt’s charms, but he inevitably falls prey to them. Hilariously, Matt befriends Ron’s ex-wife and becomes Ron’s email recovery buddy. David Alan Grier and Mekki Leeper are so sweet together.
Similarly, Serena watches a baby, stirring up emotions aplenty for Alex, who believes her friend has contracted “baby fever.” However, Serena is only using said baby to get out of work. It’s as funny as it is relatable. Like Josh Lawson, there’s an understated element to Kahyum Kim’s portrayal of Serena. She never goes over the top here, and her natural on-screen approach really allows the comedy to land.
Alex swoops in to assist Serena with the fussy child. It’s another example of this hospital being a tight-knit found family. That’s what connects these three equally strong episodic storylines: family. Bruce stays because his friendship with Matt and his connection with the staff are more important to him than a bigger paycheck. Matt helps Ron in the hopes he cracks the latter’s curmudgeonly facade, and it works. And Alex lends a hand when Serena is drowning in baby … I don’t need to finish that sentence.
Warms the Heart
“Everyone Loves Portland General” is St. Denis Medical‘s most narratively and thematically cohesive outing yet. Everything feeds into each other so beautifully. This episode is heartwarming and oh-so-sweet. It feels like a fuzzy blanket or a piping hot plate of comfort food. Long live this adorable sitcom.
Stray Observations:
- I’m definitely adding “When one Bruce closes, a Ron opens” to my lexicon.
- Petty Joyce is my new favorite Joyce.
- Matt is always leaning into that Foghorn Leghorn voice when he must disguise himself, and it kills me.
- I’ve said it once before, but it bears repeating: David Alan Grier is the King of Facial Expressions.
- Serena’s right — that baby does look like Kenny Chesney. That bit made me snort-laugh.
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 new episodes every Monday 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.