 Royal
Pains (2009)
Rating:
3 out of 5
Rated:
TV14
Reviewer: Rissi C.
Having become a fan of
another show from this same network, I decided to rent this
in spite of knowing next to nothing
about it.
Life in the E.R. can be stressful, as any good doctor
will likely attest. Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark
Feuerstein) has just rushed a young man into the E.R.
after he collapsed on the basketball court. Hank is disgusted that his
boss directs him towards another patient rather than
attending to the one he brought in -- this one is an hospital trustee. Temporarily
stepping away from his first obligation, Hank gets the
procedure started only to then defy further orders to
return to the young basketball star who is in dire
straights. Receiving notification that his elderly
patient died due to “lack of proper care,” Hank is
questioned about hospital ethics by the board and
fired. Depressed
over the total loss of a promising career, which
subsequently blackballed him from every reputable
hospital, Hank’s plans further crumble when his fiancée
leaves him because her “perfect” idea of marrying a
successful doctor has collapsed, proving she wasn’t the
person he would have wanted by his side in “sickness and
health” after all. Letting his life spiral out of control by not
giving any thought to it, Hank is allowed to mope for
far too long before his brother, Evan (Paulo Costanzo)
orders him to the Hamptons for a long weekend -- his
intention is to do nothing but party, as only the rich
can.
Disillusioned to be rubbing shoulders with the wealthy
where teenagers simply purchase a new car to hide an
accident from a parent, Hank comes upon a potentially
life-threatening situation at an event. He saves a woman and
catches the attention of the homeowner, Boris (Campbell
Scott). Offered a position that is the latest trend in
doctors -- “concierge doctors” who makes house calls
and above all respects patient privacy, Hank refuses.
The next morning, two people call with emergencies. To
complicate matters more, this also brings three women to
his doorstep; Physician’s Assistant Divya (Reshma Shetty) applying for a job, the
woman he saved who claims to be in love with him, and a
pretty hospital administrator, Jill (Jill Flint), who,
maybe, just maybe could change his mind about staying…
Medical shows have never interested me. Not even the
evening-drama-filled-soap-opera types could lure me, if
anything they were turn-offs. No, I prefer to stick with
some of the decent crime-based shows I’ve come to enjoy,
in part because some medical series tend to involve far
too many couples hopping into bed before they even had a
chance to say “hello,” and because as a
medical show, writers aren’t squeamish about writing
into scripts any and all terms related to the body that
might make some of us sick. If there is one thing that
could be
considered a downfall of this series, it would be the
language -- both profanity and the constant sexual
dialogue that makes it inevitably into each script.
Within the first fifteen minutes, an engaged couple is
seen entering an apartment and passionately making out
before they fall into bed out of the camera’s range;
there is a typical post-sex scene (before, they were
engaged in foreplay at dinner). The next two
episodes were mild before the sexual material
came back full-force. Hank and Jill make out before Evan interrupts
them (including removing some of their clothes);
eventually they spend the night together. The
following morning finds them lying together with nothing
but “awkward” conversation and a discussion of how great
their night was (another episode ends with them on her
desk). A couple quite obviously share sexual
encounters in a restaurant cooler (his pants are undone,
she has removed her shirt); a married couple expecting a
child are briefly seen in the bedroom supposedly having
sex to induce labor. More bothersome is a subplot
involving two teenagers (for the record, they are
adorable together; I couldn’t help but love ‘em) who are
apparently virgins but far from innocent. (She is discovered to be on birth
control which arouses suspicion that she is cheating.)
Luckily, there is very little nudity apart from some of
the post-morning scenes where the couples are shown
covered in sheets.
Then there is Evan… who continually spouts off sexual comments around the
beautiful women he meets; he invites three younger
girls to his place and they discuss doing shots.
Drinking plays a huge part; parties have guests becoming
drunk, randomly making out and drugs are questioned in
regards to almost everyone (one episode deals with this
with both the emotional and physical repercussions). God’s
name is abused by pairing it with da**; Jesus is
exclaimed in anything but good ways, including a couple
of potentially offensive comments. Less problematic is
the standard issue profanities that come with nearly
everything. Various medical procedures are experienced
but the camera generally steers clear of anything
terrible. A couple installments revolve around sexual
things (breast implants and a condition that prevents a
man from “enjoying” his honeymoon) where other cases
involve a condition that causes liquid substance to come
from the patient's mouth. Mild procedures are performed
on a dog and a woman who has a piece of metal inside
her; in a quick fix, a man must have fish hooks inserted
into his broken rib cage.
USA Network likes to promote
their shows based on the characters and I can
honestly say that it works here.
Although it's bad behavior cannot be excused, much about this show
helps its audience to forget what is
thrown into scripts in poor taste, because it is really
too much fun to miss out on.
While I’ll probably change my mind as soon as I watch
another episode (those shifting opinions, you know!),
Divya is my favorite of the bunch. She is a stitch who
we come to understand has more baggage than first
impressions would suggest, and she and Evan share some
interesting dynamics as do she and fiancé, Raj. One of
the best lines comes between when Evan makes a
smart-mouth comment about Divya’s body and she pertly
replies, “Don’t objectify me, Sidekick.” Hank on the
other hand is the complete opposite of his philandering
brother -- some viewers think Mark’s Hank is too
contrived and unrealistic, but I find him refreshing. Hank is a very honest
person who believes in being truthful.
This especially helped in his blossoming relationship
with Jill, while also disallowing for some of those
typical stereotyped patterns to take shape.
Royal Pains is
far from
flawless but there is a fun vibe that I’m going to just
admit is... well, contagious. The settings are gorgeous (especially when they include
picnics on the beach with a stunning sunset as a
backdrop), the cast shares some fantastic camaraderie,
and above all, the forty-five minutes offers up more
than one laugh while giving us
more than one thought-provoking moments with which to
think on… and wishing that it wouldn’t be another year
before a second season will hit store shelves.
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