St. Denis Medical is back! From Alex's reality check after returning from vacation to Bruce being attacked, and whether Matt and Serena's relationship status has changed. Here's a recap and review of the season premiere.
"Aloha, Everyone"
In the season premiere, Alex returns from Hawaii and is determined to bring her sunny vacation vibes to St. Denis Medical. However, her high spirits are quickly dampened by the familiar reality of working there, including the ongoing workplace drama between Serena and Matt and Joyce's mounting stress over the new birth center.
It's been an awkward, divided workspace for Matt and Serena ever since she learned about his crush on her. After a few moments of seeming reconciliation, Serena asks Alex to help reunite them. Alex, however, reveals a new layer of complication: Matt had also asked her to help keep them apart. Serena confronts Matt about this conflicting request. Matt admits he had a crush on her but insists he is now "over it."
The lingering questions remain: Is Matt truly over Serena? And now that the tension has been flipped, does Serena have a crush on him?
Joyce's new birthing center is progressing well, with themed rooms ranging from "under the sea" to the "Australian outback." However, when the major donor arrives to see the progress, Joyce goes into Deathcon Five, ensuring everything is perfect and completed on time.
The situation quickly becomes a "madhouse" for Joyce once she learns that the donor wants to impose their own opinions and design choices. This intrusion pushes Joyce to question her original ideas and whether she made the right choice in pursuing the center in the first place.
Meanwhile, Bruce has a new compass tattoo, and he loves to show it off (as Bruce always does!) and explain what inspired him to get it. His spotlight, however, is quickly stolen. He grows jealous of a patient who was struck by lightning and is now getting all of the hospital's attention and media coverage.
"Aloha, Everyone" was truly delightful, full of joyful moments that brought smiles all around. From the exciting baby gender reveal to Alex's optimistic spirit being playfully challenged by her coworkers as she faces the reality of returning to the trenches, it was quite the ride.
Plus, watching Serena's heartfelt overreaction to Matt's simple request for some space added an excellent touch of humor and depth, making everyone (including the audience) wonder if she has developed a crush on him, too. It was just the strong, fun start to an exciting season that we needed! Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.
"Mama Bear Activated"
When Bruce is attacked, everyone at St. Denis Medical goes on high alert, feeling their safety is at risk. This prompts Joyce to go into Mama Bear mode, attempting to teach her employees various self-defense tips for handling an attacker. However, Alex believes the best way to handle this is through transparency, so she calls in the local television news to do a story on workplace safety.
Just as the reporter and camera guy arrive, Alex learns the hilarious truth about Bruce's attack: it wasn't a disgruntled patient, it was a goose. Needless to say, the local news won't be running that story. Despite the embarrassment, the incident does yield results: the parking lot cameras are being fixed, and Joyce starts scaring the troublesome birds away with her car horn.
Meanwhile, Bruce is dealing with legitimate PTSD from the attack, which even causes Matt to start blaming things on him to patients. When Matt confronts Bruce from behind in the hallway, he accidentally gets kicked in the stomach.
Separately, Ron tries to assume the role of "protector," believing Serena can't protect herself. When he tries to "scare" her to test her readiness, he throws out his back. This reversal of roles leads Serena to have fun playing caretaker to Ron. The two ultimately come to a sweet, sensible agreement: they will walk each other to their cars after dark.
"Mama Bear Activated" was a genuinely funny episode that successfully explored the very real fear of workplace attacks, only to deliver a massive punchline. Watching Joyce pivot from using car keys as weapons to suggesting employees "eat boogers" as a diversion was hysterical. Wendi McLendon-Covey is sharp and consistently funny in this episode.
Josh Lawson, as Bruce, also delivers, making his character's transition from a victim of a suspected patient attack to the victim of a goose feel surprisingly empathetic. It was just a darn good, hilarious episode that knew exactly how silly it was. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.
What do you think was the funnier workplace safety tip from Joyce, using keys as weapons or the secret goose-scaring horn? What did you think of the season premiere of St. Denis Medical? Do you believe Serenia has a crush on Matt now? Will they be an official couple by the end of the season? Leave a comment.
You can catch St. Denis Medical Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.
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