Royal Pains: Spasticity by Tina Charles

I don't know about you but USA Network's Royal Pains is the perfect summer show and it's finally back on our small screens for Season 2. I had a bit of a like-dislike relationship with the series during Season 1 but my final judgment is positive because I find myself totally on board for Season 2. After all, I need to figure out how the return of Papa Lawson will affect Hank and Evan; I can't wait to find out if/when Boris will be cured; and I really want to be there when Divya takes back her life and calls off her engagement. The girl needs to stay in the Hamptons and be HankMed's valuable Physician's Assistant. Enough said. As for Jill, she's not my favorite character, but towards the end of last season, I was starting to like her for Hank. Not sure if that view will last.

Part of what I like about this show is that the lead character isn't completely self-centered. He sits down with Divya and asks her about her problems. He's worried that she'll leave HankMed and he knows this engagement and subsequent wedding isn't what she wants for herself. Usually the supporting characters are listening to the lead's issues and problems doling out sage advice. And that does happen. But that's not all that happens. The characters on this show have developed a nice chemistry. And it's evident in the several character-building scenes Hank, Evan and Divya have with each other in various combinations during the Royal Pains season premiere.

But before I go into all that conversational goodness, let me cover the season's first new case, that of one Spencer Murphy or as he's better known, Spencer the Spaz. I'm not usually a big fan of medical shows but I do like how Royal Pains, all this healing and diagnosing and treating is being done in the Hamptons in the summer so I don't mind because the Hamptons beauty shots are just that: beautiful. It's sort of like the old cop show Silk Stalkings. The show would have been just another cop show had it not been for the beautiful scenic shots of Palm Beach we were treated to week in and week out (well that and the presence of Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture). Yes, I just compared Royal Pains to Silk Stalkings. What of it? tackles the doctor-patient portions of each episode because usually Hank has to turn into MacGyver in order to help the sick person heal. There's always something he and/or Divya are rigging up or creating out of magic that is just what is needed to help the patient out. Plus

Anyway, Spencer the infomercial guru has run into a bit of bad luck. It's Divya's job to figure it out first while Hank is MIA going after Evan. Once Hank and Evan are back in the Hamptons, Spencer hurts his back and then later gets crushed by the panic room doors. Evan dubs Spence's accident-prone self "spasticity" but really it turns out to be exposure to mercury, an ailment that killed his father and threatened to make his life hell too. It's nice that the Spaz gets closure on his father's illness. He now knows his dad's paranoia and mental issues resulted from the long-term inhalation of mercury. And Spencer has to be glad he won't be suffering the same fate as well. What's good is the fact this medical crisis gets Hank and Evan working together again. There's been tension ever since Evan came back without Eddie in tow. The crisis also gets Jill and Hank working together again. And all parties do a great job of saving Spencer. Plus, the Spaz has been trying to come to terms with the way his dad was before he died. Spencer's father issues fit nicely in with the other paternal issues on this show.

But what I watch TV for is all the character-related things going on in any given episode. Hank and Evan's sibling relationship needs some repairing. You get the sense the brothers have always had issues with each other. There's a definite rivalry at least on Evan's part. And there are issues of trust especially on Hank's part. We find out Evan's been talking to Eddie for a year now without his big bro's knowledge. But it's sad that every time Evan talks to his dad, his dad's asking about Hank. And it's even sadder that despite this happening Evan continues to be the one reaching out to his father. If it were me I would have severed that destructive relationship. Hank on the other hand wants nothing to do with Papa Lawson and if we didn't already know that before we even saw one hair of Henry Winkler, it was plenty evident at the end of "Spasticity" when Eddie popped up at Hank's Hamptons home. After paying back the money he scammed, Hank handed Evan the check and then gave his father the right hook of a lifetime. Wow. Welcome to the Hamptons, bitch!

There was a scene between Hank and Evan where they're throwing the football around. And there's an underlying tension there even as they worked out some of their issues. After all, Evan had sold his car to help out HankMed, a very mature move by the way. But I'm betting we'll be getting some brotherly battles all season long.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Divya's scenes with Hank, Evan and both Hank and Evan. They have conversations with each other; they listen to each other's problems; they seem to care about what's going on with each other; and sometimes they deflect their issues in favor of conversing about something else. But like I stated earlier, the cast has developed a great chemistry and it helps make "Spasticity" an enjoyable episode. We do find out Divya's to be married in 60 days so I'm curious as to all the things that are going to happen before the D-day arrives.

I'm not going to make a judgment on Marcia Gay Harden's new character just yet. Right now she's just very one dimensional and I'm not feeling her. But as the character gets fleshed out I hope she chills and we really see what Marcia's capable of because she's an awesome actress. I just hope she doesn't stay this ridiculously over-the-top entitled surgeon. But her machinations that resulted in Jill's removal as Chief of Emergency Services may give Jill the opportunity to interact with the rest of the cast on a more frequent basis.

"Spasticity" is a really good start to the second season and I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to transpire. And congrats go out to the cast and crew: the ratings for the premiere were great.

Other Thoughts:

— I like the little touch of having Evan asleep while Spencer the Spaz' infomercial plays on the TV. The infomercial is spot on with so many of the ridiculous ones on the market today.

— I love the surliness of Boris. Hank's MIA-status doesn't sit well with him and he's ready to hire another doctor that can actually be at his beck and call. But Hank makes it known that he can be there for him as his primary care physician. Boris is a mystery in more ways than one so I hope the show continues to explore this intriguing character. Plus, I love me some Campbell Scott so the more we get of Boris the better.

Favorite Line:

Boris: "Shall I grab a copy of US Weekly and take a seat in the waiting room?"