REVIEW: ‘St. Denis Medical’ Season 2 Episode 3 Debates Open Communication And Health Technology
- Emma Fisher
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
This article contains spoilers for St. Denis Medical S02E03.
In its third episode of the second series, St. Denis Medical continues to prove that it’s one of television’s sharpest comedies. “Get Me in the Pod, Brother” is a brilliant 26 minutes built around the futility of open communication and the modern obsession with health technology.
Convinced that she's improving morale, Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey), starts the episode by welcoming a therapy horse into the hospital for patients. Before anyone can process the horse, Joyce unveils her new purchase, the Tomo Pod, a full-body scanner that she was influenced to buy after seeing it promoted by actors on Instagram. She presents it as a leap forward in preventative care for St. Denis, but Ron (David Alan Grier), ever the realist, calls it what it is: another way to make people anxious.
Joyce offers staff a free scan to encourage enthusiasm, and from there, the episode unravels hilariously. Bruce (Josh Lawson) jumps at the chance and discovers a minor spinal curvature. It’s nothing serious, but that doesn’t stop him from turning it into a crisis. He fixates on the Tomo Pod’s precision, quoting its 40-micron margin of error, less than the width of a human hair, as proof that his spine is perfect. When Matt (Mekki Leeper) tells him that the technician couldn’t tell his scan from the stock image all scans are compared to, his delusion is fueled. Bruce becomes obsessed with posture, copying Matt’s movements, shadowing his stretches, and accusing him of peacocking when he bends down to pick up a pen.
Meanwhile, Joyce’s new technology starts to backfire. The Tomo Pod’s constant hum fills her office, distracting her during a meeting with Dakota (Emma Pope). When she tries to carry on as usual, she’s forced to shout over the machine and eventually shoos the other woman out of the room, muttering that she’ll get used to the noise. Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t. Her conversation with the technician operating it also highlights how little she understands about the machine she wants to implement within the hospital. When she asks why he’s wearing a protective vest and he replies because he's here all day, she cannot get out of the room fast enough. It’s enough to drive home the episode’s point about misplaced faith in technology.
While Bruce spirals, Alex (Allison Tolman) and Ron get caught in a different kind of self-inflicted mess, much to the audience's joy. When Alex insists that she and her husband, Tim (Kyle Bornheimer), share everything, Ron cannot believe that she's the type who values open communication. When he asks if Tim knows about "hot Gary," a delivery driver who frequents St. Denis, that the nurses are smitten with, she says that it's a silly office joke. Ron isn't convinced.
Alex soon tries to prove Ron wrong and calls Tim to clear up the running joke about “hot Gary.” Tim reacts casually, believing that everyone is attracted to another at their place of work. When asked who his work crush is, he admits he finds Serena (Kahyun Kim) attractive.
What begins as a smug demonstration of openness to Ron turns into a painfully funny sequence of oversharing. Alex, mortified but determined not to let Ron win their debate, decides she must tell Serena what has been said. Her attempt to do so is gloriously awkward. She greets Serena as “pretty lady,” blurts out the story, and panics when Serena, who describes herself as poly-friendly, assumes Alex is proposing something. Ron witnesses it all with satisfaction, using the moment to declare that people sharing every thought that pops into their heads is what is wrong with society.
The situation only worsens, which in turn brings plenty of laughs. Tim arrives at the hospital with flowers, thinking Alex is angry with him after she abruptly hung up the phone during their prior conversation. In a misguided effort to smooth things over, he tells Serena that he doesn’t want to sleep with her. Awkward.
Elsewhere, Bruce continues to spiral. Having been told to accept his spine as it is, he immediately decides he wants another scan, blaming the curvature on the three coffees he drank that morning. When the technician warns against back-to-back scans, Bruce insists he’ll sign a radiation waiver. Matt, ever patient, finally tells him that the spine he’s got is the spine he’s got, which only triggers Bruce further.
As the episode goes on, St. Denis fills with the noise of too much information. Everyone knows too much about everyone else, whether it’s spinal metrics or relationship gossip. Joyce has abandoned her office, working from the ward and eventually retreating to her car for peace. Ron, trying to prove that keeping quiet is sometimes the better policy, manages to do the opposite. A staff member misinterprets images on his computer and concludes that he’s obsessed with Serena. Exasperated, Ron blurts out that he’d rather sleep with Joyce than Serena, unaware that the former is in earshot. Her reply, that it's a thought she's had on occasion, and she's relieved someone said the quiet part out loud, but they need to put this genie back in the bottle, shuts him and the staff that has gathered around immediately up. While the jury is out on whether there's a romance there, it is wickedly funny. McLendon-Covey should be one to watch this upcoming award season.
The final five minutes tie the episode together. Alex attempts to justify her belief in open communication, but Ron reminds her that none of the day’s disasters would have happened if she’d kept quiet. She insists honesty feels good, then tells Dakota that Ron has been stealing her yoghurts. All ends well with Bruce after he takes the advice Matt gives a patient, who is concerned about the scars she will have once recovered and makes it about himself. Imperfections tell a story, and he twists and contorts his body to save lives. His spine is his battle wound, and Matt is no longer better than him. Lawson, once again, impresses.
“Get Me in the Pod, Brother” is a funny and well-observed episode, showcasing exactly why St. Denis Medical is going from strength to strength. It captures how good intentions and self-awareness (or vanity in Bruce’s case) can make ordinary situations worse. The cast continues to excel, hitting every awkward beat to extract laughter from their audience this week, proving they're an ensemble to watch.
Rating: ★★★★☆
About St. Denis Medical
Premiere Date: November 10, 2025.
Episode Count: 18
Showrunner: Eric Ledgin
Executive Producers: Eric Ledgin, Justin Spitzer, Simon Heuer, Ruben Fleischer, Bridget Kyle, and Vicky Luu.
Production: Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, More Bees, Inc. and Spitzer Holding Company.
Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, Kahyun Kim, Mekki Leeper, and Kaliko Kauahi.
Synopsis: “St Denis Medical” is a mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity. In season two, after receiving a large private donation, hospital administrator Joyce bites off more than she can chew while her employees navigate staff shortages, office conflicts and their own personal lives.