REVIEW: ‘St. Denis Medical’ Season 2 Episode 6 Is A Funny, Revealing, And Heartfelt Exploration Of Mekki Leeper’s Matt

This article contains spoilers for St. Denis Medical S2E6.

Mekki Leeper as Matt and Kahyun Kim as Serena in St. Denis Medical © NBC

Season 2 of St. Denis Medical has allowed the series to settle comfortably and confidently into its rhythm after a promising first season. The ensemble remains reliably strong, but until now, the audience has been offered limited insight into many of the characters’ lives beyond the hospital floor. “I Left a Woman on the Table” changes that, delivering the most character-driven episode to date as Matt (Mekki Leeper) is confronted by an unexpected piece of his past, something that quickly becomes the talk of the hospital.

The episode sets this in motion from the outset, when Violet (Jessica Lowe) finds herself in the ER. She insists to Alex (Allison Tolman) and Serena (Kahyun Kim) that she isn’t physically hurt because the real pain is in her soul after she and her husband, who works at the hospital, got into a big fight. Violet is adamant that she’ll win him back, which immediately piques the curiosity of both women, who want to know who the unidentified man is. The husband of Violet in question is Matt, who walks by mid-conversation, spots his ex, and immediately crashes into a gurney. It’s an excellent bit of physical comedy that also underlines how unprepared he is for her return into his life.

We soon learn that the pair were married for a couple of years before separating when Matt left their community to attend nursing school. The revelation shocks St. Denis, with Bruce (Josh Lawson) baffled at the prospect of a human woman having married Matt, highlighting his continual insecurities, particularly surrounding Matt's perceived success.

Elsewhere, Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) approaches Alex to discuss slow patient turnover. She insists she’s not blaming Alex, only the nurses under her, a dig aimed at Val (Kaliko Kauahi), who refused to leave during the conversation. Joyce frames the issue as one of attitude rather than staffing, arguing that the department’s nurses need more pep. Alex counters with the obvious: they need to hire more staff. Joyce wants them to hit 50 discharged patients per shift, which is doable, given their average is 40. However, with the news that they’re already a nurse down, Joyce responds by becoming Nurse Henderson, MD, throwing herself into the ED. It’s an amusing exaggeration of managerial disconnect (and someone trying to work within their means budgetarily), but it works because McLendon-Covey plays the scenario with such earnestness.

For viewers invested in even the slightest development between Matt and Serena, you're in luck this week. Serena is stunned that Matt never mentioned his marriage, and he admits he didn’t want to seem like the weird guy. Ron (David Alan Grier) dryly counters that he is the weird guy, and that his marital status wouldn’t have changed a thing. Matt’s hesitance grows when he asks Ron for advice about exes wanting to reconcile, only to receive a hilariously bleak anecdote about his ex-wife and life insurance payout. Serena offers clearer guidance, advising Matt not to revisit the relationship unless he’s genuinely still in love with Violet. It’s the level-headed answer you’d expect from her, but also for someone pining for the other. 

With Matt’s former marital status rattling him, Bruce reaches out to an ex, Dr. Emerson (Ariana Madix), only to be reminded that she left him because he wasn’t emotionally available. His confession that her dirty car gave him “the ick” summarises Bruce’s knack for self-sabotage. She’s already dating Chaplain Steve (Stephen Schneider), leading to an absurd but entertaining dance-off between the two men, set to the Brandy song Baby. Emerson walks away from them, mortified to have dated either man. The subplot is slight but highly entertaining, ending with an unlikely friendship between Bruce and Steve that eases the latter's loneliness.

Stephen Schneider as Chaplain Steve, Ariana Madix as Dr. Emerson, and Josh Lawson as Dr. Bruce in St. Denis Medical © NBC

Meanwhile, Joyce remains determined to hit her self-imposed goal of discharging 50 patients. Alex and Val realise that if she succeeds, St. Denis will use the milestone to justify not hiring more nurses. They devise a tactic to have Joyce call an insurance company to authorise a patient's MRI. The scan can’t be deemed necessary without the MRI, but the insurer won’t approve the MRI unless it’s already deemed necessary, a catch-22. However, to Joyce’s credit, she reaches her target, despite looking unwell from the effort. She offers only an additional half-shift per week to help staff out, a realistic compromise neither she nor Alex is happy with.

While all this unfolds, Matt insists that he and Violet no longer have a real connection. But when Ron suspects that Violet has a gallbladder infection due to her high white blood cell count and will need an ultrasound, Matt’s attitude changes as Violet and the isolated community they grew up in do not trust conventional medicine. Ron’s tactless response, “Does inbreeding improve the immune system?”, is the episode’s biggest laugh, even if it’s followed by an unexpected change of opinion when he selfishly tries to learn more about the Northern Montana Homesteads. His enthusiasm wavers when he learns that moving there requires being double circumcised, another hilarious turn in a strong episode.

When Violet decides to leave, Matt panics. He backtracks on his earlier dismissal, not to rekindle their romance but to keep her in the building long enough to receive treatment. He takes her hand and asks Ron to arrange the ultrasound, unaware that Serena sees it and misinterprets the gesture. It’s a classic sitcom misunderstanding, which nudges Matt and Serena’s slow-burn storyline forward, especially when the latter acts out of jealousy. Violet eventually realises that Matt is overstating his feelings to convince her to stay, influenced by Serena’s frustration at the suggestion that he still loved her. When Matt kisses her to settle the issue, she recognises that the spark they once shared is gone.

Jessica Lowe as Violet, Mekki Leeper as Matt, and Kahyun Kim as Serena in St. Denis Medical. © NBC

The episode closes with Matt telling Serena that he didn’t give Violet the “full Matt magic” in the kiss, a phrase the show will almost certainly revisit once the pair finally acknowledge their feelings. Violet, for her part, recognises that Matt’s life at St. Denis suits him. The hospital, she observes, is his family now.

What ultimately makes “I Left a Woman on the Table” a standout episode is the way it deepens our understanding of the people who fill the halls of St. Denis. It’s funny, revealing, and heartfelt, giving Matt a moment of vulnerability while laying the groundwork for meaningful developments across the ensemble. If the series continues to build on this, St. Denis Medical may well secure its place as one of network television’s most quietly rewarding comedies.

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St. Denis Medical. © NBC Universal

About St. Denis Medical

Premiere Date: 1 December 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.