REVIEW: ‘St. Denis Medical’ Season 2 Episode 10 Leans into Bad Decisions
- Emma Fisher
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
This article contains spoilers for St. Denis Medical S2E10.
Season 2 of St. Denis Medical continues its strong run this week with “This is From Joyce,” an episode that leans hard into bad decisions. It’s tightly packed, juggling multiple storylines without ever feeling overloaded, providing its audience with another escapist 25 minutes as Serena and Alex work a “Botox and Bubbly” party, Joyce enlists Matt’s help with a personal issue, and Bruce introduces Ron to the world of memecoins.
The cold open sees Serena (Kahyun Kim), Matt (Mekki Leeper), and Alex (Allison Tolman) invent a fake television series, Grey Mornings, to mess with Bruce (Josh Lawson), who often references obscure, high-brow British dramas that no one else has watched. Their commitment to the bit is impressive, discussing fake plot details and even going as far as to ask Bruce to name his favourite Dame while he does his best to act like he’s up to date with the show. Bruce abruptly announces the death of Keith (Dave Theune), who is very much alive, to escape the conversation, creating panic among the nurses. It’s a hilarious reminder that Bruce’s self-importance regularly leads to unnecessary collateral damage, something that Ron (David Alan Grier) later learns the hard way.
From there, the episode goes between three storylines. The first revolves around Serena’s “Botox and Bubbly” side hustle, which involves hosting parties with champagne-filled gossip and cosmetic injections. When a nurse cancels at the last minute, Serena ropes Alex in with the promise of easy money (exactly $150). To the surprise of no one, Alex is spectacularly ill-suited to this environment, which is where many of the episode’s biggest laughs come from. Being compared to Wanda Sykes by an attendee clearly flatters her, but she suspects that another attendee, Katie, might be underage, which spirals into worry and paranoia.
Fresh from her separation from Sanderson (Steve Little), Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is determined to present herself as thriving, unbothered, and irresistible. She has a box of personal items that she needs returned to him, but refuses to handle the situation directly as the pair are not speaking. Instead, she enlists Matt as a go-between while micromanaging exactly how the exchange should go by role-playing the scenario beforehand, complete with instructions on tone and delivery, as she has little faith in Matt.
Naturally, things do not unfold according to Joyce’s plan. Her obsession with appearing fine only highlights how unsettled she is, particularly when she purposely walks by as Matt hands Sanderson his belongings. Annoyed that Sanderson seems to be dealing with the break-up well, she insists that Matt must ask for her box back, but only so that she can throw a trip to Ottawa in Sanderson’s face, as he always wanted to visit. However, this does little to ease her upset, and it’s Matt who is left to pick up the pieces. He tells Joyce that he knows what it’s like to have feelings for the wrong person, particularly when they're in front of your face every day. You so want the relationship to work, but it just can't, and so you must put those feelings aside and move on, as you'll be better off that way. Leeper is delightful this week, even as Joyce misunderstands Matt’s intent, convincing herself that he’s enamoured with her and that she is flaunting herself in front of him. On the bright side, she’s still got it.
Elsewhere, Bruce wants to know what Ron does with his money. Ron admits that it mostly sits in a savings account as he’s saving for a massage chair. Bruce, baffled by his restraint, buys one on the spot for his home office, explaining that he’ll write it off thanks to his crypto gains, which means he now can’t spend fast enough to offset the taxes. Ron is intrigued and turns to Bruce for financial advice, who recommends memecoins, buying one for $50,000 that he immediately makes $1000 on. The appeal is obvious. Ron insists that he’d never waste that kind of money on an internet thing, but admits that five or ten thousand might be interesting. It’s an invitation that comes with more risk than Ron realises and a lesson for us all to learn along the way.
Back at the Botox party, Alex’s fixation on Katie’s age escalates. Worried that Serena could lose her nursing licence, she crosses a line, searching through Katie’s bag in search of proof of her age. It’s a cringeworthy moment, made worse when some of the other guests, along with Serena, catch her in the act. Alex’s attempts to recover only make things worse when an accident involving a Botox vial and a dog occurs. What follows is gross and frantic as Alex and Serena attempt to save face and retain their dignity in the form of a drug-fuelled lie, which gives Kim and Tolman some brilliant material to work with.
As Season 2 continues, St. Denis Medical remains at its best when it leans into character-driven comedy, and “This Is From Joyce” understands that perfectly.
About St. Denis Medical
Premiere Date: November 3, 2025
Episode Count: 18
Showrunner: Eric Ledgin
Executive Producers: Eric Ledgin, Justin Spitzer, Simon Heuer, Ruben Fleischer, Bridget Kyle, and Vicky Luu.
Distribution: 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.
