ROYAL PAINS “A Little Art, A Little Science” (Summer Finale) Review

ROYAL PAINS "A Little Art, A Little Science" (USA) Season 3 Episode 10

ROYAL PAINS “A Little Art, A Little Science” Season 3 Episode 10 (Summer Finale) – This was kind of a tough review for me. You see I have an aversion to the use of ECT and seeing as how that played a major role in this episode it made it hard for me to watch some parts of this one. The reasons I’m against ECT are personal ones and nothing I wish to get into in the midst of a review about a fun summer TV show. I’m just pointing it out so that everyone will know why I’m not going to really talk about that part of the show.

So I’ll just talk about the rest of the episode and luckily there was a lot going on. Eric comes back and this time we find out that he’s a diabetic who also has a medical condition that makes him physically react to beautiful artwork. Normally Hank discovers something like this and with a few nifty medical procedures, all is right and dandy. But tonight a couple of treatments were delivered by one very tired physician’s assistant at the hospital and Eric got the wrong medication. That’s bad enough but the fact that the tired PA also happens to be Divya (and that she was working under VanDyke at the time) is going to make for some major drama when the show comes back.

Then there was the whole Hank and Evan debacle. I’m still a little snippy towards Evan and did find it very interesting that he was still holding a grudge towards his brother in most of this episode. They did finally make up in the end and I hope that means a return of the brotherly love that’s been sorely missing recently. But I was kind of surprised by the fact that Evan was part of Paige and her mom keeping a huge secret from the General. I’m sorry, but isn’t that what he was just mad at Hank about? Families keeping secrets from each other?

I’m sorry to say goodbye to another summer show and can’t wait for this one to return as I’m dying to see what’s going to happen now between Divya, Hank and VanDyke. Plus there’s the fact that Jill is looking quite reluctant to go off to Uruguay. Not that I ever expected her to actually leave but I’m interested to see what happens between her and Hank once she does decide to stay (as we all know she will).

My favorite bits..

“Either Boris’ baby is Punking us or it’s Evan’s handwriting.”

Divya telling Hank that sometimes secrets are necessary.

Okay.Wow. Why do I think that there’s more going on with Eric than just diabetes? A talking painting? Whoa.

Thinking that Eric was taking things pretty well, considering everything that might be wrong with him.

Trying really hard not to say anything about the fact that Evan told Hank that he did “everything wrong.”

Kinda wishing that Divya would drop a few of the bags belonging to that snooty little… okay I’m gonna stop myself before I say something not-so-nice. LOL.

Yeah, yeah, yeah..I know that was basically a car commercial but how cool is Jill’s car?

“He says ‘Hi, big fan of your boss.’”

“I’m having a really hard time taking that word seriously.” – Oh thank goodness, I thought it was just me.

Totally agreeing with Hank about the mind being able to have a powerful influence on the body. I’m now very intrigued by this illness that Eric may have.

The look on Divya’s face when she got Renya’s list.

Not being able to help comparing Divya to Superman. Who else do you know who can change that fast?

VanDyke asking Divya to cover the kid’s ears so he could curse. See? He’s really not such a bad guy after all.

Evan nailing his job as a meet and greeter for the General.

“I thought that was water.”
“Well, scotch has some water.”

The General telling Evan he was “surprisingly competent.” – LOL.

Divya giving Renya an iPod full of her own songs. Aw. So sweet.

Well it may have been a little tentative and it didn’t end in a big, brotherly hug like I would have liked, but I did appreciate Evan and Hank coming to terms.

Uh oh, methinks Divya gave Eric the wrong meds. Oh dear.

What did you think of this episode of Royal Pains? Got any favorite bits or least favorite bits of your own? I’d love to hear from you!

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Bagpipe_mouse

I thought this was fairly weak as a semi-season ending episode.

I am sick to death of Divya. My hubby commented that her character is almost unrecognizable from the smart, ambitious woman we started the show with. And those short shorts? Is she shopping at Hookers-R-Us now?!

Still don’t care about VanDyke. He’s not evil. He’s just unnecessary. There are too many characters and too many story lines going on right now for this totally predictable will-they-or-won’t-they romantic arc.

Jill…I wish the writers would fish or cut bait with this story line! It’s pretty obvious they intend to keep the character, so how about settling her in and either pair her up with Hank or develop her as her own single character.

I did like that they didn’t completely resolve the tension between Hank and Evan. That’s realistic. And I like that Evan showed some flashes of maturity in stepping up to help the General at the book signing and supporting Hank in his treatment suggestion.

LOVED Eric! I had to laugh…I said “I wonder if this is Stendhal Syndrome” about 5 minutes before Hank did! I actually experienced that at the Vatican seeing “School of Athens”. I’m a total art geek, so I really identified with a lot of what Eric was saying. I hope they keep his character on after this crisis is over.

No Boris. Wasn’t really expecting it. Sad that they had this intriguing story line going, and they completely set it aside for a lot of childish behavior from multiple characters.

Not their best effort.

Roger

Heh. The people who watch Royal Pains are actually smarter and more demanding than the producers or writers. If they could only do a few outstanding episodes minus their easy self congratulating things might be good. If we look at the actors and talent they have on the show, it’s obvious that weak storylines need to be edited and more direction to be given. Why do they have to keep the scripts underwraps? Shouldn’t they be involving the actors more with it? And I know Mark is very much a part of it, but what about everyone else? I feel this is why fans or all the cast and guests feel a bit ripped off this season.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CHFJLOURUEVT6D33MGUYT5IN5I David

I’m with ya Bagpipe–this was a thoroughly mediocre attempt at a cliffhanger, and they did it with the wrong character IMO. Was Campbell Scott SOOOOOOOOOO inordinately busy that he couldn’t spare an hour or two to film a resolution, or even an advancement, to his story arc?

Instead we got filler about some “poor me” Bollywood “star” (who can’t afford her own car or driver?!?!?!?) runings Divya ragged, causing her to misread a chart–with potentially fatal results–for a non-principal character.

BTW, this was the second finale with a medical emergency surrounding Divya (recall that the last season ended with her and Raj being led into quarantine for exposure to plague) and you’d think this time would be MORE interesting than the last, but for me, it wasn’t.

Knycks

I also think it was a fairly weak season ender and medically not well done at all. Divya didn’t consult the chart that said he has diabetes and could not take steroids, and a mid-thirty year old who has had the disease for a lengthy period of time didn’t hear the word STEROID three times and mention that he cannot have steroids.

Plus the car and iPad commerical were a little over the top. I used to be a HUGE Royal Pains fan but I’m not loving it as much as Necessary Roughness & Suits these days.
ptjackson

Regarding Divya’s quick changes – it is possible she had her street clothes under her scrubs…. that would save her a little time! Otherwise, yeah, Superman has nothing on her….. LOL….
ptjackson

Regarding Divya’s quick changes – it is possible she had her street clothes under her scrubs…. that would save her a little time! Otherwise, yeah, Superman has nothing on her….. LOL….
Shaun

I’m a huge Mac fan, and have an Ipod Nano, Imac computer, but the blatant product insertions are getting embarrassing. ;) The finale was weak to me. We don’t need the absolute closure to Jill and Boris Baby/Car accident thingy, but it was the actual biggest draw of this summer.

My impression was the episode contained unused leftover footage of Wilmer in the Hamptons, and newer scenes shot in New York. The photo of Jill in the promo pic wasn’t even in this episode, but she was hardly in the finale either if that’s any thing to gloat about for all the Jill Haters.

Royal Pains is getting harder to watch because the show seems to go nowhere, unlike say NURSE JACKIE were so many things happen, and they juggle alot of characters and everyone is memorable with hilarious lines.
Guest

I was not at all happy with this episode but for an entirely different reason than the other posters here.

I was in total disbelief that they showed an electro-convulsive shock treatment being administered. Make no mistake, it is not the benign procedure that we saw. I was so disgusted, in fact, that I didn’t finish watching the episode, and left this feedback for the show at the USANetwork website:

This message is to express my distaste at your presentation of electro-convulsive therapy in the Royal Pains season finale.
To characterize this practice as oh-so-much-more humane in its current form than in the past does an enormous disservice to your viewing public. The entire purpose of the treatment is to induce seizure, causing a closed-head injury.
Whereas we are trained from a very early age to avoid trauma to the head (such as by the use of bike helmets), and any other head injury is very closely monitored and thoroughly treated in order to ensure no lasting damage to the victim, here we have doctors themselves causing the injury. And under the current, “humane” delivery, the patient, under general anesthesia as well as physical paralysis, is harder to convulse, requiring even stronger current.
The effects of ECT are permanent and include potentially severe complications to the cardiovascular and neurological systems, as well as physical injury, pain, brain damage, shock-induced seizure and permanent cognitive impairment.
In fact, the bilateral method demonstrated on your show yields the greatest amount of cognitive impairment. Yet your episode showed an almost pastoral scene with family and friends looking on while electrical current was passed through the patient’s brain (in itself, a highly unlikely scenario), and almost no patient reaction during the treatment itself other than slight flexing in her hand.
When the treatment was completed, family and friends acted pleased and congratulatory, as if this were nothing more than a wart removal.Frankly, I found this appalling. Make no mistake: electro-convulsive therapy will always be barbaric, no matter how well paralyzed and unconscious the subject.
It is probably no coincidence that earlier this year the FDA’s Neurological Devices Panel was asked to reclassify electro-convulsive devices as less dangerous than their current Class III rating (as a highly-regulated ‘high risk’ medical device), which it declined to do. I wonder how much else of your program, which is billed as a comedy, is a front for popularizing other questionable medical practices.
Suffice it to say that after last night’s episode I will no longer be a Royal Pains viewer, choosing not to support such moral and ethical irresponsibility.
Geobarb64

Who was the actress playing the doc who administered the ECT to Paige’s mother?