This article contains spoilers for St. Denis Medical Season 2 Episode 17.
St. Denis Medical airs its penultimate episode of Season 2 on March 30. “Here a Righteous Woman Comes” sees Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) host a ribbon-cutting for the birthing centre. Elsewhere, Matt (Mekki Leeper) and Serena (Kahyun Kim) take on an awkward assignment. Meanwhile, Ron (David Alan Grier) tries to knock out a quick physical before his fishing trip.
From the outset, the episode establishes Joyce’s storyline as both triumphant and doomed. She insists the best part of having a baby is choosing its name, and her bundle of joy – the hospital’s birthing centre – finally has one. The name changes at the last minute when Joyce convinces benefactor Amelia Irving to use her maiden name, White, to distance herself from her scandal-prone ex-husband. This leads to the hilariously tone-deaf “White Women’s Birthing Centre” that sends Joyce into an immediate spiral. Val (Kaliko Kauahi) wearily suggests that perhaps no one will notice.
Despite the setback, Joyce goes ahead with the ribbon-cutting ceremony, presenting it as the culmination of a gruelling year. She sees herself as Sisyphus, pushing a boulder up an endless hill, though in her version, he eventually reaches the top, and people congratulate him for his efforts. It’s a perfectly Joyce-like reinterpretation – slightly delusional but well meant. She throws everything at the event, from elaborate sashes for the “cool” and “diverse” first couple to sign up, to an expansive guest list that spans press, politicians, mommy bloggers, and a reserved seat for The New York Times, whose silence she interprets as promising.
Alex (Allison Tolman) and Val, drafted in on their day off, serve as uneasy witnesses to Joyce’s mounting expectations. The ceremony initially appears to be a success, with a strong turnout. Joyce cannot resist elevating the occasion further, announcing she will perform with the choir. Naturally, the choir will, in fact, be singing with her. What follows cuts her grand vision short and, in doing so, hands McLendon-Covey her finest material of the season.
The episode delivers its sharpest character work in the aftermath as Joyce and Alex argue, unaware that Joyce’s discarded microphone is broadcasting every word outside. Joyce lays bare the personal toll the hospital has taken on her life, from ill-advised romantic decisions to being rejected by her own postman. McLendon-Covey’s portrayal of Joyce’s loneliness hits like a gut punch. Emmy glory for St. Denis Medical may be a long shot, but she more than earns it. Alex acknowledges her sacrifices, but the moment veers between sympathy and second-hand embarrassment until Val intervenes to inform them that the entire audience has heard everything.
Humiliated, Joyce declares she will live out her days in the gift shop, sustaining herself on snacks and an off-putting plan involving potted plants and the circle of life. St. Denis Medical is at the top of its game here, blending laugh-out-loud comedy with something far more affecting. Joyce tells Alex to go and cut the ribbon. Alex, in turn, reassures Joyce that she deserved the moment, highlighting how much she has sacrificed to bring the centre to life.
“Here a Righteous Woman Comes” offers welcome development for Matt and Serena, nudging their slow-burn dynamic forward. They begin on a relatively normal footing, helping out at the event. Still, there is an underlying tension, a sense that they are tiptoeing around feelings the audience – and Bruce (Josh Lawson) – can already see clearly.
The farce begins when the original pregnant couple drops out, having welcomed their baby that morning. Alex pivots instantly into damage control, and her solution is for Matt and Serena to pose as the couple. It’s equal parts desperate and exactly the push they need. She sends Matt to fetch a silicon bump from OB; he briefly assumes he will be the one wearing it, before Alex clarifies it’s for Serena. Leeper’s earnestness makes the scene hilariously compelling.
Once in position at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the pair slip into their roles with an ease that is alarming to them but entirely predictable for us. Their backstory evolves in real time, each detail more ridiculously charming than the last. Leeper and Kim are at their best when convincing guests that Matt plays in a Vanessa Carlton cover band. They met at one of his shows where Serena lifted her top and locked eyes with him, never looking away since. It bodes well for their future, given that the pair are smitten, even if they are yet to realise it.
For those invested in the will-they-won’t-they, this is a particularly satisfying episode. Matt calling Serena “pumpkin” catches her off guard, not least because she likes it. A later photoshoot pushes the act further, leading to a request for a kiss that they awkwardly refuse. St. Denis Medical, wisely, does not leave it there, circling back to that moment with a payoff that feels earned, and, crucially, as good as you would hope.
The C-plot delivers much-needed humour, though it also ends in upset. Doctors at St. Denis must complete an annual physical to maintain their insurance. Ron’s happens to fall on the exact day of a long-planned fishing trip with friends he insists are nearly impossible to coordinate with, largely because they are in their 70s and, in his words, inept at texting.
Bruce, scheduled for the same appointment, becomes Ron’s reluctant partner in this ordeal. Ron insists they should be seen at once because they are best friends and do everything together. While close, he’s far more interested in completing the physical and leaving, eager to return to his trip. Bruce is touched by the label, despite pointing out that Ron is a little misguided. He ranks as his third-best friend.
Though not the focus, Lawson still delivers plenty of laughs. Bruce admits he is not great with needles and asks the nurse, Kelly (Jayma Mays), to take it slow. Ron impatiently takes his care into his own hands to speed things along. However, the episode takes another sad turn when they receive their results, and it becomes clear that Ron is not getting away as easily as he would like. He needs further tests, with Grier more than capable of handling where the storyline heads.
As the episode closes, Joyce stands watching the ribbon-cutting. Alex points out that it feels wrong that a woman who has sacrificed so much is not the one at the centre of it. A few months ago, the space held crash carts and what turned out to be a new species of spider. Now it’s a place where the community will give birth to the next generation, all because of Joyce, who has a vision and wills it into existence even if it almost kills her.
Alex insists she should cut the ribbon, but Joyce is already gone, rushing to Ron after receiving word about his health. St. Denis Medical has made several hints that their friendship will progress into something more in Season 2. This week cements that they could be something great.
The day may not have gone as Joyce envisioned, but she suggests that Sisyphus’ problem was focusing too much on the boulder and not realising he had people around him, cheering him on. In the strongest episode of the series yet, St. Denis Medical proves the strength of its ensemble. “Here a Righteous Woman Comes” feels like a definitive sitcom episode – one audiences will look back on as the show at its best, and the moment it becomes unmissable.
