This article contains spoilers for St. Denis Medical Season 3 Episode 2.
One benefit of network television, and something sorely missed amid streaming’s preference for eight- to ten-episode seasons, is the filler episode. While its definition can vary slightly, a filler episode tends to do little narratively to advance a show’s overarching plot or challenge its characters. Instead, it favours low-stakes scenarios that, particularly in sitcoms, put side characters and much-needed humour front and centre. St. Denis Medical has mastered the filler episode in previous seasons, though its latest instalment arrives a little too early in Season 3. This week’s ‘Is That a Dinosaur’ hardly feels like the second episode of a new season, but it gives Kahyun Kim and David Alan Grier another opportunity to shine as one of the show’s most underrated yet beloved pairings.
‘Is That a Dinosaur’ centres on Ron’s (Grier) first day back at work following his triple bypass surgery in the Season 2 finale. The cold open revisits the show’s trademark cringe comedy, this time at Ron’s expense, as he inadvertently hijacks a celebration for a young patient who broke 17 bones and is finally leaving the hospital, mistaking it for a welcome-back party. He still gets a gift, though. Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) hands him a box of chocolates filled with vegetables, along with a ring to monitor his heart rate. While St. Denis Medical still hasn’t addressed Ron’s “Where’s my Joyce?” faux pas beyond his request that nobody else see the footage, Joyce hysterically admits he has historically struggled to keep a ring on his finger, so hopefully things will be different this time. It’s hard not to let this set shipper alarm bells off, given their chemistry and sitcoms’ fondness for ironic callbacks when developing romantic pairings.
McLendon-Covey remains hilarious, a fact that bears repeating given how brilliant her performance is. It’s a shame that St. Denis Medical has yet to break through during awards season, but if NBC throws more support behind the series, the comedian may have a chance, especially with Hacks having come to an end and leaving more room in the comedy lead actress race. Joyce and Keith (Dave Theune) spend much of the episode following Ron around and monitoring his heart rate. Gail, the hospital’s in-house counsel, who doesn’t appear this week but will be played by Martha Kelly, wants to avoid a lawsuit should Ron fall ill. Joyce even goes so far as to ask Serena (Kim) to assign Ron only the easiest cases, offering the first indication that his return will be anything but eventful.
And eventful it is. Ron and Serena find themselves treating Lucas, an animal activist who arrives at the hospital with a snapping turtle named Marine firmly attached to his neck. Ron mistakes the creature for a dinosaur, giving the episode its title. The pair try to coax the turtle to let go with increasingly ridiculous methods, from dangling food in front of it to playing predator sounds to scare it. Just as they succeed, Joyce bursts into the room screaming “dinosaur,” prompting the turtle to latch onto Lucas’s neck once again. It’s another reminder of why Joyce and Ron remain such an unlikely pairing worth rooting for, even if their dynamic isn’t the episode’s focus.
Although St. Denis Medical takes place almost entirely in a bustling emergency department, episodes rarely show audiences prolonged stretches of medical procedures or individual cases. ‘Is That a Dinosaur’ switches things up, and the situation quickly escalates when Ron and Serena realise that even the slightest nick could cause Lucas to bleed out. Ron suggests euthanising the turtle, and even Lucas, despite finding himself in this predicament because he wanted to free Marine, agrees. However, the owner of the sanctuary where Marine belongs threatens to sue the hospital if they harm the animal. With their options dwindling, Ron and Serena decide to sedate and intubate the turtle instead, ultimately saving both patient and animal.
Afterwards, Ron, ever the opportunist, tells Serena that he feels faint and needs to get to the break room, even asking her to fetch him an ice cream. He is only pretending, having found yet another way to exploit everyone’s concern for his health. Grier is a charming performer, conveying Ron’s refusal to let his recent surgery stop him from being as difficult and stubborn as ever, effectively.
The B-plot lets Bruce (Josh Lawson) and Matt (Mekki Leeper) provide light-hearted humour as they bond over their respective relationships. Matt and Serena share inside jokes that Bruce and Emerson (Ariana Madix) lack, something Bruce becomes increasingly envious of. He wants a similar connection with Emerson, even suggesting they adopt the nickname “The Scrub Buds,” though she points out that everyone at the hospital wears scrubs. Madix’s deadpan delivery is laughably delightful, and it’s a shame she isn’t a series regular.
When Emerson cancels their lunch plans for a consultation, Bruce spots a typo in her message and decides to turn it into an inside joke. Matt eagerly helps him write the perfect response, but Emerson corrects the mistake before they can send it, ruining their window. Lawson, like McLendon-Covey, is the heart of St. Denis Medical’s comedy, and his ability to make Bruce’s desperate attempts at one-upping those around him both ridiculous and endearing remains one of the show’s strengths.
Eventually, Bruce admits that he wants them to have inside jokes because he likes her and believes they’re important in a relationship. Despite his desperation, all it takes is for him to slip as he walks away, prompting Emerson to put up a wet floor sign. Bruce takes it as a personal insult rather than a harmless joke, although Emerson assumes he is joking when he calls it bullying. He plays along, despite clearly taking offence. The great irony is that Bruce finally gets the shared joke he’s been craving, only to discover he doesn’t enjoy being its punchline.
All in all, ‘Is That a Dinosaur’ is another funny, entertaining instalment that highlights St. Denis Medical’s greatest strength lies with its ensemble. But for all its charm, the episode feels as though it arrived too early in the season. With Ron returning to work post-surgery, and the Season 2 finale emphasising several character dynamics worth exploring, the series feels like it has more pressing stories to tell for now.
