Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great characters and fun stories you'll love
Cons: None for me
The Bottom Line:
Comedy, drama
Characters moving forward
Medicine mixed in
"They Do It All the Time on Grey's Anatomy." "But Those People Have Serious Fictional Medical Problems."
I never really considered medical shows. I’m a bit squeamish and they all seemed so
life and death serious. But that was
before I met the delightful Royal Pains. Okay, yes, the occasional episode can make me
squeamish, but I love the characters and the comedy of the show really helps
the medicine go down. That still rings
true with season four of the show.
It might help that the show is as much about the main
characters as it is medical mystery show.
In fact, they seem to alternate.
One week the medical aspect will be foremost, and the next the
character’s lives will take center stage.
The show centers around Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), a
doctor who has started a concierge medical practice in the Hamptons
in New York State Hamptons
for a medical clinic in need in South America .
Part way through the season, two new cast members were added
from the ranks of the recurring guest star list. The first of these is Boris (Campbell Scott)
who owns the mansion where the Lawson brothers live. Boris is a man of mystery, and he begins
recruiting Hank for a secret project involving a friend who doesn’t want to
listen to Hank’s advice and secret trips away from the Hamptons .
Meanwhile, they also added Paige Collins (Brooke D'Orsay). Paige is Evan’s fiancée, and this move
absolutely thrilled me. I can not think
of a couple better suited for one another.
They bring out the absolute best when they are together, and their
chemistry is wonderful. As a regular
cast member, Paige gets a couple of juicy story lines this season that really
play up the strengths of their relationship.
Wait, this is a medical show? Yes it is, although you can see why I say it
is as much about the characters as the medical mystery of the week. Over the course of the season, their clients
include a matchmaker, a competitive polo player, a pop star, and a DEA agent
who thinks she’s been poisoned.
The show always takes itself and the medical mystery
seriously. In fact, there are some
episodes where I actually do get concerned for the characters, be they main or
guest star. Since I’m not remotely
familiar with the medical field, I don’t know how accurate the medicine is, but
it works for me.
But the show balances that out with some comedy, mostly
growing out of the characters. These
characters are fully developed, and I love them all. But they can all have their goofy sides, and
I will often laugh at their antics or the situation they’ve found themselves in
along the way. And the funniest
episode? It involves Dr. van Dyke,
Paige, and Evan and is worthy of any sitcom out there today.
The acting? The cast
manages to make the medical jargon sound believable, pulls off the dramatic
scenes perfectly, and yet makes me laugh in the lighter scenes – sometimes all
within the same episode. Yes, it’s
pretty much perfect.
Season four consisted of 14 episodes that aired during the
summer of 2012. Then, in December, they
aired a two hour movie set right before Christmas. While it took place several months removed
from the rest of the series, it did manage to advance quite a few of the
storylines that were left hanging when the summer run ended.
And all sixteen hours are included in this set in their
native widescreen and full surround on four discs.
Ultimately, I just find Royal Pains fun with characters I
absolutely love. If you haven’t seen
this show, hurry up and catch up to season four so you’ll be ready to start
watching season five.
Season 4 Episodes:
1. After the Fireworks
2. Imperfect Storm
3. A Guesthouse Divided
4. Dawn of the Med
5. You Give Love a Bad Name
6. About Face
7. Fools Russian
8. Manimal
9. Business & Pleasure
10. Who's Your Daddy
11. Dancing with the Devil
12. Hurts Like a Mother
13. Something Fishy This Way Comes
14. Sand Legs
15. & 16. Off-Season Greetings
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