Royal Pains Season Finale Review: 50/50

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It was a rough two weeks for HankMed on Royal Pains. They lost their first patient in Jack, and the loss caused quite Hank a lot of angst, which he took out on the daredevil brothers he treated this episode. Elsewhere, Divya treated a patient with a deviated septum and Evan entertained a business proposal from Boris's cousin Claudette.

All the twists turns and potentially big changes added up to a solid season finale with "This One's For Jack."

Brother v. Brother

I suppose it's most fitting to start with Jack's loss. The episode felt a little empty without his big personality, and its absence only made the loss that much more realistic. It was clearly real for Hank, who even found himself hallucinating that Jack was still alive. The genuine grief he experienced for his friend was a side of Hank we haven't had occasion to see. It broke my heart.

Perhaps the best part about it was that he finally admitted that he was angry with Jack for dying. The anger had been painfully evident, especially when he took such a hard-line with the admittedly idiotic Susumi brothers and their Jackass-style Youtube movie dreams.

The tribute to Jack on the golf course was certainly the most fitting thing they could have done to honor him. Particularly Hank's beautiful shot, which wasn't present when Jack was still around to see it. It was up to par on this important occasion.

On other fronts, Divya and Evan experienced a bit of domestic unrest, mainly in the form of Divya being unusually kind to Evan, which pushed beyond his comfort threshold. If only that gratefulness Divya expressed for Evan's purchase of her shares hadn't served as a loaded gun for his confrontation with Hank.

Of all the things Evan could have done wrong at this moment, it was disregarding Hank's feelings about the future of HankMed. It was beyond obvious he was not in the right place to be thinking about it. Furthermore, he had made it explicitly clear on many occasions that he wasn't in favor of expanding. I'm sure that desire was only reinforced when Claudette entered the fray. I can tell he doesn't trust her or anything she stands for.

This is part of the reason I believe that Boris wanted Hank and Evan to hear the business pitch. I think Boris thought that Hank would swiftly reject it and Evan would follow suit. If only Boris knew what really ended up happening.

What a shocker it was that Hank ended up on Jill's doorstep and Evan ended up on Van Dyke's. Talk about making rash choices in the heat of the moment. No way either one of them meant to do that. Evan was truly appalled by Van Dyke's bedside manner and, come on, does Hank really want to head off to Uruguay? Everyone needs to sit down with a glass of tea and think things out before they start making these no doubt life-changnng decisions.

I would be remiss to end without giving a shout-out to Molly Sims. I loved her character and only wished we would have gotten to see more. It was pretty notable that her portrayal of a wheelchair-bound fashion consultant lent itself well to Reshma Shetty's Character's Unite campaign commercial. Nice call, USA Network.

So, do you think Evan's instinct is correct or did he overstep to go behind Hank's back? Is this the end of HankMed as we know it?

This One's For Jack Review

Editor Rating: 4.7 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0 (51 Votes)

C. Charles is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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Royal Pains Season 3 Episode 16 Quotes

I guess you find strength and independence in the last place you want to look.

Divya

Hank: I have the letters M.D., so I'm in charge.
Evan: Actually I own 2/3 of the company, so I'm in charge.
Hank: Well you can have my third too. I quit.