Royal Pains premiered on the USA Cable Network on June 4, 2009, and airs on Thursday evenings.
The show leaves behind the Long Island society depicted by F. Scott Fitzgerald in favor of showing the evolved world of the current pampered new money inhabitants of the Hamptons.
No amount of material things can buy the residents immunity from cosmetic surgery gone wrong, drug overdoses, car crashes, and of course, the common cold, so the landed “gentry” have bought themselves a new doctor.
The Plot of Royal Pains
Conscientious and intelligent doctor, Hank Lawson (Mark Feurstein) is unjustly fired and blackballed from every New York hospital due to his prioritizing the medical emergency of another patient over a billionaire hospital donor.
Depressed through disillusionment and bankruptcy, Lawson proceeds to also lose his increasingly frustrated fiancé. In an endeavor to cheer his brother and do some social climbing, Hank’s accountant brother, Evan (Paulo Costanzo) plans a Memorial Day Weekend trip to the Hamptons.
Following Hank saving the life of a guest at an “it” party, word soon spreads in the tight nit society of his medical ability, and despite his opposition, he becomes the doctor on call to the rich and even richer.
The Cast and Characters of Royal Pains
Mark Feurstain does an admirable job in the leading role of Dr. Hank Lawson, and his performance is the most drawing aspect of the show.
Most of the rest of the cast show some potential as performers, but could also be described as mediocre, rendering their characters to seem lacking in dimension.
The most absorbing supporting character is the thus far minor role of Tucker (Ezra Miller), who calls Hank for assistance following a car accident.
Concerned for his cyber-hypochondriac girlfriend, Tucker is unworried about replacing his wealthy neglectful father’s rare and expensive wrecked car. The good doctor soon realizes that Tucker has the “royal affliction” of hemophilia, and saving the life of the goodhearted rich teen contributes to hank’s decision to remain in the Hamptons.
The Filming of Royal Pains
The first episode was too inattentive in establishing some of the initial background in an entertaining method. The first fifteen to twenty minutes of the episode features quick cuts and high speed action, but it is too slow in revealing interesting information. Once the show abandons its preoccupation with experimenting with the camera, the story picks up considerably.
In praise of the camera men, the crew successfully films the location of the Hamptons to appear more luscious and beautiful than the predominately flat, dried out, and weedy area.
Medical Drama or Fantasy Soap Opera
The premise of an honorable outsider being thrown into an amoral and insane society seems to be played out. Recent series such as Gossip Girl, 90210, Privileged, and the failed Dirty Sexy Money have all attempted a version of this “Ugly Duckling in Shark Infested Water” premise. Past series and many movies have also utilized it.
Royal Pains seems to be attempting to take advantage of the popular premises of medical drama and fantasy soap opera. Such a combination could be a dangerous balancing act, which may not be able to produce a satisfying execution of either genre.
The series has potential, but it runs the risk of becoming a clash between Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl “grown-up.”
