‘Royal Pains’ 5.2 Episode Recap And Review: Blythe Spirits

Now that The Hankies are off “Hank Watch” duty, HankMed’s employees’ subplots move forward. Divya’s (Reshma Shetty) pregnancy news is still a shocker, but what’s even more alarming is that the birth of her first child may not be viable — because of an accident she endured at age 12, after falling off of a horse. Meanwhile, Evan (Paulo Constanzo) is attempting to rectify Mrs. Ballard’s (Frances Conroy) cease and desist order, which prohibits HankMed from performing concierge services to their patients, as such activity affects The Hamptons’ zoning laws.

Elsewhere, Hank (Mark Feuerstein) treats a local cop (guest star Brad Beyer) with a rebellious teenage daughter (guest star Alexandra Socha) whose crazy antics may be detrimental to his health. And later, Paige (Brook D’Orsay) and Evan adjust to their new home, while another client offers to buyout HankMed.

The possibility of becoming a parent continues to affect Divya’s behavior, and Evan continues to struggle with how to settle his neighborhood feud. Viewers also learn that Dimitri (Mark Ivanir) and Boris (Campbell Scott) are half-brothers, leading Henry to believe that Dimitri is in fact responsible for Boris’ disappearance.

What’s so interesting about the “Blythe Spirits” episode is how the women on Royal Pains approach their problems with logic, rather than emotion – take for example, Paige. When Evan decides to call his lawyer to deal with Blythe Ballard, she’s the one who suggests that he “fight back Hamptons-style” by putting together a high-society mixer, which will allow the community to get better acquainted with HankMed’s employees, while they learn more about the services they offer. Another example of a female character that faces issues head on is Divya. Katdare was the first person to rule in favor of Symphonia (formerly Hamptons Heritage) merging with Hank Med to provide the local hospital with a private concierge wing.

But my favorite part of the “Blythe Spirits” episode is the fact Jeremiah is still hiding his feelings toward Divya. It seems his colleagues are fully aware of it, which is why the writers so cleverly figure out a way to have him face his fear. Since Divya offered to travel to Savannah Georgia to learn more about how Symphonia’s health operates, Hank suggests that Dr. Sacani tag along, thereby presenting an opportunity for some much needed character development for Ben Shenkman.

Will Dr. Jeremiah be able to work alongside Katdare? More important, could a budding romance be in their future? Only time will tell, so tune in on June 26, at 9PM EST to see what happens next on Royal Pains and feel free share your thoughts below!

Some food for thought for episode 3:

• Will Evan and Hank accept Shelby Shackleford’s offer to turn HankMed into a major corporation?
• Divya’s OBGYN is concerned about her HCG levels- what could this mean for her character later on?
• Now that we know Boris is indeed alive, will his whereabouts be revealed?
• Why did Dimitri ask to have the old security footage of Shadow Pond erased? What is he hiding, and why?