I haven't been reviewing Royal Pains lately (mostly due to laziness), but it's time to drop in. In spirit of the easy-to-watch summer show, this season has been what one would expect of the show. There are several plot threads, each moving without too much urgency but are worked on each week. The contrivances, expectedly, are in full-force, with Raj and his parents seeming more sociopathic than ever and Hank and Evan coming into conflict in every episode, but none them are gamebreakers.
The plot of "Ta Da For" has the usual medical stuff, which has become a purely rote exercise at this point, and a magician so the audience can be entertained by magic tricks. Compared to the bubbling joy of Libby last week, the magician fell a little short.
What I really want to comment on is the final conversation between Hank and Evan. Evan doesn't like that Hank doesn't take him seriously, that Hank rolls his eyes whenever Evan starts talking about his big plans. Yet, Evan seems to get things done on the business side. This is bothersome to me because Evan's success is only because the writers make him successful. In my eyes, Evan is a clown. His behavior, his attitude, his disposition all seem juvenile. Take, for example, his fixation on Matt Lauer. Not only does he go to the pool and the store to find Matt, he treats it all very lightly, as if what he's doing is neither a serious business venture nor a somewhat creepy action.
But the writers make it so that Evan is awesome and succeeds a lot--when the more obvious answer would be that Evan succeeds only because of repeated attempts, not any personal trait other than perseverance. Basically, Evan's business plan is to hand everyone a card or DVD, talk to everyone possible, and have a thin skin when he's rejected. That's what I see when Evan at work, not a savvy businessman who makes efficient use of his time.
Score: 8.0/10
