‘Royal Pains’ season 6, episode 5 review: ‘Goodwill Stunting’ hits the sweet spot

There are many shows out there that we enjoy when they take risks, mix things up, and give us something that forces us out of our comfort zone. However, for some reason we typically do not feel that way about “Royal Pains.” It is instead more akin to getting a nice big bowl of soup when you need it most. It’s TV comfort food, and sometimes you want to have a show that is precisely how you remember it.

This is why we’re glad that “Goodwill Stunting” tonight cut out Hank as a secret agent, the romantic subplots for Jeremiah and Divya, and focused more instead on some of what has kept the show on the air for so long: HankMed. We had a number of people who were coincidentally sick at just the right moment, and then someone who actually wasn’t sick at all.

In a stunt to get more attention to her blog, Hank tried to treat a woman claiming to have become paralyzed. However, it was all just a stunt for attention for her blog. What makes this show so different is that it’s not always going for that big emotional confrontation. Rather than embarrassing this woman for tricking him, he still made sure that she got  the emotional help that she needed since she obviously didn’t need anything physically.

Meanwhile, multiple characters were forced to face off against some career crises. For Paige, she had to come to terms with the fact that she and Russell were suddenly let go from their company, and were it not for being hired outright as private consultants by Ray (who is almost surely connected to the mob), they would be completely screwed. This was fun to watch, and the story about HankMed’s latest hurdle was equally captivating. Hamptons Heritage is looking to make life almost impossible for them thanks to high rates on lab equipment.  We imagine that Evan will find a way to work this out, and that journey will be part of the fun … or at least it typically is.

This episode tonight felt like a giant bowl of “Royal Pains” soup, silly as that may sound. We were looking for a light, breezy escape tonight, and while nothing huge happened and we may not remember much of this a month from now, we really don’t mind that much. Grade: B+.

What was your take on “Royal Pains” tonight? Share some of your thoughts now with a comment.