Since taking on the job of Charge Nurse at St. Denis, Alex has faced many challenges. And she’s also been struggling to find a balance between being a manager and maintaining a good rapport with the nurses under her leadership. In St. Denis Medical Season 2, Episode 8, ‘A Waste of Time and Marble’, she was put to the test in a way she did not expect when the staff decided they were done accepting management taking them for granted.
This week’s episode also saw the return of the Emergency Department’s “mean girls,” Rene (Nico Santos) and Sharice (Yssamei Panganiban). Then there was the very shocking development in Joyce’s relationship with her boyfriend, Sanderson.
MORE: Need a refresher of the last episode? Read our review of St. Denis Medical Season 2, Episode 7!
It’s Tough Being Middle Management
In her new role as Charge Nurse, Alex gets along with everyone. Except for Rene and Sharice. She’s been trying to build a good relationship and get them to like her since St. Denis Medical Season 1, Episode 4, ‘Salamat You Too.’ She’s been wanting them to see her as an equal who is in the same boat as them. Easier said than done. When Joyce gives Alex a reserved parking space, this only highlights the difference. None of the other nurses has reserved parking spaces, so to them, this feels like she’s getting special treatment. Alex doesn’t see it that way.
Because Joyce said “Yes” to her request for a reserved parking spot, she assumes that she can get her to agree to other things. This includes Renes’ request that the nurses receive more money for their Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Rene tells Alex that he’s been asking Joyce, but she keeps blowing the nurses off. Alex, as confident as ever, believes she can get the job done and essentially calls it a done deal. Until Joyce says “No.” Even when Alex suggests that the money be given based on seniority, Joyce still doesn’t budge.
Compromise is For the Weak
As a result of their demands going unheard and unmet, Rene proposes that the staff stage a walkout and leave the job until management listens to them. Obviously, this doesn’t look good at all for the hospital. And it doesn’t look for Alex if the nurses walk out on her shift. She takes this information straight to Joyce because she thinks it will make her change her mind. Unfortunately, it backfires. Joyce sees Alex as her own personal mole who can provide her with the inside scoop on what the nurses are doing. This was never Alex’s intent. But what did she think was going to happen if she went to Joyce with that information?
Alex thought what she did was going to help the nurses, but it just made the nurses feel they couldn’t trust her. They told her something in confidence. It was never meant for Joyce to know their plan. Then Alex made everything worse by informing the nurses that a walkout would be bad because Joyce was meeting with the board the following week. This piece of information only made them want to do the walkout more.
When Alex is ultimately exposed, she’s accused of playing both sides. Which she was to some extent. Alex is trying to show she knows how to be a leader. But she also doesn’t want the nurses to think she sees herself as being better than or above them. That is the challenge of being a manager. You have to decide when to be with the team and when you have to flex your managerial skills. She also learned that the upper management is not always going to have your back.
Alex believed that she and Joyce had formed a camaraderie and that she viewed her as an equal, but she realized that wasn’t the case. Joyce didn’t hesitate to steal her idea and throw her under the bus in front of the nurses. Joyce ended up looking like the good guy, and Alex ended up back at square one. Even though Rene did get what he wanted with the money for CEUs, his view of Alex didn’t change.
1, 2, 3, Go
After the birthing center failed inspection in St. Denis Medical Season 2, Episode 7, ‘No Wonder His Kidney Wants Out,’ Joyce is questioning every decision she makes. She no longer trusts her own judgment, so she turns to literature for the answer, as one often does. Her book of choice, titled 1, 2, 3 Go: Trusting Your Gut, teaches people to make decisions in three seconds. Of course, Joyce, being who she is, thinks utilizing this is a great way to make decisions. We agree it’s always a good idea to trust your gut because sometimes it’s right. Except in the instance Joyce used it.
Joyce’s boyfriend Sanderson, who is one of my least favorite characters on this show, showed up to the ER after swallowing a marble from a Hungry Hungry Hippo game. His reason for doing this was to get Joyce’s attention because she’s always too busy for him. First of all, that is an incredibly dumb way to try and get someone’s attention. All he had to do was talk to her like a normal person. For whatever reason, Ron and Bruce decided to help him win her over.
One of the things that I found interesting while watching Ron try and help Sanderson was how frustrated and annoyed he was by his lack of effort. It felt almost personal. Ron was irritated that it didn’t seem like Sanderson cared much about Joyce’s wants and needs. In fact, Ron seemed to know a lot more about Joyce. His anger with Sanderson made me wonder if he may be harboring some feelings for Joyce. I do realize that he could have just been angry because he’s a good friend of hers, but, for now, I’m going to go with my theory that there may be something more to Ron’s emotions about Joyce than I thought.
Remember when I said in some instances making decisions in three seconds and trusting your gut may not always a good idea? Well, that was true for Joyce because Sanderson’s bright idea to get Joyce back was to propose. Yes, that’s what I said. Sanderson proposed to Joyce. And she said “mmhmm” not “Yes.” That tells me Joyce is not ready for that kind of commitment. At least not with Sanderson. Personally, I think she can do much better. Sanderson works my nerves, and I don’t think he really sees Joyce. After watching his failed attempts to figure out how to win her over, I was more than convinced he’s not the right guy. It will, however, make for some interesting drama if it does turn out that Ron has feelings for Joyce.
Other Thoughts About the Episode
- Alex is a better person than me because Joyce calling her a “dumb…” was not cool.
- Joyce buying donuts to keep the staff from walking out is so much better than money for education. Said no one ever.
- “Sure, you’re family when they need unpaid overtime. Try asking for a mental health day.” When Serena said this, I felt it in my soul.
- Matt understands Tagalog.
- Serena using “A Bug’s Life” to explain corporate greed to Matt was perfect.
- One of the best things about this episode was seeing Matt get fired up over something. He’s always so quiet.
- Matt said his very first four-letter word on the job. A REAL one. Yup, it happens to us all, Matty.
- “It’s tough being middle management. You take it on the chin from both sides. No real power to change things and when things go right you still don’t get any credit.”
- Joyce, you should have said “No” to that marriage proposal.
St. Denis Medical airs Tuesday Nights at 8/7c on NBC.
