The Pediatric Oncologist

After a run of terrific episodes, all 8's or 9's, The Studio slips a notch with this one. The actors are still good - mostly guest actors this time - and I still laughed, but the subject matter was at fault.

The argument over whether medicine and entertainment are equivalent is just inane and not particularly interesting. Matt's egotistical need to win an inane argument falls flat.

The idea of a movie franchise based on the CIA's old MK Ultra project is plausible enough. The diarrhea zombie movie, not so much, but this series always dances along the edge of plausibility.

Next week's episode looks like it will be back to form. How can they mess up "casting"?

A solid episode exploring the "painkillers vs. Vitamins" metaphor - practical necessity versus emotional or artistic enrichment - and how both serve vital roles in society. It also gives a nice contrast between Matt's self-effacing personality and his deep seriousness about his work, echoing the attitude of Sarah's gala friends who clearly believe their work trumps his in importance.

I thought Sarah (Matt's girlfriend) gave a strong performance - she clearly turns out not to be a great match for him, but she plays the role well. On the other hand, I couldn't help noticing a particularly weak performance from a woman in a dark blue dress at the gala. The camera seems to actively avoid her and focus away from her, maybe on purpose? Her gestures and facial expressions were jarringly off, like something out of a toddler's stage play. How did she get casted? And why did the director accept this?

Also a small mercy: not too much Maya (Kathryn Hahn) this time. Her entire character arc so far seems limited to shouting and swearing for effect. I can't stand her performance.

Overall, a good episode with thoughtful themes - though the casting is leading to issues.

I genuinely don't understand why this episode is getting so much praise. This show is absolutely phenomenal and I adore it but this episode is an absolute snooze fest.

I genuinely enjoy almost every episode of anything I watch so I'm genuinely surprised at my own hatred of this episode but oh my GOD.

It's completely disconnected from the rest of the show. It doesn't have to do anything with the main plot, there's no real subplot.

The camera feels oddly static compared to the rest of the show.

It never cuts back to the rest of the cast, which isn't really necessary, but it just makes the episode boring and kinda kills the pacing.

And, again, it's completely disconnected from the episode before and the episode after.

I suppose you could say that episode 5 is filler but that's okay -shows can and SHOULD have filler- because at least Episode 5 gave Quinn and Sal character development.

Nothing of importance happens in this episode and I think that's what makes it so frustrating.

We're introduced to a new character that we then never see again, there's no character development there, just Matt being revealed to be in a relationship and then immediately leaving that relationship. It's *pointless.*

I really wanted to give it 2 stars just because of how much I love the show but I genuinely hate this episode.

I'm definitely biased as an artist, and although I do think Matt handled himself pretty horribly throughout this episode, he wasn't entirely wrong. Medicine is clearly more important in society as it keeps us going, however, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, "art is what we stay alive for." We should all strive to make things to stay alive for, while also respecting those that allow us to sustain life.

Solid episode, cringy at times, because Matt can't let things go lol, but enjoyable, funny and well-written otherwise. I'm excited to see where the next few episodes take us this season, and see what other shanangins this group will find themselves in.

"The Pediatric Oncologist" is the sixth episode of The Studio, which delves into Matt Remick's personal life and his relationship with his girlfriend, a doctor who treats children with cancer. At a charity gala, Matt discovers that his work as a movie mogul is not as important or high-stakes as their work saving children's lives. Writer Alex Gregory presents Matt with a professional problem: Continental Studios is working on a Johnny Knoxville movie called Duhpocalypse!, about zombies spreading their infection through bloody diarrhea. Doctors view it as mindless Hollywood slop, while Matt's perspective is a dark satire of COVID-era medical disinformation. The episode contrasts the ridiculous problems of Matt's work life with the real problems of his girlfriend's work life. Matt and his girlfriend have different conversations at the charity gala, with Matt discussing whether to cut a closeup of Josh Hutcherson's face from the Duhpocalypse! Trailer and his girlfriend discussing various options for their child's treatment. Seth Rogen's acting in "The Pediatric Oncologist" is exceptional, with his delivery of cringe-inducing rants about the importance of cinema and his commitment to the bit. The episode features an interesting discussion at the heart of the episode, where Matt makes a strong point that fun, escapist movies can help people get through hard times, and all movies are technically art. The vehicle for this discussion is hilarious dialogue pitting Matt against everyone else in the room. The episode explores the limitations of Matt's neuroses, as he is not fully functional once removed from the boundaries of industry spaces. The Doctor finds him entirely funny and charming in isolation, but only up until the point where he tries to enter her world. It becomes clear that the novelty of someone who is capable of humor is just that: a novelty.

This episode is one of the more relatable episodes that simultaneously reinforces how unrelatable this world truly is. It is curious as always how people are landing with Matt and how we feel about Spike Jonze coming out of feature film retirement to make a horror comedy commentary on medical disinformation with Johnny Knoxville.