Exclusive Interview
New Couple Alert! ‘St. Denis Medical’ Boss Breaks Down That Instant Classic Kiss
What To Know
- St. Denis Medical’s Matt and Serena kissed for the first time in the March 30 episode.
- Showrunner Eric Ledgin spoke with Swooon about the Matt and Serena slow burn.
- Ledgin also teased the Season 2 finale and what’s next for Matt and Serena.
The “will they, won’t they?” dynamic has long been a staple of TV tropes, and many of these slow burn pairs remain so close to our hearts that it’s almost unhealthy. Sam and Diane on Cheers. Daphne and Niles on Frasier. Living Single‘s Max and Kyle. Gilmore Girls‘ Lorelei and Luke. Barchie, Bonrad, Buddie. And of course, one of the most iconic…The Office’s Jim and Pam. (Warning: Spoilers for St. Denis Medical Season 2 ahead!)
On March 30, a new couple entered the Wide World of WTWT when St. Denis Medical‘s flirty nurses Matt (Mekki Leeper) and Serena (Kahyun Kim) finally sealed the deal. Following nearly two seasons of unrequitedly crushing on one another, the duo shared a very real kiss after posing as a very fake — and expectant — couple at the grand opening of Joyce’s birthing center. Ironically, their late-night peck in the hospital’s parking lot bore a very similar vibe to Jim and Pam’s inaugural hookup on The Office, which had its highly charged lead-up to lip-lock in the Dunder-Mifflin lot.
“It’s funny, I haven’t thought about that in a while, but that has a memory resonance with me,” says showrunner Eric Ledgin, adding that he had Matt and Serena come together to kiss this way because “there’s something about having them kiss in the hospital that would feel not right, a little odd perhaps.” Especially given the insanely hilarious spectacle they had just witnessed with Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey, delivering her Emmy reel for next year) taking a catastrophic tumble off the stage and then emotionally spiraling over an open mic. “But the soft glow of parking lot lights after hours, it’s the transition [from work] to your personal life… There’s something I think that is elevated about that,” he notes.
Greg Gayne / NBC
When we pointed out how the characters were both less guarded in their civilian clothes rather than scrubs and more playful than antagonistic while pretending to be in a long-term relationship with the birthing-center attendees, Ledgin immediately credits Kim and Leeper for the tonal shift. “I have to give so much credit to the actors; they just intuitively knew how to play that they were both in a different zone based on what had happened inside, the loaded energy of it, and the awkwardness built on sexual tension,” he tells Swooon. “All of a sudden, they’re in this place where there are no other people around, there’s no one to hide from, they’re not hiding behind sarcasm as much in that moment. And Mekki really brilliantly played this idea that he has a mission in his mind. He knows this is his moment, and he cannot blow it.”
Like some of the best “will they, won’t they?” combos (remember, Oliver and Felicity weren’t originally supposed to be a thing on Arrow), Matt and Serena are only happening now because of the chemistry conjured up by Leeper and Kim.
Greg Gayne / NBC
“I did not start with the idea that they have to ever get together,” admits Ledgin. “I really didn’t. In fact, it was interesting to me that they might not ever and that it would just be a one-sided crush. But the way [they] played the characters, by the end of Season 1 and coming into Season 2, I think we discussed it a lot in the room. And the feeling that I agreed with was [that] we can get there. There is a lane here for the two of them that is very satisfying and that we actually want to make happen. But we had to feel like it was earned, and I think by the time we did it, it really felt that way.”
What now? With only one more episode left this season (and easily the show’s loveliest outing to date), Matt and Serena stans may have to wait to see how they move ahead. But Ledgin promises to treat them even better than most of St. Denis’ patients.
“I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say, based on how we ended things, I’m certainly not looking to just whiplash people, and all of a sudden pull the legs out from under them,” he assures us. “It felt like the last episode showed that whatever stutter step might have been possible, they didn’t stutter. They landed where they landed, and so I’d like to explore that.”
Until then, we’ll be here working on their new couple name. #Serenatt? Marena?
St. Denis Medical, Season 2, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC
