I’m not one to yell at my TV, but I’ll tell you that the cut to credits of this week’s episode of The Pitt made me yell “Fuck you!”
Missed a review? Episode 2.01 / 2.02 / 2.03 / 2.04 / 2.05 / 2.06 / 2.07 / 2.08 / 2.09 / 2.10
With only four hours remaining in the HBO Max series’ second season, The Pitt cranks up the tension with an episode that slowly rises the temperature through its final moments. There’s an undeniable feeling that things are spiralling out of control, both personally and professionally, for most of the cast.
We’ve clocked how most of the characters are struggling in recent episodes, as things become more and more challenging. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) had a panic attack last episode, but Robby (Noah Wyle) won’t let up, recommending that she erect a force field to keep the world outside when she’s inside*
*While is rich considering he’s the one who had a break-down that nearly rendered him catatonic around this point in S01
Meanwhile, what began as an amusing storyline about how Mel (Taylor Dearden)’s sister Becca (Tal Anderson) was having sex without her knowledge instead becomes something more serious and sad. Mel overreacts out of fear that Becca’s boyfriend of six months took advantage of her, a reaction that morphs into self-pity when she frets that her sister has been lying to her and may fall in love, get married, and leave Mel alone. Credit the always reliable Dana (Katherine LaNasa) for walking Mel back from the ledge with some (slightly gruff) tough love that the situation isn’t actually about her.
Still, this storyline – or Javadi’s (Shabana Azeez) much needed win working alongside her mother on Ogilvie’s (Lucas Iverson) screw-up – only feels like we’re treating surface wounds while the patient dies of internal bleeding. Perhaps the better patient metaphor is Fiona Dourif‘s McKay treating the really gnarly looking infection on unhoused addict Kiki with saline and fresh dressing. It’ll cover up the immediate problem, but the real issues persist.
That’s how much of this episode feels.
Obviously I’m dancing around the final moments, when The Pitt goes for the emotional jugular by putting poor, sweet Emma (Laetitia Hollard) in immediate danger from a drunk golfer who has spent the whole episode sedated. All season we’ve been clocking Emma’s struggle about whether the job is the right fit for her, which ironically is another constant that’s peppered through both Ogilvie and Mohan’s storylines. The former wondered last episode if this level of “ridiculous” is right for anyone, and in “5:00 P.M.” Mohan questions aloud whether the ED is the right place for her when Robby critiques her once again.
At this point it seems like there’s a serious danger that at least one, if not three or four, people will walk away after this no good, very bad shift. Throw in Santos, and that’s a lot of folks on the razor’s edge of quitting.
The other narrative of note is the much teased ICE storyline. I mistakenly thought we had covered this a few episodes back (in 2.09) with the siblings whose parents were deported to Haiti, but it’s front and center here with Mexican restaurant employee Pranita (Ramona DuBarry). She’s brought in for a rotator cuff injury, but as the hour goes on, staff, nurses and at least 15 patients in the (formerly) crowded waiting room disappear as a result of the masked men.
Initially it’s an aggravating experience because Robby just keeps reiterating that they focus on the patient and don’t get involved. That only changes when Nurse Jesse (Ned Brower) winds up being arrested and moved to an unknown processing centre when he attempts to intervene on Pranita’s behalf. His “arrest” is abrupt, immediate, and completely irrational, but this storyline feels especially frustrating because it seems as if Robby only cares when these kinds of things happen to someone he knows.
Obviously this is a complicated situation (Robby’s duty is to all of the staff and patients), and there’s certainly a kind of catharsis when he yells (in a controlled fashion) at the masked ICE agent, asking him to get out of the ED. This kind of reaction is what we want from a show featuring incredibly smart, empathetic professionals who have both ethics and want to help people.
That’s the power of a series like this, especially when the real world often feels like it’s going to hell. So I realize it’s unfair to hold Robby, a flawed character fictional character, to a (maybe?) impossible set of standards, but it’s galling that he seemingly has more compassion for the white male nurse than the imprisoned WOC.
I want/expect more from him, in large part because I need to believe that there’s still good in the world, even in the worst of situations.
Other Observations:
- To his credit, Robby does tear up over Roxie (Brittany Allen)’s sudden death. The silent look that passes between him and Javadi as Roxie’s husband grieves over her body is very telling.
- After a series of prickly interactions last week between Santos (Isa Briones) and Langdon (Patrick Ball), he finally apologizes to her. What I liked about this scene is how Santos refuses to let him off the hook; not because he’s “the golden boy” (which…fair) but because he should have lost more.
- Her *loud* rebuttal that he hasn’t told people the truth about stealing drugs is both spot-on and totally fair. The question becomes what, if anything, happens now that Dr. Al (Sepideh Moafi) has seemingly overheard the truth?
- The other interesting patient/story of the week involves a boy, Micah, with extreme heat stroke after being left in a car for 15-20 minutes. Joy (Irene Choi) clocks that mother Brenda doesn’t seem distraught enough, though the suggestion that people process grief and trauma in different ways is extremely relevant. Exhibit A: Dr. Al winds up having to rescue Brenda from walking into traffic later in the episode.
- It’s Robby who reminds Joy about the different reactions, which is a surprisingly empathetic response. Arguably he only manages this feat 50% of the time, which is why Dr. Al had to ask him about rediscovering it last episode. See also: his preferential treatment of people like Javadi and Mel, but not Mohan. Basically, if you lose his confidence or respect, Robby will likely never say another nice word to you again.
- It was easy to miss, but it sounds like Howard Knox came out of his high risk surgery ok!
- My husband called this, but do we think that Robby’s VIP patient, Duke (Jeff Kober) may actually be his father?
- But seriously: if Emma is seriously hurt or (God forbid) killed, I will quit this show. I can’t handle this level of emotional manipulation!
The Pitt airs Thursdays on HBO Max