As the hours count down towards the end of S02, The Pitt continues to zero in on everyone’s concern about Dr. Robby’s (Noah Wyle) impending sabbatical.
Missed a review? Episode 2.01 / 2.02 / 2.03 / 2.04 / 2.05 / 2.06 / 2.07 / 2.08 / 2.09 / 2.10 / 2.11 / 2.12
The fall-out from Robby and Dana’s (Katherine LaNasa) fight carries over into this week. If anything, it actually escalates: he accuses her of being a martyr from having to stay through the night, while she (rightfully) accuses him of publicly discussing Orlando’s case out in the open ED.
Naturally neither of these comments get to the heart of the conflict. It’s when Robby admits that he isn’t sure he can leave the people he cares about behind because he’s not sure he’s coming back. It’s interesting (not because it’s new; it’s not) but because both of these characters have thought about hanging up the towel: Robby when he contemplated suicide in the pilot, and Dana at the end of S01 when she threatened to quit after her shift.
In any case, this clearly isn’t the end of the it because they’re both raw and nothing has really been resolved. I anticipate we’ll see more of this in the season’s two remaining episodes.
Other Observations:
- It’s not exactly surprising that Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) doesn’t want to scrub in on Orlando Diaz (William Guirola)’s surgery considering the emotional rollercoaster she’s been on trying to help him this shift, but it’s kinda wild that Javadi essentially has to be ‘voluntold’ by Robby to scrub in with Dr. Linda Conley (Mary McCormack).
- Speaking of Orlando, I’m not sure which aspect of his situation is worse: watching Javadi (Shabana Azeez) manually drill into his skull or learning that his new situation now qualifies him for Medicaid & Medicare, which is exactly why he left the hospital back in episode 7!
- Of course, this assumes he even wakes up. And if he does, the best case scenario is that he’ll be self sufficient in a year and at worse he’ll need assisted living for the rest of his life. What an absolutely terrible fate for this man.
- Speaking of Medicare, a nurse case involves a teen boy Brady with treatable asthma who can’t afford the $400 inhaler he needs to live. The case definitely has a “teachable moment/PSA” vibe to it, like “did you know that folks with fluctuating incomes or get paid under the table have difficulty qualifying for government health insurance?” Still, it’s hard to deny that an inhaler that pricey sounds like highway robbery for such a simple, life-sustaining prescription.
- Langdon’s (Patrick Ball) crisis of ability is nicely tempered by Mel (Taylor Dearden) – who admittedly has always had a crush on him and doesn’t know about his addiction issues – but still, a very nice moment between them.
- Speaking of nice moments, there’s a kindness to the way that Whitaker (Gerran Howell) treats Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) after he returns from a failed surgery absolutely *covered* in blood. Ogilvie’s rise and fall has been an intriguing arc to observe, especially as other talented doctors and interns – like Santos (Isa Briones), Javadi, and Mohan – have struggled and (mostly?) persevered. This is undoubtedly the end of the road for Ogilvie this season, and maybe for the show considering it’s a question of whether the know-it-all is really cut out for the work.
- A great moment involves Dana and Emma (Laetitia Hollard) giving unhoused man Digby (Charles Barker) a shave and a haircut. He looks so presentable, but immediately panics because he worries that his daughter – to whom he bequeathed his house when she got married! – won’t recognize him any more. It’s a moment filled with both sweet and sadness; it’s the perfect blend of emotionality that The Pitt excels at.
- Dr. Al (Sepideh Moafi) has another “episode” where she kinda goes into a daze, only this time her mental lapse is clocked by Robby, who immediately begins peppering Mohan with questions about the new attending. I’m still unsure about what’s going on here, but it does seem to occur when she’s around children, so my best guess is that it’s PTSD?
- Nurse Jesse update: Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) uses her inside info to discover that he’s been transported two hours away, and that he’ll be locked up all weekend without the chance for bail.
- Finally: the computers are back on because the threat of the cyber attack is over. Huzzah!
The Pitt airs Thursdays on HBO Max
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