Noah Wyle steps behind the camera to direct the first emotionally devastating episode of The Pitt‘s second season.
Missed a review? Episode 2.01 / 2.02 / 2.03 / 2.04 / 2.05
We knew that the writing was on the wall for poor Louie (Ernest Harden Jr) from early on, but I didn’t expect to be so affected by his death. It’s evident that things aren’t looking good (hell, even the nurse who passes briefly through the room clocks the pulmonary hemorrhage) and the ER regular is dead before the halfway point of the episode.
As good as Harden Jr has been in this recurring role, it’s the aftermath of his death that proves so rewarding. These doctors and nurses are hardened professionals who have to wave away death before the next wave of patients arrive, so it really hits home when we see how much Louie’s death affects everyone
That’s when the waterworks come in.
From Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) looking lost and being unable to clean the body to the care that Dana (Katherine LaNasa) takes administering to Louie with poor newbie Emma (Laetitia Hollard) to Whitaker (Gerran Howell)’s inability to make the next of kin phone call, it’s clear that Louie was much more than just a regular patient in the Pitt.
And that’s before Robby (Wyle) offers up details of Louie’s backstory in the viewing room. Langdon (Patrick Ball) already found a picture of a woman and baby on the body early in the episode, suggesting that the dead man had a family no one knew about. Later he and Whitaker try the next of kin number…but it only rings the nurse’s station.
It’s not until the service, when Robby declares that the alcoholic man lost his wife and child in a car accident (just after coming around on the idea of being a father), that “12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.” really goes for the emotional gut-punch.
And then Emma holds Louie’s hand.
This was set-up earlier when Dana educated Emma about the importance of cleaning all of the blood off a body in order to avoid upsetting visitors who may pay their respect. She specifically mentions cleaning the hands in case someone wants to clasp them. Fast forward to the viewing, populated entirely by hospital staff. It’s clear by this point that no one is coming to send Louie because he had no one…except the doctors and nurses. They were his family, so Emma holds his hand…and I fell apart.
In other storylines:
- Dana pulls a stunt to ensure inmate – and Pittsburgh native – Gus Varney (John Lee Ames) can stay after Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) realizes he’s malnourished. Robby’s disagreement with Dr. Al about freeing up beds vs patient care plays like a continuation of the minor squabbles they’ve been having all season, but it doesn’t feel repetitive. If anything, the simmering tension merely feels well set-up.
- Robby immediately susses out that Dana was responsible for Varney’s sudden change, but like Langdon tells Emma, Dana is one of the good ones. It’s hard to be mad at her when she’s the bedrock of the ER.
- Langdon’s new patient, Rocky (Jay Linzy), is a hot dog eating champion who spends most of the hour vomiting up his prize-winning 36 wieners. It’s silly, gross-out humour, but a nice reprieve from some of the heavier subplots.
- In an unexpected twist, it’s revealed that tased College student Jackson (Zack Morris) has been having hallucinations for months, unbeknownst to his sister Jayda (Erin Croom). She immediately breaks down when Javadi (Shabana Azeez) inadvertently admits they don’t know what’s wrong with him and he’ll likely need to stay in the hospital on an involuntary psych ward for much longer. I’ll confess: this storyline has persisted longer than anticipated, so it’ll be intriguing to see where it goes.
- Cancer mom Roxie (Brittany Allen) panics the closer she gets to being discharged, realizing how much she relies on husband Paul (Taylor Handley). She winds up sending him home in advance before declaring to McKay (Fiona Dourif) that she wants to stay as the hour comes to a close.
- Finally, as someone who hates AI, it was pretty gratifying to see Dr. Al’s app come up short (2% errors) when Santos (Isa Briones) fails to proofread her charting.
- Also, the way that Santos huffs out of deaf patient Harlow Graham (Jessica ‘Limer’ Flores) room after learning they can’t properly speak without an interpreter is so incredibly disrespectful. As mentioned last week, Santos seems headed for a break-down, and I get that she’s extremely overwhelmed by her workload, but this is just plain rude.
The Pitt airs Thursdays on HBO Max
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