Reaction: The Pitt, "3:00 PM" | Season 1, Episode 9

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TV shows responded to the pandemic in various ways. Many didn’t acknowledge it, and others took a direct approach, shooting an entire episode over Zoom (hello, Mythic Quest). Now, nearly five years after lockdown began, we have reached a point where television explores the long-lasting ramifications. During press for The Pitt, Noah Wyle has repeatedly said that the idea was born during quarantine. This alone sets it apart from ER (speaking of which, there is an update on the lawsuit against The Pitt creative team). As we can see in “3:00 PM,” the impact of this fraught time on first responders goes beyond Dr. Robby’s PTSD and the flashbacks that have been giving additional context. Events in chairs at the start of the episode are rife with reactionary language (“You fucking Fauci zombie,” one woman yells at another) and discord about masks and vaccines.1

The fight is quickly broken up and resets the overall mood after the particularly tough conclusion to the previous episode. It isn’t that “Hour Nine” is a light-hearted affair (this is still The Pitt), but it stresses having to get on with the shift. The waiting room is also a reminder of patients who have been there since the first episode (like Mr. Driscoll) and that the hospital employees inevitably have to play peacemakers along with their actual healthcare roles—see also Dr. Collins with the abortion storyline a few weeks ago. No wonder nerves are fried, and tension is high.

What follows are the observations I took from this ninth episode.

• “3:00 PM” is the second episode written by Wyle this season! It is easy to take what Wyle is doing for granted on screen, so I want to highlight a small yet impactful moment when Dr. Robby gathers the team for a debrief after the drowning death. He recalls the first day of his residency at Big Charity in New Orleans, and the moment his voice breaks during this story underscores how closure in this job is a Sisyphean task. It feels accurate that the “pep” talk is interrupted. “You just gave a speech titled ‘How to literally bury your feelings,’” teases Dana soon after. However, this is another moment where Robby’s experience makes him a great leader—even if he doesn’t have the right words to say because they don’t exist.

• Speaking of teaching, last week in the comments, there was praise for how the senior staff explains procedures (and how this, in turn, teaches the audience). I agree with this summation, but I also struggled with Dr. Langdon’s huge, unprofessional blow-up at Dr. Santos. This combative back-and-forth has been building. Yet, watching him pull her apart so publicly is unpleasant—especially over something she hadn’t done. Part of me wonders if this is a way to even the scales somewhat, as Santos still leans unsympathetic.2 Or, at the very least, it highlights that Langdon’s approach to supervising Mel is worlds apart. Even after Robby’s dressing down, Langdon refers to Mel as “my least problematic trainee,” showing his bias. Offsetting the personality clash with this lovely scene between Mel and Langdon (and Crosby the dog) reads like purposeful whiplash. Langdon recognizes Mel is struggling after the drowning death, giving her space and then a stress-free road-rash task.

• The patient that causes Langdon to resort to shaming, belittling, and insulting is the first to come from PittFest (though probably not the last), and the MDMA overdose offers additional Santos backstory, who witnessed something similar with one of her friends. The tub setup (and sourcing all of the cafeteria’s ice) is a fun touch, showing how resourceful trauma centers must be. Nudity doesn’t come across as gratuitous, and getting insight into these procedures is fascinating.

• Even though Nick Bradley’s storyline has ended, a few recurring faces have been around since the first episode: Earl, Mr. Driscoll, and Theresa. Earl is hurt during the waiting room melee and gets front-row seats to Victoria’s extremely awkward attempt at flirting with Nurse Mateo Diaz. She crashes and burns. It is a cringy delight while demonstrating that The Pitt can do romantic interludes within the real-time format. Victoria confides in Dana (like all the smart people on this show) in an interaction that allows Shabana Azeez to show her comedic abilities.
• Speaking of Dana, she has many small victories this week that speak to her experience and temperament, which is why the end scene with Mr. Driscoll is so shocking. The violence isn’t a surprise, but the target is: I figured Mateo would be on the receiving end of his fists. Instead, laying that combative groundwork was a misdirect, and it is one of the most unexpected cliffhangers of the season.
• “CHiPs! Know your television history,” Dana tells Mateo when he asks who Erik Estrada is. Dana was already a favorite of mine, and then she said these magic words. If it wasn’t already love, it is now.
• The incel kid storyline is ticking along, and someone (probably Dr. McKay) has called the cops, much to Robby’s anger. The concerned mother, Theresa, is now talking to the police. McKay’s tendency to make snap judgments or rely on her instincts is a pattern—whether right or wrong. The curious relationship between the assistant and her pregnant boss ends on a sour note, with Piper claiming she is okay. Ambiguity is part of the (purposeful) limitations of the format that never leaves the hospital grounds, and McKay is frustrated with the outcome. It looks like Piper took one of the pens with a hidden hotline number, but we are in the dark about what will happen next. McKay also gets called out on her bias in diagnosing a patient earlier that day, demonstrating her blind spots. McKay doesn’t think she judged the woman because of her weight but concedes that she will look out for this in the future, and this measured response to criticism is welcome.

• Hospital resources are limited, but there are workarounds involving street teams. McKay is part of one, and Whitaker volunteers after a second encounter with Mr. Krakozhia. It turns out that the man who peed on Whitaker in the fourth episode (or “10:00 AM”) wasn’t high on meth: he just hadn’t taken his schizophrenia medication (he is unhoused and uninsured). Whitaker covers himself from head-to-toe in protective gear but removes it as Mr. Kakozhia is lucid, extremely apologetic, and ashamed. While their original scene is part of Whitaker getting covered in different fluids (to emphasize how green he is), the resolution is touching. It depicts the horrors of the healthcare system and individuals trying to make a difference. They formulate a workable plan so this doesn’t happen again, and Whitaker’s offer to join the street team is genuine. Howell calibrates Whitaker’s naivety so it doesn’t fall into “aw, shucks” territory with every reaction. I, too, would be thrilled to find out that the street team gets “cool jackets.” There is a second dollop of med student-nurse flirting, and Whitaker is a tad more suave than Victoria.

Whitaker also gets to flex another area of expertise this week: being raised on a farm. The rats are back, and I had mostly forgotten rodents have been on the loose since Episode 2. Earlier, it is adorable that Robby tries (and fails) to distract Dr. Collins so she doesn’t see the creatures she is afraid of, and I might be shipping these two. Having a dog in the ER is another palate cleanser to last week’s trauma, and Crosby (named after David) also serves a practical purpose. Many terriers are ratters, so it makes sense that Crosby beelines for the rodent. Whitaker finishes the job: do no harm doesn’t apply here. The leaping-in reaction indicates Whitaker is growing more confident as the shift progresses, and each med student shows character development. Yes, the Santos journey is bumpy, yet I don’t think they simply repeat story beats. How is everyone else feeling about the med students? In fact, how are you finding the way the overall ensemble is being fleshed out?