The Pitt (2×10) 4:00 P.M. Review

For our spoiler-free review of the first nine episodes of The Pitt Season 2, click here.

What has been the signature of a series like The Pitt is its uncanny ability to keep throwing its characters for a loop. Giving them a barrage of challenges to overcome on an hourly basis, this season has been no different. Certainly not lacking in drama through the first 2/3 of the 4th of July shift, one can’t help but sense that the season is slowly building up to perhaps their greatest challenge yet. Methodically laying the groundwork for what may be to come, be it the return of Langdon, new interns, hackers causing the hospital to preemptively shut down their systems, or a freak waterpark accident that’s effect is just starting to be felt, a storm is brewing in ‘The Pitt.’ Meanwhile, being the last day before Robby’s sabbatical, he started to see the finish line and was not willing to let anyone or anything get in the way of that, though he may have to reign some of that energy in. Still a lot to do with the characters before the season comes to an end, this latest episode looked to leave a few feeling a bit shook up as the pressure of the day seemed to be getting to them.

Preparing for the aftermath of the waterpark accident, this was just another day for Dana as she began to mobilize the troops. That being said, adapting to analog systems also came with some growing pains, leaving her with even more reasons to be pissed off. The first set of victims of the accident, a man, a woman, and a boy, made their way over and like it or not, they needed Langdon’s help. Doing her best to avoid him up to this point, Santos could no longer do so, as the carryover friction between them took over. Though he had since moved on, maybe she needed some more convincing. On the other hand, Javadi and Mohan were similarly hanging on, as the pressures of dying patients and a perfect storm of personal issues left them off their game. All they needed here was to learn to set boundaries between their personal and professional lives.

Aside from the current chaos of the hospital, a new patient named Duke (Jeff Kober), a motorcycle engineer close to Robby finally showed up and offered a window into his life outside of ‘The Pitt.’ However, out of all the shaken up characters in this episode, the most effective subplot was that of Mel. Coming back from her deposition taking place off screen, she had mixed feelings about how well it went. Worried about the possible ramifications, the encouragement from her coworkers did not seem to move her all that much. Her biggest concern was of course her twin sister Becca (Tal Anderson), who Langdon treated in her absence. Just what she needed on top of everything else, Becca’s urinary tract infection likely may have been caused by her sex life with her boyfriend, unbeknownst to Mel. Carrying so much emotional baggage, it’s hard not to feel for Mel and Taylor Dearden.

Roxie Hamler (Brittany Allen), McKay and Javadi’s terminal lung cancer patient appeared to get to the latter as she found herself inching closer to death. Surrounded by her family and loved ones, the case hit close to home for her based on her relationship with her own mother. Exploring a different side of the health care system and the struggles of terminal patients with pain management, palliative care, and the toll on both patients and doctors, Javadi had to learn to distance herself from her patients. Shabana Azeez is phenomenal here.

Easing viewers towards the presumptive storm, this latest hour simply allows characters to have their own moments of development before the chaos takes over.

still courtesy of HBO Max

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.