The Pitt (2×12) 6:00 P.M. Review

For our review of the last episode, click here.

In what has been a contentious season so far, the relationship between Robby and Dana has been put to the test, as one has their eye on leaving the department, and the other is trying to keep it together. The longer the day has gone, his inability to let go and trust others with the department has led to plenty of frustration on his part, but his issues are deeper-seeded than that. So focused on trying to leave it in a good position before he leaves on his motorcycle sabbatical, there is clearly no such thing as a good position. As the season has given the characters more of an opportunity to shine, it seems that he is the last hurdle for them from realizing their full potential. Fueled by anxiety, Robby has to relax, but what his job, what has defined him and given him meaning, is the thing that is also preventing him from doing it.

Those wondering about what happened with Emma need not wait longer as Dana would once again save the day from a cocaine and alcohol impaired golfer. Though viewers never see what really happened, that choice proved to be the right one as it pulls the focus away from Emma and onto Dana (to her credit, Emma still wanted to stay after all that has happened to her during what was her first day). That being said, the aftermath is far from over. Over her time in the ‘Pitt,’ Dana has been through a lot, so this was just another day for her. While a trying day for sure, there is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her nurses, being the momma bear of the department (and you don’t want to mess with one of those). Frequently butting heads with Robby this season, the incident was no different, but she could more than stand up for herself and anyone else under her charge. Meanwhile, in the dark on much of the intricacies of the ER she is inherit once Robby is away, Al-Hashimi, picking up on the tension between Langdon and Santos, finally learned the truth and was rightfully taken aback.

Duke, unfortunately, could do nothing but wait as he was knocked further and further off the pecking order, though his patience wore increasingly thin. Similarly, adding to Robby’s frustration was his need for him to receive all the tests and care he needed so he wouldn’t have him on his conscience while he was away. As the day’s issues continue to piled up, he believed that if he didn’t leave today, he wasn’t going to leave at all. In the meantime, plenty more silly Fourth of July related cases showed up, but two others took the spotlight here, a stubborn elderly couple insisting to stay in their home and continue to tend for each other in spite of their worsening health issues and a desperate adult daughter wanting them to move in to a home, but arrived at the hospital after being involved in a car accident caused by their worsening health, and a father and son who have to travel a longer distance for care as a result of nearby hospitals being shut down or closed for the holiday.

A major sign that the shift was coming to an end is the sight of staff working the next shift starting to come in, and overlap with the day shifters for a few hours. As far as the day shifters were concerned, their day was far from over. With the hospital system soon to  be brought back online, there will be a mountain of paperwork to scan and digitize. On the other hand, in a day that has already pushed Santos to her limit, that was not going to help, but, lashing out a bit more than usual, she was not taking the prospects of Whitaker leaving her place to watch over Robby’s, while he was away, well.

Always leaving viewers with a least a little nugget at the end of episodes, a patient from 8:00am, one Orlando Diaz (William Guirola) would return to the ER for his second visit of the day. A patient diagnosed with possible head trauma and diabetic ketoacidosis, he left against medical advice earlier in the day to go back to work until an accident at work led to his return. The main breadwinner in a working-class family, he had no medical insurance because of his family’s financial status, he felt he had no choice but to go back to work. Just as sad now as it was back then, whether or not he makes it a second time around remains to be seen.

Continuing to lead the way performance wise, the contentious dynamic between Robby and Dana has brought the best out of Noah Wyle and Katherine LeNasa, as both absolutely bring it here. Taking their great chemistry in a different direction this season, they offer up some of their best work of the season so far. In what will only get worse before it gets better, many will be left eager to see how that dynamic evolves (or devolves) from here.

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.