'The Pitt' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap and Review: "9:00 am"
We’ve met the new staff, we’ve set the stage for the Fourth of July fireworks, and now in its third episode, the sophomore season finds its footing.
This review of ‘The Pitt’ contains spoilers.
As if it is some bizarre medical procedure of its own, trying to pinpoint why ‘The Pitt’ is such a phenomenon is difficult. As if audiences and critics are trying to scope a metaphorical esophagus, attempting to find one tiny spot in the magically complex machine known as the human body. To get to the point, unless you possess the advanced knowledge and training needed to dissect such things, you need not bother. You can enjoy the machine, and the experience that it gives you.
The Pitt, as of last year, was yet another magically complex and well-oiled machine. The cast was firing on all levels, with three Emmy wins, several other awards, all the accolades they could want, and deservedly so. The first two episodes this season were merely forgivable hiccups that interrupted the rhythm of the show that blew us all away in the final half of last season, but like hiccups, they were necessary interruptions to address a small issue.
Maybe that’s enough psychological metaphors.
The point is, it was a relatively slow start to this season, and if you were like this writer, you undoubtedly watched the first season of the show many times. Audiences were there for all the highs and lows, but as mentioned, that latter half of the season certainly had many viewers chasing the next adrenaline hit much like Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) was similarly chasing her next case.
Yet after this slower start where the writers had to set up the new plots and show us where everyone is after almost a year, after the dust has settled and we’ve met the new, often antagonistic characters, it's time to get right into things, and the third episode does not disappoint. Perhaps it was that added conflict between our beloved Pitt family of physicians and those new characters that made the first two episodes feel out of place, because more than anything, it was the heart of episode three that arguably made it one of the strongest of the entire run of the show. There was so much love in the air you might think this episode takes place during Valentine’s rather than the 4th of July.
A fantastic moment in this early season was Dr Cassie McKay’s (Fiona Dourif) admission to Mohan that she ‘needs to get laid’. Knowing at least part of McKay’s checkered past with her ex-husband Chad (Ron Heaps), Cassie deserves a little happiness, or at least a little action other than what he ER gives her. In a lighthearted turn of events, Cassie suddenly finds herself the flirtatious target of a couple of gentlemen who find themselves in The Pitt, even if one is a little more of an innocent charming older man. With the Pitt being probably the greatest looking ER in all of fictional America, it’s astonishing this cavalcade of doctors aren’t flirted with every single hour, but with Dourif giving such a real and layered performance over the first season, it’s nice to see her less stressed out and receiving her accolades. It will be nice to see if something becomes of all this flirting, and McKay might even be able to fulfil her own prophecy.
In fact, throughout the episode, the strong thread of couples is woven, whether they be married, divorced, fighting or healing, it seems that this was the focus. Angela Lin and Eugene Shaw guest star as the Yees, a couple who have just been in a traffic collision, and are trading off what seem like life-threatening injuries. It was akin to Ladyhawke, where there was a curse that when one was awake, the other would need to slumber, but both Lin and Shaw give beautiful touching performances as a couple that realize what’s important in life, and hopefully not too late.
One of the more compelling patients has been the story of Michael Williams (Derek Cecil) who came in after fainting, but clearly has more going on than a simple sprained wrist and a bump on the head. Williams finds himself reunited with his ex-wife Lena (Lesley Boone) and while awkward, the exchange is strangely sweet. In a season that started circling the healing of Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball), forgiveness has always been in the DNA of the show, and it seems as if Cecil and Boone can lead us through another beautiful story about reconciliation and forgiveness. Cecil, who was an extremely strong regular in House of Cards is clearly used to standing out in tremendous ensembles. He has done so again already in a short amount of time this season, and this writer looks forward to his subplot every episode so far.
However the strongest vignettes came from two very poignant moments within episode three. Guest star Irina Dubova comes in a hilarious and touching stint as Yana Kovalenko, who burned herself after she spilled a coffee urn. As the story unfolds, we learn that she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, and was spooked when she heard the firecrackers in her neighborhood to celebrate the holiday. Her synagogue, the Tree of Life, was attacked when a shooter opened fire years ago. This story was based on the real life tragedy that befell the Pittsburgh temple in 2018, where 11 congregants lost their life.
In one of the strongest moments of an already strong show, Yana confesses to Dr. Robbie (Noah Wylie) that she was there that day, and even thanks Nurse Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) as a Muslim for being there for the Jewish Community during that tragedy. Once again, the thread of healing and forgiveness can easily bring a tear to any viewer’s eye, and the show should once again be applauded for introducing real life history into the writing. Much like last season’s reminder of the great work the Freedom House Ambulance Service provided the prominently black neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, the sense of community surrounding the show is perhaps what makes it feel so real, and creates such an emotional investment. Major kudos has to once again go to Noah Wylie, who wrote the episode for bringing up the tragedy.
Wylie has done absolutely stellar work for this show both in front and behind the camera, but he should take heed that he’s in danger of repeating himself and earlier successes of the show already this early in season 2. Last season had two very similar moments wrapped up in one where The Pitt graciously took time to teach audiences about the Freedom House and of course, the climatic few episodes dealt with a mass casualty event and the trauma it follows. One can forgive the familiarity because gun control in America is such an important conversation to be had, and the show always deals with it with such respect and tact.
As a young father, this writer also got quite invested in one small moment where Langdon, on his journey to healing, shares a moment with two other young fathers. We learned early in the season that Donnie (Brandon Mendez Homer) has been having many a sleepless night as a new Dad, but when Sherman (Kenneth Mosley) brings in his hyperactive son Duante (Jordan Sunshine) for shoving beads up his nose, Langdon can’t help but share a new mantra he’s learned about being there and being present for your children. The entire show is filled with the kind of touching moments of human connection that is most certainly the backbone of the award winning writing. There were quite literally too many to mention, which tells you just how compelling this particular episode was. It didn’t shy away from conflict, it didn’t shy away from pain, but embraced it as a part of life as the show has done successfully so many times before.