Reaction: The Pitt, "11:00 AM" | Season 1, Episode 5

Painting it red

Photo: Warrick Page/Max

Much like the student doctors, The Pitt has settled into a groove. Long gone are the days of 22-plus seasons, with streamers favoring 10 episodes or less (some tapping out at a very British six). Thankfully, we are only a third of the way into the first season of the Max medical drama. Having a bigger episode order coupled with this ‘real-time’ format has avoided the dreaded drag so far. At no point does The Pitt feel like it has turned a pilot into an entire season.

Noah Wyle is undoubtedly the lead, but Dr. Robby is not the only character getting fleshed out using the hospital as a catalyst for these discoveries. This week, Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif), Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh), and Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) all share personal details that are pertinent to a particular patient. The woman with the burned hand from the first episode returns for treatment, and during a one-on-one, McKay reveals her own struggles as a mother. Oversharing doesn’t mean explaining every last detail, so the reason why Dr. McKay is wearing an ankle monitor remains a mystery. None of these interactions offer quick fixes to medical and social issues, but it is economical storytelling doubling up patient and doctor histories.

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

• “Maybe it's nothing, but the show seems to be strongly suggesting otherwise,” noted Myles in the comments last week about the way the medical abortion scene was left unresolved. It turns out there was something about the ultrasound that Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) needs to consult Dr. Robby about; her measurements are different from Dr. Abbott's (Shawn Hatosy), meaning they have just passed the cutoff for the abortion pill. Red flags automatically fly when Dr. Robby says he will redo the ultrasound to fit Dr. Abbott’s notes because this is TV, and there will be repercussions—though at least Dr. Robby understands he is the most protected person in the ER thanks to his tenured position. There is also an element of the Kristi casting signposting that the storyline will be more complex than it initially appears because it would be a waste of Abby Ryder Fortson if this was a simple in-and-out visit. However, I didn’t foresee the twist that her aunt has been posing as her mother. Considering how vehemently opposed Kristi’s mother is when she arrives in the final scene, I think Fortson might get to dig deep into her emotional reservoir.

• So far, the patient who had a seizure in chairs is less about this particular man and more about the growing spikiness between Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) and Dr. Santos (Isa Briones), from differing opinions about medical procedures to the reaction to opening a vial that might be damaged. I can’t help but think of this as Chekhov’s vial and if other medical supplies will cause issues. I also can’t figure out if they are trying to course correct with how much of an asshole they have made Dr. Santos, but if they are, it isn’t working.

Photo: Warrick Page/Max

• This is the second episode in a row that the music festival has been mentioned. Last week, it was an injured contractor; now, Jake (Taj Speights) swings by to pick up tickets from Dr. Robby. So now I am wondering if this festival will lead to more hospital admissions later on, whether more drugs-related cases or even the incel teen who hasn’t been seen since the end of the first episode. The latter is maybe too sensational for what The Pitt has been doing too far, and I might be reading too much into the overlapping elements. I enjoyed seeing Jake's rapport with the employees in the ER. Langdon and Princess (Kristin Villanueva) giving the adolescent condoms leads to perfect comic timing when Dr. Robby gives him extra cash (not a condom).¹

• The Pitt shows restraint by not dragging storylines out or milking them for extra tears. Elderly patient Mr. Spencer died last week, and his covered body is shown getting wheeled out, prompting Dr. Robby to say he needs to have a final word with Helen (Rebecca Tilney) and Jereme (Mackenzie Astin). Perhaps a scene was shot and then cut, or it was always scripted to take place off-camera. Either way, it was a powerful conclusion to their arc last week, and we don’t need to hear this additional conversation.

Photo: Warwick Page/Max

• While new information about the doctor’s personal lives is shared with patients, the confirmation that Dr. Collins and Dr. Robby dated comes up when Dana (Katherine LaNasa) lightly teases Dr. Collins. “Settle down, Jane Austen” is a cute retort from Dr. Collins, but I don’t think they needed to be so direct in revealing this nugget. Despite the best efforts from Ifeachor and LaNasa, it is a clunky exchange that reads like a network note.²

• On the other end of the dialogue spectrum, the echo of “really?” from Dr. Robby, Whitaker (Gerran Howell), and the cyclist patient when Dr. Mohan says Whitaker saved the patient’s life is top-tier line delivery from everyone in the room. It conveys a lot about the med student and the bloody mess while also underscoring Dr. Mohan’s teaching skills.

• The recurring bit with Whitaker’s scrubs is something I am finding rather delightful (and horrifying with the amount of blood sprayed on his face this week). He is now on his fourth (soon to be fifth) set of scrubs and has to settle for morgue colors in his size during “11:00 AM.” Yes, this runner could grow stale quickly, but at the moment, it is doing a great job of highlighting how many fluids pose a spill (or spurt) risk while emphasizing Whitaker’s lack of experience. I am on the verge of doing a deep dive into the different scrubs colors, so this is a good time to mention that “The Pitt” costume designer Lyn Paolo worked on 325 episodes of ER, so she is seasoned in this genre—I remember at least one ER storyline about the nurses getting new scrubs. Paolo’s other credits include The West Wing, Southland, Scandal, Shameless, and Inventing Anna. While there are fewer clothes to covet here than in Olivia Pope’s closet, I am very fond of Dr. Robby’s “Beers of the Burgh” hoodie.

With so much occurring within the hospital walls, seeing the ambulance chase on the TV screens feels almost strange. This glimpse of the outside world isn’t the only time we have stepped beyond the hospital doors, but having pretty much all the scenes in the ER adds to the focused approach of the real-time format. When a character leaves the hospital or even the department, they don’t appear on screen until they return to the ER. Everything we are seeing is through the eyes of the ER staff. It reminds me of the (underrated) Apple TV+ show Servant and how they never left the vicinity of the townhouse aside from if someone was calling on an Apple device or watching TV. It is gimmicky, but I enjoy this approach and am curious how others feel about this. Is there anything you are finding frustrating or repetitive at this stage of the season?

1. Alright, Myles here with some full disclosure: I edited this to reflect the fact that we don’t know Jake’s relationship with Dr. Robby, and I disagreed with Emma’s interpretation that he was his son. I’m arguing that he’s the son of the doctor who died four years ago, which seems to be supported by Wyle’s use of “sort of stepson” in this interview.

2. Myles back again—I thought there was a noted increase in clunky exposition in this episode overall? Not sure what’s up.