The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 Review: As Timely & Heartbreaking As Ever

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 “3:00 P.M.” begins with everything in disarray, the chaos somehow even worse than the final seconds of Episode 8 even though we pick up right where we left off. The sheer number of questions from the staff takes up valuable time that they don’t really have, and even after Dr. Robby’s quick attempt at a question and answer session, there’s still some uncharacteristic confusion. Student doctor Javadi’s patient doesn’t wind up on the board. As a result, when she takes a very unexpected turn for the worst—who’d expect throwing up once after eating warm potato salad would be serious?—none of her tests are back, meaning the staff has no idea why this is happening or what to do to help.

They just barely find the xray in time to get a diagnosis and rush Mrs. Burns off to surgery, but the thought of what could happen to this person, thanks to just making an assumption about nurses adding patients to the board, obviously terrifies Victoria. It also leads to a completely awful moment, when Dr. Garcia calls her “nepo baby.” This is someone who has earned her spot, worked very hard, and after almost getting someone killed, she’s also learning what other people think—will probably always think—about her. Nightmare scenario. (Or as close to it as you can get without the patient actually dying.)

As the series continues to explore the fallout of the hospital losing the connectivity we’ve all come to take for granted, it’s difficult not to worry about how many more near misses the hospital will experience. That’s especially true because, just as things are looking up—“laid off by the digital revolution, not retired” clerk Monica Davis comes and whips everyone into shape, thanks to Dana—we end The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 with news reports about a new mass casualty event. This time, it’s not a mass shooting (thankfully). Nope. It’s the 4th of July, so why not a collapsed waterslide? What could possibly go wrong?

While the healthcare workers navigate every emergency and unexpected situation that comes their way, this particular hour puts a sharp focus on families. In most cases, those families are facing, or have already suffered, difficult goodbyes. But for some, like in Dr. Mohan’s case, it’s maybe more of a matter of finally understanding our loved ones. And, in the middle of all of that rich personal storytelling, and all of these emotional moments, there’s still the ongoing question of how much more any of us trying to make it in this world—especially the healthcare workers tasked with making sure we’re all ok—can take.

MORE: What made you fall in love with The Pitt? We shared some of our favorite character moments from Season 1.

“It’s not right.”

Of all the new patients we meet in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9, 12-year-old Jude Augustin may very well be the one with the worst injuries—and no, I’m not talking about his fingers being “blown to bits” by an M-80 that he calls a “firecracker.” Not just another case of 4th of July festivities gone wrong, he and his older sister Chantal are instead the victims of a system stacked against them. First, their parents are detained at their immigration hearing, likely here under the Temporary Protected Status for Haitians (something extremely relevant right now, as there’s an ongoing legal battle to keep TPS in place) and deported to Haiti. As in, they were trying to be here “the right way,” and it still didn’t matter.

So, what happens to the families left behind? While every real-life experience is different, and no personal, tragic injustice should be a stand-in for all others, what The Pitt‘s fictional family shows us about the human cost of these policies echoes far too many stories. When we first meet Jude’s guardian, she seems overly strict. Harsh. Chantal lays into her younger brother, screaming about how he f***ed up and reminding him she told him not to hang out with those boys down the hall. When the child starts to stand up for himself, she makes it very clear she never wanted to be in charge of taking care of him in the first place. And, after Dr. Robby and Dr. Santos take Chantal out into the hallway and tell her Jude has also been drinking, it’s pretty clear she has no idea what he’s been up to.

It looks like a clear-cut case of neglect, possibly even abuse based on the siblings’ first interaction. But then, when Chantal hears about the immediate social services consult, her firm “NO” and the way she rushes back to Jude’s bedside start to tell us something else is going on here. The image of her through the door, all the fight suddenly gone out of her and now replaced with nothing but care and a desperation not to be separated, is a powerful one. She’s not neglecting her little brother. Not intentionally, at least. Chantal’s just trying to hold something together that can never be repaired—their family.

When we revisit Chantal, we finally learn the truth. She works full time at a shoe store and goes to community college. No, she can’t afford help looking after Jude while she’s busy scraping together money to get by and trying to continue her education. There’s no family around to help either, and with the way she talks about her parents in the past tense, Dr. Santos asks if they passed. The “nope” she responds with cuts like a knife. It’s sharp, final. This young woman, who up until this point has displayed such a wide range of grief and shame, has no desire to discuss what really happened to her family. But the others need to know.

After a terrible pause, a forced swallow, and looking up while trying not to cry, Chantal finally gets to the heart(break) that’s affected her family and far, far too many real ones. “My parents were deported to Haiti nine months ago. They went into their immigration hearing and were…detained. I was a sophomore at Ithaca. I had to move back home to take care of my brother.” As in, Chantal’s not some criminal or some lazy person just wanting to come here and live off the barely-existent, hole-filled social safety net. She’s a student and the pride of her family, their American dream. Well, that’s dead now. And she’s been left behind to pick up the pieces. This is a person who works hard—over-extends herself, even.

Robby offers condolences that seem sincere but are, ultimately, hollow. Because, really, what can words do? How do they take away that pain, take away the ongoing struggle just to survive while your loved ones are a world away and can’t come back. “I’m sorry” doesn’t change policy; it doesn’t return these people to safety either.

Up until this point, every single bit of work Sasha Compère has done in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 has been excellent. She fits right in with the rest of this award-winning cast, perfectly embodying what it is to be buried under the weight of responsibility, clinging to the last bit of family you have left. Every feeling she filters through—anger, sadness, a sense of being overwhelmed, being on the verge of breaking but utterly refusing to give up no matter how impossible everything may seem—comes across as raw, real, and true. But the more the character lets the healthcare staff around her get to know her, the better Compère’s work becomes.

At this point, viewers may ask why Jude didn’t just go “back” to Haiti with his parents. The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 has an answer for that, as well as more information about why Chantal is trying so hard to raise Jude, no matter how difficult it has been: “It was either [leave Ithaca to take care of Jude], or he moved back to Haiti with them. He’s never been there. We were both born here…My mom was so excited when I got into college. She worked so hard…to save up and pay my tuition. And now, all she wants is for my brother to finish high school.”

The way Compère delivers these lines, with the intense emotions ebbing and flowing, is masterful. There’s the quiet on “he’s never been there.” Then, come the tears in her voice when Chantal says her mom was excited about her getting into school—her emotions now so very at odds with what she’s telling her audience about. And she finishes with a hushed sort of grief, perfectly conveying dreams dashed—settling for a new goal, one that seems impossible at that—when she talks about just wanting Jude to finish high school.

In that moment, not only does Compère perform just utterly brilliantly, but I do have to point out that the shot of Isa Briones, as Dr. Santos listens to this and takes it all in, is a stunner. Santos has always been great with kids. The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 is no different. In fact, even before Santos knows Jude Augustin’s backstory, she makes an effort to remain as positive and encouraging for his sake as she can possibly be. Each time he shows how terrified he is, she finds a way. On the other hand, Santos hasn’t exactly always been great about showing adults the same amount of empathy. But this story, Chantal’s pain, affects her. Profoundly. We don’t need to see anything that comes next to know that. Just look at that one moment of her listening and aching for these people.

After hearing Chantal’s story, it’s no surprise that Santos gets into an argument with Robby, this time trying to defend keeping a family together instead of further breaking them apart. Robby tries to point out that, earlier today, she was ready to split up Kylie Connors and her dad. But Santos says this is different—and she’s right, even if “abuse trumps neglect” maybe doesn’t quite fully explain why. Later, Dylan gives Santos and Robby an update. Luckily, what’s left of Chantal’s family is safe. For now. According to the social worker, she’s “a responsible young woman and a good guardian to Jude. There is no reason to get family services involved today.”

It’s a moment of relief…until it isn’t. “There will come a point when he’d be better off with his parents in Haiti,” Dylan claims. But Santos refuses to hear that, passionately defending the parents’ wishes. And when they remind Santos “it’s what’s best for the child,” she demands to know “says who.” I’m with Santos on this one. Sending a child to a place he’s never known, one his parents left for a reason, isn’t “what’s best.” Actually, I’ll go one step further: What’s best, for children like Jude and young adults just trying to start their lives like Chantal, would be for their parents to have never been scooped up and dumped in the very dangerous situation they fled in the first place. Especially not when those parents were doing the “right” thing and attending their hearings.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 is yet another hour of this series that refuses to back down from showing the real human suffering that comes from certain policy decisions. Here, it’s about cruel immigration policies for the sake of cruelty. I, for one, look forward to seeing what’s next. But I’d much prefer there weren’t so many issues to cover in the first place. At this rate, society “others” so many people, this series could run forever and still never get to them all.

MORE: The Pitt Season 2 has also covered the healthcare affordability crisis and the people, like Dr. Mohan’s patient Mr. Diaz, who fall through the cracks because of it.

“She says she’s your sister.”

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 also follows another sister who works way too hard while also worrying about a sibling—our beloved Dr. Mel King. As if experiencing a shutdown to prevent a cyberattack on a holiday shift in the ER wasn’t enough, the clock has also been inching ever closer to the time of her deposition. And now, on top of all of that, her brief moment of respite (before the thing she’s been dreading all day) gets interrupted before it even starts. Because her sister shows up at the hospital. What unfolds is interesting. To say the least.

In the first place, the pure, physical acting Taylor Dearden brings to this hour is remarkable. (And looks exhausting!) Before Lupe can even finish telling a very confused Mel that her visitor says she’s her sister, Dearden just jumps right into action and sprints away. Mel doesn’t care about anyone or anything else. It’s like every fiber of her being is just screaming “Becca. Now. Go. Danger” and nothing else. It’s particularly strong work when we compare that sudden, instinctual movement to how utterly listless Mel has been for the majority of the shift. Even when she’s had quiet, little moments of hope, nothing has come remotely close to this level of energy—not even her excitedly running over to Dr. Langdon when she saw him for the first time this morning.

We’ve seen Mel and Becca interact before, both through phone calls and their little moment on the way home in Season 1 finale. But The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 gives viewers a slightly different perspective. Yes, Mel loves her sister very much and feels so responsible for Becca, everything centers around her needs and routine so much that Mel doesn’t even know what she likes to do anymore. But as Mel rushes to prep the exam area for Becca, closing doors, explaining how everything’s going to work, trying to think of every single detail that needs to be just so in order to make her sister comfortable, it’s like we’re seeing Mel a little bit more through her sister’s eyes. Those eyes see her doing too much—stressing too much.

At one point, Becca interrupts her and, sort of pointedly, says “Mel, I’ve been to the doctor’s before.” And Mel just…stops dead in her tracks. It’s as if that simple truth never even occurred to her. We know part of what drew Dr. King to PTMC was the great facility for Becca nearby. Based on how things go in this hour, it seems like maybe being there these past 10 months has really made a difference. Maybe she’s learning strategies for managing situations that could’ve been too much overload for her in the past and/or becoming a bit more independent in other ways. It’s possible, and kind of unbearable to even think of, that Mel’s sacrificed so much to give the person she loves most in the world a good life…and isn’t even able to see how successful she’s been there.

In fact, Mel is so focused on the task of creating a good experience for Becca, she’s too distracted to put her gloves on properly. (More great physical acting from Dearden there.) Worse, she doesn’t even notice they’re on wrong until she goes behind the curtain so her sister can change. When Mel does see them, she’s already so horribly overwhelmed and barely holding on. And then, the gloves just…utterly confuse her. She also ignores the 15-minute warning alarm she set for her deposition and tries, very hard, to stay with Becca instead of going upstairs when the hospital lawyer comes for her. Which, of course, that’s…not a thing you can do.

When Santos blows off Robby’s question of whether or not she’s free to take another patient, Dr. Langdon wanders in, completely unaware of what he’s walked into as Dana calls out “AH! just the guy we were looking for!” When he sort of freezes and asks of they need something, Mel’s eager, little nods and barely-audible “yes. Uh-huh. Mm-hm, mm-hm” seals the deal. (Insert Robby just…giving up here.) Mel is a total ray of sunshine when Frank, once again, reminds her he remembers about turning out the lights. It’s obvious she fully believes him when he says Becca’s in good hands.

But she’s still worried…because she doesn’t know how not to be. So, she urges Dr. Langdon to call if anything comes up and makes that slow, pained exit. That, however, gets back to my other point. The camera is from the inside of that room looking out, from the perspective of Frank and Becca. Because we see how difficult it is for her to just let go and do the thing she has to do—whether she wants to or not—that means her sister does as well.

I can’t praise Taylor Dearden enough for how she acts out every fine detail, all the many ways Mel shows her selflessness, the many manifestations of her anxiety, and—thankfully, by the end—that beautiful relief that her person is in the very best hands. This is what it is to give, and give, and give some more, to pour your whole self into being a caregiver, and to spend so much time trying to mask your own needs, they start to claw their way to the surface when your stress is up and your sense of self-preservation is down.

MORE: Mel might trust Dr. Langdon with the most precious person in her life, but Dr. Robby’s still not sure if he wants him in his ER.

“Any advice? …I’ve never died before.”

After hours of suffering, having come into the ER at 11:00 A.M., Roxie Hamler appears to be more ready to die than ever. She finally admits to her husband, “I’ve been in pain all this time, my love.” Although she fought so hard to keep her family from worrying, she simply “can’t pretend anymore.” The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 may not feature her time of death, but this patient is finally in a place where she’s starting to say her goodbyes. Brittany Allen and Taylor Handley lay down yet more gut-wrenching, tender performances in the confession scene, only for it to be interrupted by the Hamlers’ kids returning from their trip to get ice cream.

The youngest may not understand, as he runs over or talks about the ice cream melting from the heat outdoors—something Roxie will likely never experience again. But Shane…has a terrible sense of sadness about him as gets out his mom’s favorite flavor and carefully brings it to her. And, of course, Roxie’s parents continue to see the truth for what it is. Even an hour has made a huge, grave difference in her.

Then, there’s Dr. McKay. All I can say is, just…ouch. It’s impossible not to feel for her as she watches the scene unfold, has that up close and personal view of a family’s impending loss and a mother—someone like herself—having to say goodbye to her sons for the final time. This exquisite moment of empathy and compassion is great work from Fiona Dourif. However, what Dourif and Allen do together later in the hour, when it’s just their two characters in that dark, quiet, and deadly still room and nothing else, that’s one of the best scenes, across so many excellent ones, The Pitt has shared to date.

Every time this series comes back around to the awful finality of death, it manages to one-up itself. The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 not only continues that series tradition, it raises the bar for how much more heartbreaking things can get. Roxie is a person in so much pain, she can’t bear to have her youngest child sit next to her. This is despite increasing levels of the strongest drugs imaginable, to a known toxic level. That medication is helping her along, even if it can’t actually ease her pain. Roxie wants to die, to end this suffering…but she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to leave her family behind, doesn’t want to miss out on watching the children she loves dearly grow up with the husband she adores—and who adores her—just about as humanly possible.

And Dr. McKay can’t do anything for her, can’t do anything about any of it. When she quietly slips into that room to check on her patient, she knows it’s only a matter of time. But she gently asks if she needs anything, just the same. All Roxie wants is “a time machine.” She can barely get the words out. They, like the tears she can’t control by this point, and like every small gesture we take for granted—even turning her head, oh so slowly to the doctor at her bedside—take such an effort. She has so little energy left, everything she chooses to use it on, every little bit of cost she endures, must be valuable.

This affects Cassie McKay so deeply. Her gentle, sad “that’d be nice, wouldn’t it” after looking down and trying not to cry just hurts to hear. Because, really, how many of us wish we had that chance to go back, to do certain things over again, to just have more time with the ones we love? It’s difficult to even describe the level of emotion coming off Dourif throughout these few, precious minutes. I’m not even sure I have the words. Maybe none exist, and I think coming from someone who tends to be a bit wordy, that’s maybe the best compliment I can give.

Their conversation, most likely the last one, is so beautifully written. The words are simple. But it’s in their simplicity, combined with the actors’ performances and the very atmosphere created by all the technical elements like lighting and camera work, that they carry so much more weight than they’d have if anyone tried to make them too…much. McKay seems stricken when Roxie asks if she believes in God. Additionally, her sad, sad smile on admitting she’s seen her “share” of death is all she can give her patient now—just…acknowledgement and sharing as much of herself as the moment allows. But no, she doesn’t have any advice when Roxie asks. We can witness death from the outside looking in over and over again, but there are no answers for what it’s actually like. Only the dead know that. And they’re not telling.

Indeed, as viewers, we’ve witnessed many deaths with the characters of The Pitt. But every single family experience, every single personal transition out of life, is unique. This series does a beautiful job of always individualizing these moments. With Roxie and Dr. McKay, there’s something special these two share—motherhood—and it’s obvious as Cassie grieves this person who was a stranger until mere hours ago, she’s thinking about that. And yes, she is grieving. Again, I have to point to Dourif’s performance here. That is grief. It’s bearing witness, yes, but it is also grief. Pure, human, loss.

Our final image of these two is another lovely, impactful one. They’re outside of the world, in the deathly stillness and silence, as the reflection of all that chaos in the outside world goes on.

MORE: The healthcare workers’ debrief after Louie’s death was yet another great example of how well The Pitt handles grief and loss.

More The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 reactions

• “If you have any concerns, just raise your hand.” …most hands go up. That would be hilarious if it weren’t, you know, for the life and death implications.
• “He said ‘Perlah.’ Have fun, maybe take a cool drink.” Ok. They’re hilarious as always, at least.
• “Ogilvie, put your hand down.” And in that moment, I actually felt bad for this kid. Nice work from Lucas Iverson with giving us some real “kicked puppy” energy as he slowly, awkwardly puts his hand down.
• “We need to call in extra help.” “3:00 P.M. on a holiday?” “I know people, buddy.” Will I ever not love Robby and Dana’s little interactions? Sources say no.
• “Hey, Jude…” I giggled.
• GOOD GOD THAT HAND. Right out of a horror movie.
• Oh, the sunshine blooming over Mel’s face as she sees Brooke’s regained some of her sight.
• Can we talk about the hospital policy of forcing patients to pay for pregnancy tests when they’re absolutely certain they can’t be pregnant or.
• “You guys still write stuff down on paper?” “Today we do, yeah.”
• Mel just power walking on by…
• That thin, nervous voice on “we’re really busy, and..someone will see you in a second?”
• “Is it always like this?” “Yeah, pretty much. Wow. There are a lot of smelly people.” “Yeah.”
• “Are you going to help them all?” Mel’s her hero. (And mine.)
• “Is the insurance company going to cover the cost of the surgery?” “Yeah, since Westbridge is still down.” “Well, good because the delay in care definitely increased the chance of a post-op infection.” “You gotta love it when insurance companies make medical decisions.” Rare moment of Garcia and Robby being on the same side of a disagreement. Let’s all clap.
• Man, Briones does Santos’ decreasing ability to hide her insecurities so well. She is clearly, clearly upset about Garcia canceling on her.
• “….oh, this f**king daaaaay!” “Thought I was gonna get a clean getaway for my trip.” “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.” Good thing Robby can’t see Dana’s face there. She just spent over an hour, close to two, with a rape victim. And that was immediately after having to clean the body of someone she’d seen countless times over the years. But he’s whining about a trip? Dana is not impressed. Katherine LaNasa continues to be the scene stealer we absolutely don’t deserve. Like man, even when she just…lets it all out about the effin’ day…
• “Sorry. Right. Dana, Dr. Robby, this is my—my…Becca.”
• “Do you have to go?” My heart.
• PROTECT MEL AND MEL’S SISTER.
• Reason 2938473 Emma’s my favorite out of The Pitt Season 2’s new characters: She’s so eager to help, yet so intimidated…but she still just keeps showing up. Check out how she walks up to Perlah when she’s futzing with that fax machine, gets a little nervous when Perlah looks at her, sorta gives her that tiny smile as if to say “can I please help,” and then just…gets to work.
• I need a sitcom spinoff that’s just Kristin Villanueva and Amielynn Abellera doing their thing, please and thank you. From Princess gloating over her winnings, to Perlah accusing her of cheating, to them coming to their hush money agreement, they continue to be a complete and total delight.
• “What does it say?” “Replace toner. We live in Hell.” “Oh, where can we get that?” “1988. You ever seen one of these?”
• 100% on board with Dana thwacking that thing for good measure.
• I’m so glad The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 calls out the lack of attention and listening that goes on when people have concern about their reproductive health.
• McKay and Whitaker’s patient is in so very much pain, and although it’s worse than ever before, she struggled with problems for years before someone would listen to her. It’s far, far too common. And, yes, race generally tends to determine how long doctors dismiss you for before finally hearing you out. This isn’t the first time The Pitt has specifically called out how racism plays into patient care, and I hope that, despite such a huge push to pretend it doesn’t exist on every level, the series continues to shine a light on obvious examples like this.
• “Yeah, it can take time to make the diagnosis.” The way that patient squints at her from the bed before just bluntly being like, “that sounds like an excuse for lazy doctoring…and it doesn’t help that some of you don’t listen to women, let alone brown ones.” She’s got time today. I appreciate that we get to see what it is to be in that much pain and just not have the energy or the desire to sugarcoat the truth anymore, without getting anywhere remotely near the line—much less going over it.
• “Feels like another kidney stone.” “You’ve had them before?” “I said ‘another,’ which means an additional thing of the same type.” Once again like “wow, The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 actually made me feel bad for Ogilvie.” First, there’s his “oh sh—” face when Mr. Green gives him his little English lesson. And then…there’s…this: “Well, you went into medicine. He must be really proud.” “You’d have to ask him.” Like, what’s that story?
• Princess out here, thirsting over Dr. “Call Me Nick” Barker. Dana: “Jesus Christ.” And then, the great shot of ER Mom and Dad just…baffled Princess has the time (or thinks she does).
• “Ok, ok, ok. Breaaaaathe.” He’s so good with Mel. The only person who’s better…is Langdon.
• “It’s not a good idea to care for family members. It’s hard to stay objective.” I hear it’s also not a good idea to care for family members’ girlfriends. (Too soon?)
• “Hey, are you free?” “Is anybody really free.” What a mood.
• “How am I supposed to catch up on my outstanding charts with extra patients and the computer system down?” “The same way that the rest of us do. You can finish your charting when you finish your shift.” I am, once again, begging literally anyone to notice that Santos is drowning. (But I love that “F—ing fantastic” delivery, at least.)
• “Your have really nice hair, Doctor Langdon.” “Thank you.” He looks so thrilled??? Adorable.
• Every single second Patrick Ball and Tal Anderson share on screen is golden. What an unexpected treat, seeing Dr. Langdon and Becca interact. Langdon’s so completely calm and reassuring—while still being honest about needing to get her better, despite her symptoms being “normal.” And Becca’s in this vulnerable position, yet the longer she talks to Langdon, the more she starts to trust him and carry on a casual conversation.
• Also…there’s Langdon’s awkward, little reaction to this: “Mel says lots of nice things about you.” Like, he has no idea what to say to that, does he?
• “How’s it going in there?” “All good. Langdon’s great with her.” Thank you, Perlah, for that.
• Once again demanding a Princess/Perlah spinoff. Loved that little moment of Perlah getting so annoyed at her friend for standing there, thirsting. Actually couldn’t stop laughing from her snapping those fingers and the “Rude!”/”Close your mouth” interaction. So grateful to have them, especially because so much of The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 is so heavy with grief.
• “I…haven’t put anybody on the board—I thought the nurses did that.” Ok, so a couple things. One, never assume. And two, Javadi is so terrified here.
• “Oh, God. Kids.”
• “You’re not my mom!” “You think I want to be your mom?”
• Digby is such a sweetheart. Let’s keep him here forever.
• Ouch, ouch, ouch. I usually say Shabana Azeez is basically the queen of facial expressions and reaction shots. That’s still true in this hour, but her voice. Good God. When Javadi’s filling Robby in on how her patient “took a turn for the worse,” the sound of it is actually painful to hear because it’s so not like her.
• “Yeah, furries get a bad rap, but there are great people in the community…creative, welcoming, funny.” Same goes for us TV nerds and geeks, honestly.
• “Nice to hear that meeting people in real life still works.” “Wouldn’t recommend it, especially at work.” That tight, irritated delivery!
• “I think you’d make a good dragon.” You know what? Respect. She totally would.
• Oh, Javadi’s relief when they get a pulse. And that tight swallow!
• “You sure he just doesn’t have a crush on you?” “Maybe. But…it got me thinking about my mom. She’s probably just been lonely.” It’s the way McKay’s face is basically like, “YOU MEAN LIKE I SAID HOURS AGO????” (But, honestly, not in a mean way.)
• “Do you hear that? The painful, lonely silence is the sound of my eggs. Dying.” And then, McKay just grins, almost like she’s about to laugh and say something…but that intense warning look from Mohan definitely wipes the smile off her face, making sure she doesn’t say a word.
• …but does Mohan really think she waited too long? She’s still so young!
• Oh, God. There’s two of them! Dana and Clerk!Dana.
• “And how’s all this digital sh** workin out for you now?” Points were made, but do please tell us how we absolutely must have the slop machine think, and write, and draw, and diagnose patients, and everything else for us…
• The way this Monica lady just struts in, takes charge, and scares the everloving F out of Antoine and Larry like they’ve been called to the principal’s office???? Is she…is she more Dana than Dana????
• “Then, get out of my space and go do something you know how to do…” Yes, Ma’am.
• “Man, being a big sister’s a lot easier than being a surrogate mom.” Just…evil, evil, evil, evil, evil to do this to families.
• “A lot of what happens to people around here isn’t right.” Noah Wyle, king of the “hoarse from too much emotion he’s trying to push down” voice. And the way Wyle hits that line and then just leaves with no energy is really, truly about showing Robby’s not trying to be dismissive or uncaring. It’s just that he just…can’t deal.
• And that shot through the window of Chantal so alone and small, compared to Santos outside in the foreground. OOF.
• “Look. With all the chaos, she just fell through the cracks.” “She almost died. I could have killed her.” “We caught it in time; won’t let it happen again. Ok?” I love this little moment. Whitaker and Javadi were both students on Pittfest day, and now that he’s officially a doctor, he’s simultaneously staying humble and trying to be a little bit of a mentor or example. So very sweet.
• Laëtitia Hollard and Katherine LaNasa. That is all.
• Ok. I can say more.
• For one thing, there’s the writing: “We do what we can to give the best care to traumatized people in their darkest days.” And, for another, I love how LaNasa’s voice softens as she gets to “took her out on the walk.” It’s going to sound like I’m just calling everyone and everything my favorite (what about it???), but I mean it when I say Emma and Dana’s conversation out in the ambulance bay is yet another one of my favorite parts of The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9. Dana is so very, very proud. Emma looks uncomfortable with the whole receiving compliments thing (same), but she’s also…cautiously pleased to hear Dana thinks she did good, is how I’ll describe it.
• I also really love how Hollard plays Emma’s moment of explaining what she talked about with Ilana. It’s like she’s putting herself back there, maybe back in whatever situation made her give such good advice.
• And it means something to that character. All of it, from Dana asking, to the conversation itself…It all means something.
• “Is every day like this?” Oh, that grin from Dana before “minus the cyberattacks? Yeah. But you’re only a few hours away from being done with your first of many. Be proud of that.” She’s so proud, but it’s also bittersweet to think about someone with so much potential, so much kindness, and so much innocence doing this day after day??? Plus, let’s all look at that quiet, little pleased expression before Emma goes back in. I LOVE HER.
• Other things I love: Whitaker (rightfully) giving McKay credit for keeping the PCOS patient here longer and the sincere gratitude McKay receives as a result.
• “Dr. Abbot’s funny.” “Trust me. The charm wears off.” Sure, Doc.
• My heart broke for Howard Knox. So alone and afraid, hearing how serious his condition is and how low his chances of survival are. I can’t praise Craig Ricci Shaynak for this and that gutting call Howard has with his sister. It’s like he’s so happy to get to talk to her, but he has this sense about him that their happy reunion is about to turn tragic. All those plans are more “what could have been” than “what will be.” I really hope he’s in the good 50%.
• “I don’t even know what hurts more..cancer? Or…knowing I’m never gonna see my sons grow up. It feels like a cruel joke. Why give me children and a husband I adore if you’re just gonna take them away from me? For what? F—ng lung cancer. I didn’t even smoke.” It’s always F cancer in this house.
• “Do you believe in God?” “I like the concept.”
• “I forgot to tell him I love him.” This one line…Go hug your loved ones after watching The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9. While you still can.
• Noah Wyle and Shawn Hatosy continue to have one of the best onscreen dynamics on this series. What a goodbye—which had better only be a “see you later”—between these two brothers. Like, the joking about Abbot possibly liking Al-Hashimi more? The little high five into the hug? Abbot being just about the only one who can poke at Robby’s sensitive spots and get him to show a little bit of that vulnerability (as opposed to outright hostility) before needing to make a quick exit? All fantastic.
• “Ok. You just make sure you come back. And if it gets dark, you call me…you listening?” If The Pitt doesn’t quit the heavy-handed foreshadowing that something bad’s going to happen to Robby…
• “Have you done a Radiology clerkship before?”
 “No. I’m just…that good.” A QUEEN.
• “I’m good at things, too.”
• As a surprise to literally no one who’s followed my coverage here, the Robby/Whitaker scene punched me in the guts. Noah Wyle and Gerran Howell have a certain magic about them when they work together. Their scene in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 is, thankfully, not one in the aftermath of a total breakdown like what they had in Season 1. But it’s because they had that moment, and because that was one of the best scenes from last year, that Robby being the one to give Doctor Whitaker his badge is so touching.
• (And maybe I did a “LOLOLOL kinda like how Carter from ER will always just be Carter, not Dr. Carter” when Dennis is all, “you can just call me Whitaker.”)
• And Robby’s followup on Santos’ concerns about Whitaker says a lot about how he views both of these young doctors. He values Santos’ opinion, and he’s very, very protective of Whitaker. Both Wyle and Howell play this more like a father/son duo than just an attending talking to an intern, and it’s just…very good. Robby’s just worried about Whitaker, and I appreciate how, instead of forcing the issue, he just calmly, carefully sort of leads his favorite son to drawing his own conclusion. Which, of course, is the right way to do this. Because Dr. Whitaker’s smart. He’s just, as Robby tells him when he starts the conversation, “a very empathetic soul” who’s been trying to help.
• “But it’s important to have boundaries.” And then, he totally confuses poor ol’ Huckleberry by asking him to housesit. But, I mean, in Robby’s mind, he’s his kid and not just an employee so. Checks out. Found family is just as important as the family you’re born into, actually!
• “I was gonna ask Abbot, but he does nude yoga at sunrise and I don’t think some of my elderly neighbors would survive seeing that.” Whitaker falling all over himself to be excited, going off about how “amazing it would be” before that…grimace. “The—the house sitting, not seeing Abbot’s naked yoga.” Hilarious.
• Thank you, Dr. Al, for noticing the dummy. I thought I was going insane.
• “Oh, sh**. And they’re all coming to us.”
• I mean, of course the season’s entire arc wasn’t only going to be about computers going down. Of course!

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 “3:00 P.M.”? Leave us a comment!

New episodes of The Pitt stream Thursdays at 9/8c on HBO Max.