The Pitt Season 1 Episode 5 Review: 11:00 a.m.

The Pitt Season 1 Episode 5, “11:00 a.m.,” has arrived, and with it, new patients and more bodily fluids spilling on Whitaker.

While the first four episodes were filled with intense and physically demanding cases, this one is more emotionally heavy. It doesn’t make for a relaxing hour of TV.

A woman, Rita, and her elderly mother, Ginger, come in after the latter suffers a fall. It turns out Rita is the sole caretaker and is overwhelmed. Dr. King offers encouragement, but it’s not enough, as it seems that Rita abandoned her mother at the hospital.

This moment is the most heartbreaking one of the week, as it delves into the subject of caretaker fatigue, which is real and difficult to manage. Hopefully, Rita will come back, but if not, there will be a lot of emotions that Dr. King will have to handle, and it will be interesting to see how this will affect the pitt.

Meanwhile, Sherry, a patient that Dr. McKay suspects is unhoused, returns to be able to finish treating her wound, and it is through a heart-opening conversation that we learn about Dr. McKay’s past. She’s an addict and lost custody of her son, but she has turned her life around and will be able to get the ankle monitor off in a week.

Sherry needed to hear Dr. McKay’s advice and confirms her suspicions, but the moment is short-lived since Javadi returns, asking if she has spoken to the social worker. Sherry believes that Dr. McKay betrayed her trust, and leaves.

Once again, this is a learning session for Javadi, who seems to take one step forward and three steps back when it comes to patient interactions. She has a long way to go still.

In the midst of this, Dr. Mohan has to intubate Joyce, her sickle-cell patient, and despite being criticized by the staff for being called Slo-Mo, she has built trust with Joyce and her wife to be able to go into the procedure as calm and informed as they could despite the circumstances.

She is proving to have a big heart, and unfortunately, it will lead to some painful events in the future. However, it’s nothing she can’t handle.

In another one of the curtain-covered rooms, 17-year-old Kristi is waiting to get an abortion. Dr. Robby and Dr. Collins argue about what the best steps for her care are, and a conversation about privilege ensues because he wants to bend the rules and she doesn’t.

The scene serves as a reminder that even though they are in a high-stress environment that requires teamwork, there are staff who receive better treatment and wouldn’t be punished for a lie.

Despite the tense conversation, there is clear communication between them, which allows audiences to realize that despite their positions, there is mutual respect present despite their history. That’s right, they used to date, as it has been implied previously.

There is one happy occurrence on this episode — we meet Dr. Robby’s son, Jake. They seem to have a good relationship and were supposed to attend a music festival together before Jake decided to take his girlfriend. Perhaps that is why Robby decided to work this specific day?

It is good to see Robby lighter and happy, even if it is just for a moment, and see that there are people that care about him outside of the confinements of the hospital.

This episode allows us to explore more of the humanity of the doctors and we are clearly approaching boiling points when it comes to tensions between the staff and patients.

Dr. Santos and Dr. Langdon don’t see eye to eye, and he thinks she is overstepping when she thinks that some vials might be damaged. She will not let it go, and chances are that despite her arrogance, she is right, and no one will believe her until it’s too late.

Despite the previous scene between Robby and Collins, we are reminded of the tensions that exist and that not everyone gets along, and unfortunately, it won’t get better until someone gets hurt.

Finally, Doug Driscoll, the patient in the waiting room who keeps growing angrier at the waiting times he is facing to be seen by a doctor, will most likely become aggressive in the coming episodes. There is too much focus on him for it to not happen.

This moment seems too real, which further delves into The Pitt‘s realistic approach to life in the emergency room.

If Pitt Season 1 Episode 5 proves anything, it is that the series has no intention of ever slowing down. Each episode concludes on a cliffhanger, which works with its weekly release format and builds anticipation and dread for the next hour.

What did you think of this episode of The Pitt? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Pitt airs Thursdays at 9pm on Max

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