The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11 Review: 5:00 PM

On The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11, “5:00 PM,” the team must treat a patient in ICE custody. Meanwhile Langdon and Santos finally have a conversation.

The Pitt firmly places its finger on the pulse of this country and tackles myriad issues relating to healthcare and the world at large. It’s not shocking in the least that the show brought in the impact of ICE into the series in some capacity.

The arrival of ICE immediately sucks the air right out of the hospital. There’s a palpable fear from everyone in the hospital and the absence of those who fled is felt. Their presence also inhibits the staff’s ability to administer adequate care and effectively do their jobs.

“5:00 PM” doesn’t go out of its way to outright tell the audience how they should feel as it tends to do sometimes. However, because the issue is plainly and bluntly presented, the series’ stance is no less clear.

The agents move with no empathy or awareness. Despite this agency typically being deployed under the guise of “safety,” neither agent acknowledges the duress their presence causes nor affords Pranita much dignity. She is merely treated as an inconvenient part of the job they have to deal with.

Meanwhile, our doctors walk on eggshells while tending to their patient. They’re usually so confident and caring, going above and beyond for their patients; this is such a stark difference as the agents hover over them and rush them along. 

Robby wants the agents out as quickly as possible with as little confrontation to minimize the damage. But trying to minimize the confrontation and keeping their focus solely on her medical care does nothing to help Pranita in the long run. Her safety still remains at risk as soon as she’s discharged. 

It’s an impossible dilemma. They are essentially torn between intervention and maintaining the safety of everyone else in the vicinity. 

There’s a clear threat of power when Robby does snap at one of the agents. This and the subsequent arrest of Jesse effectively point to the indiscriminate nature of these agents. This isn’t for “safety,” it’s ultimately about power and control. 

“5:00 PM” is laden with small details that highlight the push and pull for power. The staff scrambles to reclaim control while the agents repeatedly reassert themselves. Once the agents start to lose their grip, they send things into chaos to reset the dynamic.

It could be argued that Pranita lacks the detail that a lot of other major patients come in with. All we really know about her is that she has a daughter. But maybe that’s the overall point; we shouldn’t need to know every intimate detail about someone’s life to recognize when they’re being oppressed.

We don’t have the space or time to get a full picture of Pranita outside of the hospital. That doesn’t lessen the sense of danger we know she’s in. The physicality of this trio of performers illustrates a clear and concise picture at all times.

It’s difficult to watch given that it feels ripped directly from the footage we see from the real world. However, there’s a delicate hand behind this depiction without an attempt to sanitize it. It plainly presents the violence and harm that actively affects very real communities across the country. 

“5:00 PM” doesn’t shy away from where it stands, but it doesn’t go to the point of exploitation. A mainstream series to addressing this head-on without attempting to absolve or take a neutral stance is major and essential. 

Stray Thoughts

• The difference between Robby’s response to Ogilvie versus Mohan is staggering.
• McKay missing Roxie’s death feels like an important moment of how death is out of our control, even when we do get a say in how we go. It also felt like a moment for McKay to shift out of a procedural mindset with this.
• Al-Hashimi saving this mother had me shaking.
• Javadi getting to prove herself in front of her mother was a triumphant moment for both the character and the audience.
• The confrontation between Langdon and Santos was explosive and tense, and exactly what I wanted.

 

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The Pitt airs Thursday at 9:00 PM ET on HBO Max.

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