The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9 Review: 3:00 PM

On The Pitt Season 2 Episode 9, “3:00 PM,” Mel’s sister checks into the hospital while one of Javadi’s patients falls to the wayside of the new analog system.

“3:00 PM,” directed by the show’s very own Shawn Hatosy, confirms this shift is just starting to rev up. However, this episode carries a lot of emotional weight, fleshing out out context for a lot of these characters. 

Mel and Becca

Because we are confined solely to a single shift, The Pitt brings its characters’ personal lives into the fold in unique ways. Becca’s arrival at the hospital not only presents an additional ball for Mel to juggle amid her deposition anxieties, but creates an opportunity to dive deeper into the sisters’ dynamic. Similar to Mohan fielding her mother’s calls or Javadi’s parents constantly dropping in on her, Becca being a patient provides additional perspective and context on who Mel is outside of work. 

Season 1 only shows Becca in glimpses or through whatever Mel chooses to share. “3:00 PM” allows us to witness her more fully as an individual character rather than just Mel’s sister.

Tal Anderson doesn’t miss a step with Becca and she arrives fully formed. She brings a electric, contrasting energy to Mel’s more reserved nature. It’s a terrific re-introduction to the character.

Becca being entrusted to Langdon’s care feels like a micro-expression of a larger story with Mel. She’s built her entire life around Becca. It’s clear she needs to surrender a little bit of control and have something for herself outside of that; this moment feels like a toe in the water of a bigger conversation.

It also feels like Mel will have to reevaluate her boundaries with Becca. Despite her good intentions, she tends to infantilize Becca. “3:00 PM” shows us the dynamic in practice and enables us to infer how intricate their relationship actually is. 

With Mel finally getting more screen time focused on her, she’s receiving opportunities to be challenged as a person. The upcoming deposition paves the way for her to take ownership of her skillset while she’s forced to refocus her attention in her personal life.

Javadi’s Patient

Javadi makes a major mistake and one of her patients falls through the cracks of the analog system. As things worsen, she visibly crumbles and anxiety starts to get to her. The weight of that mistake is not lost on her.

It’s an interesting dichotomy to examine in the context of a teaching hospital. These students are learning and are prone to make mistakes; however, the mistakes are much more severe than other learning environments. On top of that, they’re doing this under extenuating circumstances with the tech shut down.

There’s no clear answer, but “3:00 PM” opens the door to explore the balance between grace for mistakes in this learning environment and the severity of what those mistakes bring. We don’t often think about the pressure medical students are under, trying to master this profession with people’s lives in their hands. How do they hold grace for their humanity in the face of a near-death mistake?

The mistake is a pivotal moment for Javadi as well that we really haven’t seen from her yet. She’s a prodigy so failure is a harsh reminder of her own humanity for the character and the audience. It will be interesting to see if she allows this to derail her for the remainder of her shift or if she’ll take it in stride.

Sliding Further Into Chaos

The news of a water slide collapsing is jaw-dropping and shocking. It feels almost melodramatic for a show that strives to portray the harsh realities of healthcare. There is an argument to be made that it’s trying to echo Season 1’s mass casualty incident, bringing in a wave of critical patients all at once.

However, it is an entertaining cliffhanger to leave us on. We also get to examine this influx of patients through the lens of an analog system this time around. It will not only push our characters in new ways, but bring forth other systemic shortcomings and challenges to the forefront.

Overall, “3:00 PM” is another needed moment to check in with characters emotionally before descending further into chaos. It also feels like a needed shifting point for some characters that weren’t as prominent in the first half of the season to come into focus.

Stray Thoughts

• Abbot arranging the call for Howard pre-surgery was a lovely moment for Abbot. We rarely get to see him in this soft way.
• Joy seems very invested in the X-Rays in a way we haven’t seen yet from this shift.
• Robby telling Whitaker he’s proud of him on top of asking him to house sit is a major moment for Whitaker. Also, as of right now, Whitaker does feel like Robby’s new “heir apparent.”
• Santos is so good with children. Regardless of what’s happening, she always manages to lock in whenever handling a young patient.

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

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