Summary of Episode 3 of ‘The Pitt’: “9:00 A.M.”

‘Discussing the last episode of The Pitt, we named it as such. An important aspect of any medical show, the “Above Patient Scrum” is well-established in this series, with a particularly memorable example in “Hour Three.” Before delving into the treatment of a man with a drywall nail dangerously close to his heart, let’s first consider a unique perspective on emergency medicine. The camera shifts to a patient’s point of view, observing Whitaker performing chest compressions in a seemingly futile situation. Ultimately, Dr. Robby is forced to concede defeat, marking the med student’s first experience with patient loss. Despite their best efforts, no one is to blame; it was simply this man’s time to pass on that morning at 9am in the ER. Robby acknowledges the delicate balance required in their profession, a balance that can be challenging to maintain. However, as emergency physicians, they must persevere and strive to save the next life.

Dr. Santos, on the other hand, appears less receptive to Robby’s call for a moment of contemplation following the recent loss. The intern exhibits a thirst for action, pressing Dr. Collins for the opportunity to perform a complex procedure like chest tube insertion. However, she appears indifferent to the context of the patient’s situation. Santos has displayed sarcasm and even cynicism, bordering on insensitivity. She dismisses Mel’s sentiment of staff camaraderie as she views every individual as being solely self-interested. Santos persistently provokes Javadi by referring to her as Crash, while simultaneously attempting to establish an overly assertive friendship. She goes as far as suggesting that their hypothetical friendship could lead to an opportunity for a surgical rotation under Dr. Shamsi, Javadi’s mother and a senior attending physician at the hospital. Santos demonstrates competence, readiness, and skill in the chaotic environment of the ER. She admires the prowess of rock star physicians but stands out due to her distinct temperament on the trauma floor. The audience is left wondering about the driving forces behind her character, portrayed intriguingly by Isa Briones.

The man with a precarious nail lodged near his heart receives comprehensive care. Collins, resident surgeon Dr. Yolanda Garcia, and Santos are all on hand, along with a team of nurses, diligently attending to the patient. Through their combined efforts, the man stabilizes, the foreign object is safely removed, and his chest cavity is swiftly accessed by a retractor right in the ER. This scenario underscores another key aspect of the episode, highlighting the simultaneous journeys of its patients. While Nail Man undergoes life-saving treatment, another individual experiencing a heart attack is successfully rescued in the nick of time. Amidst the somber flatline of Whitaker’s patient, another newcomer miraculously regains consciousness on her gurney, revived by the swift administration of Narcan by McKay and Javadi. Her life is spared, contrasting with those who succumbed to the inevitable fate of mortality.

Others like the young man whose parents can’t bring themselves to accept that their only son is gone. Robby has refused to move him to another floor, and run more tests as the parents cling to hope, even as he gently tells them that brain death is the same as actual death. But is this fentanyl overdose an unfortunate trend in the Pitt? Recognizing a college friend of his son, the dad accosts the young woman recovering after the Narcan dose. “You killed my fucking son!” He’s hysterical, and nearly knocks over Dana Evans. Worse, the new patient says his son gave her the laced Xanax that almost killed her. It’s only hour three of Dr. Robby’s shift. Even more college kids suffering from fentanyl overdoses could very well arrive at the hospital. After all, medical dramas love a mass casualty event.

The Pitt’s carousel of existing traumas is not reserved for its patients. Remember the lady from episode 1, whose foot was crushed? Speaking with Collins via an interpreter who appears on a bedside monitor, she smiles and touches the doctor’s belly. “When are you due?” she asks in Nepali. “I can always tell.” Collins is gracious toward her patient, but shaken. She checks her profile in a reflection, because as we have learned, her pregnancy is not public knowledge. We also get a kind of update on Dr. McKay. While Javadi unsuccessfully fishes for information about her personal life from Langdon, McKay implores Dr. Robby to follow up with the patient whose high school age son ran off, taking a suspicious list of female students with him. Robby bristles when McKay calls the kid an incel, and a threat to cause harm. But she says she’s been on the receiving end of someone who hates women. Could that be part of why she wears an ankle monitor? For now, Robby huddles with staff social worker Kiara Alfaro (Krystel V. McNeil) to inquire about ethics, and how the hospital could lure the student back to the Pitt under the guise of his mother needing medical attention.

Maybe in the next episode, Dr. Robby will finally get a chance to sneak away to pee. He tries twice in episode 2, unsuccessfully, in a bit that feels like a way for The Pitt to emphasize its passage of real time. (Similarly, Robby references a conversation he had with Collins “a couple hours ago,” aka episode 1.) The series needs to get better at this. Stress it more. Because it’s a cool idea, but it’s getting lost in the flow of action. In the meantime, we’ll focus on the attending surgeon’s veteran words to his med students and residents. Whitaker will get over losing his first patient – the best way is to check the patient board and dive right back in. And it’s the same with Robby’s R3, Dr. Samira “slow-mo” Mohan. Be faster, he tells her. It’s more efficient for the department, and more educational for her. “Being here means no matter how good you are, or how hard you try, you’re gonna make another mistake. Someone might even die. It’s part of being an emergency medicine doctor. Now go save some lives.”

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.