“The Most Intense Moment in Episode 3 of ‘The Pitt’ Deals with the Fentanyl Crisis After the Death of a Son”

In episode 3 of The Pitt on MAX, the most intense moment doesn’t involve a man being shot in the chest or siblings disagreeing about their father’s medical care. The heartbreaking scene unfolds as Mr. Bradley, grieving the loss of his son, attempts to place blame for the tragedy.

**Spoilers for The Pitt Episode 3 “9 AM,” now streaming on MAX**

Previously, in episode 2, Dr. Robby discovered that Nicholas Bradley, a talented college student, was left brain-dead due to fentanyl-laced drugs. This devastating news perplexed his conventional parents, particularly his mother portrayed by Samantha Sloyan. In the latest episode, another victim of fentanyl poisoning, Jenna, is introduced. Dr. McKay successfully rescues Jenna from the brink, but the situation takes a grim turn when Nick’s father identifies Jenna’s friends as his son’s companions, hinting at a shared drug use incident.

In a fit of grief and anger, Nick’s father confronts the shocked students and accuses Jenna of causing his son’s death. He yells, “You killed my son!” before being restrained by hospital security. In a surprising revelation, Jenna clarifies that it was actually Nick who provided her with the lethal pills.

It’s a moment of wild drama that defines what MAX’s The Pitt does so well: combining the furor of soap opera storytelling with real world issues like the fentanyl crisis.

Created by R. Scott Gemmill and executive produced by both John Wells and series star Noah Wyle, The Pitt follows one harrowing fifteen hour shift in an overburdened Pittsburgh ER. The doctors we meet have to juggle their own personal demons with a never-ending stream of life or death cases, all while being understaffed, under-appreciated, and overwhelmed.

The Pitt also shines a spotlight on key cases that manage to get under the physicians’ skin for various reasons. The incredibly empathetic Dr. Robby has already found himself pulled into helping Nick Bradley’s devastated parents make sense of their son’s diagnosis. After all, yesterday, he was totally fine and healthy. Today, he’s comatose, brain dead, and destined to never wake up. While Dr. Robby kindly keeps Nick’s mother’s hopes alive by ordering additional tests, his colleague, Dr. McKay is stuck dealing with triage in the waiting room…which is how she and med student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) find themselves helping a non-responsive Jenna in her bestie’s car.

After McKay is able to revive Jenna, she and Javadi learn that the only drug Jenna took was Xanax she and some friends in a study group found via the internet. While Jenna didn’t think Xanax could be a threat, it’s clear fentanyl was laced in the prescription. Jenna’s a little shaken up and worse for wear, but she’s survived. Unlike Nick Bradley.

The first inkling that Nick and Jenna’s cases are related comes when Jenna’s friends come to visit her in the hospital. When Mr. Bradley recognizes a boy in the group, who recognizes Nick’s dad in turn, the pieces fall into place. Both kids took the same Xanax. The difference was Nick’s parents discovered him after it was too late and Jenna’s friend got her to the hospital just in time. Hence, Mr. Bradley’s wild eruption in the ER.

There are many, many ways for television shows to tackle the immense evil of fentanyl, but The Pitt does so in a way that illustrates just how unfair dying of a fentanyl overdose truly is. There’s no way to blame these kids for simply trying to get some sleep after studying too hard. Indeed, there’s no way anyone should blame anyone for dying of a fentanyl overdose. It’s an insidious killer, hidden from sight, and deadly in the smallest imaginable amounts. The Pitt deftly shows this and the unimaginably tragic fallout of these all too common deaths.

Is the end of Nick and Jenna’s story? What hot button issue will The Pitt tackle next? And can a MAX show inspire even one viewer to not risk buying dodgy pharmaceuticals?