In a world dominated by screens, the internet and e-correspondence, the idea of going “analog,” of being forced to discard the tools which we rely upon, may seem daunting or even terrifying. The emergency room is no different.
“The Pitt” Season 2 Episode 8 and 9 deal with this sudden development with the show’s trademark ingenuity, showing a variety of cast members responding in a variety of ways. Joy’s photographic memory makes her a major asset to the team, while the younger staff struggles to adapt to tools their older mentors were once very familiar with.
As someone both born after 2000 and woefully uneducated about hospitals, I found myself pulled in by the display of technology and techniques that my parents likely saw in their unfortunate trips to the E.R. I was expecting, or perhaps hoping for, a bit more disorder to stem from this incident, but the matter is approached in a reasonably realistic and calm manner.
I do feel like the first season began to escalate more by this point than this season has, but the writing is still solid and I’m happy that characters like Mohan and King are getting more to do again. Episode 9 is similarly solid though generally uneventful, at least relative to its past-the-halfway-point mark.
There’s a meaningful and relevant storyline about a sister forced to care for her younger brother after their parents were deported, the storyline involving Roxie (the terminally ill mother) continues to be heartbreaking and captivating, especially when she speaks to McKay about the cruel hand fate has dealt her.
“Why give me children and a husband I adore if you’re just gonna take them away from me?” She asks, voice cracking with the barely-composed dignity of a person aware their time is short.
I’ve also found myself attached to Howard, a patient using a text-to-speech machine while incubated. He learns there is a very real chance he may die on this day and manages to reach his estranged sister in a very real and very heartbreaking conversation.
Episode 9 offered well-appreciated moments between established characters, as well, such as Langdon meeting King’s sister, Becca, or Robby’s warm and slightly ominous conversations with Abbot and Whitaker. There are still stakes and meaningful moments despite the lack of explosive event like in the first season.
Still, episode 9 hints at the potential for chaos: a damaged water slide has led to at least one casualty and many injuries that will, of course, be treated at The Pitt. The event may not be as dramatic as the shooting from last season, but it is an escalation nonetheless — especially at a time when the doctors are forced to work without the ever-reliable internet.
