It’s 1 p.m. inside Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, and things are heating up.
Episode 7 marked the halfway point in Season 2 of “The Pitt,” and it felt like it, with juicy additions to several storylines. Charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) continues to feature as one of the show’s most three-dimensional characters. (LaNasa also keeps trying valiantly to speak Pittsburghese — she’s got the “o” in “hospital” down, but not the “oo” in “stool.”)
We learn more about Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi). And, perhaps most importantly, the tension between Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) and Noah Wyle’s Emmy-winning Dr. Robby comes to a boil.
One of “The Pitt”’s strengths is its blend of emotion and education, and “1:00 p.m.” delivers both by the ambulance load. As in other episodes, there’s plenty of implicit advice here. There’s also empathy for veterans, uninsured patients, the Deaf community and survivors of sexual assault.
The last group is a key throughline in the latest episode. While much of “The Pitt” deals with the ways the medical system is overburdened, the story of assault survivor Alana Dunn (Ivy George) is handled with care.
Her scenes with LaNasa’s Dana and newcomer Emma Nolan (Laëtitia Hollard) demystify the process of collecting evidence without ignoring Alana’s plight or the pains Dana takes to put her at ease. These scenes also feature multiple references to Pittsburgh Action Against Rape and their support services.
In other scenes, we learn key details about the personal backgrounds of the attending nurses, physicians and residents. Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones), whose past looms large behind her devil-may-care attitude, continues to make more sense.
We meet Dr. Victoria Javadi’s (Shabana Azeez) goofball dad. There’s also a heartbreaking turn in the subplot of uninsured patient Orlando Díaz (William Guirola).
For thirstier fans, there’s even the shirtless return of Robby’s counterpart Dr. Jack Abbott (Shawn Hatosy), whose days in Afghanistan give him a point of connection with Dr. Al-Hashimi. Without becoming “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Pitt” continues to subtly build romantic tension on multiple levels. There’s also plenty of literal heat, blood and technology going haywire throughout this episode.
In short — and without spoiling the blockbuster ending — “1:00 P.M.” adds complications everywhere.
Season 1 saw “The Pitt” effectively play drama and science off of each other. As Season 2 goes on, it feels like the showrunners and Wyle have succeeded in striking that balance once again. T
That said, “The Pitt” is hitting the heat of the day with a lot of different elements in play. It’s going to take some serious crisis management to bring the overworked staff at PTMC to a satisfying end of shift.
