REVIEW: ‘The Pitt’ Episode 5 — “11:00 A.M.”

Every episode of The Pitt just gets better and better. Maybe it’s because there were revelations this week, but The Pitt Episode 5 feels like the first big payoff of this series. As the characters and the show settle into their groove, it’s easier to see how much these characters can change and grow in the audience’s eyes over the course of this one shift.

There’s finally confirmation that Robby (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) have a history. According to Dr. Collins, they dated briefly a while ago. Their back-and-forth in The Pitt Episode 5 involves what to do about 17-year-old Kristy’s abortion. This is the patient that Dr. Abbott told Robby to look out for back in The Pitt Episode 1. Dr. Collins discovers that Kristy is further along in her pregnancy than Dr. Abbott initially wrote down. At 11 weeks, they can no longer provide abortion medication. But Robby suggests forging the medical forms so they can move forward.

In just five episodes, The Pitt has touched on plenty of topics easily seen in every political news headline. Robby forges the medical form so that Dr. Collins doesn’t have to put her career on the line. The ease with which he does so could speak to how he feels about Dr. Collins (though there hasn’t been much indication if there’s still anything there), as well as how often he tells little white lies if it benefits the patient. The situation gets more complicated when Kristy’s real mom shows up, demanding she not get the abortion. Things are about to get messy and political.

Patient-doctor connections are the beating heart in The Pitt Episode 5

The Pitt Episode 5 showcases great patient-doctor connections. A revelation comes from Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif), who connects with a houseless mother. Dr. McKay opens up about her own addiction and that she’s been sober for almost a decade. She gets to see her son every other weekend and is three weeks away from regaining joint custody when her ankle monitor is removed.

Dr. Mohan’s (Supriya Ganesh) connection with Joyce (Ashley Romans), the sickle cell patient who came in a couple of episodes ago, pays off really beautifully in The Pitt Episode 5. As Robby continues to hound Dr. Mohan for going slow and making friends with the patients, Dr. Mohan’s confidence begins to waver. However, the moments between Joyce and her wife, Dr. Mohan, and Dr. Collins showcase how great of a doctor Dr. Mohan is.

Joyce and her wife’s fear of taking life-saving measures such as intubation for Joyce is very real. Considering the way Joyce was treated by the paramedics when she first came in, their distrust is understandable. But it’s because of Dr. Mohan’s connection with them and how she opened up about her research into racial disparities in ERs that ultimately allowed for a smooth intubation process. Before Dr. Mohan can apologize for going slow again, Dr. Collins commends Dr. Mohan’s ability to forge that connection with her patients and reminds her to keep doing her thing despite what Robby says.

There’s more room for levity in The Pitt Episode 5. Following the death of Dr. Whitaker’s (Gerran Howell) first patient, Mr. Milton, Dr. Whitaker’s confidence also seems to be shaken. However, he rolls his eyes at the seemingly simple cases Dr. Mohan gives him. But the running gag of Dr. Whitaker constantly needing new scrubs is working well to break up some of the more emotionally tough parts of this episode.

Running gags add moments of levity to balance heavy bouts of emotion

The stolen ambulance continues to signal impending doom, a fact that everyone betting on its fate anticipated. A police chase sends the ambulance crashing into their sector, which means more patients will come in future episodes.

The revelations continue with Jake, Robby’s son, who’s stopped by to pick up music festival tickets for him and his girlfriend. The rest of the ER staff clearly knows Jake well. Another running gag involves three of the doctors giving Jake condoms along with a “stay safe” speech.

There’s not a whole lot to glean from Robby and Jake’s relationship in the few moments they have with each other, but it’s clear that despite a separation from Jake’s mom, there’s a good relationship there. Jake does say that his mom wanted to make sure Robby was okay today, clearly a reference to the anniversary of his mentor’s passing, the details of which still remain a mystery. One revelation at a time!

These moments throughout The Pitt Episode 5 represent how well this show format can work. Fifteen episodes covering the same shift can start to feel claustrophobic, and it’s only been five episodes. But tracking these particular character nuances across five episodes has been rewarding. Even though these characters’ lives exist within the walls of the ER, The Pitt Episode 5 proves there’s room to explore.

The Pitt airs new episodes every Thursday on Max, formally HBO Max.

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