REVIEW: ‘The Pitt’ Episode 10 — “4:00 P.M.”

Television lives and dies by its pay-offs. They need the proper groundwork and a steady build-up. If it comes too late, the audience might have given up already. If it comes too early, it can cause confusion. The Pitt Episode 10 delivers a shocking reveal for Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.

After a few really great episodes, The Pitt Episode 10 shows the showing losing some of its magic. ‘Some’ is used loosely here, but think of the smallest grain of sand scratching the palm of your hand. It’s still great television, but because the series has been so strong thus far, when an episode doesn’t live up to previous episodes, it’s noticeable, particularly when the flow and execution of the real-time format with the complicated medical procedures is clumsy.

Take, for example, when Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and Dr. King (Taylor Dearden) take care of a stroke patient named Vera. There’s a moment where they learn her name, and the two share a triumphant look. A cut to the charge nurse’s station allows for a check-in with Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif) and Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor), who catch up about Chad, McKay’s ex. It’s a quick scene, maybe a minute and a half. But then it’s back to Vera, who’s having an allergic reaction. Dr. Mohan and Dr. King come running into the room to assist.

A plot twist comes out of nowhere in The Pitt Episode 10, marking the show’s first misstep.

It’s a small break in the otherwise well-executed real-time format. Usually, it’s easy to track the characters at all times, even if the focus is on one or two of them. The action of another can oftentimes be seen in the background. But the next time Dr. Mohan and Dr. King are shown again, they rush back into a room we never saw them leave, breaking that continuity in The Pitt Episode 10.

The issues of continuity are most apparent in the reveal of Dr. Langdon’s crime of stealing drugs from the hospital. It ultimately lacks a certain weight behind it. While performance-wise, it is engaging, it almost feels like it came out of nowhere. Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) has been tracking a discrepancy with the drugs for a while and even brought her suspicions about Dr. Langdon to Dana (Katherine LaNasa) before. Still, there wasn’t any indication from Dr. Langdon himself that he was harboring this secret.

However, Noah Wyle and Patrick Ball sell the scene. Wyle’s Robby shows more emotion yelling at Dr. Langdon than he has all shift. The tears welling in his eyes were a nice touch, too. Meanwhile, Ball tears down Dr. Langdon’s sarcastic exterior to expose a trembling and insecure person.

The interaction between the two speaks to a possible history on the subject of drugs. Dr. Langdon mentions an injury he had, most likely where he might have picked up an addiction. Perhaps Robby and Dr. Langdon have had a talk about the latter’s drug use before. The disappointment dripping off Robby is palpable enough to be believable in that regard.

More development with leading doctors in the series could have gone a long way.

But this is one of the downsides of The Pitt. There’s little time to explore the real dynamics between the characters. It’s done more easily between the medical students and the other doctors as they are just meeting each other and developing a short-hand together.

But the ones that have been around for a while, their history together is difficult to parse in such short increments in this real-time format. Because of that, a reveal like the one about Dr. Langdon is clunky. Little time has been spent developing Dr. Langdon in order for a reveal about stealing drugs to work properly.

It’s not a deal-breaker, though. As The Pitt moves into its final stretch of episodes in its first season, it’s still a contender as one of the best shows of 2025 so far. However, awkward pacing in the flow and execution of the episode, alongside a shocking twist that doesn’t feel grounded in much, makes The Pitt Episode 10 the first true letdown episode of the season.

That said, there are memorable and touching moments throughout, such as when Dr. Mohan and Dr. King discuss what each of “their things” is that makes them good at their jobs. Dana and Dr. Collins take a moment to relax together in one of the hospital beds, both acknowledging the tough day. And all the doctors and nurses rally around Dana when she returns from her smoke break with a busted-in face.

These moments keep The Pitt Episode 10 grounded, so not all is lost. With five episodes left to go, there’s still time to rally from one so-so episode in an otherwise fantastic season of television.

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

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