RECAP: ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 2 — “8:00 A.M.”

Unfortunately, AI is a thing we have to talk about, and so does The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) introduces a new AI app to help with patient information and charting, but it’s not immediately embraced. Comedic elements make their way back into the ER with Javadi and Oglevy, while things stay generally steady in this second shift hour.

Al-Hashimi obviously has a lot of ideas for the emergency department, but the AI one is definitely a step too far. She introduces it by having Oglevy, Langdon, Joy, and Whitaker join her during a patient intake to demonstrate its use. It’s supposed to cut down on charting time by 80 percent, but it still gets patient information wrong. Joy calls the AI “almost intelligent,” but Al-Hashimi insists it’s not perfect and that doctors will obviously be fact-checking their charts.

That’s where we leave the AI stuff for now in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2, but considering the hospital will eventually go analog sometime this season, relying on something like AI, especially untested, surely can’t be the end-all be-all solution. Still, I deeply appreciate the anti-AI takes already present here.

AI takes center stage in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2.

The Pitt is one of the most realistic medical shows on television, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for some comedy. Oglevy (Lucas Iverson) and Javadi (Shabana Azeez) go head-to-head in one-upmanship, spouting off potential diagnoses and treatments at top speed and in front of an entire room of doctors and nurses.

It’s a good running bit, but it also follows a frank observation from Santos and Whitaker that Oglevy is Javadi’s competition, considering there’s a residency open next year and Oglevy could very well take it.

While comedic, it does follow on Javadi’s uncertainty surrounding her specialty. She’s constantly hearing from her mother about what she should be doing, but Javadi also chooses to be down in the ER. But if her spot isn’t a sure thing, might she consider other options?

The frenemy relationship between Javadi and Santos (Isa Briones) is very fun. Santos still calls the Javadi crash, which Javadi still kind of hates, or in her words, “I don’t really care anymore.” Their slightly hostile coworkership allows them to be frank with each other.

Javadi tells Santos that she can’t handle a double residency because if Javadi, who’s a genius, can’t handle it, then Santos definitely can’t. Santos’ semi-sarcastically applauds Javadi’s answer to the square root of 841is another great nod to their frenemy dynamic. There’s annoyance, but perhaps some respect between them, too.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 introduces a new love interest for Robby (Noah Wyle) with Noelle Hastings. She’s also the “bed control manager,” meaning she decides which patients stay and which ones go, mostly depending on what their insurance provides. In this case, moving McKay’s patient to another hospital is in the patient’s best interest since their insurance will go further there. But McKay’s wariness of Hastings’ role is not to be ignored.

“8:00 AM” isn’t all serious, with Javadi and Santo’s frenemy relationship offering respite.

Unlike the strong connection between Robby and Collins in Season 1, Robby and Hastings are much more casual, going by the fact that Robby is leaving for his three-month sabbatical and Hastings doesn’t factor into those plans. But Robby’s general disillusionment could have something to do with their lack of a strong connection, too.

Santos and Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) are still assessing Kylie, the young kid who was brought in by her dad’s girlfriend, with frequent bruising. Robby and Dylan, the social worker who’s filling in for Kiara this season, tell Santos not to jump to conclusions just because she can’t get a hold of Kylie’s father.

However, Robby does encourage Santos to go with her gut, but also to keep following her next steps to rule things out. This marks a significant change in Santos this season. Before, on a personal case like this one, Santos took matters into her own hands by threatening the alleged abuser.

Here, Santos listens to her superiors but also stands firm in her opinions. It’s clear she respects those above her, but she’s also a strong patient advocate and will see things through no matter what.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 starts with Robby asking Santos if she’s talked to the hospital guidance counselor this week, so it’s likely she’s done a lot of growing through those discussions.

Mel (Taylor Dearden) spends the episode still worried about her deposition later that day, and then also takes a tumble to the floor when a flirty patient knocks her over, escaping from the police. This leads to a wonderful moment between Mel and Langdon, who treats her injuries after the fall. He deploys tactics Mel taught him in Season 1, such as turning the light off, but he also takes the time to apologize, as well.

This is the second person we’ve seen Langdon apologize to this season, and in both cases, when faced with pushback and the need for forgiveness, he doubles down on his apologies. When Mel says that he didn’t let her down, it’s true for her.

Relationship dynamics in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 are markedly different from the premiere season. 

She and Langdon did work well together in Season 1, but Langdon’s gentle push back is a good indicator that he understands the weight of his actions. He let down Mel and the other medical students by not being the leader he should have been that day.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 is a nice continuation of the first episode, deploying some comedic bits to lighten the mood. But it’s not without its traumatic beats either, and this episode contains a particularly heartbreaking one when Whitaker has to repeatedly deliver the news of a dementia patient’s husband’s death. But balancing both the lighthearted moments with the grounded, more serious moments is what The Pitt does best.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2 is streaming now on HBO MAX with new episodes at 8 p.m. Central every Thursday.

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