RECAP: ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “9:00 A.M.”

Another excellent hour on shift at The Pitt sees Santos (Isa Briones) almost go too far, an emotional confrontation between exes, and an answer for Kylie. The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3, titled “9:00 A.M.,” features multiple standout patient stories that allow for more in-depth looks into the lives of the medical professionals.

There’s been a steady buildup to Kylie’s case that Santos and Perlah have been working on. Suspicions of abuse carry weight in every scene with Kylie. Santos reported it to Robby (Noah Wyle), Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), and social worker Dylan (Becca Blackwell), who all told Santos to keep ruling things out as she investigates. But the memory of how far Santos went in the first season hangs in the air.

Maybe not for the others, but certainly for us. Her threat against the father in an alleged abuse case was one of her best moments in Season 1, even if, professionally, it was too far. But it begs the question here: Is she jumping to conclusions because of her own history of suffering abuse, or is she on the right track? It’s a great tension builder, putting Santos’ own growth in reporting to superiors to the test, even as she recognizes her gut feelings are usually right.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 calls back to Santos’ involvement in an old case, offering weight.

Santos isn’t wrong to suspect abuse. But Dylan is right — Santos is jumping to conclusions about why Kylie’s father hasn’t shown up yet. And when he does show up, it’s clear the situation isn’t as it seems. Dana arrives with Kylie’s test results, shutting things down before a huge fight breaks out. Kylie has Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune blood disease that causes easy bruising.

The revelation in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 causes Santos to realize how far she almost went, but again, to be fair, her suspicions align with Dylan’s, as well. It would be cool to get some sort of acknowledgement about the Season 1 abuse case, but alas, that doesn’t happen. Still, Santos’ growth lies in her ability to acknowledge when she’s wrong, even if she’s self-deprecating and petty about it. Although she talks through Kylie’s treatment plan with her father and mother with great bedside manner.

Two patient stories in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 follow the breaks and cracks in relationships. New patients Nancy and Mark arrive from a motorcycle accident. Mark won’t wake up and is potentially paralyzed. Nancy’s distraught, explaining to Robby and Al-Hashimi that they had a fight about going on vacation before the accident.

New patient stories focus on relationships, how they evolve, and how they crack.

A great foreshadowing moment in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 shows Nancy refusing treatment for herself, since she had already been checked by paramedics. When it’s determined that Mark is not paralyzed and will be okay, Nancy collapses after the adrenaline leaves her due to severe internal bleeding. In a tragic twist, Mark explains his side of the story to Robby, wishing he never started the fight with Nancy.

The motorcycle driver didn’t make it. Probably a little on the nose considering Robby’s motorcycle sabbatical, but Robby’s indifference to how the man died is an indicator of his more one-foot-out-the-door vibe this season.

Elsewhere, Mr. Williams gets a diagnosis in one of the more emotionally tough cases in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3. Faced with a brain mass that could be a brain tumor, the hospital calls his emergency contact, who happens to be his ex-wife, since he never updated his contacts.

Robby’s continued indifference highlights the growing apathy we’re seeing in the character.

This is one of those cases in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 that rely heavily on fantastic performances because of the little screen time they get, so credit where it’s due to the actors for selling this reunion between exes. There’s clearly a lot of love, regret, guilt, understanding, and uncertainty between them.

The build-up to Mr. Williams’ diagnosis is quite scary; his behavior is strange, bordering on violent, which McKay clocks right away. His ex-wife says his attitude changed toward the end of their marriage. She asks McKay if the brain mass could have caused it, and McKay says it could have.

Their story in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 wraps on a wonderful little bookend moment. Mr. Williams thanks his ex-wife for coming despite how things ended and doesn’t ask for anything more. As she heads for the exit, she turns back to McKay and tells her to keep her as his emergency contact unless he changes it.

Meanwhile, a white security guard arrives with minor bleeding and stations himself in the sight line of Jackson Davis, the college student brought in at the end of the last episode, claiming he’s keeping an eye on him until the cops arrive. His obvious racist bias against Jackson, a Black student, does not go unnoticed by those in the hospital. And when test results arrive saying that Jackson has no drugs in his system, the cops dismiss the security guard, too.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 ends with a cliffhanger – a code black – which will spark new chaos.

A patient named Yana (Irina Dubova) comes in with heavy burns on her leg. When Robby comes in and introduces himself, she realizes he’s also Jewish. This connection leads to an acknowledgement of the Tree of Life shooting on October 27, 2018. Yana’s burn was caused by spilling coffee on herself when the fireworks from the July 4 celebrations startled her. She was a witness to the shooting back then.

Later, Yana asks Perlah if she’s Muslim, to which Perlah says yes. Yana thanks her because, in the aftermath of the shooting, it was Muslims and the Black community who helped support the victims and the local Jewish community.  As The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 ends, a med command call comes through: Westbridge Hospital is under a code black, meaning their patients are being diverted to PTMC, which, in classic The Pitt fashion, sparks a new round of bets.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3 carries some fantastic performances on the patient side of things, while allowing moments of connection between the patients and the doctors.

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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