RECAP: ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “1:00 P.M.”

A lot is going on in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, but it’s also a nicely paced episode that sees the return of both Dr. Jack Abbott (Shawn Hatosy) and Dr. Parker Ellis (Ayesha Harris) (though in just a brief scene for now), and also sends Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center into a much different emergency than the end of Season 1.

PTMC continues to fill up with additional patients from Westbridge in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7. Also rerouted to PTMC is Abbott, who strides into the ER in military police uniform, wheeling in a fellow officer who got shot in the line of duty. It’s a quick return for him, with not much time to catch up at first, as he jumps in immediately to assist with surgery.

But it’s back to quick banter between Abbott and the rest of the day shift. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) arrives to oversee the procedure and joins, and the two quickly develop mutual respect.

Abbott and Mohan have chemistry, but their interaction in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 feels like fan service.

While Abbott and Mohan definitely had great chemistry in The Pitt Season 1, it’s hard not to see this scene as slightly fan-servicy. He’s got his shirt off, he’s injured, Mohan rips open the curtains, and is surprised by him. We’re one step and a mysterious deserted island away from recreating the Jack and Kate scene from the Lost pilot, except none of that happens. They make great scene partners, but the premise of the scene just feels like there’s a giant sign upon which “fan fic writers, start here!” hangs above it.

Abbott and Mohan have a lot in common, though. Mohan has been running herself ragged trying to keep Orlando in the hospital at least long enough to get him out of the danger zone before he escapes to work. Despite setting him up in med-surg, Orlando’s desperate not to rack up more medical debt, of which he’s already $100,000 deep, which his wife and daughter don’t know about. Mohan convinces him to stay a few more hours so he doesn’t collapse at work again, and says she’ll pack a home medicine bag for him to take with him. But when she arrives with it at his bed, she finds Abbott instead.

When she explains to Abbott what happened in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, he suggests she take an Uber to Orlando’s house and offers to pay for the ride. As witnessed in Season 1, Abbott will go far and beyond for his patients, as will Mohan. Who knows, though. They made Garcia/Santos canon.

The sexual assault storyline is tough to witness, but each return to the patient’s room is filled with anxiety and care.

Dana (Katherine LaNasa) and Emma (Laëtitia Hollard) get sent to do a sexual assault intake for a patient named Ilana (Tina Ivlev) since Dana’s one of the only qualified nurses to do so. This process unfolds throughout The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, and each return to the room is filled with both anxiety and care. Kudos to all of the performers in this storyline. LaNasa plays it so expertly, guiding both Emma and Ilana through the process, but once both are out of the room, she allows herself a quiet breakdown.

As Dana’s shadow, Emma doesn’t say much, but Hollard does a fantastic job at showing Emma’s quiet observation of the process. There are nerves present, but every movement she makes is slow and careful, adding to the seriousness of this case.

But the biggest applause goes to Ivlev, who handles playing the fear, shock, numbness, anger, and determination that go with medically documenting a sexual assault expertly. It’s a tough storyline to witness, and it doesn’t end well in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 as Ilana decides she wants to stop. Dana manages to convince her to take a walk first, and then they’ll do whatever she wants when she gets back. Emma goes with her, offering to show her where the best snacks are.

Harlow’s intake remains slow in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, as they struggle to find an interpreter.

Harlow’s (Jessica ‘Limer’ Flores) intake remains slow because they are struggling to find an interpreter. Santos (Isa Briones) can get some information to Harlow using a video relay machine with an interpreter on the screen, but the Wi-Fi connection is unstable, and they can’t hold a conversation for long. Santos writes an apology for Harlow and tells her she’s going to order a CT, leaving Harlow visibly frustrated as Santos runs out of the room.

Later on in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, they’ve got a live ASL interpreter in the room, but Santos runs out again for another emergency. Considering the stress Santos is under from being behind on charting, Al-Hashimi’s vague warning to her about repeating R2, and Langdon’s return, it makes sense that she’s letting that stress show in her interactions with her patients.

But it’s also a nice touch to her character since she wants to do a double residency. Having her on Harlow’s case shows how that stress can lead to unintentionally dismissing patients who require a different approach to communication. Seeing how frustrated Harlow is with the lack of care in just intake is important, and the fact that she’s able to communicate that to the interpreter, who agrees, lends weight to the whole thing.

This episode offers more insight into Santos, revealing a softer side.

Even through all of this, we still get more insight into Santos in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7. Javadi enters the bathroom and wakes Santos up, who had closed her eyes for a second. In the stall, there’s a quick flash of cuts on her upper thigh, a reminder of her difficult past she referred to in Season 1. But she finally gets her quiet moment when she visits the baby that was found in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1, who won’t stop crying. And despite not loving kids, Santos calms her down by singing a lullaby, allowing Briones to showcase her amazing singing voice.

It’s one of the first times we really get to see Santos on her own. In both seasons, she’s usually playing off someone, interacting with and reacting to the characters around her, all of which has painted her in a specific light, leaving audiences either loving or hating her. But this is Santos with her guard down. She’s been 1:1 with a patient before, but with Baby Jane Doe, she feels more on her own and more willing to let this softer side be shown, if only to a baby.

Javadi’s (Shabana Azeez) father arrives in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 with another doctor in tow to introduce to his daughter. Compared to her mother, Javadi seems to have an easier and more open relationship with her father, who at least seems to understand that Javadi has options. That doesn’t stop the pressure Javadi still feels under to live up to her parents, and she is reminded of it again when Caleb mentions it.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 continues the passive-aggressive standoff between Robby and Langdon.

Caleb and Javadi meet Jackson’s parents and talk to them about a potential mental illness diagnosis for Jackson. The conversation with Caleb reveals that there is a mental health history in Jackson’s family when his dad admits that his brother committed suicide. This is news to Jada, who steps out for some air, leaving her parents to listen to Caleb’s plan for Jackson during his three-day psych hold.

Javadi tracks down Jada to emphasize that it’s important for the whole family to be up to speed on Jackson’s status and diagnosis. The two have a great rapport, and it’s in scenes like these that really illustrate what Javadi should be doing, which is staying in the ER. She’s good at it, and she’s great with the families, even with a few blunders. It’s cool to see her confidence in these moments carry over from her confrontations with her parents, when she seems unsure again.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 continues the passive-aggressive standoff between Robby (Noah Wyle) and Langdon, though it’s definitely one-sided. Langdon wants to talk to Robby, but Robby refuses to give him an inch and constantly questions him during surgeries and procedures, in front of everyone.

Robby’s not so sure he wants Langdon working in his ER anymore.

Left with no other choice in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7, Langdon takes his chance on the rooftop as they both watch a medevac helicopter land, the wind from the rotors nearly drowning out their conversation. Langdon apologizes to Robby, and in response, Robby finally tells the truth.

He acknowledges that he’s glad Langdon got the help he needed, which feels like his first genuine interaction with Langdon all season. But he also admits that he doesn’t know if he wants Langdon in his ER anymore. There’s no time for Langdon to reply as they take the medevac patients into the hospital, but he’s still met with the same passive aggressiveness and biting remarks from Robby as before.

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 is an excellent episode that handles its multiple stories well. It also kicks off what will undoubtedly be the climax of the season by having the hospital’s CEO tell everyone that Westbridge had been hit with a cyberattack. So they’re preemptively shutting down all of PTMC’s computers, forcing the ER to go analog. While it’s definitely concerning and will make everyone’s jobs harder, the most important part of this reveal is that Princess won the Westbridge bet. Good for her!

The Pitt Season 2 Episode 7 is streaming now on HBO MAX, with new episodes at 8 pm Central every Thursday.

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