By “1:00 P.M.” you can tell that it’s the afternoon of the Fourth of July at PTMC. Among boat accidents and heatstrokes, alongside the influx of traffic from the closed-down Westbridge, the staff of the ER certainly have their work cut out for them. This episode of The Pitt puts us roughly in the middle of the season, a perfect place to introduce a plot point that is sure to turn things upside down.

Picking up at the end of Louie’s eulogy, it’s business as usual. After receiving a sincere compliment from Dr. Al-Hashimi about his debrief for Louie, Dr. Robby goes to check on Dr. McKay’s cancer patient, Roxie. With her decision to stay in the hospital due to her pain, her patronage puts the ER in a tough spot. They don’t have enough beds, and ambulance traffic is still being diverted.

“1:00 P.M.” is an episode back to the true chaos of PTMC. It’s a never-ending stream of people and issues, from the video interpreter for Harlow not working to Orlando absconding before Mohan can give him at-home treatment supples. Strap in and let the chaos guide you.

SANE, and the return of a favorite doctor

This episode tackles another difficult issue. Al-Hashimi, Dana, and Emma all head into triage to treat Ilana, a victim of sexual assault. We learn that Dana is a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), giving her the legal ability to collect complete and uncontaminated rape kits. The Pitt is a show that is always quietly respectful, and as Dana leads Ilana through the steps we are led through them with the same focused care.

It’s a hard issue to watch. They don’t try to trim it down or make it palatable. But that is also what makes it work. What tends to set The Pitt apart from medical dramas past and present is its willingness to linger within a moment. Sure, there are cuts to explore the other storylines happening in the ER, but they always return.

Speaking of returns, we see Dr. Jack Abbot back in the ER. Turns out he’s with SWAT (as a hobby, apparently) as he brings in a severely injured officer. It’s certainly an interesting choice, but I’m not going to complain with Abbot back on my screen.

We also begin peeling back the mystery of Al-Hashimi. She spent time in the Middle East, specifically in Kabul with Médecins Sans Frontières (French Doctors Without Borders), as she mentions to Abbot. And later, she has an odd reaction to discussing Jackson’s mental health issues with his parents. She leaves, heading into the bathroom in a breathless panic and calling her therapist to get an emergency appointment.

Apologies and families

Robby and Langdon are still at a one-sided odds with one another. When dealing with an inbound trauma on the roof, Langdon apologizes to Robby for what happened. And though Robby is happy Langdon got the help he needed, he tells him that he doesn’t know if he wants him working in his ER.

Family is also a central theme in this episode. Javadi’s father (Usman Ally) makes a surprise appearance in the ER, introducing her to Dr. Amy Joon (Celeste Den), the Chief of Dermatology. Javadi is still unsure of her residency, but the pressure from bother of her parents isn’t helping. Likewise, Roxie has made up her mind, but her husband is desperately trying to get Robby to talk her out of it.

For Jackson’s family, it’s about secrets. Jada only just leans that her uncle took his own life, rather than drank himself to death as she had been told. She walks out, and Javadi is the one to find her and talk to her. “Some families just have a difficult time talking about mental health,” she tells Jada.

As if the day couldn’t get any more chaotic

Finally, we discover what happened to Westbridge. No, it was not rats, or sewer problems at all. Instead, it was a targeted cyberattack. Now Good Dominion Hospital has been hit as well (with a ransom!). The good thing: Princess wins the betting pool. The bad thing: PTMC is going analog, immediately. Whittaker scrambles to take a photo of the board while the rest of the ER falls into chaotic preparation in a day and age when iPads and computer systems have long replaced the typical clipboard and physical charting.

“This is going to be fun,” Abbot says.

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