Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the show’s ninth episode of Season 2.
“The Pitt” has never shied away from a certain degree of fan service — especially for its Pittsburgh watchers. In “3:00 PM,” it seems we have may have peaked. As the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center staff scramble through their Fourth of July shift in the wake of a cyberattack, nurse Donnie Donahue (Brandon Mendez Homer) assesses none other than a heat-exhausted furry, felled at Anthrocon.
What initially seems like a sight gag with a fox fursuit hanging in the emergency room evolves into an episode storyline (which may have been willed into existence courtesy of a chat with Pittsburgh fans). While recovering, furry Iris (Elizabeth Hinkler) tells medical student Joy Kwon and Dr. Santos that she found love in the furry community, which is filled with “great people — creative, welcoming, funny.” Santos, she says coolly, could even pull off a dragon fursona (the animal persona adopted by someone who is a furry).
Audience-pleasing moments abound in “3:00 PM.” Charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa), who’s had the authenticity of her accent questioned all season, invokes the ultimate Pittsburgh slang when she asks, “You got a gumband?”
For the romantically inclined, there’s a peek into Santos’ relationship with Dr. Yolanda Garica (Garsantos to shippers), when it’s revealed Garcia turned down a meet-up to watch fireworks. Dr. Mohan laments waiting too long to get into a relationship despite the last episode’s flirtation between her and Dr. Jack Abbott (Shawn Hatosy, who also directed “3:00 PM”). With the hospital now operating analogue, a dreamy new radiologist, Dr. Nick Barker (Adam Shaukat) appears to develop X-ray films — but mostly distracts the female staff.
In another Pittsburgh reference, Mohan and Ogilvie treat a kidney stone patient who teaches English at Point Park University.
While the “The Pitt” revels its antics, ultimately, “3:00 PM” wants it darker.
Dr. McKay counsels Roxie (Brittany Allen) the young mother and cancer patient nearing her death. Dr. Robby’s mental state, which many have characterized as passively suicidal — and emblematic of dangerous burnout and unresolved trauma that can exist among medical workers — is addressed directly by Abbott.
“You just make sure you come back,” Abbott says of Robby’s upcoming sabbatical.
The medical drama is acclaimed for incorporating stories ripped from the headlines, from last season’s measles case in an unvaccinated child to the pitfalls of using generative AI in healthcare.
“3:00 PM” opens with 12-year-old Jude, who’s blown off two fingers off while holding a firecracker. When a blood test reveals he’d been drinking, his sister and guardian is required to speak with social services, revealing she became a “surrogate mom” after their parents were detained at an immigration hearing, then deported to Haiti.
The so-called ICE storyline has made its own headlines recently following executive producer John Wells saying he received network notes from HBO Max asking it be “balanced” and present “multiple points of view.”
While it remains to be seen how “The Pitt” will tackle it, it seems we won’t be looking away any time soon.
In the meantime, the episode ends on a cliffhanger: a nearby disaster. A water slide has collapsed at a waterpark (I know they’re not talking about Sandcastle), with the injured en route to PTMC, introducing another wrinkle to an already chaotic holiday shift.