Pilot episodes are tricky. Some are okay, others are genuinely so different than what the entire show ends up becoming, and some are near-perfect. For a debut season as brilliant and as gripping as HBO Max’s The Pitt’s, it’s hard even to pinpoint one good episode to highlight when they each thread together to form something indescribable. Still, if we have to single out an episode and acknowledge why it’s worthy of every accolade out there, The Pitt Season 1, Episode 1, “7:00 AM,” is a pretty solid hour to highlight.
Unless something horrifically untoward happens in a show’s first episode, most people give a series more than one episode to find its footing. A series pilot episode doesn’t usually end up on a list of favorites down the road, but in some rare cases, it does become an episode that’s gratifying to turn back to. And The Pitt’s pilot is already one of those episodes that’s so hauntingly poignant to look back on, because how the day evolves is anchored to where we begin.
The Pitt Season 1, Episode 1 Manages to Deliver a Thoroughly Engrossing Pilot
In general, The Pitt’s formatting provides a unique contrast to medical dramas similar to it, but it’s still worth noting how the pilot plays a role in setting the stage. As every opening episode should, “7:00 AM” introduces viewers to all the key players, establishes a primary setting, and subtly hints at the series’ tone. We know right from the start that the show isn’t going to be a walk in the park, even while we haven’t yet seen the worst of the day unfold. We also get a sense of how rich the character developments are, even though we’ve just met them.
Written by R. Scott Gemmill and directed by John Wells, every scene carefully shows us what we’re in for, making sure that we’re locked in by the end to continue pressing play. (Or, for most viewers, eagerly anticipating the following Thursday to see what’ll happen during “8:00 AM.”) In addition to how easily the hour hooks the audience, The Pitt’s pilot episode gets better and better with every viewing when we take note of all the seeds that come to fruition by the time these doctors and nurses clock out at the end of their shift.
The thoughtful and detail-oriented work that’s gone into bringing this episode to life is ultimately where its magic lies. In other words, the domino that falls stays on course, and even when it tumbles elsewhere, the movement is so organic it doesn’t bother you that the road isn’t linear. Chaos and turmoil and pain are expected in an emergency setting, but how every event unravels and what it showcases in the character journeys is where The Pitt continues to shine.
From the opening shot of Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby walking into the scene as “Baby” by Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise plays to where we leave him on the same path in the finale is a mark of exceptional planning. How Isa Briones’ Dr. Trinity Santos and Gerran Howell’s Dennis Whitaker begin and where they end up; how Patrick Ball’s Dr. Frank Langdon approaches the screen with chipper energy versus how terrified he is by the end; how we learn that Katherine LaNasa’s nurse Dana Evans is the most important person we’ll meet, and how we come close to losing her in the finale. And even Taylor Dearden’s Mel King, starting the day with bubbling enthusiasm and ending it in exhaustion and tears. The list goes on and on because every character’s introduction in The Pitt Season 1, Episode 1, “7:00 A.M.,” is carefully meant to show that the day will test them beyond compare, and it’ll change everything about what we see in this episode.
The Pitt Season 1, Episode 1, “7:00 AM,” doesn’t do something tremendously unique in its approach outside of carefully following the necessary formula in beginning a story. Yet, every actor, every frame, and every narrative beat is so exceptional that it transforms the episode from an ordinary beginning to a significantly profound starting point. There are plenty of jaw-dropping and high-stakes episodes to choose from in the fifteen that we get to showcase the show’s value, but when we examine how rich this beginning is, there’s a lot more significance in recognizing what follows.
Related Content: Tracy Ifeachor Delivers One of the Strongest Performances in The Pitt’s Debut Season
When we take apart the pilot scene by scene, we get pages of worthy analysis because that’s how much is born from the screenplay. It’s more than the words on the page—it’s how the actors breathe life into these characters, even as they’ve said in various interviews that they didn’t always know exactly what was ahead. A good pilot episode sets the stage, but a truly sensational one tells a masterful story within the timeframe they’re given. The Pitt’s pilot falls in the latter category as it delivers something that is so utterly engrossing that it leaves its mark. As someone who’s a squeamish hypochondriac, I had no problems not only pressing play on the next episode but rewatching it multiple times after that. And if that doesn’t say something about its compelling brilliance, then I don’t know what will.
Now streaming on HBO Max: What are your thoughts on The Pitt Season 1, Episode 1, “7:00 A.M.?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©