Written by Joe Sachs and directed by Damian Marcano, The Pitt Season 2, Episode 13 “7:00 P.M.” ushers in the final three hours of this intense Fourth of July shift. Supriya Ganesh gives a devastating performance after Samira’s earlier patient, Orlando, returns to the Pitt. Noah Wyle is continuing to showcase some of the best acting of his career as Robby’s mental state increasingly becomes more alarming. However, the scene that stopped me in my tracks in this episode features Dr. Mel King encouraging her mentor, Dr. Frank Langdon, after his confidence hits a new low.
I love a good parallel. In the wrong hands, they can come across more like glorified fan service than anything meaningful. When it’s done thoughtfully, callbacks to previous significant moments can create new depth to what was there before, often highlighting the richness of the characters. In the case of Season 2’s “7:00 P.M.,” audiences are given one such moment that mirrors a Season 1 scene from Episode 9’s “3:00 P.M.” The sophmore version of this break room scene retroactively makes the previous break room scene even stronger; plus, it signifies the growth of Mel and Langdon as characters and their roles in each other’s arcs.
Ten months ago, it was Dr. King’s first day, and of the new trainees, she stood out for her skills as a doctor and her gentle persona. Mel was taken under Dr. Langdon’s wing for much of that day as she grew accustomed to the chaos of this ED, having come from the VA. But even she wasn’t prepared for a case involving two sisters that would shake her confidence. Her relationship with her twin sister, Becca, is the most important relationship in her life. She’s her best friend, and to be part of a case that resulted in the death of a young girl who saved her sister is heartbreaking.
Distracted by that tough case, as well as an abrasive patient, Mel is sent off to take a break in the lounge even though she insists she didn’t need one. When Langdon finds her later on the floor petting a dog, he sits next to her and listens as she admits how that case hit so close to home for her. Instead of telling her to toughen up and get back out there, her mentor pieces together that Mel feels like she’s not up for the job. And he gets it, he’s been there, too. That case affected Langdon so much that he needed to hear the sound of his son’s voice before he could get back to work. The ED is a tough place for sensitive people. However, according to Langdon and later, Robby, the Pitt needs people like Mel King. Her sensitivity is a strength, not a weakness. It’s Mel’s secret sauce — the key ingredient that makes her one of the best residents Dr. Robby has ever trained. Receiving that type of affirmation from a doctor she respects is validating, and as it turns out, it leaves an impression.
Present day in Season 2, Episode 13, “7:00 P.M.,” Dr. Langdon has had a shaky first day back. Dr. Robby, his mentor, who he once considered his friend, wants nothing to do with him despite the work he’s done to return to work. Dr. Santos won’t accept his apology. Dr. Al-Hashimi, the newest attending who had started to warm up to him, is now growing more distant after being informed that he had been stealing drugs. If his confidence couldn’t get any lower, he misses the signs of a kid’s collapsed lung. Thankfully, Dr. King and Luke Tennie’s Dr. Crus Henderson are able to save the kid in time, but Langdon is visibly upset by this, and Mel doesn’t miss it.
Mel finds Langdon sitting alone at a table in the lounge, as he had found her ten months ago. The framing of the scene itself matches the previous scene, with the shot starting with Langdon coming into the lounge; only now, Mel quietly makes her way in and asks if he’s ok. Instead of brushing her off, he admits that he’s unsure if he’s really ready to be back. Langdon is insistent that he should’ve caught the pneumothorax despite being out of the ED for ten months. It was already a major blow losing Louie earlier in the day, and he almost killed a kid with an intubation.
As Langdon sits with his head hung low, feeling defeated, Mel sits down at the table and gets on his level, similarly to how Langdon sat on the ground with her before. Instead of trying to brush off his doubts, she opens up to him about her deposition from about three hours ago. Mel admits to Langdon that the lawyer’s questions made her feel like she was a really bad doctor. Even though she’s proven to be one of the best at PTMC, she’s also human. She’s not always going to get everything right the first time. None of them are, including Langdon. Just as he validated her talent — skills that made a good impression on him months ago — Mel validates Langdon’s abilities as a doctor. He didn’t catch the collapsed lung immediately, but she’s confident that he would’ve saved him. Mel has seen him in action; she knows what he’s capable of, and she also knows that he needs to give himself some grace.
It’s interesting to note that this is the first time Mel expresses to anyone how her dreaded deposition made her feel. McKay, Santos, and even Robby had asked how it went, but these inquiries were more in passing. The closest she got to sharing with anyone earlier was Langdon when he asked, but her sole focus at the time was on Becca. It’s been established that Mel doesn’t have close friends at work; she’s feeling hurt and betrayed by her sister. Langdon’s kindness to her on her first day left an impression on her. Within the first couple of hours of this shift, he was vulnerable with her about the reason why he had been gone for months. Mel pays it forward to him now with her own vulnerability about how her own confidence is shaken.
Despite her belief in him, Langdon is still unconvinced he belongs at PTMC. Robby certainly thinks he doesn’t, and that rejection is crushing him. Langdon’s former mentor has been riding him all day, but then again, Robby’s mental well-being is not in a good place right now. Mel hasn’t had a front row seat to Robby’s troubling red flags, so from her perspective, she’s under the impression that Robby is leaving for three months. Still, it’s a hard loss for her. Outside of Langdon, Robby is the only other superior who acknowledges and appreciates her sensitivity. With him gone, she doesn’t have someone in her corner like that. Mel initially latched onto the doctor who was willing to try to understand her on her first day; Langdon just got back, and with Robby’s departure, she doesn’t want him to leave either.
What makes this scene stand out, apart from the performances by Taylor Dearden and Patrick Ball, is the equal footing it puts these residents on. Despite the years and experience, this break room scene is the great equalizer for these doctors. They both have been praised by Dr. Robby as being one of his best residents; they both thrive in the chaotic setting of the ED, and they both have had their confidence shaken, doubting their abilities as physicians. The ED can be a tough place for sensitive people, but in the safety of the lounge, these two residents have reminded each other of their value and worth to PTMC. They’re both doctors who save lives.
Langdon’s validation of Mel left an impression on her months ago, and here, she pays it forward by affirming his talents as a doctor. Yes, he messed up, and for months, he’s put in the hard work to be back at work today. As a recovering addict, every day is a new fight, one that he can’t be passive about for the foreseeable future. After all, that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (which is definitely a Friedrich Nietzsche quote, totally not a Kelly Clarkson lyric). Mel’s presence in the Pitt matters, and so does Langdon’s. If not to anyone else, his presence matters to his mentee, who welcomed him back with open arms, who never felt let down by him, and who still sees her mentor as the brilliant doctor he is.
Now streaming on HBO Max: What are your thoughts on Mel and Langdon’s lounge conversation in The Pitt Season 2, Episode 13, “7:00 P.M.?” Let us know in the comments below.
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