Thursday, season two of “The Pitt” finally concluded, and though not as good as the first season, there were still a lot of incredible moments. Unlike the last season, there are no major mass casualty events. Instead, several things that cause major issues for the cast keep recurring, though none of them last more than two episodes. As an audience member, it started to feel like a way to get people coming back week after week. When the hospital goes offline, it does not seem to affect things that much, aside from a few jokes about how kids these days can not read cursive. Which, by the way, we can.
There was also an incredibly clunky reveal of Robby’s mother walking out on him, but that might be a structural issue (we only ever see these characters at their job, so everything outside their job has to be revealed to use flashback, though). And though last season was an effortless ensemble piece, season two has seemed to put its eggs in the baskets of a few performances to try to maximize Emmy season. Some characters are reduced to mere background this season, though ultimately I think the performances remained strong. Lucas Iverson as Ogilvie can go from an arrogant guy you dislike to someone who, well, you still kinda dislike, but you do sympathize with a little bit.
I also really enjoyed Isa Braun as Trinity Santos, who plays that character in a way I love but would probably hate if I had to interact with her on a daily basis. Braun does a lot with what she’s given, delivering an amazing performance. I also love that the writers give Braun, a former Broadway star, the chance to showcase her singing voice. Taylor Dearden as Mel King, dealing with her sister Becca’s growing independence, brings a realistic freak-out. Though she is absent a lot this season due to her deposition (which, for some reason, is happening on July 4, which never really gets addressed), Dearden pulls a full arc out of what she is given. Tal Anderson as Becca King, while not in the show that much, was also amazing, bringing an easy charm to Becca that adds a lot of depth to someone who could potentially read as a very flat character. As I mentioned in my review of the first three episodes, the props department is incredible. Using practical effects for all of the injuries makes it more gruesome. A standout from these episodes is a degloving (the skin on the finger being pulled up and off the finger), which made me squirm, as well as the season finale’s labor and delivery scene, where you can barely tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Though the finale left me with a lot of questions and threats that I hope are resolved in season three, the overall story left our characters changed from the start of the day, tying up many threads in a really compelling way. I want to see more from all of these characters, and I think that’s a pretty good sign of a well-written show. Despite a slight sophomore slump, “The Pitt” is still some of the best television on streaming right now and well on its way to becoming one of the great shows of the streaming era; if you haven’t seen it, you really should.
