| "4:00 P.M." | |
|---|---|
| The Pitt episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 10 |
| Directed by | Damian Marcano |
| Written by | Simran Baidwan |
| Cinematography by | Johanna Coelho |
| Editing by | Tamara Luciano |
| Production code | T76.10210 |
| Original air date | March 12, 2026 |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"4:00 P.M." is the tenth episode of the second season of the American medical drama television series The Pitt . It is the 25th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Simran Baidwan, and directed by co-executive producer Damian Marcano. It was released on HBO Max on March 12, 2026.
The series is set in Pittsburgh, following the staff of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital ER (nicknamed "The Pitt") during a 15-hour emergency department shift. The series mainly follows Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, a senior attending still reeling from some traumas. In the episode, the staff begins treating the first victims of the water-park slide collapse, while Mohan experiences a humilliating moment.
The episode received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, pacing and character development.
Two victims from the water park collapse are brought in. The first, Emily, has lost one of her legs, and Robby instructs Ogilvie to hold the bag while he and the staff operate on the woman. The second, a man named Derek Foster, is tended by a different staff led by Langdon and Santos, but Derek constantly asks for the whereabouts of his son.
Helen Torres arrives with a swollen leg, and Mohan and Joy begin their procedure. However, Mohan experiences a heart attack and Joy puts her in a wheelchair, taking her to a room for analysis, where Langdon diagnoses her with a panic attack. Robby questions her, and discovers Mohan is just stressed because of her relationship with her mother. Robby is upset by the revelation and calls her out for wasting their time before storming off. While Langdon and Santos work to save the two victims, Santos is uncomfortable with Langdon's presence and mannerisms, and is further frustrated when Baran and Garcia commend his actions and criticize her behavior. She privately confronts Garcia, with the conversation revealing they are in a sexual relationship. Garcia makes it clear Langdon owned all his mistakes and has been trying to earn everyone's trust, calling out Santos for her lack of cooperation with others.
Another victim of the water park, an eight-year-old, arrives at the hospital. He is unresponsive, and his fractured larynx indicates he will have a severe heart attack. Baran comes up with trying a tracheotomy; despite more blood than anticipated, the kid's condition stabilizes. Mel returns from her deposition; while the hospital attorney believes this was the most "unprofessional" hearing she attended, she thinks she did well enough. However, Mel is still shaken because they think she is not competent enough, and chooses to evade questions about the deposition. When she checks on Becca, the latter reveals she was diagnosed with an urinary tract infection. She believes it might be due to sex with her boyfriend, whom Mel was not aware of.
Duke, a motorcyle engineer and friend of Robby, arrives at the hospital a few hours later than expected due to a hoarseness. While he helped fix Robby's motorcycle, he is still unsure of Robby riding the motorcycle overnight after his shift is over. Baran questions Robby for his harsh words towards Mohan, feeling he lacks basic empathy, but he brushes it off. He apologizes to Mohan, but asks her to stay focused on the patients. After consulting with the family, McKay finally agrees to give Roxie a high dose of morphine as a form of euthanasia.
The episode was written by executive producer Simran Baidwan, and directed by co-executive producer Damian Marcano. This marked Baidwan's fifth writing credit, and Marcano's seventh directing credit. [1]
Supriya Ganesh was informed of Mohan's panic attack while filming the prior episode. She explained her preparation, "In the experiences I've had with it myself and when I have talked to other people about it, it does come up out of the blue. That's why it's different from your average on-the-mill anxiety attack. It's very intense and I leaned into that as much as I could. I made a list of all of the things she's dealt with that day that are so anxiety-inducing." [2] She also said that "almost everything was sequentially shot." [3]
Regarding the scene where Robby scolds Mohan, Ganesh added, "What made me emotional was not even like how Dr. Robby spoke to Samira, but it was more so seeing Dr. Al-Hashimi's character in the room watching it — there's something so deeply humiliating to her about that, because that's someone she wants to impress." [4] She also states that Mohan was not fully content with Robby's apology near the end, "I think there does need to be an apology on Robby's end for how he's speaking to someone who's a woman and who's lower than him in the power scale. And I do think she wished that she would have gotten more of an apology from him in that moment." [5]
On the day the episode aired, it was reported that Lou Ferrigno Jr. would join the series in a recurring capacity, playing orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brendon Park. [6]
"4:00 P.M." received highly positive reviews from critics. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the episode a perfect "masterpiece" 10 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "“4:00 PM” is easily the best installment of The Pitt Season 2 to date. The tension in the ER has reached a fever pitch, and multiple doctors are hitting their respective breaking points. The result is a tense and utterly gripping new chapter that never lets up for a minute. Whether it's the big moments of drama and psychological meltdowns or the quieter, more contemplative scenes of human misery, this episode showcases exactly why The Pitt is a cut above most medical shows." [7]
Caroline Siede of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "As viewers, we know this season of The Pitt is going to last for 15 hours, but as far as the staffers at PTMC are concerned, they're relatively close to the end of their 12-hour shift. And you can tell they're reaching their workday limit because the vibes at “4:00 P.M.” have turned absolutely rancid. When the victims of a horrific waterslide collapse are holding it together better than the doctors treating them, you know something is wrong. In fact, almost everyone is on their worst, most passive-aggressive behavior this hour, which seems like both an intentional part of The Pitt's season-long storytelling and also, perhaps, an example of the show's writers getting a little burnt out themselves." [8]
Maggie Fremont of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Sure, it's stating the obvious at this point, but damn, everyone on The Pitt is stressed out. But it's a stress that feels different from last season. Last time, at the ED's peak of stress — the mass casualty event — it seems like everyone really rose to the occasion. Yeah, Robby had his mental breakdown in the middle of it, but overall, he was focused on the task at hand. This season, the ED has been faced with constant pressure thanks to the holiday, but most of our doctors are also dealing with personal stress, and perhaps we've reached the point in the season where more than the cracks are beginning to show... the flood is bursting through. Is everyone going to burn out?" [9]
Johnny Loftus of Decider wrote, "Dana's red phone is ringing again, and new traumas are inbound. Patient of the week? That's for generic medical dramas. On The Pitt, it's more like disaster of the week. And as we reach Season 2 Episode 10 (“4:00PM”) – the later afternoon of this long, sweaty, no-computer-ass shift – the stress of life in the ED is also doing disaster numbers among the staff." [10] Adam Patla of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4.8 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It's particularly nice to see McKay and Mohan shine a bit more when they were a bit more relegated in the front half of the season. In an episode that feels like the largest in terms of scope so far this season, it also feels the most tender. The anxiety intertwines with the heartbreak in an interesting, but effective way." [11]
Sean T. Collins of The New York Times wrote, "Despite his earlier insistence on bringing his wife back home, Roxie's husband has accepted her wishes. At the last moment, when she asks him to go tend to their sons, he demurs, saying her bedside is exactly where he needs to be. The Pitt has shown us the strain death and dying can place on the living; it does the heart good to see this woman's loved ones feel able to give her what she needs in the end." [12] Jasmine Blu of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.2 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Robby and Santos are vying for who is going to be the absolute worst, most obnoxious person on shift during The Pitt Season 2 Episode 10." [13]