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The first season of HBO Max’s drama series, The Pitt, took a dramatic turn with Episode 11, which introduced the Pitt Fest shooting, leaving the hospital’s emergency department overwhelmed. As the series ventured into its second season, Episode 11, titled “5 PM,” brought another wave of turmoil, culminating in a beloved character’s unexpected arrest by ICE agents.
**Spoilers ahead for The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11 “5 PM,” now available on HBO Max**
In a heart-wrenching scene, Nurse Jesse Van Horn, portrayed by Ned Brower, is forcibly subdued, handcuffed, and escorted away by masked ICE agents. This occurs after he steps in to protect a patient who had been brought in as a detainee. The aftermath leaves the hospital staff in uncertainty, as they grapple with the fact that Jesse might face hours of processing, with no idea of his final destination.
The looming threat of ICE has been a recurring theme this season on The Pitt. Just two episodes prior, viewers witnessed a young boy, who injured himself with a firework, left under the care of his sister after their parents were unexpectedly deported during an immigration hearing. With social services involved due to the child’s accidental alcohol consumption, the siblings face an uncertain future, as he may be sent to Haiti with his parents despite being a U.S. citizen by birth.
In “5 PM,” ICE agents, portrayed by JuJu Alexander and Josell Mariano, escort a battered detainee named Pranita, played by Ramona DuBarry, to the emergency department en route to a detention facility. Initially, Robby, played by Noah Wyle, advises calm among the staff. However, the mere presence of ICE agents sends shockwaves through the hospital, causing patients and staff to flee in fear of arrest. Tensions mount as Robby confronts the agents, highlighting the health risks their actions pose. The situation escalates when Nurse Jesse bravely attempts to intervene, leading to his arrest.
We don’t get to see exactly what Jesse does. We just hear an altercation on the other side of the ED. Robby rushes to the area, where Jesse is on the ground while McKay (Fiona Dourif) argues that the agents can’t do this. We’re told that the masked goons were hurting the already injured women and Jesse tried to stop it. For that, he’s brought down and dragged away by the thugs.
If The Pitt Season 1’s measles storyline felt eerily prescient last year, watching ICE agents attack a male nurse in Season 2 might feel even more so. Since The Pitt Season 2 premiered back in early January, we’ve endured countless stories of horrors inflicted by ICE agents, including the killing of male nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“I was thinking about that when I saw that,” Supriya Ganesh said, when DECIDER asked about how real life events have lined up with the second season’s storylines. “I was a little surprised at how close to life in some ways that it was.”
“I think the issue that we are trying to uncover goes so much deeper than in what we show on the show,” she continued. “I’m hoping it sparks conversation and people looking to the extent to which I think things are deteriorating in this country, because it goes further than what we have in show.”
While Robby attempts to figure out how to help Jesse as he’s dragged away, Javadi (Shabana Azeez) rushes out to the ambulance bay. It’s the only place anyone can get internet service during the hospital’s digital shutdown and Javadi caught the entire event on video. Chances are “Dr. J” is about to drop some new content on her followers.
Of course, Jesse isn’t the only nurse Robby needs to worry about at the end of this week’s The Pitt. The episode ends with poor Emma (Laëtitia Hollard) being attacked by a patient.
Will Jesse be released? Will Emma be okay? Keep watching The Pitt Thursdays on HBO Max.