Spoilers for The Pitt season 2 episode 11 ahead.
If you've been watching the promos for upcoming episodes of The Pitt season 2, it shouldn't have been a surprise that an ICE storyline was coming our way. In fact, it's been a subject of much discussion since the press first got wind of it.
As we enter the final third of the season, things are ramping up. In season 1 of The Pitt, episode 12 marked the emotional turning point of a nearby school shooting, with the final three episodes tainted forever by the victims pouring into the ER.
This time, the heartbreak is on a much smaller scale, yet encompasses another issue impacting the US as a whole.
As you can see in the above trailer, a woman detained by two male ICE agents is brought in to see Dr. Robbie (Noah Wyle) and Cassie (Fiona Dourif). Blood covers her arms as her handcuffs cut into her wrists, with the distressed woman clearly too scared to say anything.
When Cassie asks her if there's anybody she'd like to call, one ICE agent immediately responds that there are "no calls allowed." As episode 11 continues, it's clear that we're only just scratching the surface of something larger than any of us.
It's almost unbearable to watch, but the stars of the HBO Max show were in an even more uncomfortable position, as Dourif explains.
'You could really tell on set that we were doing this'
"There's a few scenes with Roxie [Hamler, Cassie's patient] that felt very vulnerable for both of us," Dourif says when I ask her about The Pitt season 2's most challenging moments.
"It's treated sort of like church on set, so we're careful, respectful and quiet. So I would say scenes like that where it's really about your personal relationship with death or something that's profound, that doctors, deal with every day in actual emergency rooms.
"The ICE scenes felt very uncomfortable to shoot," she continues. "You could tell in on set that we were doing it. You always get a little more on edge, in a way. I think that's good. It helps that you can see it on camera, because everybody's participating in it. If you watch the deep background, everybody's telling the same story, so it helps, it helps us do those real story lines justice."
And justice they have done. The fact that The Pitt tackles some of the US' biggest issues head-on is exactly the reason why it's one of the best TV shows around... and that's something Dourif clearly knows.
"It's a really expertly made show and and because of that, it's just very fun to work on. I feel very lucky to be here. Very, extraordinarily lucky."
