The following article contains spoilers for The Pitt.
The Pitt, the latest hit medical drama, has already become one of the best television experiences of the year. The realism, tension, and plot twists have made it a white-knuckle experience in a subgenre of drama that doesn’t often keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s well-written, of course, but nothing inThe Pittwould work without the top-notch performances of its cast.
Noah Wyle, who has already been mentionedas a front-runner for the award season, stands out. But there are also Katherine LaNasa, Shawn Hatosy, and Taylor Dearden, who prove thatThe Pittmay be on track for being nominated for a SAG in the Ensemble category. Nevertheless, one performance keeps getting overlooked and is, without question, the best of Season 1. We’re talking aboutSamantha Sloyan,playing a heartbroken mother who is forced to face her worst fear.
At first glance, the show didn’t seem to stand out. But it quickly evolved into a dramatically audacious version of every othergeneric medical dramawe’ve seen before. This is the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, an emergency room where miracles don’t exist, and not all lives can be saved.
Who Does Samantha Sloyan Play in ‘The Pitt’?
One of these lives is that of teenager Nick Bradley, a student who arrived at the emergency room brain-dead from a fentanyl overdose. His parents, Lily and John, Sloyan and Brandon Keener, are shocked at the news because “Nick is a good boy” and would never do drugs. But they remain hopeful that modern medicine may bring him back to life. The journey of these characters, one of endless hope and faith, isone of the most gripping inThe Pitt. And it was made possible by the essential performance of one of today’s most underappreciated actors.
Sloyan is best known for her collaborations with Mike Flanagan. She will be featured in a major film role in the director’s upcoming Stephen King adaptation,The Life of Chuck. But it’s her work in television that speaks for itself. InThe Haunting of Hill House, Sloyan played Leigh Crain, a secondary character we don’t see much of in Flanagan’s adaptation. She was featured inThe Midnight ClubandThe Fall of the House of Usherin starring roles, but her collaboration with the director inMidnight Massis the best performance of her career.
Mike Flanagan Movies and TV Series, Ranked
Filmmaker, creative genius, and all-around brilliant visionary Mike Flanagan is steadily crafting a name for himself as a modern-day horror master.
Bev Keane is a religious fanatic who helps the new priest of Crockett Island with his latest endeavor. The orthodox and extremely religious character was surely inspired by Piper Laurie’s performance as Margaret White inCarrie, so it’s a no-brainer that Sloyan may be a front-runner to play Carrie’s mom in Flanagan’s new TV adaptation of Stephen King’s bestseller.
The Pittisn’t Sloyan’s first role in the medical drama subgenre. In Seasons 11 and 12 ofGrey’s Anatomy, the actor gave life to Dr. Penelope Blake. Blake is the resident who treated Derek Shepherd before his death and whom Meredith Grey always resented. She was also romantically involved with Callie Torres, another doctor in the series.
Samantha Sloyan’s Performance in ‘The Pitt’ Is the Embodiment of Unconditional Love
How exactly does Sloyan’s performance inThe Pittstand out when she plays such a secondary character? First, the Bradleys' storyline marks a pivotal moment in Season 1. The show toys around with realism, but between Nick’s death and that of an older man whose children are too emotionally attached, Nick’s stands out the most.Dr. Robby’s connection with Lily and Johnis strong, and he does all he can to keep them hopeful, even if he knows that nothing can be done to save Nick.
John Bradley is seen facing Nick’s friends, and he accuses them of “killing” his son. He angrily screams at another teenage girl that Nick is dead. He’s sure of this. But Lily remains certain that her son isn’t dead. Her inability to cope becomes Sloyan’s motif when depicting such an emotionally complex character.Her uncertainty and lack of acceptance become visible when she reacts to those offering condolences by coldly saying, “I don’t know who you are.” She can’t accept that Nick is gone. She won’t.
Sloyan embodies a mother and everything a mother can feel under the circumstances. Her physical expression is a lost gaze, and her body rocks forward when a hospital specialist progresses towards a conversation that she’s not prepared to have. Nick is an organ donor? She believes it’s preposterous, and she violently reacts when she’s told that he was 18 and made the choice. “No!” she says. They didn’t know him, and Nick is still her son.
The Bradleys' plot endswhen the parents accept that Nick will become an organ and tissue donor and save the lives of those who need transplants.It’s a heartbreaking scene in which Sloyan and Keener show a range they were not known for. Dr. Robby comforts them, and they are honored as Nick’s body is removed ceremoniously from the ER. The lack of music, the framing, and Lily’s realization that the boy who made her a mother is dead, will convince you that Sloyan delivers the most underrated performance in a show that will completely change how you see healthcare workers.The Pittis streaming onMax.
