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The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11 “5 PM” on HBO Max marks something of a tipping point for one Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden). Sure, she’s had to deal with a doozy of a deposition and the ongoing hell that is working a Fourth of July shift in the ED without internet, but what really breaks our girl is the realization that her twin sister Becca (Tal Anderson) has lapped her in a significant way in the adulting department.
**Spoilers for The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11 “5 PM,” now streaming on HBO Max**
Last week, we learned that Becca had developed a UTI by having sex. In The Pitt Season 2 Episode 11 “5 PM,” Mel aggressively pushes Becca for more information. Becca eventually reveals that she’s been dating another person at her living facility for six whole months. Mel immediately thinks the worst, intimating that Becca’s boyfriend Adam must have coerced her into having sex. Becca counters this by revealing that she was the one who initiated sexual relations. She goes on to say that she learned about sex in her “Mind & Body” classes and has been telling her therapist about her romantic relationship. “Sex is great,” Becca says.
Photo: HBO MaxMel becomes increasingly upset by these revelations. So much so she starts yelling at her sister, prompting even Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) to politely suggest Mel steps outside for some air. When Langdon meets Mel outside, she vents about how the living community Becca lives at has failed them. Over the course of their conversation, Langdon gently points out to Mel that she is no longer her sister’s legal guardian. She only has power of attorney. The sisters chose an arrangement that would give Becca the freedom to make her own choices… Which is exactly, what Langdon points out, Becca is doing.
Ever since we met Mel, we’ve known that the talented, neurodivergent doctor was tasked with taking care of her autistic twin sister when their parents tragically died. This latest storyline forces Mel to confront the crushing reality that by putting Becca first, she might have missed out on her own personal development.
“Whatever her twin sister does, Mel does, and that’s just what it’s been for pretty much their whole entire lives,” Taylor Dearden told DECIDER. “So the idea of Mel having her own interests is also daunting for her.”
Photo: HBO MaxThis latest storyline also shows us how baffled Mel seems to be by sexual desire. When Becca starts going on about how much she likes sex, Mel can’t relate. She even tells Langdon she doesn’t want to think about Becca even thinking about sex. However, Mel’s feelings may not be rooted purely in jealousy, but in what Dearden perceives as the character’s asexuality.
Last year, Dearden told US Weekly that she can’t see a potential romance blossoming between Mel and mentor Langdon because she doesn’t think her character is even interested in sex.
“I think Mel is asexual,” Dearden said. “I don’t think that’s part of how Mel would think — especially at work. She’s a hyper professional.”
She went on to say that even her co-star Patrick Ball also sees the characters’ connection as platonic. “The funny thing is Patrick is always like, ‘God, you remind me of my sister.'”
Becca’s reluctance to share details of her personal life might also confirm Mel’s asexuality. In The Pitt Season 1, Becca asks Mel over video call if she has a boyfriend or if she’s kissed someone yet. Clearly, Becca was interested in romance before she started dating Adam. She also possibly realized that Mel was not as curious about sex as she was, hence her reluctance to divulge details to Mel. You definitely get the sense as Becca leaves the hospital that she knows Mel is not going to get it.
The Becca/Mel storyline is fun, dramatic, and important to further developing a broader portrait of who Dr. Mel King is. She’s an incredibly intelligent and wonderfully kind person. She’s also a unique representation of neurodivergence and asexuality on television.
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