Kingdon Season 1 timeline (The Pitt)
I need a way to keep track of what happens when, so here is my comprehensive timeline of Mel/Frank moments in each episode. Thanks to everyone who's making gifs of the show so I could attach them in this post!
Objective happenings in normal font, (my own thoughts in italics and parentheses)
*updated 8/27* *warning: gif heavy post under the cut*
Ep 1: 7:00 AM
Mel arrives at PTMC after a 2 month rotation at the VA. Frank gives her a double take while she's introducing herself
SLEEPY BOY TYLER: Mel asks Frank for help with 4yo pot gummy patient Tyler. We get their little crossover blocking! (Robby, for whatever reason, gives Heather a lingering look after watching these two leave 👀)
After Tyler's labs come back and Langdon finds the gummy residue in his mouth, we see Frank notice Mel holding back her irritation with the mom when she asks if the cannabis can cause autism and this little scrunch from Mel as he passes behind her
Ep 2: 8:00 AM
Mel comes back up to Frank, he asks her about the VA and why she chose PTMC. She tells him about her sister and the care facility Becca goes to, at which point Trinity comes up and Frank immediately turns around to hear her case. (Maybe he wasn't prepared for the info dump, since he starts doing these rapid little nods like he's ready to move on from the polite smalltalk)
The e-scooter patient arrives and needs a crike; Frank tells Mel to do it and when he passes behind her this time she doesn't react
CRIKE SCENE: Mel starts the crike and the camera follows Frank looking at her right after she makes the initial cut at 12:21 (Now why would we need this shot when the focus is on Robby and Garcia talking Mel through the crike hmmmm)
We get our first "Mel, you ok?" when the crike is finished, for no discernible reason other than she just did the procedure all by herself or that she looks concerned at Garcia and Langdon's yapping. Frank makes sure to lean in to catch Mel's eye, as if to clarify that he and Yolanda are joking.
We get our second "You ok?" from Frank and Mel explaining how she reacts emotionally to frustration. Frank empathizes with her ("Yeah, you and me both"), reassures her, and we get a little smile from her! (Wondering if this is a competency thing, like as soon as Frank sees she's skilled he's a little more interested in her? But we also see he's a good teacher, he doesn't shame her or tell her to buck up, just validates her success)
CAPTAIN SCURVY: Mel brings the scurvy case to Frank and he's already cracking jokes about piracy and peg legs. They have a little back and forth about Mel figuring out the joke and Frank being unduly proud of it. (Personally I squeal over this moment bc he's a) already treating her like he does all his other friends in the ED and b) Mel not understanding the joke isn't what's used for laughs. Frank is instantly on the same wavelength as her and keeps playing until she gets it.)
A little while later, while watching the social worker talk to Tyler's dad, we get our third AND FOURTH "You ok?" of the episode. Mel reveals she hates seeing families torn apart and Frank gives us some possible foreshadowing of white people not facing extreme consequences of drug-related charges. Mel goes outside to invoke Megan Thee Stallion. (I had not realized until this rewatch that the 4-part You Ok series all happened in one episode. Frank could you be more obsessed with her omg)
Ep 3: 9:00 AM
STEMI WITH ME, MEL: As soon as a STEMI is called in, Frank becomes a veritable puppy, claiming Mel for the STEMI when he has no clue where she is or what she's doing. They're grinning at each other like little kids, Mel tries to slap the door frame to copy Frank, best scene ever. The rest of the case is pretty sedate but this beginning makes it worth it.
Ep 4: 10:00 AM
ARTHROPOD IN THE EAC with Langdon watching Mel the whole time they're walking over (What's funny here is we could have gotten a shot of him rolling his eyes or making a smart remark at the patient shrieking but nope all his attention is on Mel for some reason 👀👀👀)
Ep 7: 1:00 PM
TERRANCE THE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER: Frank talks to Terrance and doesn't connect with him. He gives up talking to Terry pretty quickly
Trinity catches Mel alone and asks her about "hitting it off" with Frank, to which Mel responds with a smile and a comment about how Frank sweats a lot. (Girl.)
Mel then asks Frank if anything is wrong, notices Terry is autistic, and offers to talk to him. Frank replies that he can see three other patients in the meanwhile and goes off.
Literally a minute after Mel starts talking to Terry, Frank comes back to open the door and try to continue with Terry. Mel explains the injury in detail to Terry for at least a few minutes and Frank is simply observing in the back. While walking out, he is clearly curious and impressed and inquires how Mel did it, if Mel and her sister are close, and then cuts her off once she starts explaining. Mel is happy anyway, presumably about the patient and continuing to hit it off with Frank. (Frank for christ's sake listen to her talk about her sister) (The shot of Frank here is hilarious bc if you wanted to show him being impressed as a mentor, you could have him looking? Interested? Intrigued? Instead he's just staring straight at Mel with an amazed look like ok buddy)
AMBULANCE BAY SCENE: After Terrance leaves Frank finds Mel outside. Mel is clearly unsure here while Frank compliments her skill with patients and says he's already learned a few things from her. We get a tiny smile from Mel
Ep 9: 3:00 PM
Two women get in a fight in the waiting room. Frank tells Mel to "stick with me" when taking one of the women back to the ED proper. (Audio and script sources.)
FIGHT BITE: After the death of the little girl who drowned trying to save her sister (Ep. 8) and the fight in the waiting room, Mel misses a question for the first time. She's clearly shaken up and agitated by the redhead puncher yelling directly into her face. Frank notices, eyes her, and then asks "you ok?" (fifth time that day) when Mel flinches at the noise. She tries to blow it off but he tells her to go take a break while maintaining eye contact.
BREAK ROOM SCENE: The culmination of their mentor-mentee relationship, after Mel has succeeded repeatedly and Frank has learned from her. Frank has just lost his temper with Trinity, been yelled at by Robby, and knocked into Dennis in his haste to get to Mel. Frank recognizes that Mel is feeling insecure about her place in EM and tell her she has the skills and fortitude to make it. "This is a tough place for sensitive people, but we need them, badly." He's pulling her back up to rejoin the fray. Mel is glad to hear this and even happier at the debridement job she gets from Frank. He clearly wanted to give her that specific job because he knew it would recenter her. (Mel is just so cute here I can't stand it. Look how happy she is to be understood and pleasantly surprised that someone sees her)
Frank introduces Mel to the road rash patient as "Dr. Mel King, detail specialist." (Ok talk her up to anyone who'll listen why don't you 🤭)
Ep 11: 5:00 PM
Post the reveal that Frank has been diverting drugs and his departure, Mel asks Trinity where Frank is, wanting to tell him about the delivery she assisted with. When she discovers he's left, she's disappointed, though it seems this is something she's used to. (She's literally the 🥺 emoji)
Ep 12: 6:00 PM
REUNION!: Mel hears Frank before she sees him in the middle of the MCI, to which he's returned after getting kicked out by Robby. He also recognizes her voice from across the room and comes right over to assist her and Whitaker with the liver lac patient. She looks so happy to see him! (Considering this is the last time we see her happy for like 2 whole episodes, I will take this as a championship win 🏆🏆🏆)
Frank makes a quick joke about a mother and son reuniting in post-op; as if remembering Mel hates seeing families separated.
While Cassie is telling Chad to go to the break room after he stumbles into the ED, we see Mel and Frank working on the liver lac mom (It's so cute how far Frank has to bend over to get level with Mel's face)
Mel gives Frank an update on the liver lac mom and once again, he hears her from across the room and somehow knows she's talking to him directly
Frank takes the time to tell Mel and Dennis good job, and is so intent on doing it and watching Mel smile that he walks into a gurney
For their last interaction of the season, Frank drops a patient off in the yellow zone and tells Mel good work (Conspicuously, he refrains from saying anything snarky to Trinity in front of Mel, but doesn't hold back when it's Parker in the room)
And that's it! I hope this is useful and/or fun to read through. I'm severely kingdon-pilled right now so I def enjoyed myself 😊
