How Many 'The Pitt' Episodes Are There? Not Enough To Process What Just Happened

This week’s episode of The Pitt — Episode 12: 6 p.m. — was cruel. Not because of the mass shooting. Not the number of bodies. Not the rivers of blood. But because it was only 40 minutes long. A frenetic, chaotic, blood-soaked 40 minutes. An anxiety-riddled, whiplash-inducing, heart-in-your-throat 40 minutes. I don’t think I’ve ever watched 40 minutes disappear so fast. When the credits hit the screen, I gasped out loud: NO. This can’t be it. And yes, Shawn Hatosy’s return as Dr. Jack Abbott was a highlight, but it barely gave us time to breathe.

Thankfully, the season has 15 episodes, and we have three left. Dr. Robby’s shift is going to run long. He’s going to need a hot bath, several hours of therapy, and probably a week in the woods after this one.

In better news, sort of, Dr. Langdon is back. He didn’t ask. He didn’t announce himself. He clearly heard about the shooting, walked into the hospital, and picked up where he left off, like nothing had happened. Dr. Robby briefly told him to go home, but his heart wasn’t in it. Langdon’s a good doctor. He was needed—desperately—especially with Dr. Collins still MIA. Sure, there’s a lawsuit just waiting to happen if it turns out he’s still using, but that was a risk they had to take. Dr. Santos clocked him, and Langdon hit her with a “good work, keep it up.” She let it go. There were bigger fires to put out—like the reporter who faked injuries to sneak in and snap photos, then immediately slipped in a puddle of blood.

Meanwhile, Dr. McKay’s asshole ex snuck into the E.R. to grab his son, but after witnessing the chaos—and watching his ex-wife calmly save lives—something shifted. He looked stunned. Humbled. A little awestruck. Whatever led to the ankle monitor clearly hasn’t touched her ability to show up, for the hospital or for their kid.

There were a lot of shouts for “O-Neg” this week. Weirdly, that’s the third hospital drama I’ve seen this week where doctors were yelling for more O-negative blood. It tracks: when there’s no time to test, you give O-negative. It’s the universal donor—the only blood type safe for everyone. It’s also the rarest. Only 6-7 percent of the global population has it. I bet O-negative folks are rock stars at blood banks. Fortunately, Dr. Mel is O-negative and managed to donate on the spot, saving a gunshot victim in real time.

There were a lot of those. If there’s one knock against the episode, it’s that the chaos came at the expense of character: too many patients, too little time to know them. The only one who really registered was the old man with a bullet graze, trying to shoo the doctors away so they could help someone worse off. A whole personality in 30 seconds.

Also returning: Shawn Hatosy’s Dr. Jack Abbott. There was no way he was just a one-and-done in the pilot. It’s good to see him back in the E.R. And if Dr. Robby’s sort-of stepson Jake shows up, they’re going to need him—especially if Dr. Robby starts to lose it.

And that’s the big lingering question: Where is Jake? No one can reach him. No one knows where he is. Personally, I don’t think he’s been shot—or at least not badly. He’s Dr. Robby’s sort-of son. He’s probably at Pittfest, in the thick of it, helping.

The other mystery: the shooter. Was it the teenage incel who left the hospital earlier that day with a list of women he wanted to kill? If so, Dr. Robby may spend the rest of his life wondering if he could’ve stopped it. Not that it’s his fault. Not the mom’s either. It’s always the guy with the gun. But this day is going to hang over that hospital—and everyone in it—for a very, very long time.