How Dare 'The Pitt'!

Spoilers for the latest episode of The Pitt.

The Pitt went and did it. After an episode packed with disgusting procedures, mounting character tension, and even some great comic relief, it ended in such a way that everyone in my house simultaneously yelled, “NOOooooooooooo.”

Those bastards gave Louis a heart attack or something that may have killed him. In an earlier recap, the symptoms he experienced (including the toothache) suggested that a heart attack was brewing. Or his heart finally just gave out. It’s been doing a lot of work. I hope Dr. Langdon and Dr. Robby can revive him in next week’s episode, but I suspect that if he dies, or if they bring him back to life, it’ll be the rebonding moment Langdon and Robby need. They both have a big soft spot for Louis (who doesn’t?), so much so that Dr. Robby was on his way to bring the man — a severe alcoholic — a beer as a “parting gift.” And after Louis forgave Langdon for stealing his Librium! All of this felt inevitable, but I was also kind of hoping that The Pitt’s favorite patient had another season in him. And maybe he does.

The tension between Langdon and Robby has been thick, too. Everyone else in the hospital seems to have forgiven Langdon for his benzos addiction, and some — including Dr. Al-Hashimi — even seem to admire him for working the steps. But Robby has taken it hard, probably because Langdon was his protégé. He’s not only been avoiding Langdon but has also blamed him for the case of necrotizing fasciitis, even though Langdon obviously did everything Robby would have done. Still, it was frustrating to see Langdon downplay the severity of the infection to the patient, while Robby had two hero moments: telling her employer that he’d testify on the patient’s behalf if she sued, and pulling off that ad-lib procedure to officially diagnose her, which pissed off Dr. Garcia. Robby is clearly irritated this episode. His dark mood is affecting the way he treats the rest of the staff, including Dr. Al, who rightfully called him out for treating her like a resident.

Meanwhile, karma has been a real bitch to Dr. Ogilvie. He spent the first three episodes thinking he was God’s gift to medicine, botched a procedure last week, had a TB scare this week, and ended the episode at the receiving end of an assplosion. I almost feel bad for The Pitt’s villain. The comeuppance does not feel proportional.

Our diabetes patient gave us more insight into the dysfunction of our healthcare system. He couldn’t afford insulin, so he got sick, and he was staring down a $100,000 hospital bill, but for the creative thinking of Dr. Kwon. And now? He’s still looking at a $20,000 bill, which is supposed to be a victory. Instead, a family already juggling multiple jobs is now going to have to pick up additional shifts because the patient couldn’t afford insulin in the first place. It’s a mess.

In addition to the assplosion, there were a couple more moments of comic relief: the patient who got branded with dry ice, and the MacGyver reference the younger doctors didn’t understand. Meanwhile, Dr. Santos is still lost in charting land, which prompted another exchange between Robby and Al-Hashimi over the pros and cons of AI.

Finally, we were introduced to a death doula, who is caring for a woman with lung cancer. The way things are going, unfortunately, I have a feeling the death doula isn’t just going to help the woman transition into death, but may potentially hasten it, because I think she’s ready. That’s going to be anguishing.

But not as anguishing as Louis’s potential death. If he dies, The Pitt may get its first viewer riot.