Upamanyu Biswas
Exhaustion is the name of the game if you are an ER doctor at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. As explored in the fourteenth episode of ‘The Pitt,‘ titled ‘8:00 P.M.,’ our day shift physicians reach the final stretch of their overwhelming work day while also trying to resolve the situation with the Pittfest shooting. However, the emotional and mental load starts to take a psychological toll on everybody, which we saw in abundance in the previous episode. Robby, in particular, struggles to keep his temper in check as a wide variety of troubling situations find their way to him. His mood starts to alarm others on the floor with him, who are acutely aware of his otherwise laidback attitude. Meanwhile, a couple of new patients arrive at the hospital, adding to the complexity of the drama unfolding every hour. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Robby Cracks in the Pressure Cooker Environment of His Job
While the patients from the Pittfest shooting continue to take up most of the crew’s attention, Dana starts a search for Robby, who has gone missing since he last visited the morgue with Jake. Trouble brews elsewhere as rumors of the shooter being sequestered in a special room in the hospital circulate amongst nurses and patients alike – everyone thinks David did it. In another part of the floor, Mel finally starts getting the real story from the injured patient with PTSD – her name is Trish. Her husband lost his life after a bullet went through her arm and through his head, leaving her traumatized. Santos and Whitaker take care of most of the cases in the yellow zone until the latter goes searching for Robby in the morgue. He sees Robby in a mentally vulnerable state and picks him up, urging him that without him, the whole floor of doctors is helpless.
After taking care of Robby, Whitaker heads back to the yellow zone, where Santos leaves him in charge. She heads for “more action” in the red zone. Robby regains his poise as he walks around the floor, assessing the situation everywhere. Eventually, Gloria comes down to have a conversation with him about unsanctioned blood donors earlier, which could get the hospital in trouble. She also starts reprimanding him for not diligently following up with David, particularly if he might be the shooter. Frustrated by her constant accusations and his fragile state of mind, Robby shouts at her, capturing the attention of the whole wing. Dr. Abbott suggests that he should get some air by going down to triage. Meanwhile, Dana heads over to Jake to console him about Leah’s passing.
The PTMC Finally Receives Some “Good” News About The Shootings
Down in triage, Robby meets up with Dr. Shen and Ellis before a car comes speeding in out of nowhere. The driver is Vincent Rivera’s brother-in-law. He has a bullet wound in his leg while there is a hypoxic patient in the back of his car. They are both wheeled in asap. Dr. McKay gets a brief respite from her taxing life-saving work as her father stops by to pick up Harrison. She takes him to the break room to unite with her son and Chad, whom he is less pleased to see. Santos and Langdon end up having an awkward encounter as they try to help Ellis with her hypoxic patient. Elsewhere, Dana asks Robby if Rivera’s wife can come in to see her brother in the ward. The same goes for Mel’s PTSD patient, whose daughter is waiting to unite with her mom. He agrees to both.
Dr. Mohan and Abbott take the lead on Brian, Rivera’s brother-in-law, as his sister comes streaming through the doors to provide moral support to him. He tears up as he talks about Vincent and how he couldn’t save him. While walking around the floor, Robby notices Langdon sitting with Jake, telling him that the senior attendee did everything he could to save Leah. Gloria delivers a big announcement to the PTMC crew that the SWAT team has found the shooter on site. He is already dead, which proves that David had nothing to do with the event. It only leaves Robby and McKay with a bigger mess to clean up now that the boy is innocent. Gloria also thanks all the doctors for their selfless efforts while trying to save lives. She also states that there are no more incoming Pittfest shooting patients.
Two New Patients Bring the Doctors Back to Reality
As Robby and his doctors go back to their normal rhythm, a new patient arrives through the doors – a young boy named Flynn Edwards, who is unresponsive and was brought in through a 911 call by his younger sister. Mel accompanies the young girl upstairs while Shen takes the boy to the ward. She and Shen get busy trying to resuscitate Flynn while also trying to assess his problems. Meanwhile, Robby pulls McKay aside to tell her that it is now their responsibility to deal with David and somehow explain the situation to him. In the other operating room, Abbott suspects that there is liquid in Brian’s heart. Walsh is unhappy with Abbott’s suggested treatment plan and wants a CT scan first. In David’s room, Robby and McKay try to address his circumstances, but the boy is too angry with them to listen. He cannot believe that they suspected him of killing people in the first place.
Shen and Mel continue to work on Flynn’s case while Santos enjoys a small snack break. Ellis gets on her case and tells her to keep plugging at her job by helping her with the hypoxic patient. In the meantime, Janey, Jake’s mom, stops by to pick up her son from the hospital. Robby tells her that Jake blames him for not saving Leah, but she reminds him not to be hard on himself as he is still a kid. Subsequently, Robby takes a look at Flynn Edward’s case and immediately recognizes signs of a measle infection. Elsewhere, Ellis senses the beef between Langdon and Santos as they work on the hypoxic patient together. In the break room, Robby and Mel sit down with Flynn’s sister to confirm if the diagnosis is measles. They get more evidence that Robby might be right.
Robby Grows Frustrated While McKay Faces Trouble
Lupe walks in with a girl named Morgan, who tells Robby and Mel she is Trish’s daughter. Mel takes her to meet her mom with Robby’s permission. Javadi gets a pleasant surprise as Mateo takes her aside and congratulates her on her incredible performance on her first day. She is just happy he remembers her name. At the same time, Abbott urges Mohan to go through with his seemingly risky treatment plan that Walsh is completely against because of the lack of a CT scan. However, with time running out, there are no options. Robby and McKay try talking with David again as his mother arrives to calm him down. She tells him that she signed a petition that puts him under a 72-hour hold. He is angry at everyone and refuses to listen to their advice and seek professional help. Outside, a frustrated Robby tells McKay that since she started this, she must find a way to solve it.
During Mohan and Abbott’s risky procedure, Walsh remains on standby with equipment to revive the patient if needed. However, it all goes smoothly as Brian’s life is saved. In the other room, Santos, Langdon, and Ellis are relieved to see their hypoxic patient finally regain consciousness. He says his name is Max. Elsewhere, Mel helps Morgan and Trish meet up. As she steps outside, she breaks down in tears. Robby reminds her that there is nothing bad about doctors who show their feelings for their patients. Meanwhile, Robby faces another obstacle as he meets up with Flynn’s parents, who have finally arrived at the hospital. To the senior attendee’s chagrin, it turns out that the mother is fastidious about the types of treatment suggested by the doctors for her son. Instead, she relies on Google, which enrages Robby enough to throw a fit.
Robby leaves the room, followed by Shen, who checks up on the former’s state of mind. He quickly leaves the conversation as Whitaker steps out of the elevator. He thanks Whitaker for his help earlier in the morgue and his discretion about the incident where he broke down. The intern reminds Robby of something he said earlier during the shift about finding the right balance, showcasing that he is simply following the advice handed down to him by his betters. While Abbott and Dana discuss Robby acting out of character for the last hour, McKay is flagged down by a couple of cops who are here to check up on her ankle monitor. She tells them the truth about what she did to the monitor. They subsequently ask her to raise her hands above her head as Dana and Abbott jump to her defense.
Read More: The Pitt Episode 13 Recap: 7:00 PM
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