Welcome to our final Episodic Reaction for The Pitt, which is actually a review because it felt cruel to even suggest Emma limit her time on this one. The show will be upgrading to the full lineup in season two, so make sure you’re at least a free subscriber so you can be notified when Emma’s coverage returns early next year.

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In the last three hours, the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center has treated 112 patients from the mass casualty event, with six they couldn’t save and 71 who went upstairs to surgery. I begin with these figures cited by Dr. Robby because they highlight how ambitious and unrelenting The Pitt’s final run of episodes has been. After getting the emergency department back to business during the second half of the penultimate episode, “9:00 PM” focuses on characters ending the shift and tying up loose ends rather than a stack of new patients (despite Dr. Mohan’s best efforts).

But this debut season has far from outstayed its welcome, and part of the success comes from combining network television pacing within the streaming parameters. While Episode 15 hits the hour mark—making it the longest episode so far—it uses this time wisely, with the last 20 minutes breaking from the hectic rhythm as the work day concludes. Instead of a reaction post, Myles is letting me go long(er), which feels appropriate considering the length of the finale. While “9:00 PM” doesn’t end on a huge cliffhanger, when we leave the hospital (for real this time and not just the Warner Bros backlot), there are still surprises and some characters whose forthcoming employment status is unclear.

Take Langdon’s attempt to get Dana to vouch for him, which turns into a conversation about her quitting. “What have you been hearing?” is his first question to the charge nurse, sussing out how much Robby has told her. The linguistic gymnastics and guessing game deliver information Langdon has not told Robby yet, with a half-admission that stops before a full confession. What struck me about this scene is how little time the staff has spent in the break room all day and how few personal one-on-one conversations there have been in recent weeks.

While Langdon is motivated to save his career, his concern for their workplace when Dana says she is “too old for this shit” (even a cliched statement works in this situation) is genuine. The bitterness in Dana’s voice when she told Robby she’d had enough at the end of Episode 11 has returned, and Katherine LaNasa puts every ounce of Dana’s frustration into making a new pot of coffee (the messiness of this room speaks volumes about the day too). It is an emotional exchange as one person is at the end of her tether and the other is terrified for his future.

Unfortunately, the mass casualty event isn’t the great equalizer Langdon hopes it is, and the argument with Robby outside doesn’t resolve the matter either. He should’ve taken Dana’s advice and gone home. Better for us that he didn’t, as this prickly interaction plays out like a disappointed parent, and Langdon even snaps back like a guilty teenager. Not every beat in the Langdon addiction plot had landed, truthfully, mostly because it came out of the blue. However, the weary back-and-forth gives both actors a chance to lean into their character’s frustrations, and every single jab packs a punch (especially Robby’s last “Fuck”).

Once more, the hospital grapevine gives ammo—this time a nurse from the nightshift who saw Robby mid-breakdown—and gossip can’t save Langdon either. It isn’t wise for Langdon to take this path because it is a false equivalence, but it does raise a valid point about Robby also hiding a medical issue. Between Dana and Langdom, the former seems like the most likely to be part of the second season, and I think there is a good chance Dana will be (regardless of the fact that she took her family photos). Having an unresolved ending like this is a reminder that this is a show run by TV vets like John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill because it ticks those finale boxes of keeping us guessing.

The information we now have about the show’s plans moving forward give us more context to work from. The second season is not only in development, but the plan is to begin production this summer. Again, this balks with the streaming trend of massive gaps between seasons, and I, like many of you, was thrilled to read the earmarked December scheduling, which Variety now reports is January. At the Deadline Contenders event, Noah Wyle confirmed that Season 2 will be set 10 months later (over the Fourth of July weekend!), giving Langdon enough time to seek treatment. There are also logistics to consider with the med students, and I am curious who will make the regular cast cut for its sophomore year (whoever does make the cut will have a bootcamp refresher, which Wyle mentioned when I interviewed him and Gerran Howell last week). Regardless of who does and doesn’t return, the finale doesn’t disappoint in how it wraps up this working day.

I lost count of how often different people are told to finish what they are working on, with Dr. Santos and Mel wanting to stay until their patients have received adequate care. As the most polarizing character, Santos has been a big topic of discussion, and I think the finale hits a stride in balancing her brash, overly confident energy with an empathetic and resourceful follow-through. Similar to the earlier OD using ice water to reduce body temperature, Santos uses her personal experience to inform treatment. The intimate details she shares provide further insight into some of her more obnoxious actions earlier in the shift, including the patient she threatened.

Like many, I have bristled at Santos throughout the season, and the drawbacks to the single shift format are most evident with her arc and the antagonist role she inhabits. Hearing details of her backstory adds depth to her previous impulsive choices, but the way the progesterone-spiked dad played out still reads as unclear, not in motivation but in her unprofessional response. Are we meant to think she was in the right for taking matters into her own hands? Or is it a sign of her immaturity? Her vendetta against Langdon (yes, she was right) goes from nothing to significant accusations within hours of them meeting and so it is easy to side with the hot, charismatic (but also dickish) doctor. However, I don’t need them to sand down Santos’ edges; this finale proves that.

The nickname-giving has been grating, but there is a lovely full circle moment with Whitaker turning the Huckleberry moniker from mean to playful. Pairing the sweetest med student with the most blunt intern is a platonic odd couple match made in heaven, and as we saw last week, Santos did check in on Whitaker’s state of mind. One of the biggest surprises in the finale comes from Whitaker’s destination after he clocks out for the night, and I had zero idea what Santos would find on another floor. Part of me thought it was a hookup with the flirty nurse, and I didn’t see his temporary living situation coming. However, the writers have been dropping breadcrumbs, including Whitaker mentioning this unused floor, and in the pilot Whitaker mentions being broke.

There are other notable bookends, like Robby taking Dr. Abbott’s spot on the roof, staring into the abyss, to Robby’s choice of music (“Baby” by Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise)—and how it marks his time to go home. Robby’s relationships with Abbott and Dana are two of the most rewarding of The Pitt, perhaps because they are all as burned out as each other while still being able to dish out advice and words of wisdom. Dana tells Robby to give himself some grace, Abbott thinks he’s figured out why he keeps coming back, and Robby delivers as close to a victory speech to the exhausted staff as he can manage.

It would be jarring to see the fist-pumping version of this, and each time Robby’s voice breaks as he tries to get through the debrief, it matches the show's tone. Yes, they have done brave things, but the world (and hospital) is still a mess. “This place will break your heart, but it is also full of miracles,” Robby says. He dishes out his gratitude and praise, and later struggles when Abbott tries to do the same for him on the roof. “You rocked that shit down there tonight,” says Abbott. Wyle and the entire ensemble have done just that throughout the season, and even at this early stage in the year, I feel confident that The Pitt will feature on the Best of 2025.

Stray Observations

• Jake still doesn’t forgive Robby, and while it has only been a few hours since Leah died, it still is pretty awful that he rejects Robby like this. One hospital trope I don’t mind The Pitt using is the camera staying out of the room when Robby tells Leah’s parents that she is dead. We have already seen Robby deliver bad news to parents, and it is already clear how traumatic this is.

• On a more lighthearted note, Dr. Shen called Abbott and Robbie “two old white guys” and the shit talk is welcome. Robby and Abbott make quite the double act when Gloria asks them both to speak at the press conference (they decline), and Abbott’s reaction to being “surrounded by med nerds” during a procedure also made me chuckle.

• Having gotten so used to the bright ER lights, it takes some adjusting when we land on the dimmer floor where Whitaker is temporarily living—as well as the night sky. Cinematographer Johanna Coelho lensed all 15 episodes (TV shows don’t always have one DP, particularly for this length of season), and the fluidity of the camera movement is impressive throughout the season.

• Mel gets to perform the spinal tap on the measles kid, ending her shift on a win. It is a messy case, but it doesn’t derail Mel from going to pick up sister Becca for dinner and a movie. Having briefly seen the pair interact over FaceTime and how Mel has talked about Becca gives this brief in-person conversation more weight after Mel’s long day.

• Dr. Collins didn’t return, but hopefully this isn’t the last we have seen of Tracy Ifeachor. Despite how much I loved the Robby-Collins dynamic, I don’t mind that she didn’t swoop in to save the day when Robby had his breakdown.

• PSA: Don’t fight your brother while holding a fork because it might end up in your nose. Is it unprofessional of Ellis to take a photo? Probably, but it also feels true to life (I know someone who got stuck in a metal trash can lid and had to go to the firehouse to get it cut off, and they definitely took his photo for their wall).

• Myrna came back! She had a seizure, and I am guessing this is why she was uncuffed in the first place. Will she be back for Season 2?

• Other good news is Doug Driscoll (the asshole who punched Dana) has been arrested but Dana isn’t sure if she wants to press charges as she just wants it to be over. While I can be mad at the cops for arresting McKay, I am with Robby that Dana definitely should press charges.

• One of the best visual gags comes courtesy of an exhausted Victoria in the elevator. The energy levels between the med student and an overly enthused Dr. Mohan help showcase how different people react after a high-adrenaline event. As Dr. McKay predicts, Mohan has a massive crash and ends up crying in the bathroom (understandable!), where bloody remnants of the day are still on the floor. I was happy to see Mohan grabbing a beer in the park

• Speaking of, this post-work hang is another highlight. Robby makes a great case for Victoria having a beer (“I’d say if she’s old enough to put in a test tube and intubate, she’s old enough to drink a beer”), and the reveal that Abbott has a prosthetic leg is understated.

• Reading through your comments about how much the show resonates (including the stories you have shared about working in healthcare) has been fantastic, and I am always excited to see what other elements you have been responding to, particularly as this is the first show I have been covering for Episodic Medium. It is great to be here.

Having a creative team responsible for several network television gamechangers and staples has been The Pitt’s not-so-secret weapon. I have brought up pacing several times during this season because The Pitt’s writers team is attuned to typical TV beats, while not relying on certain expectations. For instance, Dr. Robby’s breakdown had penultimate episode all over it, but instead, this pressure cooker exploded at the end of the thirteenth hour. In doing so, we now see how Dr. Robby will respond without it feeling rushed. To have Whitaker as the one who finds Robby having a “brief moment of silent reflection” (as Whitaker politely puts it) took me by surprise. Yet, it also fits with the overall theme that everyone is a student and a teacher at this hospital.

It isn’t like Robby is immediately cured after returning to work, either, as he is snappy and ill-tempered with different people (he publicly yells at Gloria), including patients’ families. While he might be saying what people are thinking, he also has a responsibility, and at the moment, he has lost the ability to filter his thoughts.

What follows are the observations I took from this fourteenth episode.

• Continuing with Dr. Robby, I have to say these scenes between Noah Wyle and Gerran Howell, both during the panic attack and later, are some of my favorites of The Pitt’s run so far. There is a lovely full circle moment with Whitaker repeating back Robby’s advice from earlier in the day, and Wyle’s wry smile when Robby recognizes those words is lovely. Another highlight is when Robby sees an emotional Mel after she has reunited a patient with her daughter and Mel immediately tries to suck her tears back in, apologizing and saying it won’t happen again. Taylor Dearden’s empathetic performance has led to Mel becoming a fan favorite, and it is incredibly gratifying to see Robby not only tell her not to apologize but also comment on her excellent work.

• One person Robby is less thrilled with is Dr. McKay. It is confirmed David is not the shooter, as the person who committed this atrocity died by suicide, confirming it would have been far too sensational if David were the killer. Robby wants McKay to fix the mess she created, which I think is harsh considering how troubling David’s behavior was. I also don’t think the writers are suggesting that Robby’s choices this episode are good ones, and this storyline highlights how limited resources are when dealing with this scenario.

• There are a few more patients from PittFest that come through the doors, including the brother of the woman whose husband was killed. Brian is a Navy corpsman who was shot in the leg but has spent the last two hours using his medical training to aid other victims (he put his brother-in-law in the first car he saw). Brian has driven a person he found in the parking lot to the hospital, who he suspects has OD’d, but needs urgent medical attention himself. Because things are returning to normal, pulling tricks out of bags is now seen as reckless rather than appropriate, leading to a spat between Abbott and Dr. Walsh. I suspect they might have been romantically involved at one point, from the shared smile at “nipples to navel is no man’s land” to how spiky they are with each other when Abbott gets Dr. Mohan to do this daring procedure.

• The suspected OD is a curious case, as his skin is a blueish hue, and having Dr. Ellis immediately clock the Santos-Langdon beef adds another layer to these scenes. The two feuding doctors haven’t really crossed paths since Langdon returned, and the animosity is palpable. Ellis hasn’t witnessed the earlier disagreements and tension, but Langdon’s changed register (even from how we have heard him) speaks volumes—as does his calling Santos “bright spark.” Seeing how Ellis responds to Santos—giving her the Kit Kat and then making it clear she has a job to do—underscores how different temperaments can gel or clash. Rather than being overwhelmed by many new nightshift characters, the ones they have introduced slot right in while establishing personality traits.

• Take Dr. Shen, who is still giving off a mostly chill aura but can get down to business quickly. He isn’t superstitious but accidentally jinxes the team twice regarding no new admissions, and both times, I laughed, which was a needed (brief) mood cleanse. The latter occurs with Mel when an ambulance rocks up with a non-PittFest patient. This next one is ripped from the headlines (or depressingly predicted what is happening at the moment) as Dr. Robby identifies that the teenage boy has measles, and he has a one in five chance of survival. When the parents arrive, it is not surprising to learn that their son is unvaccinated, and the mother immediately cites reasons why she is against a spinal tap. Robby starts to rub his neck (the tell that he is about to lose it) and snaps at the woman, which is what I was doing, yelling at my TV. Dr. Shen has a clearer head, and despite his inexperience as an attending, he is more than qualified to have this role. “Fucking Dr. Google bullshit” is great rage description from Robby and they make it clear that Shen agrees with his boss while also needing to maintain a more civil tone.

• It is both jarring and impressive how the department switches from emergency protocols to getting back to regular service. Victoria is our wide-eyed stand-in as she struggles with the gear shift, and as a viewer, there is a sense of whiplash combined with a shrug of “okay, back to before.” Again, the pacing of these later episodes has been particularly striking. Victoria’s head is understandably all over the place, and I am delighted to see her get another awkward flirty moment with Mateo. At first, she thinks the juice box he gives her is infantilizing, but he calls her a rock star, and she becomes the personification of heart eyes. I don’t think he shares the crush, but it is a sweet moment.

As the extended shift winds down, there is a sense that the finale won’t be too explosive, but McKay getting arrested at the end of “8:00 PM” definitely throws a wrench in the works—oh and yes, that is Brad Dourif playing the onscreen father to his off-screen daughter, Fiona Dourif! Rather than speculate about the last episode, I do want to quickly touch on the recent interview with Casey Bloys by Josef Adalian that digs into the success of The Pitt and how the weekly release has been a huge part of its growing audience. It is well worth a read for multiple reasons, but I want to highlight that Season 2 will debut in December, which is excellent news for those who don’t want the streaming lag between seasons.

Unsurprisingly, there will also be an FYC Emmys campaign, and Bloys mentions Wyle by name. We discussed this earlier in the season, but now that The Pitt is getting all this attention, I am curious whether Wyle will be the only actor they will push. I know Myles previously said he thought Wyle would be the only actor to get nominated, but is there room for Taylor Dearden or Katherine LaNasa? Variety is suggesting Dourif rather than Dearden could be in the mix too. What does everyone else think? Regardless of how likely (and Wyle aside), who would you like to see get recognized?

Considering how much time we have spent within this trauma center, I was struck this week by the use of the space and how overwhelming it is to have this many gurneys and wheelchairs filling nearly every square inch. But even knowing how full the ER looks, I was still shocked when Dr. Robby is told that 85 patients have gone through the doors. It is still far from over (though it is slowing) as more people roll up in the backs of cars and pickup trucks, and The Pitt continues to be one of the best new shows of the year in its ability to depict scale without sacrificing character moments.

Competency is a big part of what makes last week’s episode such a jaw-dropping ride as we watch this large staff snap from a normal day into emergency mode. However, this second episode digs into how one person going off-book is detrimental to the entire ecosystem, with Dr. Robby’s personal involvement clouding his judgment, coupled with the PTSD-induced panic attacks that lead to the ER boss becoming incapacitated at the end of the episode.

What follows are the observations I took from this thirteenth episode.

• Robby has been teetering on the edge for most of the day, which all comes to a head after the team cannot save Jake’s girlfriend, Leah. The bullet has pierced her heart, and Robby goes above and beyond to bring her back. Going against the set game plan regarding heroic measures when a patient is in this condition underscores Robby’s temperament and makes it clear he is about to unravel. It takes Dr. Abbott to remind him that there are other people who need attention and that Leah’s injury is so severe she probably wouldn’t survive if they could use every procedure possible. It all comes back to the “Peds room,” which is now a makeshift morgue, and the juxtaposition of cheery cartoon creatures and the blood-stained sheets is sobering. It is here that Robby’s mentor died during the pandemic, and while I have been so-so about the flashbacks from that day, I think they work here. Robby’s choice to take Jake to see Leah’s body underscores Robby’s inability to think clearly and is part of the decline in decision-making over the shift. He has been staring into the abyss all day, and this pushes him over. Noah Wyle is once again making a case for an Emmy, and it is unclear how they will pull him out of this hole—or who might be the one to do it (Dana or Dr. Abbott are the obvious choices). Someone get this man to therapy once this day is done.

• The Jake question has been answered, and David has also reappeared. I think his coming back to the hospital all but confirms he isn’t the shooter, even if the cops are treating him as a person of interest. There is so much meticulous attention to detail in portraying this mass casualty event (this Vanity Fair piece mentions that writer and medical advisor Joe Sachs spoke to physicians who worked in the aftermath of Columbine in 1999, Aurora in 2012 and Las Vegas in 2017) that to have David be the perpetrator feels like a huge contrivance. I might be wrong (I hope I am not).

• There are already signs of mental trauma as the woman who was crying last week continues to be in a distressed state. Mel and Santos have run through all the medical issues that could be causing this, but it seems more likely that she is suffering from PTSD. At this point, they are focusing on physical wounds, but this is a reminder of the other long road ahead. Social worker Kiara and ward clerk Lupe have the extremely grim task of telling one woman that her husband has died. As with most of the ER staff, they have also already been on shift all day and are equally vital to keeping this machine running.

• It is hard to keep up at times with the critical cases, and the speed at which they come through the door is purposeful. While Robby’s deviating from emergency protocol is a cause for concern, there are various ingenious and unorthodox life-saving tricks up the physicians’ sleeves. Langdon uses a method he heard on a podcast, Mohan uses the IO to reduce an intracranial bleed (using info from a case report in a medical journal), and Santos does a procedure she should not be doing unsupervised. While I still bristle at some of Santos’ brashness, I have to admit I was glad to see she got both admonished and praised by Dr. Abbott.1 Mohan’s out of the box thinking earns her a “holy shit” from the younger staff like Whitaker and a WTF from the older. The IO is the star of the episode as it is also the source of a Whitaker fumble (who uses it on a conscious patient) and allows McKay to deactivate the alarm on her ankle monitor—there isn’t much time to show this, but I worry how this might impact her chance of custody.

• Equipment continues to run out (batteries, too), but Dr. Abbott has a “go bag” of his own, which includes equipment that isn’t stocked in the hospital due to budget reasons. Experience triumphs despite bureaucratic and red tape obstacles (see also the empty ward that Whitaker mentioned last week, without the nurses available to staff it).

• Even in the chaos, there are plenty of smaller character moments that stood out. Whitaker’s got great bedside manner (IO issue aside), and is the only one to ask if any patient saw the shooter—though I am unsure if he should be asking this. His inexperience is still a factor, but he is growing in confidence, particularly with the portable ultrasound. Dana’s look to Abbott that Leah was gone and she needed his help to step in with Robby showcases the unspoken communication, and Dana gently touching Leah’s head after pulling the sheet over her face was an act of tenderness occurring in the background of a shot. On a funnier note, Dr. Shen regrets the second coffee he had as he hasn’t had a chance to go to the bathroom.

Nothing about this episode is a repeat of the previous one, other than the patients coming from the same place, and the energy remains high throughout. One part that gave me chills and that I had to rewind because it happens so fast is when the patient goes for a gun in an ankle holster because I couldn’t quite get over how in unison everyone was ducking down—some, like Perla, threw their bodies over their patients. It is a terrifying reminder of what they are up against and shows how primed the staff is when Langdon yells “gun.” They don’t need the big halftime locker room speech (at one point, Dr. Ellis in triage asks if Robby is giving his version of one) while everyone is getting on with the task at hand, but I am curious what the final two episodes have in store and whether anyone will be able to take a beat once the next hour hits. What are your thoughts on how the mass-casualty story has played out so far and how it has dovetailed with Robby’s storyline?

Hey, everyone—per request, I’ve added a section for The Pitt so that subscribers can remove it from their email preferences (under Manage Subscription) if they’re not watching, and in preparation of the show becoming part of our full roster in season two. In the meantime, all subscribers who remain subscribed to “The Pitt” will receive our coverage through the finale.

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Sustaining a format like The Pitt’s without losing momentum means upping the stakes as the season progresses, from Dr. Robby’s mental state to the stretched resources. Given that I was initially a little disappointed that I’d interpreted the PittFest mass shooting signposts correctly, I will hold my hat in hand to say that the execution so far is nothing short of brilliant. It is a masterclass in pacing, allowing time to brief the staff about hospital-wide emergency protocols and assigning different areas to work in before all hell breaks loose.

We follow Dr. Robby from the ambulance bay-turned-triage and then inside, surveying the carnage as each designated team adapts to a lack of technology, quickly depleted equipment, and even blood. It isn’t all through Robby’s point of view, but having him as the anchor helps navigate the chaos.

What follows are the observations I took from this twelfth episode.

• Losing Collins (who hasn’t returned yet) and Langdon (who has) reduces the senior staff, but thankfully, some of the night shift team is already arriving. Dr. Abbott heard about the shooting on the police scanner and is a welcome sight because he can share duties with Robby. Plus, his already-established military background makes him a crucial resource. The first 12 minutes of “6:00 PM” establish how the department will run with Abbott and Robby tag-teaming details about disaster kits, color zones, equipment, and “no frills” medicine. Having two authoritative voices dish out this information dump ensures it isn’t too overwhelming. It is efficient storytelling, demonstrating how a trauma center responds to an event that doesn’t feel like a stretch. While it is a depressingly accurate mass casualty set-up, I did find it fascinating and eye-opening to see details like using color-coded slap bracelets during the 10-second triage because this is an accessory I typically associate with ‘90s fashion.

• I’ve mentioned how effective the lack of score was before, but this absence hit me again as the PA system messages provided the soundtrack before the victims came pouring in.

• Part of the tension in this opening comes from knowing they are about to receive an onslaught of patients unlike anything we have seen throughout the season. If I remember correctly, there was only one gunshot patient before this. Having Robby geared up for what is to come versus Dr. Shen's (the night shift attending) super chill vibe adds to this anxiety. While highlighting different temperaments (and how on the edge Robby is), to see Dr. Shen sipping on iced coffee and talking about the weather is jarring.1

• There is no confirmation about whether David is the shooter, but it is concerning that his cell phone is pinging near the PittFest area. I can only hope that this is a misdirect. The other big question is where Jake is. Robby can’t get in touch with him, which isn’t necessarily a sign he is injured, as cell service is overwhelmed. Not answering either question at this point means we can focus on the immediate impact, yet I hope they don’t drag it out for too long.

• My one niggle in what I think is an excellent episode is Victoria losing it with her mother. She struggles to regulate her anger (see baseball dad), but it still feels unnecessary. However, Victoria's suggestion of how to adapt the limited equipment is a nice win, even if I don’t quite buy her surgeon mom being initially this rigid about these methods in these circumstances.

• Okay, I have a second nitpick. Santos assumes the guy who was filming on his phone is a journalist. Yes, I love that she “accidentally” drops his phone in the bloody mop bucket, but not the insinuation that a member of the press would steal a victim’s hoodie and pretend he was shot to score a story. Perhaps I am being naive, but this feels more like the actions of someone who wants online clout and not a reporter.

• Grumbling over! All the various old-school techniques and shortcut solutions are thrilling (and stressful) to watch. However, I was also impressed with the portable Butterfly ultrasound, which uses a phone app to circumvent the lack of regular ultrasounds. Robby’s “ooh cool” reaction to Abbott showing this device is very relatable.

• Speaking of Robby's reactions, he is unsurprisingly unhappy that Langdon has resumed his shift. It is director Amanda Marsalis’ fourth episode of The Pitt, and the way she follows Robby around the hospital as he gauges the big picture is fantastic. The choice to hear Langdon before we see him is striking because the familiar, authoritative voice working on a patient is reassuring until we see Robby’s flicker of anger. It is all hands on deck, and despite the discovery of the stolen meds, Robby lets him continue. Mel is ecstatic to see Langdon, and her “You came back!” is delightful. Dana is off with Langdon, and his return understandably perturbs Santos. Throwing personal animosity in the mix during a mass casualty event could be distracting, and luckily, it is acknowledged but doesn’t boil over.

• Blood is both everywhere and running out. It is all over the disposable gowns and the floors—Mel slips on a pool—and the supply hits zero before the end of the hour. While delivery is 10 minutes out, some patients will die in that window if they don’t get a transfusion. It feels entirely plausible that staff would donate or that Robby would forgo the screening process to save lives (again, perhaps I am blinded by the magic of TV). Mel immediately uses her donation for her patient, and Abbott donates while still working. Outside of the first episode, we haven’t spent time with this character, and little moments like this fill in some blanks.

There is a lot to take in throughout “6:00 PM,” from the different equipment and procedures to keeping track of all the patients coming in, not to mention that there are non-gunshot wounds and injuries from PittFest. At 40 minutes, it is the shortest of the season so far, but the level of intensity means this length is welcome. Creator Scott Gemmill co-wrote the episode with medical advisor Joe Sachs, which speaks to the depiction of procedures in this situation with the overall narrative; The Pitt continues to strike a balance between ambitious storytelling and its depiction of emergency medicine. What did you think about the change in tempo this week?