The emergency room is inherently a realm of life and death. The nurses and doctors on the team hope to achieve the former yet will inevitably face the latter.
“The Pitt” season 2 episode 6 perhaps presents the most important death of the series thus far, at least in terms of the character who passes. Louie, a recurring figure in both the show and in the lives of the Pitt’s workers, passes away from complications caused by his rampant alcohol use. It’s less surprising than it is saddening.
Despite how Louie’s actions technically contributed to his death, the characters, except Ogilvie, treat his passing with the respect he deserves. A flurry of meaningful character moments follows, such as Whitaker’s analogue to his family and Robby’s discussion of why Louie turned to alcohol in the first place. He himself was grappling with loss and found joy (likely intentionally) in the very substance that led to his death.
It’s hard not to get emotional at the final scene of that episode, what with the crew standing around the first major loss of the season. It’s a brief moment, certainly, but one with the quiet gravitas that “The Pitt” has become known for.
Episode 6 is effective outside of this central event, too. There’s a well-appreciated focus on characters like Princess, Donnie and Perlah who don’t usually get a ton of screentime, and Langdon and Dana share a particularly compelling moment. All said and done, Season 2 Episode 6 is likely the strongest of the new episodes thus far.
Episode 7 doesn’t have as massive of an impact on the rest of the season — at least until the end — but it doesn’t need to have one. It’s a good breather episode with quite a few compelling moments. I particularly enjoyed Robby and Langdon’s terse conversation on the hospital rooftop, and their conflict may well prove to be the strongest recurring plotline of the season.
There’s also the case of a patient who is the victim of sexual abuse. The storyline is treated with the care it deserves, and you can’t help but feel torn up by both the victim’s reluctance to report the incident and Dana’s struggle to help her (I sense another nomination for Katherine LaNasa…).
I will admit that fatigue has begun to settle for some subplots, particularly involving the father’s struggles with insurance and the case of the law student’s mental state. They’re both meaningful and well-written subplots, but they’ve seemed to move at a glacial pace over the last few episodes.
Most importantly, though, the conclusion of the seventh episode foreshadows a potential conflict in the works: a hacking attack with ransom as its condition, and the Pitt placed in full analog mode. The next episode will mark the second half of the season, and perhaps an escalation in pace unlike anything we’ve seen before.
