The Pitt Episode 7 Review: I Was Impressed By 1 Character's Quick Instinct In A Tense Hour That Ends With A Worrisome Cliffhanger
This review contains mention of child abuse.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Pitt episode 7!In its latest tense hour, The Pittepisode 7 better highlights its many strong characters, using cases new and old to further their development. As Robby continues to struggle with his trauma of watching Adamson die during the Covid-19 pandemic, the young doctors-in-training begin to shine once more, this time in new, engaging ways. A few characters get the spotlight in this episode, highlighting their particular strengths in the medical field. This even includes one character who is finally able to prove themselves in their own way.
Robby's Trauma Is Making Him Snap At His Fellow Doctors
It Doesn't Help New, Stressful Scenarios Keep Cropping Up
The episode quickly follows up on the cliffhanger from The Pitt episode 6, with Kristi having locked herself in the bathroom after not wanting to get an abortion. Robby winds up letting her out, though it's clear tensions between her and her mother aren't going to settle right away. However, their intensity is compounded by new issues, like Gloria still berating him for the way he operates the trauma hospital. While he implores her to hire more staff, the senior attending's stress levels clearly aren't going down anytime soon and the scenarios cropping up not helping.
Much like he wasn't able to save Adamson's life, it appears he doesn't want to feel helpless about the trauma center's dire situation.
This is made more evident by another pandemic flashback, which sees Robby begging to keep someone on a ventilator in the children's wing. Given this vision was seen in a previous episode, it's safe to assume this is Adamson, and the protagonist can't stop reliving his death. The scene changes him for the rest of the episode as he snaps more often at his fellow doctors, as evidenced by Robby arguing with Dr. Collins about his short temper and berating Dr. Mohan for going over his head about a patient with neurological issues.
The day is clearly having an affect on Robby's mood. It's now extending to other characters in The Pittas he starts criticizing them for very little reason. In Dr. Mohan's case, it seems to be about his attempt at controlling some facet of the hospital, no matter how small, and not wanting to feel it slip through his grasp. Much like he wasn't able to save Adamson's life, it appears he doesn't want to feel helpless about the trauma center's dire situation. The full extent of this will no doubt be felt in episodes to come.
Dr. Santos Finally Proves What Kind Of Medical Professional She Is
Mel Also Gets A Chance To Shine
Image via Max
While Robby's mood worsens, more doctors-in-training start proving their medical skills, with a strong focus on a few who haven't been highlighted as heavily. This is especially the case for Dr. Santos, who has been doubting her skills after a series of mistakes caused friction between her and other doctors. Although it seems she'll stand idly by during the hour, she ends up asking the wife of the man who fell from a ladder about his enlarged breasts. She reveals she was drugging him with Progesterone, trying to nullify his sex drive because she thinks he's molesting their daughter.
Given The Pitt's medical realism is compounded by realistic characters, what happens next isn't too surprising. Santos attempts to confront the situation herself by talking with the injured man's daughter. While this seemingly backfires, with the young girl denying the accusations and not wanting to discuss the subject, Santos ends the episode by confronting the incapacitated father herself. The scene is hard to watch, as it grows evident the intern was a victim of child sexual abuse herself, and the man's reactions emphasize he is, in fact, guilty.
Prior to this scene, Santos had been struggling with assigned tasks at the hospital, accidentally almost killing a man and dropping a scalpel that got lodged in Dr. Garcia's foot. This earned her the ire of Dr. Langdon, who didn't trust her enough to help when a new patient suffering a heart attack was brought in. With this case, however, she was able to employ her personal experiences to showcase just how dedicated she is to patient safety. It's a storyline emphasizing one of her untapped strengths, something she could keep harnessing as the series continues.
Other important information from the episode includes the revelation the patient on the train tracks in episode 1 had been pushed and the new patient with a heart attack is being kept alive with a machine.
Mel was another strong standout in this episode as well, working with an autistic young man who sprained his ankle. The brashness of Langdon's approach prompts her to step in, assisting flawlessly thanks to her experience with her autistic sister. It's a sweet storyline that not only gives her more long-awaited character development, but that impresses the senior resident because of how well she connects with the patient. While other shows like The Pittmay have focused on the interpersonal impacts more, the show smartly highlights the job side of things to powerful effect.
A Heartbreaking Cliffhanger Confirms Tragedy In Episode 8
Dr. Collins Is About To Become A Patient
Image via Max
Another standout is Dr. Collins, who continues to negotiate between Kristi and her mother about whether the teenager will get an abortion. Confronting her mom, the senior resident explains how she needs to be careful about pushing her daughter away, thinking about what not letting her choose will do to their relationship years down the line. This has a profound impact on her viewpoint, as she begrudgingly decides to allow Kristi to take abortion pills. While there's still some tension by the end, Collins' words likely saved their relationship in the long run.
Things take a turn in episode 7's final minutes, as Collins experiences a sharp pain that makes her rush to the bathroom. As she pulls down her underwear, she sees it's stained with dark red blood, making her wail in distress. It seems Collins may have had a miscarriage, confirming the heartbreaking subject matter of episode 8. This massive cliffhanger puts her fate in the balance, as she's bound to become a patient in episode 8.
With more in-depth stories for many at the hospital, The Pitt episode 7 excels at delivering hard-hitting character moments mixed with important patient stories. The realities of what to expect at the trauma center are on full display here, while leaving off on a shocking cliffhanger teasing another important perspective. The episode perfectly emphasizes what makes the show stand out while giving a preview as to how things will ramp up as the day continues.
New episodes of The Pitt air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Max.
- Network
- Max
- Cast
- Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Amielynn Abellera, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Brandon Mendez Homer, Kristin Villanueva, Shawn Hatosy, Kim Bonifay, Alfonso Caballero, Joanna Going, Deepti Gupta, Michael Hyatt, Jackson Kelly, Krystel McNeil, Alexandra Metz, Riley Neldam, Drew Powell
- Showrunner
- R. Scott Gemmill
- Creator(s)
- R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells, Noah Wyle
- Robby continues cracking under pressure as more context to his trauma is revealed.
- Dr. Santos and Mel are standouts, the show focusing more on individual character stories.
- Dr. Collins' possible miscarriage leaves episode 7 on a tragic cliffhanger.
