Wow, hate to tell you this, folks, but we are on week three of sipping the nightmare fuel that is The Pitt’s mass-casualty shooting story line. It remains haunting and emotionally impactful even as the chaos subsides. Admittedly, that moment when a teary Dana comforts Jake over the loss of his girlfriend absolutely did me in. I know in my heart a Dana the Charge Nurse hug would be healing! Alas, there is very little time on this show for healing or processing, since in a real Pitt move, just as the Pitt Fest trauma comes to a close an ambulance pulls up with yet another story line to horrify us: A possible measles outbreak thanks to anti-vaxxers! This shift will break us all! Hey, speaking of mental breakdowns, “8:00 P.M.” begins with Dr. Robby still in the fetal position, now reciting the Shema prayer over and over again in the pediatric room turned morgue. Everyone needs him and no one can find him. It’s Whitaker who comes across his attending first, and the med student turns out to be a great person to help Robby snap out of it. When I think of how close we came to Santos being the one who walked in that peds room first, I shudder. The man may have never recovered. And while Whitaker isn’t particularly comforting, comfort isn’t exactly what Robby needs in this moment — he needs to be reminded that he has a job to do. Whitaker sits with him at first but then stands up and reaches for his hand. He needs Robby to get up, they all do, otherwise they are “fucked” out there. He doesn’t force him to walk out of the room once he’s up, instead grabbing the blanket he came for and leaving with a quick but effective, “I’ll see you out there, captain.” One last reminder that they need Robby to lead them through this.
