The Pitt Episode 6 Review: I'm Worried For Robby's Mental Health After Such A Heartbreaking Hour
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Pitt episode 6!After a harrowing end to episode 5, The Pitthas returned with yet another episode highlighting the stressors of working at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. After taking time to focus on med students and residents in episode 5, the latest installment offers more glimpses at Robby's mental health, as he's forced to confront some heartbreaking scenarios. However, that doesn't mean the younger characters fall to the wayside, with many of them maintaining their own struggles and achievements as they strive to be better doctors with each passing hour.
- 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
- Creator(s)
- R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells, Noah Wyle
- Seasons
- 1
Robby Confronts The Past As His Mental Fortitude Shakes
More Info About His Covid-19 Flashbacks Get Revealed
Robby gets a bigger spotlight than last time, as he confirms Nick, the college student in a coma from taking laced Xanax, is brain-dead. He's forced to inform the boy's parents of the difficult news and the emotional scene emphasizes the pain of losing their child. When a counselor arrives to inform them of next steps, her news that their son was an organ donor causes his mother to erupt. The emotional sequence emphasizes the realism of The Pitt, while also compounding Robby's state of mind with another difficult loss on his shoulders.
But the hardest moment comes from something simple: an Uber Eats delivery shows up with lunch for the doctors, with Robby arriving to see who it's from. After reading the name on the card, however, he leaves, his face taut with emotion. It turns out to be from the widow of Dr. Adamson, Robby's mentor who died during the Covid-19 pandemic. This offers more emotional context to the protagonist's flashbacks in prior episodes, showing how he's mentally still in the fray of that time. This day being the anniversary of Adamson's death makes his wife's gesture all the more meaningful.
His emotions are further aggravated by Gloria, who is trying to push him into making his ER part of a contract management group. This prompts him to become more testy during the hour, not wanting to change how the hospital operates despite low patient satisfaction scores and long wait times. While this particular storyline still feels like it's happening far in the background, given how long it's been since Gloria last appeared, the episode emphasizes its importance for the rest of Robby's shift. Whatever happens going forward might even decide the hospital's fate for him.
It's unclear if the day will continue to have long-term consequences for Robby as the afternoon progresses. Right now, his primary focus appears to be on getting Theresa someone to talk to about her son, David, and his fantasies about harming women. While the disturbed young man hasn't been seen since episode 2, The Pitt's worst decision still might have been letting him run away. Focus on him could be recentered now that his mother's getting him, and could emotionally collide with Robby's mental state if unforeseen consequences arise.
The Pitt's Students Face Various Setbacks & Accomplishments
Character Roles Get Flipped As Major Mistakes Are Made
While Robby engages with some difficult emotions, other characters in The Pittcontinue aiding different patients, with an especially important focus on the student doctors. Dr. Santos' story was the most interesting of the episode, as her overconfident and rude mask began to slip in the face of major mistakes. Discouraged by almost losing a patient in episode 5, she grows nervous when tasked with creating an incision for a patient whose lung is being surrounded by blood. Her hand slips, causing her scalpel to plunge into Dr. Garcia's foot.
Mel frets over what to tell Ginger, who has schizophrenia, after her daughter abandoned her at the hospital.
As Santos' confidence starts to crumble, Dennis is, surprisingly, starting to quickly prove his talent as a medical professional, despite his outwardly nervous demeanor. It's a perfect change of pace, emphasizing how his nerves might really make him a better doctor. In the meantime, Mel frets over what to tell Ginger, who has schizophrenia, after her daughter abandoned her at the hospital. While this storyline drags in a few scenes, it ultimately ends with Mel handling the situation with care. The revelation she has a disabled sister ties it together, making her work with Ginger feel more personal.
Dr. Collins also has an important storyline, helping a young man with testicular torsion, but also seemingly having a pain in her stomach due to her pregnancy.
Teetering between both success and struggle is Victoria, who accompanies some other students to a room with her mother, Eileen, who quizzes them on a patient's condition. It's here the senior attending reveals to some unaware students that Victoria is her daughter, information she was hoping to keep quiet so others didn't believe she was the subject of favoritism. But, with Dr. McKay still angry at her, she has a lot to prove about her abilities in the trauma center. It's a storyline that is still developing, though, with results that could be equally positive or negative.
Patient Storylines Feel Slightly Cyclical Despite The Realism
The Approach Is Appreciated, But It Makes The Episode Slow At Times
Image via Max
This episode's only flaw stemmed from some cyclical patient storylines, even though their careful handling makes sense. This includes The Pitt's sickle cell disease patient, who is still recovering alongside a patient who learns he has benign cysts from former brain parasites, "a worm graveyard in [his] brain forever." However, the biggest cyclical story came from Kristi, who starts and ends the episode trying to get an abortion as conflict between her mother and aunt ensues. While the story maintains importance, it also doesn't go anywhere new despite being the hook and cliffhanger of the episode.
Despite the circular nature of these particular stories, The Pittepisode 6 still keeps up the momentum with more emotional storytelling for Robby, alongside in-depth glimpses into the students and residents' mindsets. While this was the least eventful episode in quite some time, it still kept itself engaging thanks to the emotional and professional problems the doctors face. It offers a perfect building block for future installments to impress, especially as the day continues weighing on various characters.
New episodes of The Pitt air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Max.
- Robby's mental health gets a broader spotlight as problems at the hospital compound.
- The students and residents continue finding their footing, leading to new dynamics in their work.
- Characters are becoming more well-defined as their longer arcs take shape.
- Repetitive patient stories drag the episode down, despite their faithful realism.
