The Pitt Recap: An Old-School Crisis

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Let me tell you, things are intense at the hospital right now. It’s not a single critical patient causing the chaos, though that poor soul with the ‘margarita burn’ looks seriously miserable – I’d be devastated if I couldn’t enjoy a sunny margarita ever again! No, the real problem is the complete disarray in the ER. We had to shut down all our computers to ward off a cyberattack, and now we’re scrambling to adapt to a totally new system. Our team is amazing, but asking them to learn all these new protocols while dealing with a never-ending stream of patients is a huge ask. Everything’s slowed to a crawl – new paperwork, new filing systems… and honestly, the handwriting on these forms? It’s a disaster. I’m not even sure Ogilvie can decipher some of it!

Okay, so things are immediately chaotic. Robby and Abbot are scrambling to get everyone up to speed on new procedures – and honestly, they even had to explain what a fax machine is! I was already feeling Robby’s frustration because Dr. Al-Hashimi didn’t give him a heads-up about the coming craziness – his response when she suggested he should be giving instructions was pretty sharp. Then, he gets pulled away to deal with a critical patient! Dana’s stuck waiting for Ilana, but thankfully, Joy saves the day by revealing she has a photographic memory and remembered everything on the patient board. Honestly, you can see Ogilvie is fuming that Joy is so valuable, and I’m secretly loving it. The whole hour is just a mess of mistakes and misplaced orders – it really lives up to the phrase ‘baptism by fire,’ you know? It’s painful to watch, but so compelling!

Robby takes charge when Howard Knox arrives with stomach pain and a fever. Almost immediately, Ogilvie starts making insensitive comments about Howard’s weight, though the rest of the team – Robby, McKay, Whitaker, and often Al-Hashimi and Abbot – are much more considerate. Howard’s weight does create some immediate difficulties. He needs a CT scan to diagnose the problem (possibly appendicitis), but he can’t lie flat due to breathing problems. He also doesn’t know his exact weight, estimating over 400 pounds, and the CT scanner has a 450-pound limit. When Ogilvie suggests taking him to the zoo, the team reacts with visible dismay. Fortunately, another hospital has a scanner that can handle up to 650 pounds. So, they need to weigh Howard and insert a breathing tube while he’s awake before he can have the CT scan. Everyone is hoping they can treat whatever’s wrong with Howard using medication rather than surgery, which would present further complications.

While preparing Howard for examination and learning about his health, Ogilvie couldn’t resist making comments about his weight, assuming he must be using medication or should exercise more. Eventually, Howard explained it had taken him twenty-five years to reach his current weight due to a car accident that required ten years of painful surgeries and ultimately cost him his job. It was painful to watch him feel the need to explain and apologize for his condition. Thankfully, Robby consistently reassured Howard that he wasn’t causing trouble and that the team was there to help him – that’s what they do. It was meaningful that McKay, who was previously called out by Collins for her own weight biases, was the one to tell Ogilvie to stop. Ogilvie claimed he was just trying to help, but McKay gently reminded him that they best help Howard by diagnosing his condition and treating him with dignity and respect. This moment showed a positive learning environment is thriving at PTMC.

When a patient has a difficult airway, the team turns to Robby and Abbot for help – they’re experts at inserting breathing tubes. Watching them perform an awake intubation through the nose is incredible, and if anyone could make that process comfortable, it’s these two. Their patient, Howard, handled the procedure remarkably well. However, he weighs over 450 pounds, so he needs to go to Presbyterian Hospital for a CT scan. Abbot is accompanying him, as he’s currently intubated. They should be back in about an hour, and we’ll certainly miss our wonderful army doctor while they’re gone!

Another notable case during the afternoon involved a woman who severely injured her tongue while on a pub crawl. The patient, Jackie, required extensive stitches – a complex procedure where one doctor held her tongue while another repaired a deep wound. What made this case particularly interesting wasn’t just the injury, but that it forced doctors Santos and Langdon to work in the same room together for the first time this season. Santos clearly made no effort to hide her dislike of Langdon, and he desperately tried to repair their strained relationship. He explained the procedure thoroughly, gave her space, and praised her work, but she remained cold and focused solely on treating the patient. When the possibility of rehab was mentioned, Santos shot a pointed look at Langdon, and another doctor, Joy, clearly noticed the tension. It’s going to take a lot of consistent effort before Santos will even consider accepting an apology from him.

Langdon has a few people on his side as he starts his first day back, including Dana, Al-Hashimi, and even McKay. McKay quietly checks in on him and reminds him that the first year of staying sober is the most difficult – she knows, having been sober for nine years herself, which surprises Langdon. She offers to be there if he ever needs to talk. Langdon made mistakes in the past, but he’s genuinely trying to make amends, and I’m hoping he succeeds. After all, isn’t the whole point of this place to help people heal?

Dana completes Ilana’s exam, which takes a while. Ilana is thankful for Emma’s support during her break, even though Emma accidentally dropped some blood samples. Emma seems to have a knack for connecting with patients, though. To finish the exam, Dana needs to collect swabs from Ilana’s vagina and mouth, and then offer information about STIs and pregnancy. Both Ilana and Dana are exhausted after the lengthy process. To Dana’s frustration, she discovers a completed rape kit from two weeks ago still hasn’t been picked up by the police – they’re supposed to collect them within 72 hours. She angrily calls to remind the Pittsburgh police that medical staff expect immediate treatment for officers, and they shouldn’t be kept waiting. This whole situation is incredibly upsetting, and finding the uncollected kit just adds to the frustration.

The drama continues as we learn who’s suing Dr. Mel King for malpractice: it’s the mother of Flynn Edwards, the boy who had measles at the end of last season. Flynn was seriously ill with measles-induced pneumonia and showed early signs of a rare immune response called ADEM. He needed a spinal tap to diagnose the problem, but his mother repeatedly refused, believing misinformation she found online. Eventually, his father authorized the procedure, and Dr. King and Ellis performed it. Now, the mother is suing, claiming the spinal tap caused Flynn’s mental decline.

A powerful scene unfolds after Ellis finishes his deposition, where he pulls Mel aside to explain the situation. Mel insists they shouldn’t discuss the case, but Ellis firmly tells her he’s going to explain how baseless it is. He points out that Flynn already had altered mental status when he arrived at the hospital, indicating the problem wasn’t caused by the spinal tap, but by brain injury due to lack of oxygen. Ellis emphasizes this isn’t a discussion, then walks away.

It’s frustrating to see such a weak case being pursued, but hopefully it will be dismissed. While Mel will still have to deal with the stress of giving her deposition, it seems unlikely she’ll face serious repercussions.

Honestly, any positive moment feels welcome right now, because Roxie’s story is becoming increasingly heartbreaking. When her parents, Lloyd and Cora, visit, Lloyd’s supportive “you got this, kiddo” to his daughter actually made me cry. The way they had to gently remove Roxie’s oldest son, using the excuse of getting ice cream, was so touching – it gave both Roxie and the children a little breathing room. When Lloyd asked if Roxie could even have ice cream, and Javadi sweetly replied that she could have anything she wanted, I was desperately wishing I had a pillow to cry into.

I’m consistently impressed with Javadi this season, especially between the ice cream scene and when she supports Jackson’s parents while they speak with another parent about their daughter’s schizophrenia diagnosis. It’s wonderful to see her grow into a skilled and caring doctor. Delivering difficult news, like the possibility of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and the challenges of getting a diagnosis, is incredibly tough, but she manages it with grace. Honestly, I love watching people who are good at their jobs!

Discharge Papers

A potential crisis with Harlow was resolved when Santos spent time with her and a translator, discovering she had a treatable muscle headache. They were able to avoid a needless CT scan.

We couldn’t find Digby, our patient who is experiencing homelessness, but Dana finally located him. He explained he’d been with his friend, Louie, the whole time, saying, “I had a lot on my mind, and he was someone I could talk to.”

The pediatric ward is in a tricky situation with Baby Jane Doe. She’s healthy enough that she doesn’t need a private room, but she has a cold, so they can’t put her in the general nursery. It’s a frustrating predicament.

I’ve been so impressed watching Mohan consider her options now that the New Jersey job feels less necessary. Dr. Al-Hashimi had a fantastic idea – she thinks Mohan would be amazing in geriatric medicine, and I completely agree! She’s just naturally so wonderful with older patients. I recently saw her with George, a patient she’s been helping with a blood clot, and it really highlighted what Dr. Al-Hashimi said – Mohan has a real gift.

Robby might have personal problems with Dr. Al, but she clearly cares for her patients. She explains things with kindness and understanding, even when discussing difficult diagnoses like Brooke’s sudden vision loss, and honestly presents both treatment options and potential risks.

Honestly, when Joy jokingly asked Abbot if he did his residency back in the 1900s, it really hit me how long ago that was. I just felt it, you know? It felt like a lifetime ago for both of them.

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2026-02-27 06:56