The Pitt Season 1 Finale, “9:00 P.M.” Spoilers Ahead
“None of us are going to forget today, even if we really, really want to. So, go home; let yourselves cry. You’ll feel better. It’s just grief leaving the body.”
No matter how much progress we make in accepting and understanding that our feelings demand to be felt, human beings are too complex to thoroughly grasp the importance of grief. Grief is also too complex to understand fully, and we spend so much time trying to work around it because it’s an enormous part of our daily lives. Still, someone always has to remind us to feel, whether it’s in the real world or through a fictional character.
It’s strange that many of us are now in our second or third (or fourth or fifth) rewatch of The Pitt, finding comfort in a show that’s relatively dark and colossally heavy. But so much of the reason we’re able to find comfort under the fluorescent lights and amid the chaos is because it’s easy to find ourselves connected to the characters. It’s easy to find a modicum of hope in the medical system and how the series exhibits caring for patients and for each other.
In a time where so much of what’s happening in the real world feels even drearier, an episode like The Pitt’s Season 1 finale does a brilliant job of reminding us to look inward. It carefully explores themes like forgiveness, sensitivity, hope, and grief while promising to fight another day. There’s something tremendously moving happening in every frame of the finale—whether it’s Santos opening her home to Whittaker or Robby and Langdon’s final confrontation in the ambulance bay, we’re getting sincere depictions of pain and loneliness.
Robby’s last debrief in the finale also reminds viewers of how strength and vulnerability are closer synonymous than weakness and vulnerability. By allowing Samira Mohan to visibly break down after her adrenaline crash, the series reminds its viewers that feeling our feelings is never a bad thing. By allowing a leader like Dr. Robby to openly show his pain, the series reminds viewers that even leaders fall. In fact, processing days like today are imperative to keep going. If these characters don’t allow themselves the chance to grieve, pain will gnaw on them from the inside. It’ll take and take until they’re shells of themselves, fighting through everything alone in a space where human connections are more imperative than ever.
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In many ways, this debrief reminds me a lot of the locker room scene in Ted Lasso’s “The Hope That Kills You.” There, Ted asks the team to understand that they aren’t sad and alone, and here in The Pitt’s Season 1 finale, we get a similarly comforting message. Viewers are given a reminder of the fact that though these characters should’ve never experienced what they have, they’re going through this pain together. Whether they go home and watch Elf with their sister like Mel, find themselves checking into rehab like Langdon, or out by the bench drinking like some of the doctors do, it’s crucial that they understand it’s okay to cope however they need to. It’s crucial to feel.
In addition to the message that’s boldly present, the moment also gives Noah Wyle another significant beat to show off his acting chops. It’s no secret that countless viewers began watching the show because of Wyle, but it’s exemplary that he continuously delivers moments that make many of us utterly speechless. Dr. Robby is the type of character who feels a little too real at times, and when watching TV, that can often feel overwhelming. When he’s hurting, we’re hurting. When he’s smiling, we’re smiling. When he’s angry, we’re angry. There aren’t many people who can lead a team as effectively as he does, which makes him the beating heart of The Pitt.
Between R. Scott Gemmill’s screenplay and John Wells’ directing, the scene is full of heart as the camera carefully pans throughout the room to show us how the doctors are feeling. Whether it’s the exhaustion clouding the doctors, nurse Jesse teary-eyed in the background, Dana’s entire heart on her expression, or Whitaker’s battered countenance, the scene carefully underscores the importance of feeling. Each of them standing in that room is going through something outside of their jobs, and yet a day like today also demands their attention. They can’t forget it. There’s no way that’s ever happening, so for the episode to emphasize how it’s important that they feel it speaks to so many different emotions as well.
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Further, so much of The Pitt’s Season 1 finale sets up what’s ahead with the show. This series clearly isn’t one that’ll shy away from challenging confrontations or profoundly human interactions. It isn’t one that’ll feed into toxic masculinity, but it’ll instead do everything in its power to ensure that vulnerability is a strength. It’ll present these crucial conversations through thoughtfully heartfelt performances that allow the moment to stand out as a comforting reminder that people are always going through something, even when they’re putting up a brave front. Empathy is the heart of this show, and this is yet another beat that exhibits it perfectly.
What are your thoughts on Robby’s last debrief in The Pitt’s Season 1 finale? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Max