Episode 8 of one of the best shows airing right now, “The Pitt” returns with a gut-wrenching, thematic episode, and it may just be the best one yet. It actually might just be one of the best episodes of television… ever. Everything comes to a head with storylines closing out that were established in the very beginning with new ones that tie into one overarching theme: Death.

Picking up right after the last episode, Dr. Collins may have had a miscarriage, which was tough within itself. How would she be able to keep going with this news? She immediately gets an ultrasound of herself. Nothing is ever resolved with this storyline. To be fair, so much more happens than I could have ever imagined. What’s interesting about this is how her possible miscarriage sets off a chain of events surrounding mainly death. I didn’t see it then, but I should have saw that twist at the end of the last episode as an omen of what’s to come.

One of the plotlines that manages to have somewhat of a conclusion is one that was started in the very beginning with the drug overdone son who went into a coma. The parents are coming to terms with it all. Even though Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) has blunt honesty, it ends up giving those around him the drive they need. It’s not what he wants to do, but you can see where he wants the world to be a better place through it. By the end of it, I was on the verge of tears. That was one of the few moments in THIS episode that had me almost cry.

I honestly don’t want to get too much into what else almost made me cry. Not that I don’t want to talk about it, but I want to save it for viewers. This one involved a brand new plot. As soon as I saw it, this was the first moment where I said “you can’t do this to me” to myself… and they did. Better have the Kleenex ready. I honestly don’t even know Whitaker is going to keep going. It’s an emotional roller coaster of an episode.

Outside of these emotionally charged plots, there are some good moments where people are happy… and there’s a few that had me shook. It was nice to see Dr. Robby spark up when he found out one of his patients had a close connection with his mentor who died several years before during the pandemic. Dr. Robby is still carrying the loss on his shoulders. Now that he is in the same position as his mentor, he’s trying to find guidance on how he can be just as effective as his mentor. When you see Dr. Robby smile from ear to ear through this, you just want to smile with him. Oh, and there’s some closure for the daughter who didn’t come back for the mom!

As for the other moments that left me shook… It gets really dark. It’s not totally clear, but it’s made to assume that a girl is possibly being sex trafficked. Full credit to Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans and Fiona Dourif as Dr. McKay. What they do here to try to protect this girl is unreal. They are not only good at their jobs, but their performances felt so genuine. There’s a small plotline involving Dr. Santos revealing something, but getting immediately shut down that makes me believe a doctor’s bad habits are being covered up.

Overall, this is not only the best episode of the show yet. It’s one of the best episodes of television. To have an 8th episode of a brand new series bring you to the verge of tears shows you how realistic the show can be. It can also show why viewers like myself are connecting with this story and its characters so much. I know I said somewhere before that this show makes me feel like I could have been a doctor before, because I like to stay busy and help others. After this episode, I don’t think I could ever take the emotional responsibility. I am so grateful for those who work in this field.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)