If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a huge fan of this show. After 3-4 episodes, I was hooked and Warner Brothers was kind enough to let me see each episode a few days in advance. Never once did I think I’d ever be so invested in a medical drama, but more importantly, I never thought it would take over my life like this one has. By the time this show ends, it would have taken over 4 months of my life. I was initially hesitant due to its episodic count. To be fully transparent, is not the kind of television you see anymore. I am 12 episodes in and I am not ready to leave after the next 3 weeks.

Like all the other episodes, this one immediately throws you into what happens next. It is revealed in the final minute of last week’s episode that most of the people who thought they were about to end their shift that a shooting at a local music festival occurred, forcing everyone to be all hands on deck. To make it somewhat worse, Robby’s somewhat stepson was at the music festival.

This episode wastes no time showing the reality of the situation. Dr. Robby has had quite the day mentally, so he was ready to go home. Due to the news of the shooting, Robby is instantly snapped into high gear, which is surprising since he’s been working nonstop for nearly 12 hours. I believe he does this due to having a loved one at the festival, a sense of community he is involved with, and having a direct connection to who the shooter might have been. It’s hard to believe these are the same characters who have all experienced what they have within the same day.

In the earlier parts of the show, a mother makes herself sick to force her son into taking her to the hospital, hoping it would get the help he would need. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think the son could be the shooter. So much occurs in between we last see the son and when the news of the shooting is revealed. It’s not deliberately stated that he was the shooter in this episode, but it’s heavily eluded to. I genuinely hope that is the case to follow through on the themes and to give Robby even more development.

At 40 minutes, I believe this is the shortest episode of the series. At first, it sounded disappointing. To be fair, the shorter runtimes have been growing on me, because they manage jam pack so much into each episode. This episode immediately shows everyone prepping for all of the victims, which unfortunately meaning all the waiting patients have to leave. I can imagine it’s frustrating, but with countless victims about to be sent there, it is the best case scenario.

Once all the victims start showing up, employees start coming in early into their shift, establishing a sense of community. This leads to a surprise return that I predicted would happen, but it’s still surprising nonetheless. To be fair, if I was equipped with the knowledge and expertise to help others, I would also flee to the ER to help. Just when the staff gets one situation under control, they have to start analyzing who needs help next. It can be overwhelming, especially when others are already getting help. How do you analyze who needs more help over others when others are working on them? It’s daunting and traumatizing.

If you have been paying close attention since the start of the show, you’ll see a throughline where Robby is consistently harassed by his admin about pushing numbers. When news breaks of the situation, she immediately changes her stance, putting all her confidence into Robby. It’s very satisfying to witness that show Robby is always right, no matter how others might see him. Robby will admit when he is wrong, but when he is right, it’s best to listen to him.

The conclusion doesn’t have the same jaw-dropping reveal as the last episode, but there is a reveal that could lead to devasting results. It’s never revealed who the shooter is nor do we know what happened to Robby’s somewhat stepson. I have my suspicions on what’s to come, but there is a reveal that could lead to worse ramifications for everyone at the ER. If it does happen, not only could it be more traumatizing than the pandemic they flashback to, it could lead to damaging repercussions for these characters, especially for whatever happens in the second season. I have a funny feeling we are going to be so much more sympathetic than ever before.

Overall, episode 12 of The Pitt is another flawless, perfect episode that pushes all the characters to their limits. There are sudden surprises that make complete sense and revelations that can lead to everlasting damages for these characters. The short runtime might leave some wanting more, but I am still amazed at how the show puts so much detail into each episode.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)