Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Pitt Episode 10.Freshman medical dramaThe Pitthas quickly established itself as not-just-another procedural. Through its real-time structure, every episode covers an hour of one of the most chaotic days for the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital (a.k.a. the Pitt). Up to now, we’ve seen parents facing their brain-dead son’s fate, a medical studentcovered by a parade of fluids, and a nurse being assaulted by a disgruntled patient, to name a few. But another delicate situation has been slowly brewing since the show’s beginning.
In the span of ten episodes (and hours), senior resident Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) and intern Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) have come head-to-head over differing views of how to handle cases. Both doctors have exceptional abilities. Langdon is currently Dr. Robby’s (Noah Wyle) right hand, while newcomer Santos has been nailing most of her diagnoses and treatments. With Santos getting more and more suspicious overirregularities on patients’ medications, the situation escalates and it all boils over in Episode 10. But what exactly happened? And, what will the consequences be for both doctors?
‘The Pitt’ Threw the Audience a Curveball With Dr. Santos
Since her introduction, Briones’ Trinity Santos has demonstrated to be on the lookout for herself only. She’s constantly putting down others to elevate herself. Her personality is based on competitiveness and overconfidence,not unlikeGrey’s Anatomy’s Alex Karev(Justin Chambers). She’s already succeeded in starting off on the wrong foot with her peers and gotten in trouble with every one of her superiors, making her difficult to root for.
Halfway through the current batch of episodes,the layers of Dr. Santos have been fleshed out, creating a somewhat empathetic character. There was the humbling moment when she dropped a scalpel on Dr. Garcia’s foot (Alexandra Metz), which managed to break her arrogance. Also, after learning a patient is there due to his wife drugging him to stop their daughter’s abuse,she threatens him to stop. And while this move is unethical to her profession, it’s totally relatable – not to say justified. However, this week revealed a new aspect of her redemption when she started investigating disappearing medications.
Santos starts to fixate on the fact that medicines have been mishandled at the Pitt. Afterinvestigating procedures with Dana(Katherine LaNasa) and expressing her concerns to Dr. Garcia, nothing happens. Most of the cards were stacked against Santos because, due toBriones’ well-crafted portrayal as a cocky and arrogant intern, the idea of her constructing an elaborate lie to get ahead wasn’t so far-fetched. The twist in Episode 10 is that she was right all along.
Forget Dr. Robby — This Character Is the Real MVP of ‘The Pitt’
The ER would fall apart without her.
Dr. Langdon Has Been Stealing Medications All This Time in ‘The Pitt’
In their interactions, Dr. Santos and Dr. Langdon haven’t seen eye-to-eye, andnot in an antagonistically-romantic way. They’re the worst match because their egos are just too big – making it impossible for them to work together in a healthy way. They’ve faced severe disagreements about Santos’ handling of their patients. This made it seem Santos was playing the long game with her accusation, thus increasing the suspicion of it being a calculated move. On the other hand, the implications of her allegations would ruin either one of their careers, whether they turned out to be false, or if Langdon were to be found guilty.
Dr. Langdon, on his side, acts effectively as Dr. Robby’s second-in-command, being a confident leader who has earned his position – while also the hospital’s heartthrob. The shift has put Langdon through several tests, finding difficulty in trying to give humanized care to patients. At one point, a disagreement with Santos proves him wrong. At the same time, Dr. King (Taylor Dearden), a second-year resident whohas experience bonding with autistic patients, shows him that – no matter his seniority – he’ll never stop learning. However,this all comes crumbling down at the end of this week’s episode.
With Dr. Santos finally turning to Dr. Robby, the latter is forced to take a stand on the issue. Robby demands a fearful Langdon to open his locker, and the missing medications are finally found. During the whole confrontation, Langdon tries to justify their use due to an injury, but an enraged Robby sends him packing and the episode ends. For now, it seems Santos was right, and Langdon might be out for good, but the fallout of this explosion still remains to be seen.
The Pittis available to stream on Max in the U.S. New episodes drop every Thursday.
