While the team receives an inmate transfer, Ogilvie gets his first exposure to several workplace hazards, and Robby attempts to prevent a patient from going septic. As the crew reels from a loss, McKay and Javadi tend to a cancer patient, Langdon witnesses the aftermath of a hot dog eating contest, and Santos falls victim to the pitfalls of AI.
"11:00 A.M." was written by Simran Baidwan and directed by Damian Marcano
Debbie and Louie were two of the first patients Langdon treated during this shift. Something was potentially missed with both. Robby is told to talk to Langdon if a mistake was actually made. Langdon believes he did everything right when he treated Debbie at 7:00 A.M. She came back as instructed. She's terrified because she might lose her job. Robby has a heroic moment in chastising her boss. His actions indicate an increasing amount of stress. Debbie is conscious long enough to know the doctors are worried. Robby's anger stems from Langdon. He still feels betrayed by his star student. He has no room to teach or even talk. Al-Hashimi took Langdon off triage. Robby doesn't overrule that decision. He could if he refused to respect her authority as his co-attending during this shift. They keep each other updated. Robby hardly practices what he preaches. He monitors her cases as if she was a resident. When she expects the same courtesy, Robby remains guarded about his own well-being. He isn't handling Langdon's return well. He wanted to be gone. Instead, both took this shift. The hour ends with them desperately trying to save Louie's life. They have no greater clarity about what caused him to suddenly flatline. They don't have time to wait. It's notably how in sync they move. They don't have time for the tension between them either. That's significant. It signals healing is possible.
Debbie and Louie were two of the first patients Langdon treated during this shift. Something was potentially missed with both. Robby is told to talk to Langdon if a mistake was actually made. Langdon believes he did everything right when he treated Debbie at 7:00 A.M. She came back as instructed. She's terrified because she might lose her job. Robby has a heroic moment in chastising her boss. His actions indicate an increasing amount of stress. Debbie is conscious long enough to know the doctors are worried. Robby's anger stems from Langdon. He still feels betrayed by his star student. He has no room to teach or even talk. Al-Hashimi took Langdon off triage. Robby doesn't overrule that decision. He could if he refused to respect her authority as his co-attending during this shift. They keep each other updated. Robby hardly practices what he preaches. He monitors her cases as if she was a resident. When she expects the same courtesy, Robby remains guarded about his own well-being. He isn't handling Langdon's return well. He wanted to be gone. Instead, both took this shift. The hour ends with them desperately trying to save Louie's life. They have no greater clarity about what caused him to suddenly flatline. They don't have time to wait. It's notably how in sync they move. They don't have time for the tension between them either. That's significant. It signals healing is possible.
The Westbridge shutdown means the staff have to deal with situations they don't typically handle. That includes accepting a prison inmate who was assaulted. Their ability to do their jobs is hindered by an officer needing to keep him handcuffed to the bed. The doctors view that as unnecessary. Moreover, Gus' malnutrition makes it difficult to treat his wounds. He hasn't received enough care in his current environment. All of that now becomes a problem for Mel and Whitaker. Elsewhere, McKay and Javadi have to manage expectations while treating a patient on hospice care. She suffered a seizure and injured her foot. It doesn't require surgery. It will take six weeks to heal. That only makes the patient face her mortality. She may not have that much time left. She wants to die with dignity. The family hired Lena as their death doula. She helps them navigate through this and provide all the materials needed to remain at home. And yet, dignity is still lost because Roxie can no longer move to the bathroom on her own. It's all so completely devastating. McKay and Princess bear the brunt of it. That doesn't make the loss any easier.
Meanwhile, Oglivie takes over the mantle of medical student covered in bodily fluids. It's honestly an attempt to inject comedy into this environment. The show definitely has a playful side. It embarks on dark humor to help these characters cope with all they see every day. It's also important for the audience to laugh. Santos is exasperated by the constant interruptions when she's trying to chart. She only gets a few sentences out at a time. That makes her receptive to Al-Hashimi's AI pitch. That moment isn't allowed to linger on Santos and her struggling to keep up. Instead, it allows Robby to make his opinion known on the subject. He fears the system will be trying to make his job obsolete. Al-Hashimi doesn't have that intention. Similarly, Noelle thinks Robby's sabbatical is due to his constant need to shake up his life. Their relationship could be an example of that. She can't linger on that thought for too long. In fact, she's better served helping find creative ways to treat Orlando while keeping costs down. Even that victory leaves him thousands of dollars in debt. It doesn't have the immediate satisfaction that Oglivie's elderly patient experiences when her impacted bowel is relieved. That's amusing. It forces Oglivie to recognize the realities of this job. He hadn't thought about that during his time in medical school. Now, he's covered in poop and potentially exposed to tuberculous.
Grade: B+
"12:00 P.M." was written by Valerie Chu and directed by Noah Wyle
Within minutes of finding Louie without a pulse, the doctors declare him dead. He passed away from alcoholism. He never overcame his addiction. Pulmonary hemorrhage made all efforts at resuscitation futile. He was a frequent patient with over a 100 visits. The staff knew him. He was sociable whenever he stopped by. Everyone told him to stop drinking. They fondly remember a time when he got sober for a couple of months. He ultimately didn't change his behavior. He died without the staff knowing any personal details. Langdon was surprised to learn Louie had a wife. He wants to notify a loved one. That just isn't possible. The social team must handle that now. If no one comes forward, Louie will be cremated and buried with other unclaimed bodies. It's a sad and tragic ending. This was the outcome everyone knew was likely to happen. They are grateful he died while in the hospital. It further highlights the grueling realities of this job. Oglivie shows no respect whatsoever. He didn't have the connection the rest of the staff did. He's already eyeing his next case when he breaks the news to Whitaker. He wasn't sensitive whatsoever. Everyone needs a minute to collect themselves. The staff holds a moment to debrief and honor Louie's memory in the visitation room. Robby shares Louie's story. He was married. His wife was killed in a car accident a month before giving birth to their child. Louie never recovered. He continued living but could never get over that immense loss.
Within minutes of finding Louie without a pulse, the doctors declare him dead. He passed away from alcoholism. He never overcame his addiction. Pulmonary hemorrhage made all efforts at resuscitation futile. He was a frequent patient with over a 100 visits. The staff knew him. He was sociable whenever he stopped by. Everyone told him to stop drinking. They fondly remember a time when he got sober for a couple of months. He ultimately didn't change his behavior. He died without the staff knowing any personal details. Langdon was surprised to learn Louie had a wife. He wants to notify a loved one. That just isn't possible. The social team must handle that now. If no one comes forward, Louie will be cremated and buried with other unclaimed bodies. It's a sad and tragic ending. This was the outcome everyone knew was likely to happen. They are grateful he died while in the hospital. It further highlights the grueling realities of this job. Oglivie shows no respect whatsoever. He didn't have the connection the rest of the staff did. He's already eyeing his next case when he breaks the news to Whitaker. He wasn't sensitive whatsoever. Everyone needs a minute to collect themselves. The staff holds a moment to debrief and honor Louie's memory in the visitation room. Robby shares Louie's story. He was married. His wife was killed in a car accident a month before giving birth to their child. Louie never recovered. He continued living but could never get over that immense loss.
The staff provided so much compassion and dignity to Louie even in death. Emma learns how to clean a dead body. That allows Dana a break to be more vulnerable. Robby wasn't the only one traumatized by the pandemic. His story just so happened to be shared onscreen during the first season. Many of Dana's colleagues either quit or died. She's faced burnout herself. She wasn't sure she would ever come back after being assaulted. The police caught Driscoll the same day. Langdon didn't know that until now. He hasn't talked with anyone from work during his ten months away. He had to work on himself. Now, he's questioning his skills as a doctor. Louie died while Debbie requires an above-the-knee amputation. He abides by a 12-step program. Dana and Mel don't need him to apologize for his past behavior. Mohan is willing to give him a second chance. Al-Hashimi is glad to have him back. The big conversation needs to be had with Robby. He's the only one not handling Langdon's return well. Robby wanted to escape. No one understands his sabbatical. They are critical of him riding a motorcycle to work every day. A second motorcyclist comes into the Pitt. The injuries aren't critical. Robby finally has someone who understands the impulses behind his actions. But Brandon is another patient unlikely to listen to medical advice. He will get back on a motorcycle as soon as he leaves. That's who he is. That won't change either.
The staff need time to actually process what has happened to them. They are exposed to so much in this job. Dana chose not to press charges against Driscoll. She didn't think it was worth it. She left her job only for a couple of weeks. She couldn't stay away. She thinks Robby will be lucky to last a month outside of the hospital. He has his course set. He's ready to go. He can't avoid the hard truths about himself and his relationships with his colleagues. He's responsible for everything. When Santos makes a charting error, he's the one who hears the complaints from the surgeon. When Al-Hashimi wants to offer more care to Gus, Robby only sees the heavy flow of traumas coming in. He recognizes that Dana did something to help Gus qualify for a stay in the hospital. He doesn't know what. He doesn't have time to interrogate either. It could be recklessly toying with a patient's care. It could also be salvation. The staff try their best to help people when they need it. One wrong word is enough to send people spiraling. Javadi makes that error. So many things run the risk of getting lost in translation. Harlow can't get anyone with enough consistency to know what's going on within her body. Meanwhile, Roxie clearly doesn't want to go home. She doesn't want to be a burden to her husband. Death is too painful and demoralizing to express all these fears even with the medical professionals.
Grade: A-
