Down the Rabbot Hole

"you've got so many wonderful things to see," robby tells that baby, after watching a mother and her child come back from the precipice of death, literally blue and bleeding in one moment and then breathing, crying, alive the next, and being so shaken by the beauty and miracle of that experience he's literally breathless and nearly in tears as he walks out of the room afterward.

the rooftop is the setting in the pitt where people have these big emotional beats in which they reach out and attempt to find community. this is established in season one between jack and robby. in the beginning of episode one, we see jack facing the void and turning away from it to follow robby back to safety, robby does the with jack at the end. season two reaffirms this interpretation.

all of these women we saw on the roof were on the brink this whole season. samira was personally and professionally adrift. mel was facing her malpractice suit and sister’s independence. perlah was facing national xenophobic sentiments and the pressure of being a highly capable nurse. dana was reeling from her assault and crumbling under the pressure of her position. mckay was realizing the depths of her emotional detachment. victoria was dealing with her insecurities and lack of freedom. trinity had the situationship and the frank confrontation and the child abuse trigger and the loss of dennis’s company.

all of these women were facing a profound loneliness, a profound void, a profound lack of support. they were all alone in this all day, briefly brushing against each other in moments that chafed and soothed in equal measure.

and just like jack and robby have each other to pull them back from the edge, these women can find that with each other in the exact same spot.

the pitt uses setting very well. the peds room represents the loss and gains of family. the bathroom represents the humanity denied to healthcare works. and the roof represents the community these providers find within each other.

they all have moments where they’re correcting, snapping, or disagreeing with each other this season. samira judges cassie for talking about her lack of intimacy, victoria and trinity have a more sarcastic relationship, mel flat out said trinity has a personality disorder, dana has been short with just about everyone. but in this one moment, they band together. they process the day, feel awe and exhaustion and sadness and wonder all at the same time, all together. they build an imperfect community out of tragedies.

Robby, eyebrow raised: Excuse me?

Abbot: I think you are sweet and beautiful.

Robby, tensing up: Wait -

Abbot, moving toward him: You deserve to be cared for as much as you care for others.

Robby, nervously backing away: No. Jack, don’t -

Abbot, leaning forward to trap Robby against the wall: Your feelings and needs are valid and deserve to be heard.