Happy Disco

Inside the world of The Pitt, we only see these characters as their working selves. The audience will probably never get to spend meaningful time with anyone outside of the hospital, thus I would argue that the most important aspect of every fictional doctor, attending, nurse, support staff member on the show is how they work, because in da Pitt, work is setting, character, plot, metaphor, allegory, and more! It’s everything!

At PTMC, Langdon is hierarchical: he values rules, structure, a the time you put in is what you get out ethos. He seeks Robby out for his sign-off and opinion. He immediately connects with Mel, a PGY-2, because she is also someone who follows the rules, coming to him, a PGY-4, for a second set of eyes about the “sleepy boy Tyler” case in 1x02 instead of handling it on her own. Per his season 1, episode 9 monologue:

Dr. Santos… and I say doctor in such a fashion to draw attention to the ridiculous fact that you have enjoyed that title for, what, 90 days?(…)is it hubris or ignorance that makes you think that you know more than other residents that have two to three years more experience and have helped thousands more patients in the emergency department than you have? Not to mention the 500 hours of advanced training with lectures and simulation labs with senior faculty instruction. It doesn’t matter!

I have rewatched this scene a lot. I think, like any of the character monologues in The Pitt, it’s loaded with subtext and internalized character beliefs beyond the inciting cataclysm. Langdon’s emphasis on time— “90 days,” “two to three years more experience,” “500 hours of advanced training”—paints a picture of a Doctor who knows exactly what he’s tangibly invested into this job. That he’s done the reading, studied, worked and that should, inside the hierarchy-based, checks and balances system of PTMC, mean something.

In contrast, Santos is anarchist. She leads with her gut, doesn’t wait for a second opinion or sign off from a senior resident. Yes, she’s only been a doctor for 90 days, but she just goes for it, often to mixed results. The REBOA during PittFest works, whereas the BiPAP fails. High risk comes with high reward, but Santos, per Langdon’s assessment, plays it dangerously close to the edge in a way that gambles with patient care.

One of the most popular takes I’ve read regarding Santos and Langdon is “Langdon probably acted exactly like Santos his first day at PTMC” and to this theory's credit, I thought so too following season one. Thinking and unpacking it more, however, it doesn’t hold weight when you think about Langdon’s external stakes.

Using the season one takes place in 2025 and season two in 2026 framework—the last year of his medical school training and first year of residency would have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, where medical centers and emergency departments became strictly regulated. He also would have just become a father, with it heavily implied that his wife is a stay-at-home parent, thus making him the sole financial provider of his household. I struggle to see any scenario where he is coming in on his first day and bending the rules in a way that would jeopardize his education or money. He wouldn’t be going around, ordering tests, and metaphorically shooting from his hip. If anything, I think he would be closer to Mel (also a caregiver, financial provider, understands that the ED is an ecosystem, sensitive and how that is slowly eroded away the most time you spend down here) on his first day.

Which makes complete narrative sense how, in his mind, this is Santos’ first shift as an intern, why is she pulling moves only a grizzled attending physician who pushes Calcium Gluconate (1x01; 1x09) without waiting for patient test results would do…

Wait.

Hmm.

If you look at how the characters view and behave and internalize work as healthcare professionals, it’s not Santos and Langdon who share the most similarities.

It’s Santos and Dr. Robby.

Two emergency department cowboy gunslingers who listen to their guts and brush-off questions about them going to therapy (or talk to a trauma counselor) and use dark humor to make others think they are fine when they aren’t. Robby tries to find time to urinate in 1x03 but can’t is basically the same gag as Trinity attempting to chart in 2x05, not having the time to complete her 20 record backlog.

They both over-personalize cases, leading to rash, blow-up moments rooted in their dedication to patient care and their own hurt: Robby taking Flynn Edward’s father into the PittFest morgue in 1x15; Trinity’s monologue at the father she presumes is sexually abusing his daughter.

Even how they talk to their co-workers, pushing other doctors away who want to connect with them. Langdon seeks out Robby’s comradery in season one and is met with “you’re not my best friend, you’re my best resident.” Mel tries over and over to engage with Trinity in 2x04 and nothing works…the open books vs. the brick walls (shoutout to @miracle-and-wonder for the phrase!)

In season 1, neither Santos or Robby likes that the hierarchy of the emergency department means there’s someone above them calling the shots in any way, shown through Robby’s antagonism with administration (personified through Gloria) and Santos with Langdon. In season 2, while Langdon is still a very prominent sore spot for both of them, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi is a new shared source of frustration for Robby and Santos. For Al-Hashimi, it’s for the structure she provides in the detail oriented and administrative side of the job, which would certainly ruffle the feathers of ED Cowboys like themselves.

With Langdon, however, it’s a discomfort at the idea that people aren’t fixed beings. That change can and does happen if you put in the work outside of your work.

What does this mean for season 2 going forward?

It makes sense to me because both Robby and Trinity end the season on the lowest notes with Langdon (professionally and personally, getting the brunt of his harshest shots with talking to the animals in peds and bright spark.)

We see everyone else being supportive of Frank while Santos and Robby—who are on their own little island and are, as detailed, very similar—are becoming more and more isolated inside their work place in regards to Langdon.

The further you get away from the Santos and Robby emotional epicenter, the more warm the reception to Langdon’s return is. You have Whitaker, Santos’ roommate and Robby’s #1 Special Guy, fucking things up with Langdon, while Javadi is—albeit a little awkward but well meaning—happy to have him back. And further, in his failure, Whitaker immediately apologizes, showing the audience that he doesn’t sit in it like Santos and Robby do, which isolates their characters further, leading them down the road crashing and burning. And Dana, while being close to Robby, is meant to be the rational one who reminds the general audience when Robby isn’t making good decisions. If Dana is on Langdon’s side, and Dana is portrayed as being the level headed one, thus the general audience picks up that they should also be sympathetic to Langdon.

Robby describes Trinity in 2x02 to Dr. Al-Hashimi as very confident, not afraid to get her hands dirty. Strong patient advocate, fearless. This not only sounds like Santos to me, it’s describing Robby, and it’s easier to view your best parts in someone who works exactly like you do.