#s2e6

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I haven’t seen anyone talk about the parallel between Louie and Langdon being two men fighting with substance abuse, and Robby’s reaction to it. Yes, there are a lot of social factors that separate the two of them, but there’s still a comment there, I think.

This newest episode (s2e6) forced me to think really hard about how this show calls out its viewers in a subtle, stabbing way when it comes to our kindness towards Frank Langdon. As much as I hate other characters’ death being tools for proving a point (though Louie was so much more than that too!), I was happy to see Robby faced with the reality that he’s treating addictions differently.

He/we romanticize certain addictions and moralize others. Alcoholism is seen as a sad, lonely man and reads as tragedy but prescription drug dependence in a doctor reads as weakness, irresponsibility, and most importantly, as a choice. Addiction is never a choice. No one wakes up one day, thinking that they want to start their journey towards being an addict.

It’s important to remember that everything we know about the ER staff is based on guessing, analyzing and projecting. That means that it’s no coincidence from the writers’ standpoint that we’re told that Langdon has had complete radio silence from his colleagues during the ten months of rehab.

We’re getting exposed to our own and Robby’s hierarchy of empathy. Of course, Robby knows that Louie never got sober because he had no support system, so what does it say that he and his colleagues have quietly denied Langdon one?

I hope that debrief makes it sink in for Robby. Louie’s death might just have saved Langdon from slipping right back. It might just have planted the seed that later makes Robby realize that coping with pressure, emotional burnout, and stress is not isolating yourself and others.