Medical Drama ‘The Pitt’ Delivers Its Most Shocking Moment So Far

(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

The Pitt isn’t a horror series, but since its debut last month, I have lost count of how many times I have covered my eyes or gasped out loud. There is even a jump scare of sorts at the end of the recent episode.

The way the shocking assault at the end of the ninth episode, “3:00 PM,” is filmed delivers a maximum surprise to charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) and the audience. Violence against healthcare workers is on the rise, and this jaw-dropping attack is indicative of that. It speaks volumes that medical professionals are hailing The Pitt for its realistic portrayal of working in an ER.

A single episode of the Max medical drama at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital equates to one hour of a 15-hour shift. More than halfway through the season, some people have been waiting hours—the duration of the series so far—to see a doctor and grow increasingly agitated as urgent cases take priority. Doug Driscoll (Drew Powell) is one of those patients, and every time he interacts with staff, he exhibits aggressive and racist rhetoric. The fact that Doug turns out to be violent is not a surprise, but I thought that nurse Mateo Diaz (Jalen Thomas Brooks) would be on the receiving end—based on their other interactions.

It would be cowardly either way, but Doug is the epitome of gutlessness when he approaches Dana while she smokes outside. “Hard at work?” he spits. When she turns, Doug sucker-punches her. All Dana can do is whimper on the floor with a visibly bleeding nose. Unfortunately, no one is around to stop this vile POS. Director Quyen Tran could have dialed up the horror with a stalker shot of Doug trailing Dana, but it is equally frightening, with Doug appearing with no fanfare.

Of course, it isn’t the first medical drama to feature patient-on-hospital-personnel crime, and ER has been there before. Undoubtedly, there are comparisons between the two Noah Wyle-starring shows (hello, this lawsuit), but The Pitt’s format and direction ensure those similarities are superfluous. We won’t know how this incident impacts Dana in the long term or even if Doug returns for treatment (he leaves against medical advice). But the series has already been renewed for Season 2, so they could revisit it down the line.

One of The Pitt’s strengths is juggling the emergency cases while organically revealing more about the large ensemble. Dana is the heart of the ER, and with 30 years of experience, she is the go-to person for doctors, med students, nurses, and patients. She has quickly become my favorite character, and I need bad things to befall Doug.

The episode written by Wyle (his second this season) gives a taste of Dana’s peace-keeping skills in breaking up a fight between two women by being “inspiring, also terrifying, and a little bit shaming.” Or what Dr. “Robby” Robinavich (Wyle) refers to as the “holy trinity of crowd control.” Dana is also one of a few people who can call Robby out on his bulls---. LaNasa is brilliant at showing Dana’s empathy and teasing—often within the same breath.

There is an almost superhuman aura around Dana, and her experience means she has pretty much seen it all before. Last week, med student Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell) said Dana deserves a medal and she’d settle for a raise—Dana deserves both. The Pitt is keen to show that while medical professionals are heroes, not everyone thinks this way.

Later, when Doug Driscoll’s temper flares up about how long he has been waiting to get his test results back, Dana respectfully gives him an ultimatum to calm down. Otherwise, security and the police will step in. Doug says he will leave, and from behind the bulletproof reception glass, Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) ensures that Doug knows he is doing so against medical advice. “We are not back here playing Go Fish,” Langdon adds.

When Dana finally gets a moment to go outside to have a smoke break, Doug takes this as a personal slap in the face. His violent reaction is one of the most shocking and gasp-worthy (if not the most) incidents on a show that has included a “degloved” foot, rats in the ER, and so many procedures that will haunt my dreams. The Pitt proves that reality can be far more terrifying than made-up monsters.