‘The Pitt’ Season 2, Episode 3: What’s Worse Than Maggots?

Summary

The Prestige TV Podcast: ‘The Pitt’ Season 2, Episode 3 – “What’s Worse Than Maggots?”

Release Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Joanna Robinson & Rob Mahoney

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Episode Overview

Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney dissect the third episode of The Pit’s second season, titled “What’s Worse Than Maggots?” This breakdown dives into recurring themes, memorable patient storylines, and the character dynamics weaving through the high-pressure ER at “The Pit.” The conversation navigates medical realism, Pittsburgh lore, and the emotional tapestry that sets the show apart, bringing in listener emails and the hosts’ signature blend of humor and empathy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Listener Mailbag: Medicine, AI, and Show Theories

• July Effect Debate:

  • Listeners, especially medical professionals, debunked the idea that July is more dangerous in hospitals due to new residents.
  • Joanna acknowledges, “A podcast mail inbox is like primo finger-wagging territory” (03:37).

• Diagnosis Corner:

  • Hesitation about sharing diagnosis spoilers in the mailbag, especially with so many medically knowledgeable listeners chiming in.

• AI in Medicine:

  • Strong opinions against AI replacing human doctors despite some practical benefits.
  • Quote from listener Nate: “Who are we going to sue when it inevitably causes patient harm? …Ideally, we are firmly an anti-AI podcast.” (04:30)
  • Rob: “We’ve never argued there are zero practical applications…just that overstating them comes with dire consequences.” (05:16)

• Dr. J Theory:

  • Speculation among listeners that “Dr. J” is actually Joy, who seems more active online than as a physician this season.
  • “She’d be a good TikTok doctor. I gotta say.” – Rob (07:08)

• Casting Easter Eggs:

  • Noted “WAGs” (wives and girlfriends) of show execs/actors appearing as guest stars, dubbed by Joanna as “Nepo Bags.”

• Maggots & Food Rituals:

  • Extended listener stories about maggots deeply disturb both hosts.
  • Rob introduces “cascarones,” confetti eggs from his Texas upbringing, clarifying his opinion on the correct way to handle eggs.
  • Fun infectious term from the medical world: “Disco rice” for maggots (10:00).

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2. Episode Recap & Storyline Deep Dives

A. Standout Patient Cases

• Mark & Nancy (Car Accident Couple):

  • Their parallel experiences in the ER after a fight-induced accident are deeply moving.
  • Rob: “Two of the patient cases in this episode…just kind of fucking decked me.” (12:35)
  • Emotional moment: “What if the reason the person you love became unrecognizable…was just [a] literal mass in his brain?…That is just, like, fucking remarkable TV.” (13:52)

• Michael & Gretchen (Brain Tumor Storyline):

  • Grief and regret amid the discovery that a tumor changed Michael’s behavior.
  • Joanna: “Gretchen leaving anyway, because…life has moved on…that was really devastating.” (14:44)
  • Key Quote: “‘You didn’t have to come.’ – ‘But I did.’… Just incredible…an incredibly romantic gesture.” – Rob (15:19)

• General Structural Praise:

  • Despite minor writing “screws loose,” the hosts praise the episode’s interweaving of patient backgrounds, triage choreography, and the tightness of the ER tapestry.
  • Joanna: “The screws felt loose on the machine, and yet…the weave felt really tight on the tapestry.” (19:07)

B. Kylie and Her Dad: Social Services, Misdiagnoses, and Family Trauma

• Santos Misjudges:
  • Her gut leads her to the wrong conclusion about child abuse—a healthy sign of realism and humility for the character.
  • The scene’s emotional impact is heightened by the social worker’s involvement and Dana’s delicate interventions.
  • “Her gut was right last season about so many things. In this case, she's wrong …[it’s] a humbling in this moment for Santos.” (22:10)
  • Memorable send-off for Kylie's dad’s girlfriend: "She says, 'Happy Independence Day.' ...Let freedom ring." – Joanna (25:08)

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3. Pittsburgh Local Flavor and Listener Emails

• Fireworks & Mr. Zambelli:

  • Extended, detailed email from listener Kristin about Pittsburgh’s deep fireworks culture, the Zambelli family’s legacy, and the medical consequences.
  • “Pittsburghers will find any excuse to set off fireworks… The city puts on a huge fireworks display that rivals the ones in much larger cities.” – (Joanna reading from listener email, 48:44)
  • Rob: “I have never clocked a Joanna Robinson listener more than Kristin.” (50:37)
  • Discussion on Phantom Firework tents and the likelihood of seeing more burn cases tied to July 4th festivities.

• Cultural and Medical Details Add Realism:

  • The show’s references to local delis, trauma center networks, and history (e.g., the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting) aim to ground the hospital drama in a real Pittsburgh setting.

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4. Character Notes and Running Jokes

• Dr. Bangs (Cassie McKay):

  • Flirted with by patients Mr. Montrose (“Dr. Hazel Eyes,” 44:41) and Brian Hancock, leading to extended host jokes about her role as the ER’s romantic magnet.
  • Joanna: “Will Dr. McKay break her oath and go out with this hot guy? I think she should, honestly.” (59:44)

• Nurse Jesse – “The Wallpaper Character”

  • Background nurses like Jesse quietly anchor the realism; Rob dubs him “kind of a temperature check on the show.” (21:07)

• Langdon & Donnie – “Triage Bros”

  • Langdon’s awkward “pros from Dover” (MAS*H reference) moment feels anachronistic; hosts debate generational accuracy. (28:53–30:59)

• Favorite Nicknames and Callbacks:

  • Ongoing quest for the perfect Dr. Santos nickname (“Bright Spark” floated).
  • New slang learned: “Disco rice” for maggots; ongoing maggot trauma for Joanna.
  • Back-and-forth on appropriate ramekin aesthetics (kitchenware color coordination, 54:05–55:34).

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5. Recurring Themes and Emotional Core

• The Show’s Handling of Grief, Regret, and Trauma:

  • “What if…you fell out of love not because of anything you did but…there was a literal mass growing in [his] brain?” (13:52)
  • The mass casualty trauma of season one continues to cast a shadow—hypervigilance (esp. Dana), therapy, and PTSD elements are being seeded into character arcs.

• Balance Between Melodrama and Authenticity:

  • “I am willing to accept a certain element of ham-fistedness with the writing on this show…maybe it is the way it’s grounded.” – Rob (17:00)
  • Direct emotional writing sometimes feels “treacly” but often lands due to authentic performances and sharp observation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On AI and medical liability:
  • Nate (via Joanna): “Who are we going to sue when it inevitably causes patient harm?...Ideally, we are firmly an anti-AI podcast.” (04:30)
• On emotional resonance:
  • Rob: “Two of the patient cases in this episode…just kind of fucking decked me.” (12:35)
• On grief and regret in Michael & Gretchen's story:
  • Rob: “What if…the person you love became unrecognizable...because...there was a literal mass in his brain? ...Fucking remarkable TV.” (13:52)
  • “You didn’t have to come.” “But I did.” (15:19)
• On the blending of narratives:
  • Joanna: “The screws felt loose on the machine, and yet…the weave felt really tight on the tapestry.” (19:07)
• On Jesse the Nurse’s value:
  • Rob: “He gives us…the gut check response…a temperature check on the show…You could go very far watching The Pit just watching Jesse.” (21:07)
• On maggot slang:
  • Christine (via Rob): “Maggots…are known as disco rice.” (10:00)
• On Dr. Bangs’ popularity:
  • “I'm ready to swoop those side bangs, baby. Like, I am here for you. I am interest.” – Rob, joking about patient flirtation (47:24)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [01:56] – Listener Mailbag (July effect, AI, show theories)
• [12:33] – Powerful patient cases
• [19:07] – Weaving of cases/background characters
• [22:10] – Santos’ misdiagnosis of Kylie’s dad
• [28:53] – Langdon and Donnie “pros from Dover” debate
• [32:29] – Trauma, therapy, and character PTSD
• [48:44] – Extended Pittsburgh fireworks/local history discussion
• [53:04] – Hanson family and pill-pooling subplots
• [59:44] – Teasers for next episode and lingering storylines

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Final Thoughts and Next Week’s Hook

• Both hosts remain invested—even when the writing edges toward the melodramatic—because of the show’s grounded realism, depth of character, and well-executed emotional beats.
• The episode ends on a “code black” cliffhanger, promising even greater ER chaos ahead.
• “Will there be sex fireworks tonight?” – Rob, cheekily previewing Dr. Bangs’s potential romance (59:44)

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In Case You Missed…

• The Pit delivers not just high-stakes medical drama but also rich character work, sharp humor, and local flavor.
• Listener correspondence is integral to the hosts’ dynamic—email them at [e-mail] and dr.sidebangsmail.com.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Car shopping shouldn't feel like preparing for a marathon of paperwork. That's why Carvana makes buying and financing your car easy from start to finish. Search thousands of vehicles with great prices, all online, all on your time. And when you're ready, your new car shows up right at your door. It doesn't get better than that. Buy your car the easy way on delivery fees may apply. Hello. Welcome back to the Prestige TV podcast feed. I'm Joanna Robinson.

[C]

I'm Rob Mahoney.

[B]

We're here to talk to you about the Pit.

[C]

Da Pit.

[B]

Duh, Pitt. It's. It's 9:00am, is it not?

[C]

It's 9:00am Very flirty for 9:00am oh, yeah. I just think there's a lot of weird energy in the air in the Pit at this hour.

[B]

Like, it's very bizarre.

[C]

This just is not the time, certainly not the place. But people gotta. People gotta get this energy out where they can. I suppose.

[B]

It's true. All right, so we're gonna talk about the pit. Season 2 Episode 3 First, we're gonna do some mailbag stuff.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Where can people reach us? First and foremost, Joe always.

[C]

Prestigetvpotify.com Especially for Da Pit.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Dr. Sidebangsmail.com in honor of Cassie McKay herself, who is the subject of multiple men's affections.

[B]

It's true.

[C]

You know, I would say two varying degrees of sincerity. Oh, well, you know, it just strikes me that the Walmart greeter, he feels like more of a recreational flirt.

[B]

Mr. Montrose, you are dubious.

[C]

I'm not dubious. It's just like for guys like that, it's just kind of a way of life.

[B]

But then there's hot guy in the bed who's just been like, any chance to make a comment about how he's interested, he's ready to go.

[C]

Making it very well known.

[B]

Okay, well, you know, sometimes you have to put yourself out there. That's Dr. Side Bangs. D o c t o r not Dr. Dr. Sidebanks gmail dot com. We got a lot of emails.

[C]

We sure did.

[B]

From folks. A lot of folks wrote in, we talked last week about the July effect and a lot of people in the medical community were like, that's bullshit. They did not like that. We said that.

[C]

It was like we wrote a pop psychology book with like a loosely true premise that sounded right. And look, we're not medical professionals. We don't really know the research on this stuff. So I am thankful both to be introduced to the concept of the July effect and have it so quickly apparently debunked.

[B]

I'm curious if the show agrees that the July effect is overblown.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

You know what I mean? Because the fact that they are showing all these people starting in, in July, it might be something they're engaging with or not. We'll see. But certainly our listeners were not impressed with us invoking the July effect.

[C]

So some straight up disappointed, like some real, some real finger wagging responses, which, look, if that's your specialty, if this is your area, I get it. We're not, we're not trying to let you down, I promise.

[B]

I got to say, like a podcast mail inbox is like primo finger wagging territory.

[C]

True.

[B]

So, yeah, some concern also about the diagnosis spoilers for the medical community. So we get a lot of medical professionals writing in with their, like, hey, I think this is what's going on with Kylie or this is what's going on with Lou. I really value that input, but I also hear that people might think it's a spoiler. So I'm gonna put like diagnosis corner at the bottom of the episode. We don't have any this week, but if in future there are medical mysteries and our lovely listeners who are medical professionals wanna weigh in or people who have been Dr. Googling their way through life wanna weigh in. We, we will talk about it, but I'm just gonna, I'm gonna consider it like kind of a spoiler section, I guess. Spoiler spoiled by knowledge.

[C]

Yes. That feels fair to everybody.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. We also got a lot of emails from people inside of the medical community defending AI. How do we feel about that?

[C]

Rob, Next.

[B]

Many points were made. Okay. Nate was one of the defenders, but he also said, and I'm just gonna highlight this part from Nate's email quote, there's an AI system doing med refills in Utah. Now. Who are we going to sue when it inevitably causes patient Harm. I doubt the tech company will be held responsible. I think part of the social contract with the doctor patient relationship is that patients should, should they be harmed, have remedy against such harm. Ideally, we are firmly an anti AI podcast. I am willing to continue to read these emails, definitely from folks in the medical community who are talking about the time saved and charting and stuff like that. Makes total sense. Obviously, you guys understand your industry better than I do. Uh, it will be hard to sway me on this subject, but please keep writing it if you want to.

[C]

So, I mean, we've never argued that there are zero practical applications in medicine, just that overstating them comes with dire consequences, including, I don't know, Hypothetically, that generative AI is 98% accurate.

[B]

Mm, tough. Okay, Dr. J. Which came up last week.

[C]

Yeah, we kind of blew this one.

[B]

I think many people think it's Joy. You. You agree with their argument?

[C]

It checks out. I mean, just from the perspective of Joy having really so little to do this season so far for a charact in her position. Like contrast how much screen time and how many lines she's had with Ogilvy, for example. So something is coming for Joy. She's on her phone all the time. Many people have suggested that Dr. J is joy, and not only that, but that she's some kind of, like, TikTok Instagram influencer doctor. All of that adds up. And I think it's something that the show would be interested in tackling, too.

[B]

Do you think it matters that she's not a doctor?

[C]

Of course.

[B]

Guess it doesn't matter on TikTok. Maybe. Should we do that, Dr. Rob and Dr. Joe?

[C]

Well, we shouldn't mention we just recently launched an Instagram feed for this podcast.

[B]

Thank you so much for saying it. I meant to say it at the top. We have an Instagram. What do you want to say about it?

[C]

That we will be giving real medical diagnoses to anyone who messages us.

[B]

And that's the problems from me to you, Kai. We're getting sued. Don't worry about it. So we are on both Instagram and TikTok prestige TV pod.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

So please follow us on all those. Make sure Kai Grady, our fave, our pal, look great at his job, which he is great at. His job unquestionably make us look like real podcasters. So give it a follow. TikTok medical advice from us could be coming soon, but you'll have to subscribe to find out.

[C]

I think it'll be invaluable to everyone involved.

[B]

I think so, too. Joy I just want to shout out one of her line readings in this episode when they're talking about the potassium and she goes, that's crazy low. I thought that was really funny.

[C]

She'd be a good TikTok doctor. I gotta say.

[B]

That's true.

[C]

Everything about her affect may not play well in an ER in the moment when she's being quizzed on what is best for a patient. I think it would play well over social media, though.

[B]

I love this theory. All right. Our listener Tina wrote in just a quick, fun note, the woman in season two, episode one with a tiny purse dog and the giant Ziploc bags of her husband's medicines was played by Sean Hades. His wife Kelly Albanese or Albanese. So that's really exciting. And then the woman with the superglue eyelashes who said, Dr. J, that's Patrick Ball's partner, Alicia Rohrabeck. So we're getting. We're getting the. The Wags on the pit. Where are the husbands? Where are the boyfriends? I would like to see them.

[C]

Many people are wondering, but this is the market inefficiency in TV right now. You know, nobody wants this. Did this to similar effect. Like, hey, Leighton Meester, come on down.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

Like, let's just get, as you said, the Wags involved.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But it does kind of signal to me that, you know, I was very interested in seeing those characters return with their giant Ziploc bags full of medicine. Maybe the reason they got so much screen time is just because they're affiliated.

[B]

Unfortunately, calling them Nepo bags.

[C]

I didn't say that.

[B]

Okay, well, I did. All right. I'm not. I think it was really sweet that they were on. Okay. Cecilia wrote a really interesting, long email about Nurse Hastings and Dr. Robbie and the idea of sad boy syndrome. And basically, I can fix him. Yeah. Anything you want to weigh in on this, Rob, honey, what would you have.

[C]

Me weigh in on? Joe, like, you can only call yourself out so much sad boy energy.

[B]

I have no idea. All right, maggots and draining eggs. We talked about this for a long time. Folks seem to be confused by your assertion, Rob, that it's weird to keep the egg in the shell.

[C]

How would it not be weird to keep the egg in the shell as you put it out in your yard?

[B]

Most people think it's weirder to drain the egg out of the shell.

[C]

Look, I don't know what to tell you. Some of us, in this particular way, are more evolved than others. And this is the rare area where I would say those of us who grew up in Texas seem to have figured it out. And I say that mostly because of the association with the Mexican Texan community, which I think is where this stems from.

[B]

Right. So several people wrote in asking about cascarones. Is that like something you have experience with?

[C]

This is exactly it.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And so either you drain them yourselves or you buy them from a Mexican supermarket. And you either, you know, you can either decorate the eggs in traditional fashion or in my extended family, it was like an all out war in the yard in which these eggs are filled with confetti and you're smashing them all over each other.

[B]

Great. Okay, this, this explains everything. We did not involve confetti with our Easter eggs. We just.

[C]

You should. What about violence? Was there violence?

[B]

Well, maggots were involved. Also, our listener Lisa wrote in with the worst maggot story I've ever heard in my entire life and it changed me forever. Lisa, you know what you did, so I'm not going to share it. It's the worst thing I've ever read.

[C]

You know what we did and the listeners did infest our inbox with just some genuinely horrifying visuals. I did enjoy reading them on a certain level. But did you enjoy like a commiseration?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Over your pain, over your trauma.

[B]

I still have strong maggot reactions. Lisa's story has scarred me forever.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And I won't share what it was. Lisa, also, maybe this will help you understand where Lisa's coming from. Lisa also shared this anecdote. We see a lot of extended erections and other sexual escapades in the er. I have now witnessed three instances where men have gotten stuck inside women. And these poor souls have had to call 911 come in on a stretcher, stuck at the genitals. Unfortunately, two out of three were married, but the person they were stuck with was not their spouse.

[C]

I have questions. Yeah, I don't know that they will be answered.

[B]

Lisa might have answers.

[C]

She might.

[B]

Someone else might too. Prestige tvotify.com Dr.sidebangsmail.com okay, one last maggot note, Joe.

[C]

We did get an email from Christine who said that maggots in some like professionalized communities are known as disco rice.

[B]

What?

[C]

I think it's pretty self explanatory, what that means. I was just delighted by it.

[B]

That's really tough for me to hear.

[C]

Sorry.

[B]

Our listener, Sarah, this is for you. My friend wrote in asking if we had a nickname for Dr. Santos. She dishes them out. Yeah. She doesn't take them.

[C]

It's a great point.

[B]

I was reminded that Langdon last season, in a bitchy way, called her Bright Spark. He did. But I actually really like that as a, like, Bright Spark instead, less bitchily, is kind of like, what's wrong with Bright Spark?

[C]

It's not bad. And also, like, not. Not a little bitchly. You know, if you're going to be the person who makes up the nicknames.

[B]

You do have to take it Huckleberry.

[C]

It has to come and go. And I do think Santos, to her credit, is getting a little better about finding her place within this staff and not just, like, bagging on people all the time. Yeah, I've really enjoyed her presence this season.

[B]

I agree. If you have a great nickname for Dr. Santos, that is prestige [e-mail] or Dr. Sidebagsmail.com Big picture question for you, Rob Mahoney. It's 9am Noah Wiley wrote this episode. Ever heard of him?

[C]

Vaguely familiar.

[B]

UDA Bressevitz directed this episode. She's directing four episodes this season. She's a co exec producer, so that's almost like my math is bad. Nearly a third of the season. Right. We just talked about her recently because she directed the Attila episode of Severance. She did. And she also, when we talked about that, I mentioned she directed my favorite episode of Westworld, Kick Suea. So I will always bring up Kick Suya when we talk about this particular director. But, like, okay, Noah Wylie wrote it. UDA directed it. Did you like it?

[C]

I really did.

[B]

Okay, tell me why.

[C]

This show can do a lot of different things. There are a lot of balls in the air. There are many characters, so many storylines, so many cases. And I just found, like, two of the patient cases in this episode in specific, just kind of fucking decked me.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And with very limited screen time, I would say, like, first and foremost, like Mark and Nancy, who were in the car accident together and suffering their consequences each over the course of this episode as they are struggling to express to each other in simultaneous moments of consciousness how regretful they are about the fight they were in, like, precipitating the accident. Very tough, very invested in their story. And then Michael and Gretchen, AKA the guy with the brain tumor, who, two episodes ago, we were, like, scared of this guy because of how aggressive he was being towards Dr. Bangs. I can't even tell you how important these two characters and their weird shades of regret over a relationship that may have disintegrated for reasons beyond any of their control.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And the way and how, like, how elegantly that is played and Profoundly between these two actors in this episode in, like, three, maybe minutes of screen time.

[B]

I told you that I was gonna ask you, like, if there was a moment that got to you, like, the most emotionally, would you say that it's Gretchen and. And her ex?

[C]

I think it's them for sure.

[B]

That's mine, too.

[C]

For me, it's. It's this very specific idea that I think is conveyed here so well, which is what if the reason that the person you love became unrecognizable to you was not because you fell out of love or drifted apart or even something you did or didn't do for each other, but just, like, there was a literal mass growing in this man's brain, and it changed the chemistry and the physiology of who he is. And reckoning with all of the layers of grief and regret that come with that in this amount of time in this space, I think is just, like, fucking remarkable tv.

[B]

It was devastating to me, Gretchen asking these questions of Dr. McKay. Right. Like, could have this have been the reason Dr. McKay responsibly saying, perhaps. Right. Perhaps Gretchen leaving anyway, because it's not like they're tearfully reunited. Everything's going to be fine. Like, Gretchen's married to someone else. She's going to be married to.

[C]

Her life has moved on.

[B]

But she has to deal with this idea that, you know, she's like, keep me as the emergency contact, but not like, I'm gonna stick around the hospital and help him through this, you know? And that was, like. That was really devastating to me. And then his performance also, and we sort of clocked us in the first episode because this was an actor I recognized, so I was sort of, like, waiting for them to do something kind of special with him. But his delivery of, like, you know, I heard you got married. Like, I. I hope he treats you well. You deserve that. Yeah, really got me. Really, really got me.

[C]

What really needled me, Joe, was that you didn't have to come, but I did. Like, that's just incredible. An incredibly romantic gesture.

[B]

Is that the industry, you called it. You came.

[C]

You know what? Slightly more warmth here, but again, like, to. To the credit of the performances, like, to go from being so intimidating and erratic in a waiting room to being here and, like, the warmth that you're getting out of these characters and the shared history, that's, like. It's so obvious. Like, I feel like this is one of those scenes where even if you took all the dialogue out, if you showed someone this on mute, like, they would have a sense of who these characters are to each other. And that's a really powerful thing.

[B]

I was less high on the episode overall. Like the Gretchen stuff really got me and there are a couple storylines that really, really got me. But I would say there was a sense of like trying to hit a theme kind of hard in this episode where like a lot of the cases felt relate more related than they usually do. And then there was, I would say particularly, you know, I said last week, the Langdon stuff I'm really susceptible to. But when he's like quoting lengthy passages from a John o' Donoghue book, like, I just thought that was really. There were just some that were like very bizarre to me.

[C]

So like a random adult man, like, I mean, just like memorizing an entire blessing about fatherhood so that you can then recite it at work.

[B]

I mean, I understand that he's in recovery and they're like there are things you do in recovery. But I. That was just like an odd, A really odd moment in a show that like doesn't those odd moments for me. So there were just a couple of those in this episode that felt a little like a few screws were loose on the machinery.

[C]

Extremely.

[B]

What I would say.

[C]

I think this, maybe this is me excusing the show, but there's something about the pit where I am willing to accept a certain element of ham fistedness with the writing on this show that I'm not in other places. And I think maybe some of it's because they have to pack in so much and that sometimes they are just very emotionally direct. Like for example, with Mark, you know, the man who's been in the car accident, who's been in and out of consciousness, finally wakes up to find that his wife is now in surgery and he has the like realization moment of like, oh, is this when everything comes into perspective and the way that is written is like, again, they just say it. They just say it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But also I'm getting goosebumps from them saying it. So I don't know what it is about the layout of this show that makes me more forgiving of it in that way. But I. And honestly, maybe it is the way it's grounded. Maybe it is the fact that like so much of the show is so intentionally trying to display what life in the ER is like, that when they do get a little treacly and they certainly do. Yeah, I'm just kind of cool with it. I'm just kind of cool with that register.

[B]

I will say there was something about this episode. You Know, the Pit has always been good at bleeding one case into another or back. But this episode felt particularly filled with a character from this storyline is in the background. You know, like, Mark sees what's happening with Kylie and her dad and her dad's girlfriend. And that's what really sort of inspires him to record this message with Dana, et cetera. But we watch him watching them. There's a triage sequence where we're just like, following one character after another, sort of through a shot. The woman who has dementia, who Whitaker interacted with so much last episode, is in this episode. She doesn't have a storyline, but she's just, like, now in the background. So, like, that they've always done it, but it felt even more so in this episode. And that's a positive. Like, I don't know if that was something Noah Wylie wrote into the script or if that's in the direction or some combination of the two, but I really felt that sort of like the weave of the. Like, I don't know if this is a terrible mixed metaphor, but, like, the screws felt loose on the machine, and yet at the same time, the weave felt really tight on the tapestry.

[C]

Well, that is what happens to the loom. No, sure.

[B]

We're. We're weavers. We know how that works.

[C]

Without a doubt, we did have a.

[B]

Question from a listener, Tyler, who was asking if we wanted to share our most squeamish moment from each episode. I don't really have anything on the level of maggots as. As we had from last week, so I don't know if I can match that this week, but it's something I'm willing to keep in mind for sure.

[C]

Yeah, I don't think there was a lot of physical squeamishness in this. If anything, I would say my most squeamish moment was watching Kylie's dad scream in his girlfriend Gina's face for absolutely no reason. Turns out, like, you know, maybe he isn't exactly what Santos supposed he was, but he's just like a regular old grade A asshole.

[B]

Let's talk about Kylie and her dad. Let's. Let's go there first, since you brought us there. So. Actually, before we talk about Kylie and her dad, I want to talk about something I really, really loved in this episode. And it's. It's revealing something to me. It's. I noted it during the Kylie sequence when I think it's when Dylan and Santos walk. At some point, the nurse, Jesse, is just in there, like, playing with a Ball, like, sort of distracting Kylie. We also see in this episode, Jesse is, like, checking in on Tony Chinchillo, the, like, security guy who comes in.

[C]

Thank God he's here. Thank God Tony Chinchillo is here to protect us all.

[B]

I like. I noted. I really like Jesse as a character, and it's a. It's a really interesting kind of character. I don't know if this is, like, profound or not, but, like, he doesn't have a storyline. He's just always there in the background, like, shouting out stats or whatever. And there's a number of nurses that are. There's just, like, something about this time you spend in a. In a space with a character like Jesse who's, like. It sounds like an insult to call him, like, a wallpaper character, but he's just, like, part of the furniture in, like, a good way. Like, Perla and Princess and Donnie all have, like, stories sort of attached. Mateo certainly did last season. That's not the function Jesse serves, but he just makes the whole place feel more real and alive to me. Does that make sense?

[C]

Completely. And he gives us as an audience who's uninitiated in a lot of this stuff. Like, the gut check response of a correction. For example, like when a med student suggests something that's, like, way off base. You'll just see him in the background going, I don't know. You know, just like that initial feedback. Like, he is kind of a temperature check on the show. Like, who is right and wrong in this moment? What should we be feeling here if it's not immediately present?

[B]

Like, how is Jesse reacting?

[C]

How is Jesse reacting? You could go very far watching the pit, just watching Jesse.

[B]

I love that. Okay, so Kylie and her dad Dylan, our social worker, tries to have, like, a private moment with Kylie's dad. But Kylie's dad's like, no, let's have this conversation here. Yes. I do think it's really. I think it's interesting that Santos is wrong about this, which, you know, Robbie and Dylan were like, hey, slow your horses. Like, we don't know what the truth is. Right. Last season, Santos was. Her gut. Was right about so many things. In this case, she's wrong. And we talk about that a lot in the pit, that people should be right and should be wrong, definitely. But I also like the added nuance of. And also, this guy's a fucking asshole. I thought that was really interesting.

[C]

Like, you're wrong and, like, you don't have to eat crow to him necessarily, but there is, like, a little bit of a comeuppance in that. Like, there's a humbling in this moment for Santos, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see this as a theme throughout this season. You know, we talked last week, Joe, about the kind of gut versus AI elements of the show or kind of gut versus informational analysis or however you want to paint that debate. And this is a character who is going off almost entirely gut.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Physical evidence, obviously, circumstantial evidence, personal experience. And it's all pointing her to say it's probably this one distinct thing that I am very familiar with. And if we see characters kind of bumping up against that left and right, I think that would position the whole season in an interesting way to kind of shape our opinions about what doctors should or shouldn't be doing in these circumstances.

[B]

She has an interesting throwaway line when she's, like, being hard on herself about this misdiagnosis. And she says zebra. Right. Like, you hear a hoof print, hoof beats. You should think horses, but thinking zebras instead or something like that. I really nailed that analogy. Anyway, so, like, two things. One, Dana's involvement in breaking up this fight here with coming in with the labs and the correct diagnosis, Right? Yes. Um, we got an email from a listener, Amarina, when talking about Dana, following up on Dana's storyline from last season. And this listener wrote, I work around a lot of PTSD in my field. It was incredibly subtle, but it. But in Dana Evans initial appearance in the first episode before she clocks Robbie's bike, she seems to be showing some extremely subtle hypervigilance, by the way she scans her surroundings, seemingly on the lookout for any potential threats. I'm curious if we will see any other heightened PTS responses as more crisis gets piled on later in the season. So, like her, we saw her break up fights in season one. It's something that Dana.

[C]

Yes. Another day at the office.

[B]

Yeah. But I was wondering if there was something even a little bit more punchy about her in terms of breaking de. Escalating this particular moment.

[C]

It did seem like maybe there was. And I want to get into this a little later with the Mrs. Kovalenko kind of plot about the PTSD elements that the show is starting to dig into, which I think could kind of all dovetail together in the way that the Pit often does. But in these moments, having Daena not be the cooler head in some ways come off a little hotter under the collar than we're used to. Seeing her, I think is very stark because this is a character who kind of always has the answers, right. She's in some ways the most calm person in the entire er. And so, yeah, it sticks out for sure. I'm eager to see what they do with it and where it goes. Um, how literally, how do they have time for all this? I. I'm always fascinated to see how they juggle it.

[B]

Last but not least, on on Kylie's dad Benny and his girlfriend, when she leaves, she says, happy Independence Day. Yeah, And I believe she means it in the Martina McBride sense. Let freedom ring. Right?

[C]

There's no question that she does.

[B]

Okay, shout out to Making sure.

[C]

Shout out to Gina. You can in fact do better, I assure you.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

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[C]

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[A]

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[B]

Regina, like call us, please. Let's go back to the beginning. Jackson Davis versus Tony Chinchillo. Okay. Jackson comes in calling out I what? My googling. And that's great stuff, right? I think it's legal terminology.

[C]

Seems to be to me, statutes, precedents of various kinds. Yeah.

[B]

And also stop talking to me. Yes, so are we. This is giving law student, right? He was taken at the campus library. Library And I'm not putting the spoiler section because I'm not a doctor.

[C]

Schizophrenia, I mean, definitely something that psychiatrics will be coming into contact with, I would think.

[B]

Stop talking to me is like voices is schizophrenia to me. But I. Again, I'm not a doctor.

[C]

Someone who's having some kind of episode that clearly is unusual for him. Like, it seems to be catching him by surprise as much as anything else. And yeah, you know Tony Chinchillo, vigilant, overly vigilant.

[B]

This guy sucks.

[C]

Absolutely sucks. I think he's already look early contender for worst hang of the season, Tony Chinchillo. And we have been hanging with literal maggots. So.

[B]

Yeah, Tony. Tony's using some really charming language here. He calls this young man animal. Says junkie jungle. Like it's deeply fucked up. How did you enjoy the charming fantasy where the cops call out Tony for his shit? When Jackson's talk screen comes back.

[C]

We live in a very fictional world. I don't know what to tell you. Yeah, the all rallying the troops all around to say, fuck this guy.

[B]

Yeah, fuck this guy. Fuck Tony.

[C]

I simply don't believe that it would happen that way in real life. But in this moment, I'm happy for it. Tony Chinchillo definitively sucks worse than maggots.

[B]

You heard it here first. All right, I want to talk about Donnie and Langdon. I'm calling them the triage bros. Really Interesting. Okay. I did. I did like, a lot of this episode. So I don't mean to like picnics.

[C]

No, I think you're right.

[B]

Early when they're sort of like going like, knocking cases out. Right. They do a. Treat them and street em. And then they say, Langdon says prose from Dover. Did you look this up?

[C]

I did look this up.

[B]

Okay. So this is from the film mash.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Right. Okay.

[C]

At least appears in it. Maybe it predates that.

[B]

No, it's from.

[C]

Well, you think it originates from that?

[B]

It's from the book. So in the book mash, a fictional book you may not have read.

[C]

I assure you I have not.

[B]

But Trapper John and Hawkeye are sort of like rock star doctors in mash are talking about being. Are talking about golfing and a con. And it kind of got partially translated into the movie where we have Elliott Gould's character saying, like, we're pros from Dover. And because only part of it from the book made its way into the movie, that got sort of misinterpreted by people to mean outside experts, consultants, like, without understanding that he's referring to, like, A con he used to pull. But they got their golf clubs on anyway. They're golf pros. Prose from Dover. Bottom line is a MASH movie reference. That is something I believe Noah Wiley, born in 1971, would write.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

But I don't believe that Frank Langdon, born in 1989, would say, nor do I like. And I really don't think Donnie would give him an acknowledging fist bump to it. Like, I just don't think either of those guys are film bros, But I could be wrong.

[C]

But first of all, I want to say this. I feel very qualified as a white guy to make this assertion. Yeah, Langdon with the least cool fist bump in the history of humanity. Just.

[B]

And he did it twice.

[C]

Did it twice. Keeps going back to it. Very weird Langdon episode. I think he's. He's had quite an endearing start in some spots. You know, self deprecation. A little poor, pitiful me, sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But, like, seems to be making some kind of effort to kind of work his way back into the mix and make the requisite apologies and kind of, like, take a step forward in his life. And then in this episode, it's like, I don't even know who this character is. I don't know what he's doing. I don't know what these jokes and these comments are. I don't know why he's, as we said, just, like, reciting entire blessings off the dome.

[B]

Right. The. The idea of, like, we're dads, like, Donnie's a new dad. It just didn't, like. It just didn't feel very, like, deep to me. It felt very surface to me.

[C]

It struck me as a writer's room that said, okay, here's the two characters. What do they have in common?

[B]

They're dads.

[C]

What could they possibly talk about?

[B]

They're dads. Okay. If you were born 1989 or later, by the way, that's my best guess, because as you. As I texted you, I could not find a super accurate date of birth for Patrick Ball on the Internet. But if you're born 1989 or later, and you regularly quote the film, not the TV show, the film mash, and you already knew what the phrase prose From Dover Meant, preshtvotify.com I would like to be corrected.

[C]

I would love to hear your testimony.

[B]

Wagged in my face about this. It was very odd to me. What I will say. And this is my film reference, by the way. I love the movie mash. It's a great movie. Equally as good. The George Clooney joint One fine day. Have you seen it?

[C]

I've never seen it.

[B]

In that movie, a child gets a bead stuck up, or it might be a Lego, something stuck up their nose, and they have to go to the doctor, and they, like, the parents are talking about how this is a common occurrence that people. That children put things up their nose. And it's. I've always lived in fear of being in charge of a child who randomly shoves something, be it a Lego or a bead or whatever, up their nose.

[C]

So it's just where human ingenuity takes you as a child.

[B]

You know, does this go up my nose? It's.

[C]

One wonders, and one has to find out.

[B]

Mrs. Kovalenko, what do you want to.

[C]

Say about this to our previous conversation? Clearly, there is, like, a priming of a PTSD awareness. Right. And, like, hypervigilance, like in Dana's case. I mean, that seems like part of the job description for a lot of these people working in this space where you just have to be aware of everything and all these patients at all times. But everyone here has been through an incredibly traumatic event together. Everyone working at the Pit, I mean.

[B]

Right, the mass casualty.

[C]

Yes, the mass casualty event of season one. And so we know that they're basically in almost mandatory therapy, that they're being. That they're required to talk to somebody as a result of this. I would think this season will reckon with it in some way or another, whether it's with Daena or another character using those ideas here, I think make a lot of sense. And having someone come in with all of this past trauma that is hyperlocalized, that is very specific, makes a lot of sense. More broadly, I would say I'm like, of two minds about the Mrs. Kovalenko stuff. One, I think the Pit makes a really honest effort to tell us and show us what living and working in Pittsburgh is like.

[B]

I almost did a, like, Pittsburgh history section to have the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, which is this very traumatic event that happened in Pittsburgh. And then also, I mean, feels odd to group them, but we get a firework history lesson, and, like, last season, we got, like, sort of the ambulance history. You know, that there are, like, various, like, this is what it means to be from Pittsburgh sort of moments. Yeah.

[C]

And even every reference is like, this is an actual deli in Pittsburgh. Like, this is the supermarket you would go to. It's like it all feels, again, very earnest. I'm not saying they bat like a thousand on it, but it seems like they're really trying and so I appreciate that, especially in the respect of the Tree of Life shooting. This is the kind of targeted, perpetrated hate crime that looms large over a community for a long, long time. And so people will walk in the door with the baggage of something like that for a while. That makes total sense to me. On the other hand, this was the closest the show has ever come to feeling like the newsroom for me. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

[B]

You rarely do.

[C]

I. It's one of those things where it's like, it's really not subject matter, it's execution. And when you're weaving really delicate, really tragic real life events into the drama and sometimes melodrama of the pit, be very careful about how you do it. I'm not saying they did anything wrong. I'm not saying they, like, stepped on any particular problem area.

[B]

There's something quite sorkin y about, like, we're gonna have Perla in here, and then we're gonna have this conversation about the Muslim community and the Tree of Life synagogue. Like, I really like Ms. Kovalenko as a character a lot. She's great.

[C]

The performance was a delightful performance, giving.

[B]

Like, Robbie, her being like, you're single. Where do you work? Like, you know, not wanting to talk about her, the horrifying burn on her.

[C]

Leg at all, coating it in honey.

[B]

She's like, more importantly, are you single? Like, where do you worship all of this sort of stuff? I really liked her a lot. I agree with you. Like, I think it's especially like fireworks, fourth of July. Like, let's talk about the way in which that is, like, completely a different kind of stress for people who have been through something like this. And I think all of that is really interesting. And then that, like, they're just like, a few steps further down the road that they took it, which, again, like, sort of similar to. It just felt like throughout this episode, people are just saying the thing.

[C]

They are saying the thing a lot.

[B]

A lot.

[C]

Yes. And this was one area where it just didn't work for me. And maybe it was in context. I'm already processing so much of the saying the other things very directly that this was one too many. But, yeah, something about these scenes, again, separate the performance, which I agree was wonderful and very funny in spots and very touching in spots. Something about the balance of it just didn't work for me.

[B]

Right. I really like the idea of this, and I didn't love the entirety of the execution. I guess that's what I would say.

[C]

I think that's totally fair, Digby.

[B]

Okay, so we get another check in with Digby. Just Digby. Not Mr. Digby with Emma and Dana sort of wanting to check back in with him, helping him. Dana talking about, like, we continually just, like, repeatedly offer help just so that they know we will always offer and we are always here. We did get an email from our listener Alex, who was like, hey, man. When you were, like, focusing on how, like, squicked out you were by the maggots, you missed this important character moment where Digby as a character was, like, looking so vulnerable about. And I literally did not see it because I was literally so obsessed with the maggots. So I apologize. I literally did miss this. But Alex's description, and I didn't go back and watch it because I'm sorry, I couldn't. But, like, Alex's description of the vulnerability and this is like, another. I don't want to hit this too hard. Live out with the pit, because the pit is for everyone. But the empathy that these doctors have for people in their care is one of the best parts about the pit. And so, like, the. The way in which Dana is very, like, no nonsense. Here's the guy. We're gonna burn his clothes. It's like, all of this stuff is going on, but we are just gonna give him what? What? Dignity. Like, as much dignity as he deserves, which is all the dignity in the world. And so that is, like, how you want them to be treating all their patients. And we see the med student class usually, like, learning this lesson. You know, what does a Louis, like, get from a Whitaker versus an Ogilvy or a Joy? You know? Like, that's the question.

[C]

Yeah. You see all those characters taking their cues from Dana, taking their cues from Robbie. And there's kind of that funny moment with Joy and Robbie in this where, like, she's wondering, are we gonna take our moment of silence for this fallen motorcyclist? And it's like, you have to triage the emotions, too, in a lot of senses. Right? Like, that can wait, and we will have those times, and we're gonna be direct and compassionate in kind of alternating fashion.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Like, sometimes you just have to take this stuff head on. And I think no one encapsulates that better than Dana. Like, she is, as you said, like, exactly as straightforward as she needs to be and exactly as comforting as she needs to be. And something about the way she put that, as you mentioned, Joe, of like, that we're gonna keep offering. I think there's so many barriers to healthcare in this country. There's so many barriers, and I don't say that just systemically, but, like, the shame involved in people getting the kind of treatment they need. The internalized, like, macho. Like, I don't need to see a doctor. Like, we just. We just absorb so much that prevents us from doing the things proactively that we need to do to take care of ourselves. And there's something about just like, we're just gonna keep saying it over and over, especially for people that probably don't get offered things over and over that often that I just found to be incredibly sweet. Like, a really. And just a really trenchant idea of why these systems could and should work.

[B]

Yeah. And, like, listen, you know, like, I've been a little tough on Robbie a bit this season, but, like, again, to go Back to the Mrs. Kovalenko scene, like, you know, his gentle treatment of her, I thought was really beautiful. Like, that care that, like, gentleness.

[C]

And I love the way, too, with Robbie, it's not the way every actor would play it. And I think I would have to imagine some of this is Noah Wylie. And, of course, like, given his involvement in the writing of this episode, there's kind of a dual pronged approach there. But the way he walks in and his first interactions with Mrs. Kovalenko are him and a monitor.

[B]

Right. Back turn to her.

[C]

Back turn to her. Like, paying attention to her, but only so much attention to her going through the motions, doing the process. And it's like with every word, you can feel him kind of settling into what sort of conversation this is going to be. And never, never more heavily than when she mentions Tree of Life. But it really extends to every part of their interaction together.

[B]

Yeah. To go back to the motorcycle accident. Really strong Foley on the peeling back of the reveal of the brain matter.

[C]

Yeah, that was probably the gnarliest.

[B]

Yeah, I did look, but I wanted to not hear that. What do you make of Robbie lying and saying that he wears his helmet?

[C]

Very interesting. Like, clearly doesn't care enough to wear the helmet, but cares enough to want the appearance and not have to answer the questions about not wearing the helmet.

[B]

One of our listeners pointed out that Robbie doesn't wear the helmet, but he carried the helmet inside with him.

[C]

This was Ginny who emailed us about that, like, incredible observation.

[B]

There's, like, theater to this for Robbie. I thought that was really interesting.

[C]

I mean, speaking of going through the motions. Yeah. It's like, is it a death wish? Is it walking a line of a kind of Vulnerability, like, who knows what it is for him? Clearly he already was dealing with a lot even before season one. But it does say something when it's like, it's like conspiracy to commit. You know, it's like he's going the extra step to pretend to be kind of okay, even though everyone knows he's not okay. And so then who are you doing that performance for?

[B]

Perhaps to your point, to stop them from asking questions of you. I do think it's interesting to go back to what you're saying about the barrier of entry for so many people in terms of getting the care that they need and how those people often wind up in the ER because they've let something go until it's an emergency. Right. But I love how that applies to your Robbies and your Santos's who are like refusing to get therapy that they need. You know, a physician heal thyself sort of thing where it's like even people inside the medical community will ignore a problem until it explodes. So I thought that was interesting.

[C]

They are but flawed, fucked up human beings who are full of hypocrisy like the rest of us. I'm happy to report.

[B]

Here's a question on the, on the. On the Mark and Nancy Yee storyline and this is something that I thought about in season one, but I haven't officially asked our medical community listeners. So please email us. Our loved ones allowed in the trauma rooms as often as they come in on the pit. Like Nancy's in there, you know, and sometimes they'll have like a nurse guide them out. But I was just like, sort of surprised that they're even allowed, like especially. I think that's trauma room one or whatever. Like the main one that's right there where usually shit is very bad. Is your loved one allowed in there? I was thinking about this with like in season one with a little girl who drowns and like her entire family, like when they're certain there's nothing they can do, right. The entire family being in there makes sense to me. But then there's like they're doing emergency measures sort of around loved ones sometime in a way that I'm just like, is that, I don't know, does that happen? I'm asking questions.

[C]

Feels like by policy probably not.

[B]

Shouldn't.

[C]

And in the reality of the moment might happen sometimes. In this case, it's like Nancy is outside looking in until they stabilize her husband and then they bring her in to kind of tell her about the scans that they're going to run to figure out why he's not responding and why he appears to be paralyzed. And then everything kind of kicks into here. So it's like she just, I think, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. But you're right. Like, in reality, someone probably ushers her out of the room in that moment.

[B]

Right. Okay. Also, something I thought was super interesting inside the YE storyline is this little moment where Robbie backs up Samira when Garcia is giving them shit.

[C]

Definitely.

[B]

Like, why didn't you look at Nancy? You should have done this, you know? And Robbie sort of steps into. To help Samira. We got this interesting email from Lucas who wrote, I had a thought listening to the first podcast of the season about Dr. Robbie and Dr. Mohan. Samira, I thought an important moment of season one was when Robbie put Mohan on the red team during the mass casualty event, signifying that even though he was hard on her consistently, he knows she's one of the best doctors in the er. So I. I love that, like, that we saw Robbie really hard on Mohan in season one. But there are ways in which he does, like, consistently, not consistently inconsistently, have the backs of the people on his team.

[C]

Selectively.

[B]

Yeah, selectively. There you go. And I just. I really liked that moment when he just, like, was there for her.

[C]

Totally agree.

[B]

When Garcia was being an asshole, like she likes to do.

[C]

And it's representative of where she is. Like, I do trust Samira Mohan's judgment basically above and beyond almost anyone who isn't Robbie, as far as the doctors are concerned. Like, she has a good head on her shoulders. This was her whole arc in the first season, was kind of bringing all of these sides of her experience and expertise together and becoming this really balanced, really efficient, but also, like, really empathetic doctor. And the level of detail that she's able to bring, I think is just very different than what you would get, even from Langdon at his, like, best medicinal moments.

[B]

Stay at the pit, Samira. Don't go to New Jersey, please.

[C]

I would. I would be honestly devastated if she is gone from season three. If this just turns into the kind of show where, like, true to life doctors are coming in out of the hospital. Like, that's just what happens. But it would make me very upset personally. So please do not don't upset Rob.

[B]

Speaking of upsetting Rob, Rob, how did you feel? We talked about this a little bit Pre pod.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Mr. Montrose, a very amorous Walmart greeter who has busted his tailbone in some way.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Hitting on our girl. Dr. Bangs, calls her Dr. Hazel Eyes. How did you feel about this?

[C]

Just rude.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That's not her name.

[B]

Felt called out by the staff. Noah Wylie knows that you called her Dr. Bangs and he wrote Dr. Hazel Eyes into the script instead.

[C]

I don't mean to presuppose, but I like to think that we as a collective came to the understanding that she was Dr. Banks together. That it's just one of these things that we all reached into the ether of our shared consciousness. It's like, this is obviously what this character's name is.

[B]

Montrose is played by Michael Norrie, who has been around for a really long time. But, like, speaking of fans of the original MASH film, this is the hottie from Flashdance. Like, he is a famous 80s hottie. So to cast famous 80s hottie Michael Norrie, who, we should be clear, landed Jennifer Beals in her flash dance era. That's quite the achievement.

[C]

And he is quite a charmer.

[B]

Is here just like, laying on quite with Dr. McKay.

[C]

It. It works.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I gotta say, like, it is very charming. And I think she. She kind of takes it in the spirit in which it's intended.

[B]

Right.

[C]

It's like we're having a laugh. Yeah. Like, he knows what he's doing. I know what he's doing. Like, there is a compatibility to that. That makes sense. Now, this other guy chiming in from.

[B]

The sidelines, like, this is Brian Hancock is the patient's name, played by Lawrence Robinson. No relation. Loves her witch's cackle, he does. Is just laying on quite thick himself, even though he's immobile. Like, Montrose can dance with her and sing La Mer to her if he wants to. This guy's just shooting his shot consistently from the corner of the frame. If he can get her attention, he will. We talked previously when Boba Guy was hitting on Mel. We got emails from listeners being like, hey, don't date your patients. But are you into Dr. McKay and Brian Hancock?

[C]

Well, first of all, I think we need to rename Boba Guy. Like, I think he's just Liquor Store Bandit at this point or something to that effect. He has. He has lost Boba Guy privileges.

[B]

Is it number one, Tony Chinchillo, Number two, Bobo Guy, number three, maggots.

[C]

Here's the thing. Boba Guy slash the Liquor Store Bandit, I think has an appeal in like an I'm being worked sort of way.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

You know, like a con man kind of charisma.

[B]

Right. Where Tony Chinchilla is just constantly. Oh, brother, that just sucks.

[C]

Again, everyone agrees every nurse is looking at him sideways. It's so clear immediately how much he sucks when he's like, I gotta. I gotta watch him. Yeah.

[B]

I gotta stay here and document this.

[C]

Yes. But, yeah, I'm eager to see kind of what they do with Dr. Bangs in this moment.

[B]

Dr. Bangs, who has said, for the record, I am quite like, I am ready.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

To Dr. Bang. And this guy's like, I am also ready.

[C]

I'm ready to swoop those side bangs, baby. Like, I am here for you. I am interest.

[B]

Mm. I'm qualified.

[C]

I am ready in theory. You know, we'll see how she responds to him so far. It's like, again, she's kind of entertaining it to keep moving.

[B]

She's like, sure, sure.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[C]

But we do appreciate, even as he's watching her be wheeled around the ER floor. No, he doesn't seem very threatened by any of this. You know, he's just watching from the sidelines, respectfully getting his comments in.

[B]

When he can answer me.

[C]

I think he's playing his cards well. Is he playing his cards in a way that will be legally fulfilling for all involved? It seems not. But crazier things have happened on the pit.

[B]

Tune in to find out. Speaking of Pittsburgh history, let's talk about Louis and fireworks.

[C]

What was the Pittsburgh history that? Just Dr. Bangs being about town.

[B]

Why did I say, speaking of? I don't know. Great question. How dare you question my segues? Honestly, how dare you? Okay. Louis is still draining. He loves fireworks. And he mentions Mr. Zambelli.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And I gotta say, I got really excited because we got a very long email about Mr. Zambelli from a list like a couple weeks ago. We sure did. Asking about fireworks in Pittsburgh. And our listener, Kristin, delivered. I'm Kai. You are welcome to cut some of this. I'm gonna read this entire email. Cause I couldn't figure out how to cut it down. It's so good to me. It's full of information. We love information.

[C]

I want the background. And frankly, I am charmed by the times that the pit itself turns into a Wikipedia page and so that our podcast could follow suit accordingly. I think we have to do it.

[B]

Here we go. Buckle up for some firework history in Pennsylvania. New Castle, Pennsylvania, population 21,000, is called the fireworks capital of America and is only 50 miles outside the city. Newcastle is home to both Zambelli Fireworks, the oldest and one of the largest fireworks manufacturers in the US And Pyrotechnico, the largest provider of large scale fireworks displays in the U.S. newcastle, Newcastle, Pennsylvania has a hospital. And I just Love. Kristin has, like, gone deep. She's like, newcastle has a hostel. It's only a level two trauma center. So a large scale fireworks accident would be sending folks to the level one trauma centers in Pittsburgh and Youngstown. And Youngstown, she says, doesn't even have a burn unit.

[C]

Seems like a mistake.

[B]

All right. Pittsburghers will find any excuse to set off fireworks, both large scale displays and in our backyards. And 4th of July is a really big deal. The city puts on a huge fireworks display that rivals the ones in much larger cities. Kristen says she lives in a high spot in her area, and from her yard she can see three suburban firework displays. To give an idea of the. I'm sorry, this is all fascinating to me. To give an idea of the level of municipal fireworks displays around the area. Her suburb, popular population 33,000, spends between 65 and 70,000 on their Fourth of July celebration. And the city spends 350,000 for its celebration. But she mentions that the big, big fireworks display in Pittsburgh is off a barge in the water, I believe. And she also mentioned that to get to the park where you watch this. Why are you laughing at my fireworks?

[C]

I'm not laughing. I'm delighted by your joy. I am delighted by. I just have never.

[B]

Thanks for knowing this.

[C]

I have never clocked a Joanna Robinson listener more than Kristen. Like, this is just such an email that would come to one of the shows that you host first and foremost. And I mean that as a sincere compliment to you both. What does that mean? I just think there is a level of detail and there is a level of lore here that is who you are. And Kristin clearly identified that swooped in with the very specific regional knowledge that you needed to understand the fireworks, like, overall landscape.

[B]

She's crunching numbers. She's got budgets, she's got population.

[C]

She's got it all.

[B]

She's got everything I need.

[C]

Kristen, thank you.

[B]

The point is there's one narrow bridge that goes to this park where they watch the fireworks launch from the barge. And she's about 30 to 40,000 of the folks who go down to the city fireworks show watch it from the point. And she said people would be crushed if a launch went wrong. And yinzers are gonna yinz. She's like, will there be like a mass stampede event if a firework show goes wrong? Something like that. We've been wondering, like, what will be the firework impact. We already got this moment with Mrs. Kovalenko. We get the Zambelli fireworks drop. Kristen, thank you so much for filling my Life I know so much about. This is what I asked for.

[C]

It's true.

[B]

And I got. She has way more information. Last but not least, there's something called phantom fireworks. Tents that are like the spirit Halloween of fireworks and so they like crop up all over the place. And this is where you can get. Get your fireworks in Pittsburgh, like on the corner.

[C]

So it's the only way to get fireworks anywhere. If it is a brick and mortar structure, I would never buy fireworks, though.

[B]

Definitely not like a roadside stand sort of situation.

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

I've never bought illegal fireworks, so.

[C]

Well, these are legal fireworks, Joe.

[B]

I've never bought legal.

[C]

Don't project that on us.

[B]

Last but not least, Kristen says 4th of July is a bigger drinking day than your New Year's Eve in these parts. So I fully expect to see a lot of drunk ginzers with burns and missing fingers in the pit, which we've been expecting. But thank you so much, the pit, for just saying the word Zambelli, which gave me an excuse to read this thing that might get edited fully out of the show. I don't know, Kai might have a better head than I do, but that is what I wanted to share with you, Rob Mahoney.

[C]

Well, also thanks to Louis in conjunction for the line, y' all don't know nothing about pyrotechnics, which we do now.

[B]

Yeah, I also love that, like, Whitaker was trying to sort of glad hand him and he's like, no more talking fixes. We're done with this portion of the exam where I tell you charming anecdotes about my life.

[C]

Get this man numbed up, please.

[B]

Yeah, all right. We already talked about Mr. Williams and his ex wife Gretchen. The Hanson stuff. What do you want to say about the Hanson fam?

[C]

Of all the fucked up things we've seen on this show, Medpooling the pill pile is deranged. Who would think this is a good idea?

[B]

Cooling meds is how we've always done it. He says, oh my God, this is a really light Mel episode. Maybe that's why it wasn't my most enchanting experience because I love Mel so much, but she gets to like FaceTime with them to like sort of see if she can figure out which pill it is. Anything else you want to say about. Are we going to see more Hansons as the day go on?

[C]

I wouldn't mind it. You know, they do have that kind of like weird sitcom family that pops in as a recurring bit of your.

[B]

Neighbors, your wacky neighbors, the Hansens.

[C]

I would love them to hang around in some capacity or just, like, one more family member keeps, like, trickling in the door.

[B]

They never leave because there's just another person injured.

[C]

I think that would be great. And they have to find them a room off to the side just to fit everybody by the end of the day. I think it'd be great.

[B]

I gotta say, I'm really disappointed with our listeners who have we got so many maggot emails. Not a single ramican email. Nobody's writing in with any of the ramekin deals. Actually, one person.

[C]

We did get one.

[B]

I was like.

[C]

We did. Because somebody suggested specifically. I'm so sorry I don't have the name off top of my head. To go to secondhand stores to load on the ramekins.

[B]

Yes. How do you feel about that advice?

[C]

I think it's great advice. This is. But this is where my OCD color coordination comes in. Direct contact with Pragmatic Rob. I need the set. I need it to fit. I need it to make sense. But I also need ramekins of many different sizes to fit my souffle needs. So what are you supposed to do?

[B]

What is your. What is the color scheme of your dishware?

[C]

I don't have to answer that.

[B]

Are you at all white? No.

[C]

There is a lot of white for the neutrality, and then it's kind of like there's some dark, kind of black gray plateware.

[B]

There's a little, like, no pop of color.

[C]

Oh, no. It's like splashes of. I'm trying to think of the exact shade of blue. Kind of a blue green situation.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Not quite full teal. A little more blue than that.

[B]

Is that your. Your Le Creuset color? Is the sort of like my Le Creuset?

[C]

Life is chaotic. There's a little bit of that blue. There's a little bit of the pure red. I kind of like having it where it's like, that's the red crock pot.

[B]

Or.

[C]

Sorry, that's the red Dutch oven, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, the red. The red and the, like, flame orange. The flame orange I really like. Nice. Yeah, yeah, that's nice. Okay, well, if you are out and about and you see a de on some ramekins in a white, hit me up. Black or blue green colors.

[C]

Neutrals, you know, we're into the neutrals.

[B]

Okay. All right. Rob.

[C]

I don't want to pop with a ramekin. That's not what it's for.

[B]

I disagree. I think a ramekin, because it's such, like, a cute little thing. In your kitchen, that's where you could really go a little wild with some color. You could have a red ramekin, I.

[C]

Think I feel like if you're gonna do a statement, you make the statement. You don't pick, like, the smallest piece of furniture to make. Brightly colored.

[B]

Do you have a butter warmer?

[C]

I don't have a butter warmer.

[B]

I do have a butter warmer, and it is red. Okay.

[C]

Welcome to our podcast about the pit.

[B]

Dr. Al and Robbie. Very little. This is my et cetera section.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Very little on this. But we get this exchange where Robbie says, I gotta say a bit bitchily, splitting up so soon. And she says, I'm looking for cooperation, not commitment. Which I thought was a great response. How did you feel about this?

[C]

I thought it was wonderful. I'm just aghast that they let this woman be charming.

[B]

She was also very nice to Nancy Yee. Like, I know she had that, like, warmth to her that you were looking for from her. You were like, smile. As you were always saying to female characters, smile more.

[C]

Okay. Don't do that to me. My point is simply, they gave this woman, like, two lines and one joke.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I'm, like, very charmed.

[B]

Okay, you're in.

[C]

I wouldn't say I'm in, but, like, some of my concern about where this character could be going is diminished just by the fact that, like, she can. She is capable of cracking a joke.

[B]

If she drops her AI devices in the garbage. Are you in?

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

Yeah. You're all in.

[C]

I'm completely in at that point. I just want to see her have human interactions with other people. And this was one of the first ones we've seen all season.

[B]

Speaking of human interactions. And that was a proper segue. Thank you so much. Dana kicks Ogilvy out of her chair in a way that I really enjoy. Ogilvy continues. It's like Tony Chinchillo, Boba Guy, Maggots, Ogilvy. That's where I am right now.

[C]

He's just trying way too hard. And this is another vital role that Samira Mohan plays on this show is like, she is often the, like, continued eye roller in chief. And this is aimed in Javati's direction as well. But there are, like, chorus of symptom listing and complication explaining in the face of absolutely no reason whatsoever to get into all that. I'm glad that she's there to at least set him straight in her silence.

[B]

And that was surrounding her diabetic patient, whose daughter is there and is like, my mom's on the Way. So this is like an ongoing case that we will check back in with, I assume?

[C]

Definitely.

[B]

Lupe apologizes to our deaf patient in the chair that she's like, you know, we got an email from Lister being like, shouldn't this have been on her patient passport, like, to begin with?

[C]

So flaw in the system.

[B]

Flaw in the system. I do want. I didn't shout this out before, Mrs. Kovalenko later, when Robbie says she's turning my trip into a midlife crisis. And all of the reactions we got from everyone to that. Phenomenal. Yeah.

[C]

Burdened with incredible medical knowledge, not a lot of self awareness. Dr. Robbie.

[B]

And then we get the hook into the next episode, right? The phone rings. Is this the drill? Is this a joke? Got it, thanks. Westbridge has a code Black, diverting all its traffic to us. Ahmad's like, we got a new betting grid. Let's go.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

How do you feel about this as, like, a hook into the next episode, Joe?

[C]

I love a code.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I simply love a code. I love the lingo, I love the jargon. I love that everyone knows, oh, this shit's about to get extra real. It's already been quite real, but there are levels to this.

[B]

I loved the betting pool with the. With the ambulance last season. I thought that was great. I'm not mad that we're running it back if there's an ambulance. If there's, like, a betting pool in season three, will you be, like, enough now, enough? Or, like, how do you feel maybe?

[C]

I mean, look, this is the trick with these shows is they are built on repetition, right? Like, they are built on these people living the same life and day over and over and over and having the experience to know how to navigate it better the next time. So it's like, you kind of have to have some of that stuff. I just hope they find ways to jazz it up a little bit. Plus, I love gambling.

[B]

Last but not least, Noah Wiley wrote this episode and he gave himself a, like, sitcom outro line where he goes, I should have left last night. Oh, brother, here we go.

[C]

I don't know about that one.

[B]

Not my fave. This is not my favorite episode of the Pit, but there was a lot to love, and I'm really excited to see where we go next. There's a lot of cases, sort of, I'm, like, interested to find out what's going on with Jackson and, like, a lot of other patients. Will Dr. McKay break her oath and go out with this hot guy? I think she should, honestly.

[C]

Will there be sex fireworks for her tonight. You know our ED patient. No, strictly bed rest. Dr. McKay. Dr. Banks. She's a grown woman.

[B]

Do you think sex fireworks should be her new nickname? What do you think?

[C]

I think we have to wait and find out.

[B]

All right. I hit an hour on the knows, but with edits it might be less than that. If Kai edits out that entire firework email, it might be less than that.

[C]

I think he should stretch it out. I think that whole stretch should be like 0.5 speed. Let's really get into it. Let's luxuriate.

[B]

Clip those nine minutes for social. Everyone was going to love that reel. Thank you, Rob Mahoney.

[C]

Thank you, Joe.

[B]

Thanks to our listeners. Thanks to Kai Grady, who's just the best. Thanks to the Pit. And we'll be back with episode four. It's 10:00am what's gonna happen? We'll find out next week. Bye.

[C]

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[B]

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