So recently, we (meaning me) have been watching a new show on HBO MAX called The Pitt, in which Noah Wyle plays an older, wiser Dr. John Carter, who has moved on from County General to take charge of the busy ER of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. No, I’m kidding.* He actually plays Dr. Perry Cox, who mentors/torments young physician J.D. … No, I’m kidding again. But there is a resemblance, don’t you think?
Okay, but seriously, this time, Noah Wyle is playing Dr. Michael Rabinovitch, AKA “Dr. Robby”, but he really is in charge of the ER at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Insofar as anyone can ever be in charge of such a chaotic place I guess.
Anyway, I said “we” were watching it, but the astute reader may have already guessed that “we” doesn’t really include my wife, who is not so much into the scenes where they’re cutting somebody open or draining fluids via a tube or sticking people with needles six inches long.** However, she does often hang around the room for foot rubs while ignoring the television and noodling on her phone.
It wasn’t long before my wife noticed something about this show:
TV Doctor: (uncaps a needle and jabs it into somebody’s neck)
Me: (shrieks and averts my eyes)***
Wife: “Why are you even watching this show when you keep looking away?”
Me: “It’s really good, it’s just a little, uh, graphic.”
It’s not just me ― even Dr. Mike**** averted his gaze from the degloving injury in the first episode. Gaze aversion happens at about 5 minutes 50 seconds in his video:
Also Dr. Mike: “THEY SHOWED IT!!!”
Wife: “This show isn’t much like House.”
Me: “No, but I’ve always had a thing for hospital shows. When I was a kid, I watched St. Elsewhere religiously.*****”
Wife: “Is that why you were a hypochondriac when you were little?”
Me: “No, that was because I got hold of my mom’s PDR and read it.”
It’s true, I was kind of a hypochondriac when I was little. I mostly worried I might have a brain tumor, because doesn’t everyone worry they have a brain tumor?
As it turned out, I was in the right area, I was just worrying about the wrong thing. Speaking of which, it seems that even though my wife wasn’t watching the show, she was listening to it, for instance, in Episode 1, when a couple of the new interns/medical students were looking at The Big Board and trying to decide which patients to see next:
Dr. Santos: “How about a 20-year-old cough in eight? Should be easy. Probably viral.”
Dr. Whitaker: “I don’t need an easy one.”
Dr. Santos: “Suit yourself, Huckleberry. I’m gonna take the splitting headache. Maybe I’ll catch a subarachnoid hemorrhage or something cool.”
Wife: “NOT FUNNY.”
Now, I will cop to snorting a little at that line, but I can see why my wife was unamused; I mean, I’m not the one who had to sit around the emergency room wondering if my spouse was going to die or not. I mostly got to be unconscious the whole time. Later on, I mentioned this scene in one of the aneurysm groups I belong to; it did spark a certain amount of annoyance, but mostly people seemed to feel that (1) it’s a realistic portrayal of doctors using black humor to cope with stressful situations—although, as later episodes have shown, Dr. Santos is kind of a glory hound, not to mention overconfident and a bit of a bully—and that (2) anything that helps raise awareness about an oft-misdiagnosed emergency situation can only be a good thing.
Whether the estate of Michael Crichton likes it or not.
* I’m kidding, but the Michael Crichton estate isn’t; they have sued The Pitt over its similarities to ER, such as … being set in an ER, I guess?
** I will cop to covering up part or all of the screen with my hand during these scenes, too.
*** NEEDLES
**** An actual doctor!
***** Or maybe that should be “Eligiusly“. (I’ll show myself out …)
Viscosity 
I did the same thing but the PDR entry that haunted me was “penis caught in zipper”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I may have shrieked a little for that scene in There’s Something About Mary. I’m sure you know which scene I mean!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have that in my watch list and might get around to it someday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a lot of stuff to watch these days, that’s for sure!
LikeLike
I don’t currently have this channel, but I hope to see this eventually.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had canceled it for a while but signed back up just before the price went up because we wanted to watch The Boy and the Heron (which was weird), and then I started watching this. So then I canceled Netflix for a while because we hadn’t been watching it. Round and round it goes with the streaming services …
LikeLike
Thanks for the “not” review. I’ve been wondering if I should watch it. I don’t think I should.
I hope you are still doing well. Do you and your lovely wife still ballroom dance?
Wishing you all the best! ~SLe
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi! Good to hear from you! I am doing well, thanks, all things considered lol. We are back at the studio, going to dances and the occasional group class, although we took another short break from lessons for various reasons (not related to the aneurysm lol). We’re going back in for our first lesson in about six months tonight, actually.
For the show, The Pitt is really, really good, but, yeah, you have to be willing to either grit your teeth and stick it out or else avert your eyes now and then. Even Dr. Mike did it!
LikeLike
P.S. I love the Sam Wise / Gollum dialog. Was that in the book? (lol)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m pretty sure Gollum was doomscrolling the whole time they were making their way to Mordor! 😂 I can’t take credit for the dialogue, I found it online and just made a tiny change to fix one of Gollum’s lines. I don’t know who created it originally, it has popped up in a number of different places. My wife had me print it out and stick it on the fridge to help remind her not to doomscroll lol
LikeLike
Watching the trailer’s on TV I was like “OH, ER on Steroids!” I can understand why KJ was not amused. Also I understand how casual you are…you survived something major James. And after I’ve had a Seizure where I’ve hit my head; I wonder all sorts of things….. 😉
((hugs)) BellaSita Mum & **purrss** BellaDharma
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s definitely ER on something! Could be steroids, could be cocaine … The exact cocktail depends on the scene and the episode! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could be Flakka? A mix of Meth & Cocaine!!!! YIKES!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Geez, what a zoo! The color commentary by Dr. Mike was great, never seen anything like it…I have often wondered if they have these show reviewed by real docs. I also enjoyed the Sam/Gollum bit. 😂
Alarming what he mentioned about smaller community hospitals closing down and waiting times at big facilities lasting hours. 🫤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too true, and I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse as hospitals consolidate and/or get taken over by for-profit entities who will seek to maximize revenue by closing “underperforming” facilities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
putting all the prompts together I now have a hybrid voice in my head saying “it’s not a doomer my precious” – thanks! Linda 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person