The Pitt season 1 finale aired, he'd come completely unraveled. It could help explain his uncharacteristic negligence regarding one patient.
One of the few non-doctor storylines that lasted throughout T season 1's episodes was that of the troubled teenager David, whose mother, Theresa, had discovered that he had written a list of female classmates he wanted to eliminate. He'd been struggling since his father's death a few years ago, and the list was the last straw for Theresa. She was so concerned about her son's mental state and being a potential danger that she made herself sick to the point of uncontrollable vomiting so that he'd bring her to the hospital, where she could talk to the doctors about getting David help.
Dr. Robby's Dismissive Attitude Toward David As A Potential Shooter Was Terrible Judgment
He Was Dismissive & Negligent
That is some extreme desperation, and, combined with David's hit list, it speaks to a potential horrific tragedy in the making. And yet, Dr. Robby not only does nothing about it, but he actively gets angry at Dr. McKay when she tries to do the right thing and intervene. His entire response to the situation seemed so out of character for the normally insightful and responsible ER chief attending. His certainty that David wasn't a threat bordered on arrogance, and his shortsightedness was appalling – and, to be honest, as a woman, it was more than a little infuriating to watch Robby's dismissive attitude.
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Besides that, as a doctor, he is legally obligated to report a potential threat to the authorities. In Pennsylvania, where The Pitt is set, mental health or healthcare providers are bound by mandatory reporting, and must report the threat to a third party when someone is a "serious threat or to kill or seriously injure an identified or readily identifiable person or group of people" (via IfWhenHow.org).
David's list threatening to eliminate specific female classmates is the textbook definition of something that Dr. Robby is legally required to report to authorities, and yet, he didn't. What's more, he berated Dr. McKay when she did fulfill her legal obligation to warn authorities of the potential significant threat David posed. It was the wrong call, period, exposing Dr. Robby's bias against David being a school shooter in The Pitt.
The Pitt Season 1 Storyline With David Was Uneven
It's Like One Conversation With Cassie McKay Never Happened
Truthfully, another reason that the David storyline grated on me was that the way Dr. Robby responded to it was so uneven. Dr. Cassie McKay's motivations and intentions were clear from the start. She was driven by her own personal history of having been stalked by abusive men. While that colored her views about David, her bias nonetheless still led her to do the right thing, which was to recognize him as a serious threat and report him. Even though The Pitt ultimately confirmed David wasn't the mass shooter, he was still a deeply troubled kid who needed help.
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That's why Robby's flip-flopping about it was so odd and confusing. He was initially angry at Dr. McKay when learning she had reported David to the authorities. But a later conversation made it seem as though he had seen the error of his ways and understood where she was coming from. Dr. McKay respectfully but bluntly told her attending that he was so busy thinking about David's future and well-being that he didn't stop to think about the futures and well-being of all the girls on David's list. To Robby's credit, he agreed and told her that she was right, he hadn't been thinking about the girls, and that was on him.
It was like the previous conversation where he itted that he had a lot to learn from McKay had never happened, a regression in both story and character development.
And yet, when the police did show up and apprehend David when he returned to the hospital, Robby got angry at McKay all over again, accusing her of making a "mess," and telling her it was her job to clean it up. It was like the previous conversation where he itted that he had a lot to learn from McKay had never happened, a regression in both story and character development. Granted, by the end of The Pitt season 1, Robby's self-control and mental stability were unraveling, as shown by his lashing out and poor handling of several situations, not just the one with David and Dr. McKay. Either way, he was negligent. He failed.
It Could Be Setting Dr. Robby Up For More Backstory In The Pitt Season 2
He Saw Himself In David
Robby's curious reaction to the David storyline could set up further character reveals about his backstory in The Pitt season 2. He hinted that the reason he didn't want to alert the authorities was that he saw a lot of his younger self in David, indicating that at one point, Robby had been a lost and troubled kid himself. The Pitt has done a great job of layering in character development and backstory for the ensemble cast without being too heavy-handed with the exposition. While Dr. Robby got the most focus as the protagonist in season 1, there are undoubtedly further layers to uncover. Hopefully, that comes with Robby developing more self-awareness in season 2.
- Directors
- Amanda Marsalis
- Writers
- Joe Sachs, Cynthia Adarkwa
- Creator(s)
- R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells, Noah Wyle
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