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The Pitt, HBO Max. Welcome back to a crazy Fourth of July shift at The Pitt. It’s like Robby said - I shouldn’t have come in today. Recapping the recap, just to see what we might want to look out for in upcoming episodes: There’s gonna be new Westbridge patients rolling in those doors - not surprisingly, since we’d only seen a few.  Our deaf patient hasn’t really been seen yet, because they’re waiting on an interpreter, but she does at least have a sandwich, and hospital sandwiches just hit different.  We also get brief glimpses of our combative college kid, our diabetic dad, and the hospice seizer, who’s still insisting she doesn’t want to go home, and if I’m being honest, I hope she doesn’t because I still have major red flags going off for her husband. Langdon wants to talk to Robby but we all know how that’s been going. There’s also a flashback to Dr. Hashimi freaking out about the baby, and I still very much need to know what that’s about. But that’s the end of the recap. Unfortunately, that brings us back to Louie’s debrief funeral, but it’s not for long. Robby tucks a picture of his wife in to his hands, which are at his chest, and they’re all heading back to work. The Pitt, HBO Max. Dana, of course, is how you know what the hell is to be done, and she’s got everyone assigned to their next task, with Robby reminding everyone how lucky they are to have her. Couldn’t agree more. Now, I got a little bit spoilered on this episode prior to watching for a very good reason, which is that a fellow colleague who works as a SANE wrote a long and detailed post on why The Pitt had just done an absolutely incredible job handling a hard to handle topic - sexual assault. So when the sexual assault victim arrived, I knew this would be a large part of the focus of the episode, and I knew we’d be learning quite a bit. We don’t get much info on that up front, because we’re still dealing with other things, like our hospice seizer, who McKay’s going after with Robby, but not before Hashimi stops him to give him props on the debrief for Louie. I feel like they already got past the lion’s share of territorial dispute issues, and that’s not as easy to do as it seems. Dana, meanwhile, is on task with our assault victim, and while there’s talk of calling in a SANE, we find out that that’s already something Dana is trained for.  A SANE, by the way, or Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, is “a registered nurse with advanced training in forensic examinations, evidence collection, and compassionate care for sexual assault survivors. SANEs provide immediate, trauma-informed care in emergency departments, working with law enforcement to improve, document, and preserve evidence.”  The Pitt, HBO Max. The Pitt takes its time with this case, and honestly, it’s a learning experience for me as a viewer, as to all the careful steps taken to help victims, and the specialized training needed for it. Dana’s got babynurse with her, who will be assisting and learning about the role of a SANE, and at least we hope, will follow in McKay’s footsteps and become a SANE herself, as Dana stresses the importance of more nurses having the training. Remember, it’s the 4th of July, hot as hell in the waiting room, and overcrowded from our Westbridge overflow. But Dana and Babynurse, who we need to start calling by her name, since she’s a wonderful new add to the cast. Nurse Emma Nolan (beautifully portrayed by  Laëtitia Hollard) Now honestly, with literally anyone else but Dana handling this, I’d worry. But there’s no better hands to be in than this woman’s, I’m still sure. And we’re off, with Nolan and Evans en route with our assault victim to a room that’s tucked furthest away from the chaos of the ED as possible, and before Dana begins to work with the victim, she’s sure to let Nolan know that if she’s feeling like she can’t continue to work on this case, she is free to leave when she needs to. Just as they’re about to get our victim settled we find someone in the bed - a night shifter, Dr. Ellis, who gets kicked out of her naptime. We’re out too, back with the deaf patient who we don’t have a good read on yet, mostly because no one’s been able to talk to her - a problem that, it turns out, is pretty common in a real ER, and something that deaf advocates have been adamant about making less common. They’ve got a virtual assistant running, so it’s looking good…until he gets disconnected over and over. We find out our patient has a headache and abdominal pain, but no further questions Santos asks, rather gruffly, if I might add, are able to be answered. To her credit, Santos tries writing to communicate while they wait for an in-person interpreter, but SHE does all the writing, and doesn’t seem to be listening very well to the signals our patient’s giving. And while this might seem like it should’ve been the solution, there are in fact, deaf people who do not read and write in English, and even if they do, for whom it is not their first language, since ASL is.  This is important, because patients have a right to be spoken to about their care in their FIRST language, not just a language that they also speak. We’re gonna be waiting at least the rest of this episode to find out what’s really going on here, and I feel bad for our patient. The Pitt, HBO Max. The rest of our combative college kid, Jackson’s family is now here, and they’re in a similar state of disbelief to his sister, Jada. Javadi and Hashimi are both in with them. Jackson’s parents, Demi and Charles, want to take him home and are absolutely infuriated to find that he’s on an involuntary psych hold, at first.  Dr. Jefferson handles it well though, and lets them know that he’s reported hearing voices, and he’s going to help the family handle whatever is happening together. Hashimi excuses herself, obviously upset, and locks herself in the bathroom. She makes a phone call out to Pittsburgh Neuroscience for an appointment, and this…this is going to be a big deal at some point, I think. She sets an appointment for herself, urgently, as a patient of Dr. Fairgraves. Mckay and Robby, meanwhile, are with our hospice patient, trying to convince her to go home - and I understand why - with the hospital being so busy and her not being critical, beds need to go to other people. But she really doesn’t want to go, and I seriously think there’s more at play here than we’re seeing. At first it’s just McKay and Robby but Robby gets pulled away and now McKay’s in with the family, including the husband, who’s brought the kids. Does that feel a little manipulative of the dad? I’m still so suspicious of him, and I could be wrong, but I don’t like the feels. The Pitt, HBO Max. We’ve come back around to our sexual assault victim, and I think the best thing to do with these portions of this episode are to encourage you to listen carefully to everything Dana says, because she goes in great detail with the patient about what’s going to happen, what her rights are, and most importantly, that it’s up to her how far the exam goes or doesn’t. What I think is most wonderful about the way this is portrayed is that they don’t pull back from it - if it seems invasive, or too intense, they don’t turn the camera away from it - and while at first I found myself thinking the unblinking, un-commented on nature of it all would frighten potential victims out of doing it, knowledge is power, and knowing what will happen before it happens, I think, wins out. Quick cut back to our hospice patient, and we find out that if she doesn’t want to leave, she can have a room upstairs. Ok, that’s what I’m rooting for in this scenario, and I’m so glad she has that option even as the hall space is even filling up. Meanwhile, an officer who’s been shot is coming in. He’s got a neck wound, and he’s incoming with many of his squad members, including Abot (remember him from last season?) who’s a medic in the squad and naturally, he and Robby go way back and have a rapport.  Back in with our assault patient, Dr. Hashimi’s actually doing the rape kit, and again, handling it extremely well, talking the patient and thus the viewers through all the steps. While our patient has mostly wanted to charge forward, she shows hesitation with her legs being touched, and we find out she’s got bruised up shoulders. She also talks a little bit about what happened - she was at a barbecue with friends and was helping set up - but we don’t stay to find out more. The Pitt, HBO Max. King’s now outside, talking to her sister. Her sister’s excited to see her after shift, but is in pain with a bad stomachache, so King encourages her to go see the nurse at her facility, and promises her ice cream and fireworks later that night.  Around this same time, we find out Mohan’s having some family issues herself, and looks quite distressed during her phone call just outside the ER. The Pitt, HBO Max. In this show, you can’t expect to stand in an ambulance bay for anything without a new patient rolling up, and now we’ve got a 17 year old footballer who was at practice and collapsed. Turns out he’s been playing for four hours in all his gear in super hot weather. So, y’know, that’s actually probably not ideal, but this kid’s got major game face, and wants to head back to the field to do more. I don’t foresee that happening, kiddo, and it’s best if it didn’t. Meanwhile, Joy and Ogilvie, my trouble twins, are together and bitching about something. This time they’re hungry. Whitaker, always with the eerily cheerful disposition and all the answers, shoots them a protein bar and tells them to get used to them, as sometimes it’s the only way to get any food during a shift, like it or not. And we’ve got a runner! Our diabetic dad is trying to leave. Man, don’t do this. You’ve got great kids and a great wife. But he’s also got 100k in debt already, and is calculating the additional time. Mohan’s trying to convince him to stay for at least 12 more hours as he’s still got ketones problems, but it really doesn’t seem like he’s gonna stick. Dammit. Dr. Abot is now formally meeting Hashimi, as formally as you can when being introduced as “Gloria’s new hire”  The Pitt, HBO Max. Our football kid’s up next, and we’ve got Joy and Ogilvie engaging in a battle of the differentials, but spoilers, it’s heat exhaustion. Or so we think so far. We’re back with Dana and Evans and our assault victim, and she’s using a blue light on her skin to find forensic evidence to swab, locating some on her wrist, and also taking photos of any visible injuries. Meanwhile, our police officer’s been saved for now by a snazzy maneuver with a neo-natal 02 mask, and he’s headed to surgery. Hashimi, now actually getting to know Abot, pegs him as having spent time in the Middle East and mentions that she worked with Doctors Without Borders there. And, are they flirting? The Pitt, HBO Max. Javadi’s down with her dad - who’s a dermatologist. I’m so sorry Javadi, I’m afraid you’re doomed with parents with crazy high expectations. He’s got a dermatologist he’s set up a meeting for her with, so like…there’s no way you’re gonna please either of them going emergency medicine, which I think she will. Psych is on the way to help our college kid’s family, but should really consider a pit stop with Javadi so she can vent about her parents, because sheesh. But, back with Jackson, we find out that there is a history of mental illness that the parents didn’t tell their kids about, and their uncle, who committed suicide, may have been mentally ill. This causes a blowup and Jada’s out the door, infuriated and wandering the hospital. In with Dana and Babynurse, we’re working on a mouth swab, and trying to convince our patient to eat - but she’s still insisting on motoring through, and if that’s what’s best for her and her mental health right now, it’s what they’ll do. Out in the halls, there’s a heat exhaustion treatment area set up. Langdon’s idea, says King, pointedly at Robby. She also mentions that the upcoming deposition is still killing her. Robby’s seemingly out of his super cranky era, and back to coaching, and he’s reassuring her that she’s one of the very best students he’s ever worked with. I do love a good affirmation, and King looks rightfully reassured that she’s got this. The Pitt, HBO Max. Back with our hospice patient, we’ve got trouble. The husband’s trying very hard to convince Robby that she’s not mentally sound to make the decision, and…again, I have so many red flags popping up here still. It could be a red herring, but… She, being of sound mind, like she has been this whole time, says she wants to stay. One thing that’s been bothering me this whole time is that they rarely talk to her separately from her husband, and it’s still not happening. The father’s still hard core pushing, and I don’t like it one bit. She’s pushing back though, even as her kids crawl all over her, and she says she doesn’t want to be a living ghost in their home - it upsets her oldest son, but it’s a point I can’t get over. While it might be the right choice for some to die at home, she’s thinking of her kids, clearly, and also what she wants - to not have the home filled with memories of her dying, instead just having memories of their life together. It’s to each their own and again, there’s no wrong choice, but at least in my brain, if she’s of sound mind, which she very much seems to be, then she should be the one making that choice. The Pitt, HBO Max. We’ll have to hold that thought though, because there’s a helicopter on the roof with a trauma patient and Robby’s gotta get to going. It’s a boating accident, with a swimmer vs. a propeller. This sounds gnarly, so if gore’s not what you’re here for, I’d get a snack about now. But guess who else is suiting up to meet the helicopter. If you guessed Langdon, you’ve clearly got the same sort of normal vision I do, but this should be interesting. Let’s hash it out guys.  Ok, or let’s not fucking talk at all. OK, they’re talking a little bit Jake’s good? Yay, we’re talking.  Aww, yelling apologies. That’s nice. Aww, we’re yelling forgiveness. This is what we’re here for! Oh no. That took a dramatic left turn when forgiveness turned into Robby saying “But I’m not sure I want you working in my ER ever again.” Fuck. Oh man.  Gotta focus on the patient though. I mean you said some things. Robby gave a rather mean exit to Dr. Al too. This didn’t go as I hoped. King’s here. Oh man. This is fucked. King reminds Langdon about hemocue cuz langdon’s lost his groove. Dammit. Not really fair to him to be on point right after his former friend and current boss said he’s not sure he wants him back even while they’re working on a level 1 trauma together. Ugh. The Pitt, HBO Max. Back with Dana, where things are being handled the way they should be. I kept thinking as I watched this that the entire process was so long, and so much to endure, and I can see the patient’s hands shaking, but Dana. She reminds the patient that what happened to her won’t define her, and that she can talk to the advocates waiting for her but doesn’t have to. Again, not shying away from how this process can be overwhelming, but also showing how you get through it, and what help is available. Santos is still kinda ignoring the actual patient and getting overly heated about the problem - no interpreter. I fear she’s really been fucking up a lot Princess is going to tell her what’s up, and  Hashimi comes to tell Santos she did a good job on theearlier trauma but I fear the accolades might be replaced shortly by problems. One of our heat stroke victims in the hallway starts seizing and Santos is on the job. No apparent trauma but they need to cool him down with ice packs.  The Pitt, HBO Max. Meanwhile Robby and Langdon are fighting over the boat trauma guy, and it’s not really helping anyone, but we’re lucky since he’s gotta go to CT anyway, and away from this whole drama. We’ve got a new guy who ate a salad that’s not agreeing with him and he also needs cooling.  Meanwhile, we found Jada, and Javadi’s trying to talk her down and recruiting her to help with her brother instead of just be mad her parents withheld information.  Meanwhile, we’re in with diabetic dad…oh no. We’re not. It’s Abot. Well, fuck. The Pitt, HBO Max. Also, Abot got shot at, but he of course doesn’t want to get checked in to get treated for a graze so Javadi’s gonna cover his ass. And help with the wound, clearly. We think they’re in the clear until Robby’s beady little eyes dart in on them. So far though, he’s got nothing to say. Abot and Javadi talk about diabetic dad and he offers to pay for the proper supplies to be ubered to his house. The team’s cooling seizing heat guy,  and he’s fine for now The Pitt, HBO Max. Dr. Al and Santos are talking, and she’s a lot easier on her this time, telling her to keep grinding. Footballer goes neuro. And for all the work Dr. Al’s doing  trying to help Santos feel better she's obsessed with charting. She starts charting again, but the baby's crying. She’s not my first pick for this, but Donnie can’t, and there’s no one else so she’s on duty.  The baby’s just cranky, so…gonna have to deal with that. The nurse peaces out to get Tylenol for kiddo, and now they’re alone. “Starting to understand why you got left here.” she quips to our howling infant. Mean Seconds later though, she’s singing to her. In tagalog? Cool. Oh. And the baby loves it.  Awww, we’ve even got a finger grasp. Are we actually nurturing and vulnerable, Santos? Holy shit. Back with the boat guy, we’re all atwitter. Everyone’s on deck, and surgery calls King Sadness, which is funny but mean. Langdon tries to talk to Robby about things but he’s not having it. I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU! Dr. Hashimi gets called to the C-Suite - so that’s weird The Pitt, HBO Max. Santos says she’s a baby whisperer and now she’s in charge of the baby?  Talk about a plot twist. She’s still waiting on an interpreter for her deaf patient at this point anyway.  Now Robby’s nagging Santos about charting. How’s you and Whit, he asks Weirder than you’d expect, she answers. He’s at Amy’s a lot. Wasn’t Amy pregnant? Are they dating? What’s up with the kid? Whit wants to help everyone, she says. But she’s sus he’s being taken advantage of.  Robby says he’s our Huckleberry, which seems like a gentle reminder to Santos to help him not get taken advantage of, but before all that can keep rolling, the boss arrives. Boss in here.  In with McKay -  Her husband wants Robby to order his wife to go home, but Robby aptly reminds him that she’s the one dying and that respecting her wishes is what to do. It’s a gift to let her do this. And he backs off for now, but man, i still don’t like him. Hrgnghghg. Nearing the very last bit of the episode and our deaf patient has an actual interpreter. Ok, I feel a little better. Hopefully all that waiting wasn’t too detrimental. The Pitt, HBO Max. Back with Dana, we’re rounding the bend on this. An advocate is with our patient telling her that she can report any time. They’re about to do a vaginal exam, but it all comes to a screeching halt, with the patient saying she wants to stop. “He’s my friend, he knows all my friends “It was just dumb” “He was drunk and didn’t mean it”  So Dana stops, waits, and cries silently for her.  Santos, meanwhile, turns out to have been sleeping in the bathroom, and when she gets startled awake and pulls her pants up, we can see scars from self harm. Oh no, baby girl. I hope someone can help you with that. The Pitt, HBO Max. Last but not least, hospital CEO Trent Norris arrives. But why? Well, we now find out that the Westbridge code black was due to a cyber attack, and that they’ve been fending them off all day right here at the Pitt. Oh yeah, and everyone’s gonna have to do everything manually now, because they’re just shutting off any sort of computer things they’ve got to deal with this. Can they do that? Another hospital, Good Dominion, has been hit as well, though patients from there are being routed to another hospital.  So, this sucks, and it happens right away. On top of it, Robby’s pissed, because no one consulted him - just Dr. Al.  And, fade to black. In the case of their computers, literally.  2 pm is probably going to be even worse.

Screenshot: Escape from Ever After I wanted to clear some of my early-year backlog as we started to move into the bulk of this year’s releases, and I figured I should finally write about Escape From Ever After . It’s not that I was putting off playing it. In fact, I’ve been steadily putting time into this Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door  clone. Because that’s exactly what it is—and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if it's exactly what you want. When I say it’s a clone of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (TTYD) , I mean it. Swap out TTYD 's badges for trinkets, flower points for mocha points, and star power for synergy, and you’ll see it’s nearly identical. This extends all the way down to the reactive style of attacks and blocks that help you deal more damage or mitigate incoming hits, respectively. It’s not like anyone is trying to hide it, either. The characters are all paper cut-outs, ostensibly to represent their storybook nature. Screenshot: Escape from Ever After Instead of traveling through a Super Mario Bros. -inspired world, each area is a different storybook to explore. And while I thought the game would stick strictly to fairytales (you know, since it's themed that way, named that way, etc.), it actually pulls from a more eclectic list of literary influences, including H.P. Lovecraft and Robert Louis Stevenson. But despite the eldritch horrors and pirate escapades, Escape From Ever After  is a wholesome, cute game that never takes itself or its stories too seriously. It’s not exactly a humorous game (despite some laughs), but it’s definitely a whimsical one. Screenshot: Escape from Ever After As Flynt, you’re on a mission to defeat Tinder the Dragon. However, your quest is interrupted when you’re both captured by Ever After Inc. and forced into their corporate hierarchy. Alongside Tinder, the Big Bad Wolf, Eva from HR, and Patches, you must work together to take down the corporate giant from the inside. To do that, you’ll go on adventures through storybooks as you perform quests to climb the corporate ladder. Gameplay in Escape From Ever After  is a mixture of exploration, bits of platforming and puzzle-solving, and turn-based combat. While you have an entire party of characters, only two are ever active at one time. You can actively swap between characters in both exploration mode and combat as different situations arise. Each character has a specialty that allows them to interact with the environment to progress. Eva can change animals into springy mushrooms to access higher areas, while Tinder can light fires to burn obstacles or light torches. Screenshot: Escape from Ever After Combat in Escape From Ever After  is probably its main draw, and it’s surprisingly addictive. Each character has access to their own set of trinkets that enable different abilities. If an enemy has a shield, for instance, they can block Flynt’s shield throw, but Eva can turn into a frog and snatch the shield away. As I mentioned before, attacking and blocking have a timed element to them. So even though combat is technically turn-based, there is still an active element that requires you to hit a certain button at a certain time, or do a small quick-time event for maximum effect. While the timing windows for these blocks and attacks can occasionally feel a bit strict—a minor gripe in an otherwise highly polished system—landing a perfect parry or executing a massive synergy attack never stops feeling rewarding. It forces you to stay engaged with every single turn, ensuring the combat never devolves into mindless button-mashing, even when you are just clearing out lower-level enemies while exploring. Screenshot: Escape from Ever After Ultimately, Escape From Ever After  knows exactly what it is and who it is for. It wears its Paper Mario  inspirations proudly on its sleeve, but injects enough of its own distinct identity through its clever corporate satire and literary mashups to avoid feeling like a simple retread. Better yet, the adventure clocks in at a highly digestible 20 to 25 hours. It tells its story, delivers its mechanics, and wraps up before it ever has a chance to overstay its welcome—making it the perfect, whimsical palate cleanser before the rest of the year's heavy-hitting releases arrive. If you’ve been chasing the high of classic turn-based RPGs, Ever After Inc. is a company well worth selling your soul to.

Screenshot: Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown If you’re a fan of all things Star Trek, you’ve likely spent plenty of time after rewatching a series wondering how things might’ve turned out if any number of characters made different choices. Thanks to Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown , we get that chance. The meat of the game is resource management, ship maintenance and repair. You’re presented with a cutout side view of Voyager, much like a dollhouse. Near the beginning of the game the ship is mostly a wreck, save for a few critical areas like the bridge, the warp core, and the main deflector. A few other areas of the ship like the mess hall, main shuttlebay, weapons stations, and sick bay are pre-built but offline and require repair. Everything else like cargo bays, crew quarters, engineering offices, science labs, and other areas that keep a starship running become buildable after you return life support to a deck and clear out ruined areas. This gives you a lot of choices for what kind of ship you want Voyager to be, but you must make those carefully, as your choices have consequences. Screenshot: Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown Gameplay is divided into four main quadrants – the cross-section management of the ship, a text based storyline where you’re presented with choices of what you want the crew to do in various situations, hopping around to planets and points of interest scouring for resources and pieces of the plot via a map of procedurally generated star systems, and ship to ship combat that’s mostly automated. Voyager: Across the Unknown  has a very retro feel to it, but as someone who grew up watching Voyager when it aired, played a lot of text-based RPGs, and loved those books, that’s one of its biggest charms. Screenshot: Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown The narrative RPG with choices that move the story forward (or backward, depending on where the bar lands) and mostly automated combat make sitting in the captain’s chair feel real, as it forces you to trust both your crew and your own judgement. For those who’ve watched the show multiple times and have good memories, it makes Voyager’s story that much more enjoyable while also allowing you to chart a different course, should you want to see how things may have played out differently. I ended up with multiple B'Elannas thanks to not having my tech tree upgraded by Faces  (Editor's note: Faces is S1E14's episode which sees normally half human, half Klingon Chief Engineer Belanna Torres being separated into two entities, a full human and full Klingon, by a Vidian scientist) which was a unique and interesting development. You also get to decide how you’d deal with Tuvix. Across the Unknown is at its core, about survival. You’ve got to find and manage multiple resources that can be finite including deuterium to power the ship, duranium to build things, dilithium for both upgrades and warping to new sectors, food, tritanium, and even morale. It can be tricky to strike a harmonious balance between all of these things, making the right decisions for upgrades, warding off random attacks from various enemies, and picking the right heroes for away missions. I’ve destroyed the ship and crew multiple times thanks to asteroid fields, running out of necessary resources before I could obtain more, and faced at least one mutiny. The game isn’t without its flaws, most notably the lack of the option for a manual save. While this seems to be a feature rather than a bug in order to prevent save scumming and increase the difficulty, I found myself having to restart the game entirely from the beginning more than once after being caught in a death spiral. Screenshot: Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown This became a pretty rough slog, as the text based portions of the story have a limited amount of outcomes. While I love and have rewatched Voyager multiple times over the last couple of decades, repeating the same parts of the story just to fix a couple of bad choices not far down the road from Caretaker became tedious. Developer gameXcite though, has said they would address this in an upcoming patch, so hopefully my future playthroughs will go a little more smoothly. It’s fantastic that both Tim Russ and Robert Duncan McNeill reprised their roles to do voiceovers – mostly in the form of log entries – for the game, but it really would’ve benefited if we could’ve had more voiceovers from more actors on the show. In all, Across the Unknown is a very solid game if you’re a fan of Voyager and narrative RPGs, and has plenty of opportunities to revisit more stories in the Delta quadrant. Just be sure to keep on a pot of coffee.

Screenshot: Senara: The Sacrament I’m an absolute sucker for old school survival horror, and based on my time with the Steam Next Fest demo for Senara: The Sacrament , that’s exactly what developer Influsion Inc. is going for. But instead of relying on retro aesthetics, they want to up the scares with "hyper-realistic" graphics that do their best to mimic real life. This isn’t the first look we’ve gotten at the Senara  world. There’s a standalone prologue that was released way back in 2024 called Before the Dawn . If you’ve played that, you’ll be familiar with what Influsion is showcasing here. That means lots of “this door is locked from the other side” and key hunting. The Steam store page promises puzzle-solving and exploration-based design—and I’ve definitely done a lot of exploring on the titular cargo ship. Screenshot: Senara: The Sacrament See, the Senara  isn’t just a normal vessel—it’s a floating ritual site used by a fanatical cult to summon their dark magics. Or something along those lines. It’s really just an excuse to make a scary game set on a massive cargo ship that is surprisingly detailed. I mean, there must be some real maritime enthusiasts at Influsion, because their attempt at “hyper-realism” translates to a hyper-detailed environment. (It turns out, the studio actually used LiDAR scanning and their background in industrial "digital twins" to map a real 1:1 replica of a 6,000-ton ship into the game). And while I hate to criticize a game based on a demo—and an in-development demo at that—I have to assume it's meant to showcase some of the best of what the final product will have to offer. I doubt that’s what this demo does; instead, it puts you at the slow beginnings of a game. Yes, everything looks “real,” but it all ends up feeling very office-casual and modern, which it turns out isn’t very scary. Even when I finally came across evidence of a disturbance and some gore, I just wasn’t feeling the tension. Screenshot: Senara: The Sacrament I can see Senara: The Sacrament  as, potentially, a very scary game. Throw in some great sound design, a bit more suspense, and you have a stew going. But the demo just didn’t convince me this is a game I want to play anymore. Even when a monster was finally revealed, it was underwhelming, with little to no audio to really sell the effect. Screenshot: Senara: The Sacrament I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how Senara: The Sacrament  eventually turns out, but right now, the demo has me feeling like this one might be dead in the water.

The Pitt. HBO Max Well, it’s high noon. Let’s do our recap recap. Back with our deaf friend first. They’ve sure spent a lot of time on combative college kid without us actually knowing why yet, and he’s the second to reappear on our screen. Then we get a glimpse of our malnourished prisoner and our leg disabled hospice patient before we’re with Louie. Oh, Louie.  Other than the recap there’s no time lost between last time and this, and we’re doing compressions on Louie. Langdon and Robby are both seeming frantic but not getting in each others way. Oh wait, I spoke too soon. Louie’s got lungs full of blood. Dammit. The Pitt. HBO Max Our baby nurse is handling lunchers - ones waiting for rooms and ones not admitted, but just as she’s passing by she gets manhandled by someone wanting food. Dana has NONE of it and immediately shoves the assault PSA doc in his face, telling him he’d better comply. She takes baby nurse by Louie’s room, and it’s just in time for everyone to decide there’s nothing that can be done. This hits everyone really hard, and Langdon asks for a debrief, but a motorcycle accident is incoming, and they’re gonna take a minute to clean Louie up before a little gathering to say goodbye. Alawi wants to do the cleanup but she seems very distressed, so Dana tells her to take ten and takes over. We’ve finally got a conscious combative kid, and the psych can actually figure out what’s up. Jackson’s saying that there’s people telling him they don’t want him to pass the bar. Jada’s already in hard denial that this may be a mental health issue so they boot her from the room so the psych has room to work. News of Louie’s spreading, with Alawi letting Nurse Princess know what happened, and Alawi’s going to clean up again. Princess offers to go with her but they’re interrupted, and Alawi heads off alone. A scream comes from another room and it’s hospice seizer. Every time she moves her leg it’s pure agony. This time it’s only herself and Nurse Princess. She makes mention of her husband’s devotion and she’s not as effusive as she was before. 20 years of marriage, and I’m still kind of suspecting there’s something amiss. She mentions that the light left his eyes, and asks Princess how she handles caring for people day in and day out, as she’s emptying her bedpan. Princess just says she goes home and leaves it behind for Love Island. McKay comes in and gives her some ketamine to help with the pain. Our patient asks after her husband, who’s not back yet, and seems relieved to hear he’s not, saying it’s good to have space sometimes. Curious and curiouser. The Pitt. HBO Max Out on the floor Princess is scolding Donnie for his caffeine intake…and spreading the news. It’s taking down the whole staff, as he was such a frequent flier. Debrief in the viewing room is planned for later. Princess tries to fix it with news of a birthday party for Javadi, put on by her and Perlah.  Hashimi’s on task, discussing the prisoner’s condition with King and Mohan. They talk about reasons for the presenting malnutrition up to and including just getting out to medical. The differential for malnutrition is interesting with causes ranging from cancer to adhd meds and more.  Robby checks in on what’s where, and we find out there’s 10 Westbridge patients they’ve taken on so far, with more potentially in the waiting room. He wants to kick the prisoner out after two hours if nothing more happens but Hashimi wants a CT result first.  This could be major fireworks since Robby’s in A MOOD, shall we say, but Dana. The Pitt. HBO Max Can we talk about how Dana basically holds the entire place together? Not only does she route things back to front, regulate dysregulated docs, and look after patients, she also battles dueling egos and handles every major crisis given with the proper amount of smarts and sass. The entire ER would fall apart without her. She delicately gets our prisoner his time in a different room, though it’s closer to the front and has no privacy. Hashimi balks at treating him like a monkey in a cage, but Dana’s got a little more history with it and they err on the side of safety - in sight. Ogilvie gets the news about Louie and it takes him two seconds to shrug it off as just another alcoholic, and it’s just about then that Whitaker comes back…to check on Louie. “He croaked” quips Ogilvie, and I’dve punched him could I have reached him. Whitaker takes off running to the room, and Alawi curses him under her breath. Whitaker’s broken by this, but Langdon’s in the room to help him through it. They find a picture of his wife, and Langdon, being an absolute angel, offers Whitaker the job to call the wife - which I think is actually really nice, but Whitaker declines.  He calls the number he has but it leads to Dana’s desk, sadly. They were his family. Alawi’s still about to go in and get his body ready, but Dana’s back to taking her off the job, offering up our baby nurse instead to learn. The Pitt. HBO Max The interpreter’s at the desk too, saying it’s too busy and she’s gonna need a hand. Apparently there’s a girl who’s been here 5 hours who never heard her name being called because deaf. We find out here that Princess knows six languages, one of which is rusty ASL, but she’s not sure she can help. After a little back and forth in a few languages to brag to each other, we’re off to work. Dana’s super mad when she sees a bunch of donuts coming in, despite everyone else’s excitement. At one point she even calls them blood donuts, so when Donnie comes at her with one in his teeth she’s quick to quip “et tu, Donnie?” I mean, I get her point. They’re not paying more, they’re not protecting more, but they will send donuts. It’s the pizza party problem we all know too well in our day job desk lives. With Dana at full crank, we get a stunt biker in costume who fell off a pyramid, and Dana’s recruiting Robby to join his circus since there’s an opening. My god I love this woman. He was wearing a helmet and seems bothered to be fussed over, but that’s usually when they start bleeding and dying rapidly, so let’s just wait and see. Robby asks for Whitaker to pull him out of Louie’s room for a while and give him a break from the trauma and now we’re seeing a glimpse of the doctor we know instead of the one we wanted to slap in the face last episode. Santos is half asleep trying to hear Whitaker out, but it’s better they both get the boot.  The Pitt. HBO Max Dana and baby nurse are about to get to cleaning Louie up. I can’t say I’m looking forward to this, but again, Dana’s three thousand percent the person you’d want to help you through something like this. Katherine LaNasa pulls off subtle emotion beautifully and you can see the sorrow bleeding through the instructions and steady working hands.  Baby nurse asks the questions no one usually does - does he have family? What happens if no one claims him? When they go to roll him he makes a noise, scaring poor babynurse, but it’s not a miraculous resurrection -just a fact of life. Or a pain in the ass, as Dana characterizes it in this particular instance.  Santos and Whit and Joy and Alawi and …well, most everyone, is busy with motorcycle guy and so far he’s a good teaching case but nothing catastrophic seems evident.  The Pitt. HBO Max Back with the prisoner, the jaw is broken but everything seems straight other than the malnutrition. He won’t be able to eat anything solid for a few weeks and you can see why that’ll be a huge issue. The guard is still in there while they’re quizzing him about nutrition and yet another system falls apart in front of u s. Once we roll motorcycle guy we find a big gash. So he’s off to surgery. This gives Robby the chance to check up on leg lady, and unfortunately, she’s getting an above the knee amputation. That.sucks . Robby also uses this moment to check in with Whitaker on Louie, and Whitaker tells him about some past trauma with people like Louie - an uncle who drank himself to death. This is gonna be rough on him. He offers a listening ear and I’m gonna hope Whit takes him up on it. We find ourselves in a break room, as if anyone takes a break, and Langdon’s there with Dana, who’s avoided blood donuts but is after a drink. Langdon’s depressed as hell, and says he basically got nut punched on his first day back, but Dana says it’s not his fault. He asks if she was gonna quit, and you can see he’s thinking about it. He’s also thinking about amends, and Dana makes it blissfully easy on him, reminding him of his good wife and worth. Dammit. Someone peeling onions. I see a bowl in front of our new patient Rocky so I’m intentionally looking away, because no to that. He’s evidently been in a hot dog eating contest and like, no, I do not want to see this happening. So, you watch that at your own leisure. Al Hashimi’s up with King and Santos and they want to keep the prisoner in a bed for a few days to help with malnutrition. Robby’s uncharacteristically cold towards this. He says with Westbridge, full beds and psych full they can’t take him on, but they compromise with having Robby call the prison doctor to discuss.  The Pitt. HBO Max Princess catches Dr. Al up on our combative college kid and it’s as bad as you’d think. He’s been experiencing auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions for months, and they’re calling his parents while his sister tries to talk with him and come to terms with what’s happening herself. Back with Mrs. Hamler, who we’ve been calling the hospice seizer, we’re checking on her pain. They’re saying they can let her go back into home care, and she’s resisting, saying the husband needs a break. I really hope that someone’s taking the hint I think she’s giving. She even tries to send him ahead to get the house ready. The death doula receives what she’s relaying and he actually does get out. And we leave this room for Donnie with a hallway patient. They love the in-episode cliffhanger. Princess is all over this episode, and now she’s in with our deaf friend, trying to sign with her. Her name is Harlow, and she has a headache, stomach ache and may have passed out. But we’re not 100 percent because she can’t quite grasp it all.  Back to motorcycle acrobat and Robby’s bonding over bikes. He’s got a collar coming off, and they’re doing further assessments. A nurse walks through casually dropping the knowledge all the other little doctors were gonna have to fight to come up with, and who is that girl. Back with our barfing boy, it just keeps coming. This is not my episode. You guys watch it. Santos escaped the room with our biker, and they’re injecting the open lac on the biker’s nee with fluorosceine, which, COOL! It’s glowing! If stuff glows there’s a leak. Nurse knows all the things is on the case and they debate a little about giving him penicillin as he’s had a reaction to amoxicillin in the past, but they go with the nurse and hang it anyway, with benadryl and epi on standby. Babynurse and Dana are having Louie looking much better, but there’s more work to do, something that surprises babynurse. But dried blood on the face, neck and hands can be triggering and as Dana notes, “if anyone comes, they shouldn’t have to see that.” She mentions that local unhoused sometimes come to pay respects and gives more instruction including to leave out one arm out of the sheets, so loved ones can hold their hand. Again with the onions. Turns out Robby and the death doula are thick as thieves, and the morphine pump is delayed. McKay asks if they should keep her a little longer, but Robby says they can give her a BIG PILL and send her on her way.  The Pitt. HBO Max Surgery’s down on the ER floor and angry. They’ve got an ileus that had an appendectomy no one reported and now they they’re headhunting Santos.  She blames the AI tool for hallucinating a false appendectomy and now Hashimi’s taking the heat, but surgery is PISSED with a capital...well, you can see. Dr. Santos is easy breezy despite it all. Perlah comes by with a 5 hour energy but I don’t think sleepiness i gonna be what gets her in the end. Whitaker is teaching on stitching and procedure, but Donnie has a recommendation, and he gets out of the way to let him shine, since as a triage nurse, he does more stitches a day than probably any of the rest of them. Up close stitching. Another thing I’m trying not to see. Donnie was an early favorite, and it’s really nice to see them tapping him in as an expert for the doctors in training to learn from.  Back with another consummate professional, Dana’s helping babynurse get Louie to his “sorta” final resting place and baby nurse asks the big question: “What’s the hardest part of this job?’ I think, probably, she’s staring it down, but I’m not the literal best person at this job ever, so let’s see what Dana says. She mentions it being thankless, and that’s something we can pay forward as viewers to the real world nurses who feel unthanked, so let’s make that a takeaway. Maybe it wasn’t the hardest question. She asks why she keeps coming back, and Dana can’t answer. Listen, my entire world folds if Dana leaves this show, so…let’s hope she has an answer eventually.  Back on the floor, Robby and Hashimi are having it out over our prisoner. The med staff is saying everything’s great, but she doesn’t want to send him. Hashimi doesn’t keep her cool when Robby says it’s not about social justice, and I honestly am on her side on this. THe prison hasn’t taken care of him and the difference can be made if he stays. She even brings up Digby. I hope this isn’t over, for this prisoner’s sake. Jada’s talking to Princess and Javadi about her brother, and I guess his girlfriend got in touch, and wants to see him. Jada’s parents have a ton of questions and she's melting down. Javadi makes the mistake of saying that something’s wrong with him, and she loses it. Princess takes her somewhere quiet and cradles her while she cries. This is a truly tragic case. The Pitt. HBO Max We’re finally back with abandoned baby, who’s smiling and taking formula. Hashimi almost kills the mood when she says the kiddo’s too young to smile, but then concedes parents report kids as young as 4 weeks smiling socially. It’s a nice give. Meanwhile, Dana meets prisoner, and they’re from the same part of town, and even know the same bars.  Donnie ducks into the room with our motorcycle guy, and Joy and Whitaker get props for a great job finishing out the stitches, and a little advice to add a neoprene sleeve. Love to see the teamwork. He reveals to our guy that they’re first week, and while Ogilvie effusively blurts out that he thinks he was born to do this, Joy literally buzzes out and says she wants to do pathology cuz she likes medical mysteries but isn’t great with people. I mean, we did notice. But now I’m gonna miss her a little.  Motor acrobat wants a smaller splint so he can ride. Don’t they all. Whitaker’s like “no.” He promises not to fall again but Whitaker’s not buying it. Robby’s called in because his pulse ox is down to 85%, and he’s gonna have to stay. Who was there? Not Dana the whole time. Definitely. It’s fine. Don’t dwell. The Pitt. HBO Max Our hospice seizer is about to leave. She can’t leave. She wants to stay. FINALLY. She said the words.  Robby did catch Dana, and he’s really pulling at her to tell him what she did, but again, SHE DID NOTHING. Babynurse and Langdon meet up and he asks how it’s going. She says pretty good, hasn’t killed anyone yet…and then realizes who she’s talking to and what he’s been through today.  Well, we all learn about sticking our foot in our mouth. Luckily Langdon’s easygoing about it, cuz, and I reiterate, I don’t think he’s a bad guy.  She also admits she’s a little afraid of Dana, but Langdon assures her she’s just tough on the outside, and warm and gooey inside. I mean, aren’t we all? But like, literally? The Pitt. HBO Max It’s time for the debrief for Louie, and I’m not emotionally prepared. Dana stays back but most everyone else heads in. Ogilvie’s just hanging outside the door. It's a decent memorial service, with everyone sharing memories of him. We find out Robby knew his wife. Or at least knew of him, and knew a lot more about him to boot. Turns out, he did change his ways for a bit, when his wife got pregnant, and when she and the baby died in an accident, went back down. It’s a horrible story, and one that goes to show you never know what’s going on behind the scenes, or what someone’s struggling with.  With that said, if you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Remember to reach out. Remember that you deserve help, and have worth.  And that’s our show, until next time.

The Pitt. HBO Max Westbridge is code black. Ok.  Back to a feature on “Do we like Dr. Al” and my answer, five episodes in, is now yes. Is she a little tightly wound and a little too forward? Sure, but I think she’s a good foil to Robby, and a good resource for new doctors. I think we’ll keep her. We’re reminded, though, Santos hates her. The Pitt. HBO Max Westbridge is code black. Ok.  Back to a feature on “Do we like Dr. Al” and my answer, five episodes in, is now yes. Is she a little tightly wound and a little too forward? Sure, but I think she’s a good foil to Robby, and a good resource for new doctors. I think we’ll keep her. We’re reminded, though, Santos hates her. Combative college kid is also a main focus of our recap…and oh no, Louie gets a feature.  We bring back up the transfer, and our diabetic dad with the GoFundMe, and then one more look at the infected lady from the end of last episode. Ok, these are the things to watch for, I suppose.  Robby’s in our leg case, and he’s giving shady looks to Langdon even though he didn’t (seemingly) do anything wrong sending this lady away the first time and telling her to keep an eye on it. Dana puts them in Trauma 2 and Langdon actually asserts himself with Robby, saying he’s coming with, and gets slapped with a cold “Suit yourself.”  Ugh. Robby, you let nothing go. Dana asks if Santos wants to go too, but she’s busy charting…until she gets interrupted by Whitaker, who’s of course, worried he did something wrong. Santos is not having this conversation, and so he goes away. But hey, she’s also taking King’s advice and dictating. We find out she’s 20 charts behind. Dana presses her to go in Trauma 2 and she begs her not to so she can finish charting, but with all the moxie of a head nurse who’s great at what she does, she gets sent packing to help, since they’re not just dealing with their patients, but also Westbridge’s. The Pitt. HBO Max Ogilvie strolls by and gets his assignment, and uh oh, still looks like he’s got too much hubris. We’ll see.  Diabetic dad’s angry and trying to go home, despite his family and the doctors and nurses begging him not to. Joy’s looking on, and hmmm…maybe she’ll do something brilliant here.  Back at leg lady, we’ve got Langdon, Robby and Hashimi in one room with an agitated Santos. What could go wrong? She gets a call while they’re talking to her about her diagnosis, and the boss is giving her a hard time. Robby ungloves, takes the phone, and in a very badass moment, says that if the boss fires her, he’ll sue. Can he do that? Doesn’t matter, seems convincing to everyone else in the room. Outside that room, we meet up with Jada, yelling guy’s sister. They ask if she’s eaten, and she hasn’t. She doesn’t want to leave but they convince her to to get some rest, after assuring her that if she feels her brother was mistreated that she should pursue that. Now we’re with Ogilvie and he’s got an old lady with stomach pain. Santos is on it, too, and she picks up that she takes percocet sometimes, where he just picked up that she did occasionally, and she admits she took it a few times last week. She can’t poop, no matter what. Ogilvie gets tasked with the differential and he orders an x-ray. He thinks of a few things it could be but ultimately Santos fills in the blanks. They don’t seem in competition here, which is a nice change. The Pitt. HBO Max On the other hand, Robby and Langdon are a mess in the same room, even for the brief moment we meet them outside the door. Robby’s on another case though, with a woman who hit her head - or didn’t. She’s definitely seizing though, and there’s gonna be more to the story. An assault victim comes in from a Westbridge re-route and we’re starting to see the impact of that code black hard core. He’s also a prisoner and needs to remain cuffed while treated. Hashimi’s presiding here, and King’s got a problem with the cuff. Dude’s gotten stomped, and has a mandible fracture. And some rib fractures.  Langdon and Robby are having it out a little because leg lady’s infection’s still spreading. The nurse in the room says the meds could still be working but Robby’s not having it. Taking a sidebar we find that she’s severely septic, but Langdon’s defensive because at 7 am, that’s not what it looked like,and of course, he’d be in this situation right now. I can’t blame the defensiveness. Dr. Al and Robby meet up in a side room and have a rather normal consult. Ok. Well, there’s hope for everyone. Robby then heads to Dana’s desk to check in on the baby and she’s of course checking to see if he’s made up with Langdon.  Back at the betting, we’ve added “sinkhole.” That’s a long shot. Langdon gets asked but can’t play,and they’re really cool about it after he tells them it’s due to rehab bills. Sinkhole was a double down, so what does our favorite dad nurse know? Santos sits down to chart and Dana’s got her headed to a new room. She again protests, and again, gets shut down by “D” as she called her, but at least she respected it.  Her and Ogilvie head off and now we’re with Louie. Langdon’s ordering Librium for pain for him, but Whitaker steps in and says he’ll put in the order. Ouch. To be fair, as he said, he’s the attending for Louie, but that has to hurt. Langdon tries to catch up with Robby for a moment who snubs him, again. And now we find that Santos is still charting and just supervising Ogilvie. The same Ogilvie who screwed up today and doesn’t catch everything. He’s not giving good bedside manner, and the relationship’s officially combative now. Our seizing woman is a hospice at home cancer patient, and her husband seems really, really on top of things. They find a lot of bruising on her legs and there’s definitely a lot of concerned looks being shot between Mohan and McKay.   The Pitt. HBO Max Our social worker is now with our diabetic dad, and the bad news kills me. The best they can do is 60/40 split, and we know that’s not really a thing that’s gonna work for them. He apologizes to his daughter finally, and they go over the reality of the hospital’s “help” - the bill will likely be over 100k and they’ll be on the hook for 60 of it. If that’s feasible for you, good, but for most of us, that’s catastrophic Dad’s definitely a flight risk again. Everyone wants him to stay but…Joy.  She says it’d be cheaper to admit him to med-surg instead of the ICU, and …they’re working on it. This might be clutch, and I might like Joy now. Interesting. Food poisoning’s out, Louie’s out to the liquor store, Robby presumes, and things are moving. I kinda forgot Robbie and our social worker are dating. She asks Dana what his deal is, and she…does not approve of the hot goss she spills trying to figure out why he always needs a distraction. But she does agree he needs some peace. Ogilvie’s back with a lung x-ray and his latest patient has active TB. Which he thought was pneumonia, and which she wasn’t there until later to diagnose, so now he’s gotta sign in as a patient because he’s potentially infected, and we’re calling public health. I really feel like she’s not getting out of this with a smile and a slap on the wrist. Santos, we were rooting for you. We were all rooting for you! Ogilvie is freaked out, but Santos, learning nothing, is right back to charting. We’ve got a new kid. He’s got a dry ice burn? This oughta be a good story. They were trying to brand each other? Ugh. So that’s new,and dumb.  Hashimi and Langdon hash it out (I’m so sorry) in the hall and she welcomes him back after he says that it doesn’t seem like Robby wants him here. I think she’s doing a good job, in this case, because that chip on Robby’s shoulder is enormous, and you’d think there’d be some empathy for a friend.  We like our characters with flaws, but I wish this would wear away. The Pitt. HBO Max Back to our prisoner, other than the mandible he’s seeming ok. I mean, other than the rib fractures. He’s in a lot of pain, but there’s a question as to whether he should be admitted or not. The cuffs are an issue for Whitaker, too, who’s now calling for them to come off so they can administer painkillers. The poor security guy is just following protocol though, and no one seems too happy with him. He talks to Mohan about his decision with Langdon but gets interrupted. Our waitress is not improving, and she’s about to go to surgery. She’s actively getting worse while Robby’s trying to break it to her that it’s no small issue. Her BP is dropping and her O2 sats are getting worse. This is not looking good, and they might need to intubate. He tells the nurse to prep for it but not ask Langdon. But Dana…and OH MY GOD I love Dana, chews him out for it outside, and tells him Langdon did absolutely everything Robby himself would’ve done. Meanwhile, our open dislocation comes back in, hungry, but otherwise not looking crazy.  Robby checks in with Dana to see if she knows what’s up at Westbridge, but so far no one does. The charge nurse there isn’t responding and after quizzing Hashimi, it seems no one at all knows what happened. They discuss active cases, and then Hashimi calls him out for treating her like a resident. So, she turns the tables and asks for his report on his current patients.  The Pitt. HBO Max Back to our hospice seizer, the hospice nurse arrives, and actually, she’s a death doula. You can see the skepticism of the doctors, but they don’t air it. Lena’s in a lot of pain, and it seems like there’s more to come. And now we’re peeling skin off a kid. Oh, man. His older brother is here, and he’s the one who did it to him. Jeeeez. They all watch the video and giggle like idiots, though.  I think we’re back in with our waitress, whos’ fully down for the count. Oh yep, this is it. Surgery is fresh out of med school, two weeks again. Robby sends him away- which is very un Robby like. He asks for a grown-up. Do I have to start actively not liking him? Whitaker and King are working with the assaulted prisoner, and it’s not going well. His skin is super fragile and even with Hashimi’s guidance it’s still difficult. Robby’s lurking, but not useful. Ogilvie’s back with a report on the TB case. Santos is really leaving him hanging here, and I still can’t shake the feeling the consequences for her will be dire. Hopefully not for Ogilvie too, because I feel for him. She’s got stats that this is normal, but she’s got no sympathy for him, and it should’ve been her too. Back to constipated grandma, he’s got this one too. Man, Santos. You’re on the shit list. And you should be, literally. Back with diabetic dad, he’s able to be transferred. We’re at 35K and then with the cost share, 20K. It’s better than nothing. But it’s still not how it should be. Joy gets the thanks she deserves from the social worker and Mohan unwraps a little of the tightly wound Joy, who reveals that she had the idea because she had to help her uninsured grandparent get care. The Pitt. HBO Max Back with our hospice seizer, who’s got morphine on tap, and they’re discussing DME - shower chairs, wheelchairs, etcetera. The husband’s skeptical they can get all that but the death doula’s on it so she can be comfortable. Now we’re back with Santos, who’s sadistically putting Whitaker in the position to unblock her manually. He tries to object, but ultimately goes for it, and now Ogilvie’s got to do the same. Santos recommends Miralax, and you can tell they’re gonna be here for a while. Unless I’m immediately proven wrong, which I am, and gross. Robby’s hounding even regular surgery, and when she asks for a CT, he not only says there’s no time, but throws iodine at it and slices it open to prove his point. He’s kinda unhinged, and I’m not loving it. The Pitt. HBO Max Now Robby’s interrupting Santos and Hashimi discussing charting to rant about how AI is going to mean they work more hours for less pay. Someone super peed in his Cheerios today. Hashimi stands up for herself gracefully. She asks about the septic patient while Robby gets THE glare from surgery, and catches up with Santos. In the hall, someone’s trying to give a patient a few brews, but Dana lurks and confiscates it. Robby takes a beer saying he knows someone who could use a drink, and it’ll be a parting gift. Bro. The Pitt. HBO Max Hashimi’s in with our prisoner, who’s stitched up, and has some weird labs from apparent malnutrition. They’re going to run some more tests to see what’s up.  Our hospice seizer’s gotta pee and wants to walk to the bathroom, but when they try to spin her, the pain is too much.  We’re back in with Louie, and…he pulled off his pulse ox and doesn’t have a pulse. I knew it. Langdon and Robby are side by side doing compressions, and that’s where we fade out. Damn. Not looking forward to this next hour.

The Pitt on HBO Max. Ok, medical drama lovers. It’s 10 am in Season 2 of The Pitt. That means we’re getting in the swing of things. Episode 4 is full to the brim with everything we love, so let’s do a soft recap recap and then just forge forward. We go back a few episodes to our abandoned baby as the lead in that recap - so there’s definitely more to the story, and that hopefully means we’re gonna find out what Al-Hashimi has against (or for) babies.  The Pitt on HBO Max. It’s not always easy to tell what’s in real time and what’s not. Diabetic dad’s kiddo, who’s a gem, is waiting on their mom, who has to take several buses to get to the ER. Quick reminder that Dr. Al’s new, revisiting our eyelash girl looking for a doctor who doesn’t exist, and yelling kid, then the Westbridge code black that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg for yet.  “I should’ve left last night” says Dr. Robby. Oh, sweetie. We knew you couldn’t leave. Now we’re solidly in the present, because we’re watching the betting start on why the code black happened. I really like that they do this, and not only do it but heavily endorse it, because at least from what I know of the ER and medical profession at large, you need a stress reliever, and you need camaraderie.  Though she DOES “at my old school (the VA) we never” she’s ultimately game, which…props! Robby’s got flooding, 3 hours and 20 patients, and she’s got flooding 4.5 hours, and 30 patients. Oooo. Let’s see what develops. Dana asks if Robby wants to move Langdon out of triage and basically on board for the main event, and Robby refuses. This grudge is gonna take longer to wear away, I guess.  The Pitt on HBO Max. Much like a stubborn eyelash glue that our girl’s got mineral oil on. She’s pissed, cuz she’s been there for 2 hours and nothing’s come of our oily solution.  In the waiting room we find yelling college kid’s sister, who’s eager to get in, and back in the ER proper. We're with our  - are we supposed to assume junkie - who’s deaf, and we’ve got no real idea why she’s there. Langdon’s with someone who’s got a high fever and low 02 and just wants to work, but he tells her to look forward to a long weekend recouping. Back at the desk, Trudy, Santos and Curly are talking shit - to and about each other. Dana breaks it up but Al Hashimi catches Santos to not so politely remind her she’s behind on charting and could repeat this year of residency if she doesn’t catch up. Now outside, the same group tries to go back to some Dr. Al gossip but at least one of them thinks better of it. We’ve got a belly and chest pain rolling in in the ambulance bay. Our belly pain ate bad chilaquiles, perhaps? Is it ever that simple? And also, bad chilaquiles? May we never. The Pitt on HBO Max.   Our chest pain guy seems religious and ready to die, which we hate to see. He also has Santos competing to know the most, this time with Whitaker, and a bonus ambulance featuring a bloody 20 something who fell through a skylight and is unresponsive. He’s got a videographer in tow, who says they were parkouring. Ogilvie’s spouting stats no one cares about, Joy’s on his case about it, and they turn to this as the main trauma. McKay’s also on the case with Robby overseeing. They didn’t notice our videographer was still filming and when they try to get her out she’s belligerent, stating they’ve gotta get it for their 4th of July Tiktok. Kids today. It seems mostly like Ogilvie’s getting in the way and bothering people today, and he bumps straight into McKay as she’s attending to the patient and ordering an intubation before a CT since the patient’s unresponsive. He asks if he can perform the procedure, and Robby tasks her with teaching him. Of course, he already knows what he’s doing, so they sit back and watch. We think. Santos and Whitaker are at the same computer and Santos is over how close he is. When she walks away though, he grabs the paper off the station and orders further testing. Meanwhile, Al Hashimi’s meeting up with yelling college kid’s sister, and she’s freaking out learning he was so belligerent and had to be tased, saying it’s not like him at all. This might get interesting, and I’m looking back to the legal codes he was yelling last week to try to guess what really happened. The Pitt on HBO Max. Now, Whitaker’s with Robby showing him the abnormalities on that chest pain guy he wants to do additional testing on and he signs off on it, so at least we know he’s learned a little better than to just do it without consultation. Dr. Mohan’s meeting up with our diabetic’s wife, and she seems amazing. There’s a very small moment where she mentions how busy they are where you can see the through line between the ER and the crush of retail or foodservice, and I love that. There are front lines everywhere.  Then we’re back to the crushing reality of the US healthcare system instantly. She, despite working hard and her husband working hard - has no insurance and can’t afford the care her husband needs in the ER. Dr. Mohan sets her up with social work and man, do I hope someone can help her. We’re back with a chest pain guy, who’s sweaty and intent on dying, despite Whitaker’s workings. And then Langdon’s in the weeds with our eyelash girl, who either has to wait 2 weeks for a second eye to open or who has to relent to having half her eyelash trimmed. She’s got a party tonight and of course, can’t be seen like this.  The Pitt on HBO Max. Back with Whitaker’s Samba, he’s been right all along and it’s the worst kind of heart attack. Now everyone’s in the room and that quick thinking and prep Whitaker did may have saved this guy.  King is talking with Santos outside the room about if she’s ever had patients flirt with her, and I mean, weird person to ask. Also, weird to be smiling about it considering he ran you over, girl.  Our virus having overachiever needs a chest x-ray and it seems like Santos is missing something obvious King is trying to get her to look at. Hmmm.  The Pitt on HBO Max. Meanwhile Joy’s picking glass out of our skylight guy and is acerbic as ever. I mean, it’s not a great gig, but like…can we just be anything but sour for a minute, girl? She cuts herself on one of the shards and since that’s blood exposure, she’s not only off the case, but is currently her own case. You can imagine Suzy Sunshine being all excited about that.  There’s new people coming in from Westbridge, and Hashimi asks again if they can pull Langdon in. Robby says no, again, because it’s his first day back (do we believe that’s why?) and they weigh in on the bet again. Dr. Al seems downright flirty with Robby, offering to buy him a drink with her winnings. Also confident she’s right and it’s going to be worse than he says. So, let’s see. Dr. Mohan’s back with Jada, the college guy’s sister, and they’re discussing whether to call her parents. She says they should. He’s got a normal CT and normal blood and urine, so she’s thinking of a spinal tap. That seems extreme. I wonder if we’re going too far here. She’s gonna check with Dr. Al though so we’ll see what happens. The Pitt on HBO Max. McKay’s back with her admirer from last week, who broke his butt. I mean, that’s not the medical term, but it is what happened. He’s still trying to charm her on his way out. He’s worried about his social calendar, and actually distraught that he’s going to be down for the count with the ladies for six weeks. He pushes back, and she says they can do a procedure to push the pieces back in place, but it’ll hurt really badly.  Her other admirer across the way, and he’s pretty much fine, with a sprain. But he’s also pretty much FINE, and working his charms. Just when it looks like they’ll part as patient and doctor and that’ll be it, she turns around and asks him to check out some art galleries together. Why am I already rooting for this, taboo though it may be? It’s Louie! Whitaker and Ogilvie are in with him, and he’s a grumpy Gus because his tooth is kiling him and the whole side of his face is numb. He needs a tooth pulled, so he’s waiting for social at this point. Everyone’s missing Dr. Collins, the former social worker, and honestly, me too. They’ve kept him around so long that I’m scared for him and simultaneously will be sad to see him go. Back with our diabetic and his family - social work is saying they’re just over the poverty line so it’s not as easy as all that, and the best option would be to buy private insurance. The daughter overhears, and this cannot go simply from here. The Pitt on HBO Max. Our new nurse is in Dana’s hands, and she’s doing an IV on Joy. Oh man Dana, you’re really not taking it easy on her. It goes well until she drops the vial of blood. Oh no, poor girl.  Back with Mr. Skylight and his video team, he’s gonna be fine. Or wait, he’s not, since there’s major bleeding suddenly. Things are rarely ever this simple. Bleeding from teh back. Our videographer is majorly concerned.  It’s a little piece of glass. And Ogilvie causes a HUGE problem when he pulls it out. See, this is where hubris gets you kid. Now it’s a full blown bloody emergency. Santos and King are back out in the hall and Santos still isn’t getting what’s going on with their flu person. Her aspiration pneumonia is leading King to believe it’s an ED, but Santos just didn’t have the light turn on for it. The Pitt on HBO Max. Al Hashimi is in with Jada, and psych is also in with him. And not happy about it, because he’s still sedated - so there’s nothing he can do. Weird way to meet a new character, but it shows how eager Mohan is, at least. Back to our now major bleed and they’ve got the glass out and are getting the bleeding under control, but Ogilvie looks really traumatized. Understandable. Perhaps this will tamp down this kid’s hubris. Luckily, the worst seems over for now. Robby gently re-emphasizes why you don’t remove a foreign body and you let surgery do it, and Ogilvie looks like a puppy who just got scolded.  Our psych meets up with Robby and Robby’s not super enthused about it. He brings up the motorcycle crash, and Robby’s on the defensive immediately without Jefferson (our psych) even trying to get anything out of him. He gets congratulated on saying Fuck, and says therapy must be working - he’s gone through two therapists and Jefferson’s trying to get him to get another one before or during his sabbatical. Oh yeah, you can try, but that doesn’t seem super likely. “Motorcycle trip is zoom therapy.” Yeah. Ok. Whitaker wanders over towards security and lays down 40 for power outage. Langdon’s in with our eyelash horror, and trimming hasn’t gotten that eye open. She’s demanding Dr. J again. Um…oh my God. It’s Javadi. On Tiktok. Delightful. McKay’s shoving pieces of butt back where they belong, and our charmer’s got choice words about it, but hey, it worked! One repaired old man butt.  The Pitt on HBO Max. Back to flu lady, King’s trying really hard to be gentle about her suspicions that she’s got an eating disorder. Santos…is trying to be gentle, but she’s always got that hard edge.  She goes to look at her teeth and as King suspected, the worn enamel is present, so we’ve got confirmation that this might actually be what she’s thinking.  Langdon summons “Dr. J” and reveals his knowledge of her “fame” introducing her to her fan/patient, Willow. Ball’s in her court now. She jumps in with the added confidence that this girl believes in her, and…does the same thing he was doing, cutting up even higher on the lash. She seems a little cocky about her fandom, even. Willow’s eye pops open and she asks if she can still wear fake eyelashes. Let’s see what backlash she receives if not. Our diabetic dad admits that he’s only been using partial doses of insulin because he’s not able to afford it without his work insurance, which he also hasn’t been able to afford. Honestly, this is the most traumatic part of this episode so far, because it’s a reality for so many. His daughter pops in and she’s set up a GoFundMe to raise money for him - it’s been successful but her dad shouts it down and sends her out of the room. I really hope he comes around, or social work comes through. Or both. Langdon and Louie get a little bit of alone time since the confession, and they’re like a set of old friends, talking kids, dogs and family. Even lawn care advice. Ok, I’m really getting attached to Louie and I feel like this show’s waiting for me to fall for him so they can kill him off. Robby sees him in with him, and he’s’ not particularly happy about it, but passes up the confrontation.  Al Hashimi stops to tell him that he’s off triage and on the floor.  She also affirms his decision to go with the Physician’s Health Program during his rehab. Dana sees Robby looking on, and tries to reason with him about Langdon. She’s, per usual, right on. Knowing they were close and that it was gonna be hard. She tries to reason with him, and tell him there was a callout,and maybe it’s time to clear the air, but…Robby’s not there. Maybe sometime soon. King and Santos are dealing with our ED patient, who finally admits that she has a problem. She explains how central food is in her family and how hard it is to avoid triggers with them. As someone from a big Polish family where food is never off the table, I can relate, and I think a lot of people can, which is why I’m glad The Pitt is handling this so gracefully. It’s not just a teen problem, a white problem,a  privilege problem, or even just a woman problem. So many people have dysfunctional relationships with food for so many reasons and it’s okay to ask for help.  Dr. King drives that point home and really opens up, admitting she had a problem with it, too, but Santos waves her off to go back to her charting. King never really takes the “go away cues” on time, but ends up helping a little by telling Santos to dictate to go faster. Whitaker pops up and reports back on Samba, mentioning he had the posterior STEMI and caught it. This immediately sets Santos off and she calls him Fuckleberry before peacing out. That’s…honestly kinda mean. Not cool. A nurse tells Langdon one of his patients is back, and she’s …very back, with a raging infection. They suspect MRSA or worse. I can’t recall why she came in in the first place, but…that’s all folks! We’ll have to scrub in again next week. And Louie better be okay!

via. Marvel.com The latest show out of the MCU has been a critical success. But something about it has been knocking around in my head. I know most of the praise is definitely deserved. Wonder Man  is a very character-driven story, buoyed by the genuinely fantastic interactions of Sir Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams. Watching these two bounce off of each other is electric. Their chemistry is so potent that it retroactively makes Trevor Slattery a welcome part of the MCU. There was even a "redemption" of sorts for the whole Mandarin thing. Trevor isn’t just a punchline here; he’s integral to the heart of the series. But again, despite some of the best character work Marvel has produced in Phase 6, something nagging kept knocking inside my skull. No, it’s not that awful Doorman episode with Josh Gad. Which is proof that Disney just can’t stop meddling in potentially nice things. It was so tonally off that it felt like it came from a completely different show. As bad as that was, it worked as a way to juxtapose the "Bad MCU" (forced whimsy) and the "Good MCU" (actual character work). But I digress. via Marvel.com As good as the performances are, the series exposes a frustrating insecurity in modern comic adaptations that I feel Wonder Man  only amplifies: the belief that a character can’t be "grounded" unless you strip away everything that made them a superhero in the first place. I never understood this. If you take Superman, for instance, one of the most compelling parts of that character is his anchor to his humanity despite  being an alien. I know comic accuracy is a sticking point for some people. I understand, because it can be for me, too. If you have a character you love adapted to a new medium, it’s exciting to see that  character—not an amalgamation or a retelling. For a more obscure character like Wonder Man, it’s almost a guarantee that details will be rearranged. I’m not saying the show would be better if it was strictly comic-accurate, but I am saying that you can tell a grounded, human story even with fantastical elements. via Marvel.com I was a kid when Simon Williams had his solo comic run between 1991 and 1994. In those books, Simon wasn't just a guy figuring things out; he was an ionic powerhouse. He was immortal, invulnerable, and capable of juggling tanks—and he was still  a struggling actor. The source material proved decades ago that you don't need to de-power a character to tell a human story. Instead of embracing that dichotomy, Wonder Man  retreats to a trope I hated even as a kid: the hero who spends the entire story unable to use their powers, or just learning how to use them. It feels like we’ve gone full circle to the pre-MCU era of television. The writers seem terrified of the "Wonder" part of Wonder Man . They ground Simon so aggressively that for long stretches, he feels less like a superhero and more like a generic protagonist in a Hollywood satire. His powers do nothing more than raise the stakes, which is good, but the "Doorman Clause" (which, as far as I know, doesn’t exist in the comics) feels like an artificial barrier more so than a real, organic one. I mean, they had to have an entire episode—starring a very loud Josh Gad—just to sell it to us! I want fully powered heroes having full stories. I want to see a god-tier character like Simon Williams navigate a world that is too fragile for him. Surely there could have been drama involved with having to compete with other super-powered actors for the same role? But seeing a world full of superheroes and a person who is unwilling to even learn to control their powers feels unrealistic to me. I think what people liked about Wonder Man  is its authenticity. That is where the MCU lost its way post- Endgame . Despite the fantastical elements, something about the early MCU felt authentic in a character sense. Wonder Man  exudes this. I just wish it wasn't so afraid to be super while doing it.

Screenshot: Scarlet Hollow I just arrived in Scarlet Hollow. I know some of you have been trapped in this town for years, waiting patiently for every drop of content since 2020. I, however, am spoiled. I binged the first four episodes in a couple of days. But that luxury has a cost: hitting the wall of Episode 5’s split release has been excruciating. After absolutely loving the majority of the first four acts, I found myself strangely underwhelmed by the start of Episode 5—until the cards were finally put on the table. Screenshot: Scarlet Hollow Coming into Episode 5, everything felt almost too safe. I knew there was going to be a rug pull at some point—especially since the narrative stakes are finally being clarified—but I didn’t expect the emotional gut punch that followed. I know veteran players might have seen it coming (or listened to Wayne’s ominous warnings), but I was genuinely shocked by the time the first part of Episode 5 concluded. Developer Black Tabby Games promised that the first half of Episode 5 would be roughly as long as the entirety of Episode 4. I’m not sure if that holds up in practice, because my two playthroughs went by lightning fast. Maybe it’s my fault for devouring the story so voraciously, or maybe certain Trait choices speed things up, but the thought of having to wait another week to see what happens next is agonizing. (Again, apologies to those of you who have been in it for the long haul!) Screenshot: Scarlet Hollow If you’re not familiar with Scarlet Hollow, it is the work of the husband-and-wife dev team at Black Tabby Games (Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias). While many gamers know them from their massive breakout hit Slay the Princess, Scarlet Hollow is actually their debut project, which they have been releasing episodically since 2020. Unlike in Slay the Princess, where your choices can change the literal reality of the story, the central mystery in Scarlet Hollow is constant. Your choices change what is revealed, when, and by whom. There is an ominous warning at the start that you can’t save everyone—you can’t even save yourself—and that promise is finally paying off with higher stakes in Episode 5. I’m absolutely into Scarlet Hollow, even if the writing does skew a little YA at times—mostly in the banter and relationship dynamics. However, it anchors that lightness with a complicated and deep narrative full of interesting characters that are a treat to interact with. It also uses excellent sound design to really drive home the horror and panic of key scenes. For a visual novel, it feels remarkably dynamic and real. Screenshot: Scarlet Hollow There are light RPG elements, too; the Trait system changes what your character is able to do, sometimes to a significant degree. Traits like Talks to Animals (one of my favorites) and Mystic open up lore and information you can’t get otherwise. Part of the charm is playing through multiple times to see the story from those different angles. Episodes 6 and 7 are being worked on as a single unit. That means once this cliffhanger resolves, I won’t have to wait mid-story again until the finale drops. I just hope I don’t have to wait five years for that to happen.

Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 ANTHEM#9  is a game of "buts." It is the debut title from self-taught solo developer koeda, but it feels surprisingly polished in its presentation. It has some serious style and seriously catchy music, but a gameplay loop that makes me feel like it’s missing that certain something . It features a clever gem-matching combat system that feels great when it works, but the world around it feels empty. It is also, unfortunately, a victim of terrible timing. Releasing a roguelike deckbuilder just days before the juggernaut that is Mewgenics  feels like a death sentence for a small indie, and it’s not entirely fair that koeda’s game has to compete in that shadow. But even without the comparison, ANTHEM#9  struggles to keep its head above water on its own merits. Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 Let’s get the good stuff out of the way first: ANTHEM#9  is stylish as hell. From the moment you boot it up, the game oozes a jagged, spy-thriller anime aesthetic that feels incredibly confident for a first-time developer. The UI pops, the character designs are distinct, and the soundtrack is a banger (I have “dance like you don’t give a damn what the people think” on loop in my head. If you played it, you know). But the soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting to keep the energy up, especially when the mechanics start to drag. If you were judging this game by the first few minutes you play it, it would be a masterpiece. Even the tutorial took what seemed like a complicated concept and made it seem easy. The core gameplay hook is a "gem-match roguelite" system. Instead of standard mana to cast spells or perform abilities, you deal with a random assortment of Red, Green, and Blue gems each turn. Your skills activate based on specific "recipes"—like Red-Red-Blue or Green-Blue-Green. At first, the gem matching didn’t land for me. But the UI actually helped me figure out that you can chain some abilities along with others, and the whole thing started to click. Once those weird mechanics made sense, I was able to create some crazy combos. The goal is to chain the right sequence of gems to trigger a massive attack that cancels the enemy’s turn entirely. Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 But outside of these moments of tactical brilliance, the experience falls flat. This hollowness extends to the roguelite elements. In a genre defined by risk-reward choices and interesting events, ANTHEM#9  feels static. Events are incredibly rare—maybe one per floor—which turns the game into a linear slog of fight after fight. You can exchange or level up skills, but without interesting decisions to make between battles, the "run" feels less like an adventure and more like a spreadsheet. This is compounded by the fact that your character is never in  a location, or never face-to-face with an enemy. Everything is implied through character portraits. Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 The game features three playable characters: Rubit (the starter), and the unlockable Phannie and Beni. Rubit’s starting arsenal feels basic—poison and daggers—which doesn't help the early game monotony. Unlocking Phannie and Beni brings some much-needed variety to the playstyles, with Phannie offering a high-risk, high-reward gambling mechanic that finally makes the deckbuilding interesting. There are four base "missions" per character, each with a different boss, followed by "Extra" missions that get progressively harder. I’m sure there is an end to it, but I didn’t find it. And honestly, the game didn’t give me enough of a reason to keep looking. Screenshot: ANTHEM#9 ANTHEM#9  is a case of style over substance. As a debut from a solo developer, it is an impressive technical and artistic achievement. But as a game you have to actually play for hours, it falls short. Even with a potentially impressive endgame, some sort of overarching progression would have helped. If you are a die-hard genre enthusiast looking for something to look at while you listen to a podcast, it might be worth a spin. For everyone else, the wait for a deeper experience continues.

The Pitt. HBO Max Another episode, another hour in to a brand new shift at The Pitt. It’s 9 am for Episode 3, and as it would be IRL, we’re already knee deep in gore, drama and story. So, let’s glove up and get examining …everything. This week we lead off with two of the new docs, and the two I least enjoy so far – Joy and Ogilvie. As Whitaker notes, Joy’s pretty peculiar (though I’d say aloof and disinterested) and Ogilvie’s really smart (and way, way too competitive). We’ve got a new patient who hit his head and is unconscious. He’s also diabetic, and we get a little infighting between Smarty Pants Ogilivie and Smarty Pants and Trudy in front of Langdon over what they should do.  McKay still has her altered mental status guy with the scaphoid issue, and, now we’re just back to the recaps. A little bit more recapping of last episode happens, but we’re going to skip that, because we recapped last episode in our last episode recap.  The Pitt. HBO Max Back with our belligerent college guy - this dude’s been tased and he still isn’t settled. He’s shouting things that are setting off some alarm bells for me but I’m not exactly sure what to make of it all yet. 2701, Title 18. Reasonableness, 2709. I have to assume none of that is purely random. When I threw it into Gemini, it ends up making a little bit more sense. In the context of PA law, apparently, that all makes very good sense. Title 18 S 2701 references Simple Assault, 2709 Harassment and Stalking. Maybe that’s not a thing, maybe it is. I’m sure we’ll find out. We’re done with priapism guy for now, and he’s told to calm down the activities and lay off the Viagra, basically. Will he be back? I have a feeling he might, but let’s hope not. Remember that racing family? Our original patient’s better, but they’re all back in the waiting room, and they seem like trouble. The oldest of them, or one of the oldest, got dizzy and fell.  The Pitt. HBO Max Back to Digby. He hates doctors. Fair. Luckily, he also has the best nurse in the whole damn world with Dana, and she’s able to reason with him enough to be able to get him to talk to our new social worker to seek ongoing care. She also gets him a sandwich. The people who help in these practical, essential ways, are angels on earth. Thank a nurse next time you see one. Now we’ve got the campus cop, large and angry, blustering about our screaming college kid. Apparently he got a chair thrown at him by this kid, and he’s out for revenge. He wants to stay in line of sight with him so he can watch him, as any white guy drunk with the power of some sort of badge would. If you couldn’t tell, I really, really don’t trust him, and I think maybe we’ll find he’s one of those who work forces, if you know what I mean. The Pitt. HBO Max Our new social worker is back, and other than the man bun, he’s turning out to be another of the good ones. He’s working with Santos on our potential abuse case. There’s some red flags for him, but not enough to call it abuse, or blame anyone. Santos, natch, is absolutely dogged on this, and convinced that the father, who they’ve called in to interview, won’t show. Back with our college kid, it’s time to pull the taser barbs out. This oughta be a piece of very very angry cake. King’s a pro here and we see her actually confidently teach. Still, it’s tricky,but luckily for us, Dr. Al-Hashimi’s got sage advice on pulling them straight out, and so, despite the rage, the job is done. Seems like Dr. Al’s got some experience here that we might dig into later. Just when you thought we were resolving too many things, a double trauma’s called. I hate to say something like “oo boy!” but “oo boy!” The Pitt. HBO Max This one’s an auto vs. a motorcycle and of course, Robbie’s on it. It’s pretty bad, and so far we know the driver’s not okay. When the motorcyclist comes in, it’s pretty clear that the massive trauma means he’s more or less DOA. Surprisingly, Joy has a pretty strong reaction, while Robby barely blinks before heading to another room. Also surprisingly, Joy’s the one asking about a moment of recognizance, and Robby’s out the door already to see the driver of the car that hit the motorcyclist. His wife is in the room, which never means anything good. And, here’s the first twist - the driver’s quadriplegic? Cut to McKay, who’s got on some sort of pheromones or new perfume, because man, is she getting hit on.  Most immediately by an older gentleman named Mr. Montrose who’s been found wandering around the ER. He was in for a fall, and awaits the therapeutic donut he doesn’t want to admit he needs - I imagine this happens, but does it happen as often as it seems to in The Pitt? A guy in the gurney across from the pair is also shooting his shot - which seems a lot more logical coming from him, but still…right now? Flash back to Louie, who’s nearing the end of his ordeal. They tell him he’ll be out before the fireworks tonight, and for some reason in this context that makes me feel like he’s not going to live to see them. Call me a hardened viewer, but, that, coupled with the Things They Learn From Him suddenly…it just feels like there’s some danger here. The Pitt. HBO Max Back with McKay again, but she’s with her scaphoid/weird affect guy. And he’s got a brain tumor…which, we assume at least, explains all the strangeness we’ve seen from him. He’s not too keen on a brain biopsy, and –who would be? But McKay explains the stereoscopic guided CT assisted biopsy process and he at least seems like he’s gonna do it. Now we’re in with The Hansens, our racing family, and they’re packed in the ER with our patient and arguing right over his gurney. Langdon finally cuts the crap and they discover he’s taken a medicine that wasn’t his and that they don’t know what it was. This seems way TOO feasible in today’s world, what with the ivermectin crowd.  In the next room over, Robby’s back with our driver from car vs. motorcycle, making reference to knowing more as soon as they consult the Donut of Truth, which I’m gonna assume is a CT scan, because, well…it turns out it is. He’s about to be wheeled up when they note his mental status is also very altered. The wife’s hovering nearby and has heard he’s paralyzed, and she’s panicking, fully.  She wants to tag along but there’s radiation in that there donut, so she can’t. Robby has her wait with him til he goes, and he and Hashimi - decide to split up? Here we have our first bit of ..flirting between Robby and Dr. Al. Do we like this? Is it weird? It feels weird. The Pitt. HBO Max Meanwhile, our Eastern European lady turns out to be Jewish. She’s also got Robby’s number, and her classic Jewish mothering to him is really very charming. She’s used a home remedy for a burn that’s really, really gross. Honey. She’s also from Tree of Life, a synagogue that was involved in a shooting. Our new nurse is uncharacteristically a little rude, laughing at the honey remedy. Turns out, it’s only half not a great idea, but could actually work on a lesser burn. Robby’s got her, and promises she too will be home by the fireworks, but she’s begging not to go home until after. Meanwhile, Santos gets surprised by her pet case’s father, who seems remarkably non suspicious. He’s chill, he’s answering questions calmly, and he’s remarkably sweet with his daughter. There’s no real red flags with this guy until he starts interacting with the girlfriend, and blaming her for everything that’s happened, aggressively and standing over his gurney. Enter our social worker, who sweeps in and pulls them out of the room with the girl and girlfriend. He’s asking questions tactfully and Santos is interjecting at just the right time to really provoke him. He goes straight after his girlfriend, and they end up in an altercation where he also chooses to threaten our security guy. Absolutely not!  The Pitt. HBO Max Enter Dana with the lab results. ITP 9000. Do I know what that means? Of course not, but I think it means everyone shuts up and waits to find out. Robby’s now back with Ms. Kovenko, and he’s not only patching her up, he’s listening to her. She was there for the shooting, and fireworks are a huge trigger for her. Honestly, this is an issue more people should talk about at holidays and celebrations because it’s not just pets that can suffer when fireworks are happening - many soldiers and victims of shootings/bombings can feel the same way - unsafe, scared, and incredibly reactive. I hope this ends well for her, and she can get some sleep in the hospital away from the triggers. When Robby heads over to Mr. Yee, our car accident victim, we’ve got Mrs.Yee freaking out because she’d been arguing with her husband prior to the accident and doesn’t want him to pass away on those last words. Good news for this crew, the CT revealed normal results, and after another surprise phone call and labs with critical potassium we find out his paralysis is temporary, and he’ll get better- including use of his limbs. The Pitt. HBO Max Over in another bed, we’ve got a squiggly and adorable kiddo who shoved some beads up his nose. Now I know this one’s common - my brother did this when we were kids. I remember thinking I had no idea why he’d do it, but also no idea why it required an ER visit. It’s a bit of a dad’s club and it’s nice to see dads supporting dads or dads to be.  Back with the Yees, we’re trying to figure out how this weird sudden paralysis from a rare disorder only happened now, but before we can, all the alarm bells ring and we’re doing compressions. Santos and Whitaker discuss the ITP, and smarty pants Ogilvie helps explain what it means…sorta. The cops come in to talk with our campus security guy, and he’s pandering to them, but they seem smart enough to not just give him a pass cuz he’s wearing a badge.  Back with the Yees again, we’ve stabilized our driver, he’ doing ok, but she’s showing no signs of not freaking out. He’s awake, she’s touching him…and she’s down for the count. Turns out, she’s been internally bleeding the whole time because she didn’t get checked out after the accident on the ambulance or at the hospital when they asked. As a recent person who almost didn’t get checked out, let me tell you, on the record, during a recap of a medical show - get checked out. Back with our “abuse” case, dad and daughter are calmly reunited, Santos is managing a good bedside manner, and a good conversation with the kiddo’s mother. The girlfriend lurks around the corner, and I’m sure this isn’t over yet. McKay’s back now, and we’re still just left to wonder what it is about her today that’s attracting all that attention, as she’s being serenaded in French by our elderly guy and persistently chased by gurney guy across the way. No time for that though because scaphoid weird affect man has an ex-wife who’s there – but not happy to be there.  Back with our racers and King, we’ve managed to find out what it is our friendly flag pants man’s taken. Blood pressure pills. Ok, explained away. I thought these guys would be more trouble. Back with Mr. Yee, he finds out his wife’s faceplanted and been taken away, and he also has regrets, and doesn’t want her to die thinking he hates her. Don’t leave stuff unresolved. McKay’s now with Scaphoid guy and his ex, and it’s a weirdly pleasant exchange and catchup for them. She backs off her anger at him, and he’s exceedingly apologetic and sensitive to her. He seems genuinely glad she was able to remarry and wishes her the best, and she’s visibly shook by it. McKay makes a polite exit so they can talk more. Now we’re on to our diabetic and his daughter’s here taking charge until her mom arrives. Ogilvie and Trudy get into a debate on how to treat him in front of her and she brings them back to earth with one single “Huh?” and reminds them that all the knowledge in the world won’t help patients and their families understand what’s happening to them. Now we’re back with Bead Boy, and they’ve set him up with a VR headset to play with which ends up doing a fantastic job of distracting him completely so they can just go right in and get the snot covered beads. This is a simple scene but such a nice one . We’re back with campus cop and his real cop friends, and our nurse’s stand stands up for our screaming college student when he accuses him of being on drugs in a roundabout way by loudly reading his very negative tox screen in front of the cops, who are looking at ol’ Campus Cop in a whole new light, it seems. The Pitt. HBO Max Back with Kolenko, who’s being attended to by a muslim nurse, we think there might be trouble, but instead, the woman thanks her for what the Muslim community did to support the Jewish community after the shooting.  Meanwhile, as she’s about to thank him for the help, the nurse lets slip his motorcycle adventure plans, and boy does he get scolded for riding a motorcycle. It’s actually pretty delightful. Santos’ injured girl’s father and his girlfriend get into it again, this time outside her room, but in earshot of Santos. Even if it’s not abuse, this isn’t real great for any of them, obvi. As Dana’s making her rounds, Mr. Yee asks her to record a message for his wife. Uh oh. IT’s really, really sweet but it’s not giving me good vibes on this case. McKay’s back to check in on our exes, and she’s feeling some type of way because, as it turns out, this affect change is making him profoundly nicer than he was, and she’s wondering if it was the tumor all along. McKay has to acquiesce that it’s possible, as painful as that is, and she asks to stay on as his emergency contact. Aww. This place is killing me today. Meanwhile, one phone call that isn’t a drill later (I mean, if anyone but Dana said it it’d be insanely corny. And the corn factor is still high.) we’ve got one hospital nearby down for the count and a bunch of patients headed in to The Pitt, whether we like it or not. And…well, that’s a wrap on this week’s Pitt.  What are your thoughts on what happens next?  I guess we’ll find out at 10 am.

Screenshot: Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator Did you ever wonder what went into maintaining our national and state parks? Did you ever want to be a park ranger, thinking you’d spend your days sipping coffee in a fire tower somewhere? Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator actually approximates the day to day activities of a National Park Ranger. That means you’ll be doing all of the mundane tasks like making sure trails are passable, campsites are usable, and the visitors have the proper permits and aren’t getting themselves into trouble. I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors these last couple of years, and not only have I grown to appreciate the people who make those excursions possible, but I’ve gotten to chatting with a few of them. From volunteer trail maintainers to lifelong park rangers, there are a whole bunch of people out there who are not only passionate about the outdoors, but excited to have people come out and enjoy it, too. Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator does a surprising amount to actually highlight the often thankless work these people engage in. Screenshot: Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator I got a chance to get into the Steam Nextfest demo for Ranger’s Path , and I’m surprised how coherent a game about being a park ranger can be. Most of my demo time was spent picking up trash, and fixing signs and tables that have fallen into disrepair. Which mirrors a lot of my outdoor volunteer work. Except in  Ranger’s Path  you don’t have to contend with the rigors and discomfort of actually being outside. Most of my tasks were assigned to me over the radio as I looked at the scenery or drove around in my pickup truck. It’s worth noting that Ranger’s Path leans heavily into the 'cozy' side of the simulator spectrum. There’s no high stakes management or punishing realism of a hardcore survival sim–everything in the demo was low pressure. The game seems less interested in penalizing you for a messy campsite and more interested in the zen of the cleanup. It turns the act of replacing a rotted trail marker into a surprisingly meditative loop—click, fix, admire—that scratches the same itch as something like PowerWash Simulator. Screenshot: Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator Beyond the janitorial duties, the demo hinted at the more investigative side of the job. There’s a wildlife research component involving a camera that forces you to slow down and actually observe the environment rather than just driving through it. Spotting a bear or tracking local fauna adds a layer of discovery that breaks up the maintenance loop. It grounds the experience, reminding you that you’re a steward of a living ecosystem, not just a glorified groundskeeper with a pickup truck. I’m not saying that any video game can be a substitute for the outdoors, but Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator is a unique glimpse into a lifestyle that not a lot of people probably consider. And not only that, it actually manages to capture the mundanity in a fun way. I’m definitely looking forward to checking out the full game when I get my chance. Screenshot: Ranger’s Path National Park Simulator Check out the demo during Steam Next Fest February 23rd - March 2nd