'The Pitt' Episode 10 Dr. Langdon reveal: Shocked fans, Patrick Ball react
Spoiler alert! We're discussing key plot points in the latest episode of “The Pitt” (streaming now), so beware if you haven’t seen it.
Modern television is saturated with medical dramas.
In a craze kicked off by shows like "E.R." and "St. Elsewhere" and elevated to a fever pitch by "Grey's Anatomy," it may seem hard for any of the scrubbed-in series to offer new shock value. But last night's episode of "The Pitt" proved otherwise.
The emergency room drama, which has hooked audiences from its premiere in January, stunned fans with Episode 10. After new revelations led to Dr. Frank Langdon's ouster, loyal viewers reacted with shock and dismay.
Dr. Langdon's secret on 'The Pitt,' social media reacts
Dr. Langdon, a fan-favorite principal on the show, was revealed to be self-medicating in the latest episode, stealing prescription painkillers from his own patients.
"Last episode they showed us Langdon was being overly aggressive and it was still excused by viewers as 'necessary.'" one X user wrote in response to the revelation. "They showed us the vial was suspicious and we excused it as Santos holding a grudge when she's clearly had experience around addicts. I'm so gagged."
"I wanted Dr Santos to be wrong soooo bad omg. Dr Langdon nooooooo," another post read.
In a play on a viral "America's Next Top Model" moment, another X user also took aim at Dr. Langdon. "I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU! I WAS ON YOUR SIDE!!!! I WAS STARTING TO THINK SANTOS WAS CRAZY!!!" they wrote. "LANGDON I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!!!!!"
"How dare #ThePitt make me fall in love with the most beautiful man I have ever seen in the entire world and then make me hate him?!" one user wrote.
Dr. Langdon's reveal surprised 'Pitt' cast, too
Turns out, fans weren't the only ones shocked by that Dr. Langdon reveal.
Patrick Ball, who plays Langdon, revealed show writers kept the secret even from him, in an interview with Deadline published Thursday.
"Langdon was described to me as this doctor everybody loves," Ball told the outlet. "And then it was brought to my attention later in the process what Langdon might be carrying secretly, what he might be going through secretly."
"It was cool that I didn't start with that information, I didn't start off by trying to create a character who was trying to send up signals of addiction or trauma or anxiety or whatever," he continued. "I started discovering Langdon through his sense of play and his sense of fun and his sense that he loves this job. The underbelly came in later."