This The Pitt Theory Changes EVERYTHING—And I’m 10...

Max’s new series The Pitt continues many of the sacred traditions established by previous medical dramas. The underpaid and overworked staff of a Pittsburgh hospital’s emergency room combats stomach-churning injuries and the atrocious American healthcare system. We humans are forced to confront how fragile our bodies are and how fleetingly short life is. But I ask you: what’s a hospital drama without romance? Consider ER, where the doctors’ personal lives and the chaos they endure on their shifts are equally integral. More explicitly, there’s Grey’s Anatomy, where the relationships have the tenor of a soap opera and the medical backdrop is largely for flavor. When highly competent people urgently address intense scenarios, equally intense feelings result like clockwork — and sexy entanglements make for better television.

In The Pitt‘s case specifically, I’ve been nursing (ahem) a theory. After some internet sleuthing, I discovered that a small but mighty contingent stand beside me in my conviction that Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) have been serving a distinct energy from their first prickly interaction. Are they secretly dating? Are they argumentative co-workers with benefits? Strained exes, perhaps? Lo and behold, Episode 5 proved that we truthers haven’t been reading into their interactions — Robby and Collins are, in fact, exes. Although I’m loving my vindicated “I told you so” phase, receiving this bombshell when The Pitt has 10 episodes left makes me suspicious about what’s to come. Could the second part of my thesis also be true — that Robby is the father of Collins’ baby? Let’s examine the evidence.

The Clues About Robby and Collins Were Always There in ‘The Pitt’

The Pitt‘s self-contained structure as a 15-episode season to match a 15-hour hospital shift gives creator R. Scott Gemmill the freedom to be economical in his pacing choices. There’s no need to front-load the audience with expositional information. Consequently, unlike ER or Grey’s Anatomy, we know little about any character’s personal life. Our information is limited to what arises during their day and walks through those doors — like Robby’s son Jake (Taj Speights) swinging by his dad’s workplace in Episode 5. But it’s Nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) revealing that Robby and Collins were once together that makes for the episode’s most satisfying insight. Dana is picking up on the same vibes we are, even though Collins brushes their chemistry off because they dated “a million years ago” and they’re both totally, completely over it, thank you.

If your hobby is reading between the lines for romantic possibilities, then their professional-turned-personal history is clear from the start. Even their softer interactions feel loaded and electric, while a combination of respect and wistfulness tints their hostile disagreements. Most telling, a lot of lingering happens in this hospital. Robby and Collins’ side glances take longer than the gesture should. When their gazes meet, they hook in place before skittering away. Don’t even get me started on Robby, whose eyes trail after Collins whenever she leaves the room. (Here, sir, you dropped your heart eyes.) The way their reactive expressions play off one another might as well be a language as intricate and intimate as rattling off medical terminology — Collins’ quiet irritation, Robby’s ironic smirks. And personal space? That’s just a barrier for their bodies to naturally broach. Is it really love if you haven’t leaned shoulder-to-shoulder over a patient whose life you’re racing to save?

I Support ‘The Pitt’s Robby/Collins Agenda

Enter the backstory-providing light of Episode 5, which also distills the dynamic we’ve witnessed in a nutshell. So far, they match one another well, semi-healthily balancing optimism with pragmatism and empathy with firm barriers. Their relationship feels like a give and take, two flawed people doing their best to forge through an emotionally taxing day. “A million years ago” or not, their bashful smiles and protracted eye contact this week is loud enough for Dana to demand Collins spill the tea. I see you two, you aren’t sly.

As far as Collins’ baby is concerned — sure, the father could be an off-screen significant other. Sure, this plot could be relevant to her character separate from Robby. The first episode implied her past miscarriages, and that alone is reason enough for her pregnancy to not merely be a vehicle for drama and angst. But I’ve picked up what they’ve been putting down, and at this rate, those breadcrumbs must lead somewhere even more explosive. Sure, Robby might not be the father, but these two could’ve “just” been coworkers from the start. Where’s the fun in that?

The Pitt is available to stream on Max in the U.S. New episodes drop every Thursday.