‘The Pitt’ Finale Proved Everyone Was Wrong About the ‘Villain’
Turns out, Santos isn’t who fans thought she was.

Warrick Page/MAX
The Finale of The Pitt just flipped the script on Dr. Santos (Isa Briones).
When The Pitt first appeared on Max, one thing quickly became clear: viewers hated Dr. Trinity Santos. A fourth-year medical student, Santos was instantly pegged as the show’s villain, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
From Episode 1, she came off as arrogant, abrasive, and deeply unlikeable. She was quick to show off, quicker to put others down, and didn’t shy away from giving her peers some crass nicknames. And not to mention, her bedside manner was downright horrible, as she treated her patients more like school experiments than people in pain.
Get the best of Obsessed delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
And let’s just say, Pitt fans didn’t take too kindly to her character.

Aidan Laprete and Isa Briones
Warrick Page/Warrick Page/MAX
“She’s f---ing insufferable, egotistical, and lowkey sociopathic,” one Redditor declared.
Others shared similar sentiments, writing: “I can’t stand her 🥴” and “I don’t like her either. Way too cocky.”
So, when Santos accused senior resident Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) of stealing drugs from the hospital, most viewers were doubtful. But then later on, it turns out she’s right.
As the season, which just aired its finale, progressed, viewers started to see some of Santos’ icy exterior melt away. And by that finale, even the most hardened Santos-haters had to admit that maybe they had it all wrong about her. After all, during the episode, they watch as she comforts a patient after his failed suicide attempt and even offers to let Whittaker (the guy she calls Huckleberry) stay in her spare room after she learns that he has been crashing at the hospital.

Ayesha Harris, Aidan Laprete, and Isa Briones
Max
Viewers are now admitting that they were wrong about Santos, praising the show’s writers for the care they put into her story arc.
and there are people that will still swear up and down that santos is the villain of the show #thepitt pic.twitter.com/tLv9ifWUtC
— ana (@shivlestat) April 11, 2025
The Pitt giving Santos such dynamic writing throughout the season is everything like you’d think they wrote some of her scenes in this episode as a response to how people are with her but they just knew anyway pic.twitter.com/Jrzqncfjo2
— paul (@paulswhtn) April 11, 2025
santos and langdon...... similar characters with reverse character arcs, executed with finesse of an already established show in it's season 3. i love the pitt and i love #realtv pic.twitter.com/TbUZ1Xh3o8
— non-russian vanya (@SH0P_GlRL) April 11, 2025
And, of course, the previous Santos apologists took their victory lap, happy in the knowledge that they were right about her all along.
the pitt subreddit finally changing their stance on santos and haters are getting downvoted to oblivion…the tides have officially shifted because a couple weeks ago they were comparing her to joffrey pic.twitter.com/jZcRh1th5e
— dr. trinity santos’ bob (@TWPlTW) April 11, 2025
all the santos haters watching the pitt finale scene with her and whittaker are probably like "wait, she's actually a good person?" as if she hasn't been one all along. they were too blinded by misogyny to see that pic.twitter.com/eNeSzSJmq6
— k (@scullysplaque) April 11, 2025
“Santos defender until I die, real b------ get it,” one person wrote on X.
“Santos is the best character on The Pitt,” another person commented.
In an interview with Vulture, Briones spoke about the hate Santos got over the season and shared her own perspective of the character.
“She clearly just needs therapy and a hug. We all have trauma, we all come from someplace, and it helped to know her backstory has this kind of deep trauma for her that informs everything and makes everything a little more nuanced,” Briones said.
If there’s anything The Pitt finale has taught viewers, it’s this: Maybe we are all a little too quick to judge.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog



