<\/p>\n
Few things are more satisfying than spotting a show\u2019s hidden Easter eggs. But most fans of HBO Max\u2019s The Pitt<\/em> missed one: a background character in the ER\u2019s packed waiting room who went largely unnoticed \u2014 until he died in the April 16 Season 2 finale (spoilers ahead).<\/p>\n Only then did fans start connecting the dots: Patient Jasper Reed<\/a> had been there since the Jan. 15 premiere<\/a>, struggling with the heat and quietly shedding layers episode by episode until he died in a tank top.<\/p>\n Actor Ronald Alan Scarlata played the ill-fated character. Once the show wrapped, his real-life daughter, Amy Scarlata \u2014 a freelance social media producer who co-hosts the Turtle Time<\/em> podcast about Bravo shows<\/a> \u2014 gathered clips of her dad on The Pitt<\/em> and posted them on TikTok<\/a>, where they took off. As one stunned commenter put it: \u201cOH SNAP HE WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME?!\u201d Another added: \u201cNow I have to rewatch the season and look at everyone in the waiting room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think that’s part of why that video sort of popped off as people were like, I never noticed him<\/em>,\u201d Amy tells Yahoo. \u201cAnd so now it’s inspiring people to look at the details that go unnoticed because the show moves so quickly. There’s no way you could pay attention to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s not the first family member to post about a loved one dying on the show. The niece of Ernest Harden Jr. \u2014 who played the beloved Louie on The Pitt<\/em> \u2014 did her own TikTok about her uncle\u2019s character dying<\/a>, captioning it: \u201cMe watching my uncle casually watch himself die on TV and I\u2019m just sitting there like \ud83d\udc41\ufe0f\ud83d\udc44\ud83d\udc41\ufe0f.\u201c Amy says that video inspired her to post about her own dad, who goes by Ron.<\/p>\n Part of what likely struck a chord with viewers watching Amy\u2019s videos was the dramatic change in the character\u2019s appearance over the course of the series. \u201cI noticed a lot of people talking about how he came in so dignified \u2014 with his hat and his jacket \u2014 and that made it even sadder,\u201d Amy says. \u201cHe was dressed up, and then his dignity slowly got stripped away.\u201d<\/p>\n Some viewers found the scene heartbreaking. Others laughed at the dark humor of Dr. Shen (Ken Kirby) and Dr. Ellis (Ayesha Harris) pretending that Jasper wasn\u2019t dead to avoid alarming people in the waiting room. For many, it was a mix of the two. \u201cIt\u2019s both so funny and so sad,\u201d wrote one commenter.<\/p>\nThe slow demise of Jasper<\/strong><\/h2>\n