As The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 begins, the differences between this season premiere and the series premiere are already plainly obvious. It’s a new day, a different time of year. And Noah Wyle plays Robby’s hospital entrance without all the nagging weight he brought with him 10 months ago. He’s more carefree, somehow. He does, however, still pause in roughly the same spot on the way in. It’s just that, instead of looking up at the photo of his fallen mentor, he faces the opposite wall. Robby has a new ritual to share with us, it seems. Now, instead of one tragedy, we reflect on another as we take a beat for a plaque commemorating the day of the Pittfest shooting.
The changes don’t end there. There’s no tragic death for Dr. Abbot to tell Robby about up on the roof. Abbot isn’t questioning why he keeps coming back, and Robby provides him no answering joke about how Jack will become a patient if he jumps. Instead, there’s an ease and a flow when the night shift transitions into day. After Robby greets “Dad” (Donnie), he checks in with a different attending. Now, Dr. Shen — not Abbot — does the handoff. In the process, he admits to having a night that wasn’t easy, exactly, but manageable. And “so far, nobody’s blown off any fingers.” (A comment just begging for a jinx.)
But. That’s not to say that anything at all about The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 is too different. There are all our familiar faces, starting their day, ready for whatever gets thrown at them. Yes, there are some new faces, too. That, coupled with Dr. Langdon’s return is where most of this premiere’s tension comes from. But that’s just evidence of time passing.
As it sets the tone for this new day in the life, The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 effortlessly catches us up on the characters we know and introduces us to the new additions. All of this happens as we seamlessly move through the current snapshot in time. Notably, the most important things about this series and the characters we’ve come to know and love remain the same. They might even have gotten even stronger. Only time will tell.
MORE: Take a look back at the moments from Season 1 that made us fall in love with these characters.
Meet The Pitt‘s newest attending
Just like viewers, Dr. Robby meets Dr. Al-Hashimi, who will fill in for him while he’s on his sabbatical, for the first time in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1. While a lot about the beginning of his shift seems like a breeze compared to the last one we spent with him, nothing about this introduction works for him. Al-Hashimi showed up before the end of the night shift and took over early with his interns and medical students. And she did all of that before he could even get through the door — much less settle in. It’s something he calls “giant balls of disrespect.” That’s hilarious, in a way, especially with the physical acting from Noah Wyle as he’s grumpily unpacking that bag. But it’s also kind of…weird. Wrong, even.
This is someone who usually adapts so quickly to new situations — because he has to in this job! — and knows how easily the patient load can get out of hand. Not to mention, if he wants to actually leave for three months, his replacement has to feel comfortable being in charge. Yet, suddenly, Robby’s very stuck in his ways and doesn’t like some stranger, essentially, invading his territory. But that’s probably the problem, moreso than Al-Hashimi being his complete opposite. Some part of him is resisting the thought of letting go, of letting anyone at all “take over” for him, even for a (relatively) short amount of time. Perhaps our initial impression of things being a lot lighter for him is meant to be a lie, which would actually be completely understandable. After all, the type of trauma he’s experienced doesn’t just magically disappear after 10 months.
Robby reacting negatively to most, if not all, of Dr. Al-Hashimi’s suggestions makes sense. To be fair to her, some of her ideas sound interesting and could probably work elsewhere. Just…not here, not now. Today isn’t the time, and Robby obviously feels kind of ambushed and like he’s being told what he does isn’t good enough. I don’t actually think that’s Al-Hashimi’s intent, but feelings are feelings. Especially when someone comes into your home, starts trying to micromanage the place — and your students, who are like your kids in a way — and is so eager about it.
On the other hand, it’s a good thing we already know plenty about who this character is — and see it play out elsewhere throughout The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 — because the way he behaves here kinda screams “out of touch white man who can’t stand women in positions of power.” Because we already have a much fuller picture of both his strengths and flaws, we know that’s not who Robby is. Unfortunately, Dr. Al-Hashimi probably doesn’t. She’s simply coming into a new job and wanting to prove herself while he reacts…like this. She might have heard things (and almost certainly would’ve seen the news about the Pittfest shooting), but she doesn’t know this man.
So, in that context, Robby’s assumption that Al-Hashimi jumped in early out of a lack of respect — however funny the delivery and/or Shen and Lena’s jokes about the phrase were — is…out of touch. A woman, especially a woman of color, has to work 10 times as hard, be 10 times more organized, and — yes — get a head start to even have a chance out there. That makes it difficult not to get frustrated with Robby’s prickly exterior throughout all of their interactions. Especially since his behavior obviously affects Al-Hashimi, no matter how much she tries to cover it and just stay as eager and together as possible. There’s something from Sepideh Moafi that shows a little bit of insecurity, like a smile not quite meeting her eyes or a quickly wiped away expression of hurt when the character doesn’t quite get the warm welcome she was probably hoping for.
Although I think some of her thoughts are misguided, she still deserves more respect than Robby seems to want to give. But there’s not actually real time for them to get to know each other and at least try to see each other’s perspectives. So, as viewers, we’re just going to have to be the grownups here and realize they’re just totally different personalities, being thrown into — well —The Pitt together. Also, to be fair to Robby, he’s not the only one who sees the newcomer like an outsider. And nobody likes change in an environment where so much is already outside of their control.
Regardless of how you feel about how their characters are handling things, the way Wyle and Moafi keep getting in each other’s way in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 makes for great TV. And yes, that’s literally, physically in each other’s way — they bump into each other a lot — but also in a more figurative sense of being in the way of doing the job.) That tension is great, and the dynamic makes you wonder if they’ll be able to find a rhythm by the end of the day. Additionally, it adds a new layer to all the trauma room dynamics that we’re otherwise used to. I also like how it gets to a point where, because Robby keeps trying to escape, Al-Hashimi eventually just takes that initiative and physically blocks him. But, of course, all that’s going to do is make him more aggravated. And it does.
MORE: We definitely prefer the version of Dr. Robby we saw in Dr. Collins’ last scene.
“My mother is trying to destroy my life!”
Here’s something I never thought I’d say since they’re very different characters at very different stages of their careers: Dr. Mohan and student doctor Javadi should have a chat sometime. In The Pitt Season 2 premiere, both have major mom issues. (To say the least.) And while those issues are also totally different in nature — Victoria’s mom is still way too overbearing and wants to be too influential in her life, whereas Samira’s seems to be making personal decisions that inadvertently affect her — who doesn’t love a good “OMG, my mom sucks” sort of venting session? After all, it just helps to see that you’re not alone. Besides, I’ll selfishly make excuses for anything that gets me more of that trademark Javadi eyeroll from Shabana Azeez and more time with this much less controlled Mohan from Supriya Ganesh.
But make no mistake — the scenes that we do get out of these two characters are excellent as always, both with respect to their family drama and in general. If you told me ahead of time that “doctor screams at Siri because their phone won’t stop blowing up during a trauma” was a thing that would happen on The Pitt, I would 100% not have expected it to be a Mohan scene. But it works! The surprise of her struggling in a new way, plus the hilarious back and forth with Dr. McKay, creates some great comic relief before the day really even starts to need it. There’s also a certain kind of irony to Cassie, the mom, being the one who has to hear about Samira’s mother “ruining” her life. And uh. Fiona Dourif’s reactions are priceless.
Speaking of priceless reactions: Literally everyone in that Santos/Javadi/Shamsi scene. First of all, that 100% unimpressed face from Dr. Shamsi (Deepti Gupta) when Santos is doing the massive ego thing to try to impress her not only cracked me up but was a pretty strong “ah. So, there’s where Javadi gets it” sort of situation. Then, when Santos starts to exit the mother/daughter argument but then looks so intrigued — very much “ooh, what’s the tea” — as she hears about Victoria’s birthday, that’s a great beat from Isa Briones.
And, even though I mentioned it already, I just want to confirm that I live for that attitude Azeez brings to Javadi. The character’s not a brat or immature — I’d even argue that something is more mature here, even as it echoes things we’ve seen before — but she’s also not standing for anyone’s BS. Love that for her. (Plus, plenty of us know what it’s like not to be able to control our faces.)
As far as what any of this means for either Samira or Victoria goes, we’ll have to wait and see. However, two things: First, I’m going on the record with a demand that Dr. Mohan does not leave me us for that position closer to her mom. I understand why she wants/wanted to do that, but PTMC needs her talents. Second, like Dr. Robby tells Dr. Shamsi when she very inappropriately approaches him to try to interfere with Javadi’s career path, “Victoria is a big girl. She can make her own decisions.” Her mom should’ve learned that by now, especially after seeing her shine during the mass casualty event. Yet, here we are. (And, as always, props to Wyle for how well he performs this particular interaction. You can tell Dr. Robby is tired of this — and has probably been bothered about it many, many times already.)
MORE: To learn more about Dr. Mohan and student doctor Javadi’s Season 1 journeys, check out our interviews with Supriya Ganesh and Shabana Azeez, respectively.
The student becomes the teacher
One of the best parts of The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 is seeing Dr. Whitaker with his students. In the first place, at a time when it’s really hard to have faith in anyone or anything, finding out that someone who struggled so much on his first day actually lived up to his that potential is comforting. Granted, being a white man tends to help…but still. The growth is huge, yet somehow not at all surprising. This was always a possibility because the potential was always obvious.
But it’s when he has Ogilvie and Joy take a brief moment of silent reflection after their patient, Ethan Bostick, dies that really cuts straight to the heart. For those who might not remember, Robby introduced Whitaker to this hospital tradition after he lost his first patient, Mr. Milton, very early on his first day. Unlike Mr. Bostick’s death, Mr. Milton’s was unexpected. But both men were people, which seems obvious but is sometimes easy to forget as the patients pile up.
Thankfully, for all the changes at the hospital since our last visit, the staff’s emphasis on honoring patients’ humanity, and the series’ emphasis on showing what medicine should be, remain as strong as ever. This nod back to one of the many touching moments from the series’ first season is so short, yet it says to viewers, “welcome back. We still got you,” all while telling us so very much about the characters, both old and new, in that room.
Whitaker is as humble and as calm of a presence as ever. The title of Doctor has not gone to his head, and suddenly being more of a leader hasn’t made him any less willing to follow Dr. Robby’s advice. The way the scene’s framed, with Robby lingering in the doorway and Whitaker in focus, is also an excellent touch. In his role as attending, Robby’s here to check on what’s happening in the room. But he’s seen enough, knows Whitaker’s got everything handled and is just…quietly pleased and proud of him.
That wordless exchange between Robby and Princess before the attending silently leaves is such a lovely detail. It’s so subtle, but a little nod here and a pleased smile there between the two of them speaks volumes. This is very much Gerran Howell’s scene, and the way his presence reflects that great balance between his character’s growth and unchanged core is excellent. But Kristin Villanueva and Noah Wyle, totally in the background, manage to make their characters’ usual check-ins much more meaningful.
Of course, the other aspect of all of this is what it says about Ogilvie and Joy. For one thing, Ogilvie looks like he could just be a new, taller Dennis Whitaker. But he is nothing like him. And Joy…instantly fascinates me. It’s like neither student seems particularly interested in this hospital tradition, but of the two, she appears to be more open. I also kind of already love how done she is with this dude constantly needing to have every single answer. Assuming either of them sticks around, it’ll be interesting to look back and see if this moment in The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 gets passed down again in future seasons. (Yes, I’m assuming there will be more than just the third season that was announced ahead of this premiere’s release.)
MORE: In Season 1, Gerran Howell told us his character’s “sort of big obstacle is just his confidence.” Looks like he’s overcome that.
“The prodigal son returns…too soon?”
In The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1, Dr. Langdon isn’t the seasoned veteran he otherwise might’ve been. But he’s not new to this hospital or this job by any stretch of the imagination either. He’s something…else, in this difficult in-between. Langdon’s a guy who’s newly in recovery; he’s been away for 10 months and now comes back to people who have moved on without him. That’s practically a lifetime for such a fast-paced environment, especially when you’re leaving rehab to come to a place with so many potential triggers. But he still knows and remembers a lot, which makes for a very disorienting experience.
From the first time we spot Frank in chairs, trying to blend in with the sea of patients, Patrick Ball makes it abundantly clear that his character is anxious about being back here. Lupe has to call Dr. Langdon’s name several times before he gets up because he’s busy with his head down, eyes closed, taking calming breaths, preparing himself for the day ahead. There’s a terrible sort of caution, of hesitance, about Ball’s movement as Langdon enters what used to be a place where he flourished. (Or, at least, thought he did.)
He’s quiet, barely makes eye contact during his initial greeting with Dana and Lena. And there’s always just that tiny bit of fear in Ball’s eyes whenever he sees another familiar face. There’s one particular shot of him looking through the glass at Robby, terrified but with just the most fragile sense of hope about him, that’s particularly good.
That he then has all his hopes dashed by Robby not wanting to joke with him, much less have a serious talk — amends are actually vitally important in recovery, especially for 12-step programs… — and sending him out to Triage makes that image all the more powerful in retrospect. So, when Dr. Langdon tries to cover his wounded look with a sarcastic laugh and a bit more protective ego, that falls flat. The expression on Langdon’s face as his mentor walks away is everything. In that moment, his worst fears about coming back have come to life.
Also, pairing Dr. Langdon with Louie, who remembers the good “Doc” so fondly and is so caring toward him, just…hurts. For one thing, he sees a reminder of not only the things he did wrong when actively ill but also what can become of him if he doesn’t stay on a healing path. Then, he realizes he has to make amends with his patient and actually humbles himself to doing so — another great sequence of events and highlight for Ball. Oh. And he has to send Louie back to Dr. Whitaker, his former student, who seems just as uncomfortable with this role reversal as him.
The only people who seem to at least try to make Dr. Langdon’s return as normal for him as possible are Lena, Dana (who is, of course, going to look out for him), and Mel. Mel, who is having a bad day of her own and just moping about the place, is so thrilled to see him again. Somehow, Frank’s words to Mel about this emergency department being “a tough place for sensitive people” have more weight now. Here’s managing they both survive it.
MORE: Want a small look ahead? Check out our The Pitt Season 2 review for our overall impressions and some teases.
More The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 reactions
- Michael Robinavitch. Sir. You, of all people, should know better than this no-helmet mess. Nothing to protect your skin in case of a wreck, either? Ok then. It’s your life!
- …and did this man really pass an ambulance? The audacity and the foolery.
- “Hey, how’s it going, Dad?” Donnie Donahue, proud new papa, confirmed.
- Actually, I have to say: I’m pleasantly surprised that The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 gives us so much with Donnie right there at the beginning, as well as in general. Now that so many characters from the series’ first season are well established, it’s like we’re expanding with deeper dives into people, like Donnie, who we maybe didn’t get that time with back then.
- “She brought in a full bagel spread. I’m just saying.” So, she can’t be bad!
- “Jesus is coming for me!” “If he is, he hasn’t checked in at registration yet.” Never change, Perlah, never change. Ever.
- There is…a puppy. And nobody even bothers to say anything. Just some, uh, shared looks with Princess…and peace out.
- “Giant Balls of Disrespect was the name of my band in high school.” “And my nickname for my ex-husband.” If this was B99, it’d be the title of someone’s sex tape.
- I…there are a lot of things I understand about Robby’s behavior with respect to Dr. Al-Hashimi, even if I don’t necessarily like the optics (to say the least). But there’s no excuse for the “what’s that” after he hears her name. At all. Period.
- Ohhh, Whitaker’s facepalm. I always love a good facepalm, and that was…yeah.
- “Parts of him are going to get used to make Frisbees and water bottles and end up as microplastics in our brains and reproductive organs.” “Thank you for the words of encouragement, Boss.”
- “Yes, please. This thing’s going to give me nightmares.” Javadi’s face.
- “Well, it might have been nice if we’d had a little time to go over how we do things.” Sir. That “well” is a bit much like a knife for this early in the morning.
- If Dr. Mohan likes this new lady, and she remembers Samira fondly, she can’t be that bad. And she also remembers Mel!
- “About time they replaced you, Rabbit-B**ch.” “I’m gonna miss you, too, Yolo…Dr. Garcia has a hard time expressing her feelings.” Whitaker, unimpressed AF: “Not all of them.”
- “Unfortunately, he also likes to use other people’s toothbrushes,” Our first update on the roommate situation, and…oh. Ew.
- But also: Santos/Garcia hookup confirmed.
- “Is the VA even a trauma center?” And the way Moafi plays the response to this is very much giving “hackles raised.”
- I love the camera work on Langdon’s entrance. It very much emphasizes how lost and worried he is. Additionally, the long shot in the locker area shows how lonely things are right now. The lack of noise back there while everyone else is in their routine, doing the work, is another stunning touch.
- Dana makes. An. Entrance.
- It’s fascinating to me how on guard and closed off Katherine LaNasa plays this, only to become more of the Dana we know and love the more she settles in. Her safe space is actually being surrounded by her people. By the time she’s showing Emma around, it’s like she’s fully back home. And so are we.
- “If it was a good morning, I’d still be in bed.” Me.
- He remembered she was going to leave. What another great callback to one of my many favorite scenes in the Season 1 finale. My heart.
- …but their reunion is so…stunted? Cautious?
- “I think we have a lost little lamb.” We do, and I love her.
- Dana: “Nice area.” Dana’s face: “Yikes.”
- “How about a cup of coffee?” The answer is always yes.
- Ma’am, I really want to give you a chance, but pro-tip? Second-guessing Robby’s ideas in front of his staff is, uh, not earning you any favors.
- DOCTOR ELLIS. HI.
- Mel, outside of the initial shot, so…not there. I missed her.
- Taylor Dearden’s physical performance and timing are, as always, exquisite. Mel’s pure glee at seeing Dr. Langdon is so sweet. And the way she just…stops at the last second before throwing her arms around him is the absolute cutest.
- …and everyone is sharing those looks like “???” cracked me up.
- Can Dr. Ellis stay??? I LOVE HER REACTIONS. I LOVED HER DURING THE MASS CASUALTY. I LOVE HER.
- Oh, I felt that sigh from McKay.
- “…a pretty f***ing stupid idea if you ask me.”
- “What if they’re in love?” “Lust is more like it.” And then, Cassie talks about needing to get laid. RIP to Samira. (And my sides from laughing so hard.)
- “Captain Crunch flying squirrel socks.” Indeed.
- Poor Mel offering to do triage instead of Dr. Langdon. PROTECT HER.
- Javadi and Whitaker both being so sure about the morning rush and Whitaker making a show of checking his watch: The children are grown now!
- “Who doesn’t love torturing the elderly?” Joy is my second-favorite new person. (Emma is number one.)
- “Who’s his next of kin? Barbie?” The thing is, Dr. Santos has a point here. If she hadn’t started off with that “Crash” nickname that Javadi was sick of months ago…
- Check out the way Javadi lights up when she realizes Santos is asking about the new attending for a reason! I don’t think these two can ever actually be friends, especially not until Santos learns to stop punching down, but I’d still say they’re in a way better place as coworkers now than they were in the past.
- “…and the required attitude.” Ok but you can see that Santos is impressed and amused by her pushing back, too.
- My new favorite thing is Dr. Robby looking down his little glasses, exhausted-like. And over it.
- Cute “birthday girl” gossip between Trinity and Princess.
- “It also lowers expectations, which in turn lowers patient satisfaction scores.” Someone should’ve warned Dr. Al-Hashimi that Dr. Robby does not give a flying F— about those. Oh. He’s also not a fan of Gloria, so…
- This unhoused man deserves better than to be talked about like that.
- “Have you ever considered serving God?” “Which one?” “Excuse me?” “My family is Hindu, so we have like 33 different kinds of deities.” Yeah…there’s a real problem with hegemony and with people thinking they should want everyone else to have the same faith as them. I’m glad Javadi just casually responds the way she does. Also, for what it’s worth, she’s saving lives. That certainly serves my interpretation of a god.
- This STAMP acronym hurts me, actually. Nurses shouldn’t need this!
- “I guess technically, it’s two words, but whatever.” My Dana, I’ve missed your quick wit.
- And poor Emma is so…overwhelmed. By all of it.
- The total silence with this one patient in chairs. Brilliant.
- Langdon’s so earnest when he confesses to Louie. Patrick Ball really knocks this out of the park. The way he takes all these (short) uncomfortable passes and keeps that tense quality in his voice, then builds in confidence and conviction as he goes, is right on point. By the time he gets to the part where Frank’s taking full responsibility for how wrong it all was, he’s looking his scene partner right in the eye. Totally present. Love it.
- “…it was not only wrong and utterly professional, but it was a betrayal of my Hippocratic Oath. And it was a f***ing crime.”
- …a baby?
- “Am I missing something?” “Social skills?”
- That nervous, frozen, “uh…theoretically.”
- What even is going on with this patient of McKay’s???
- “You usually ride in here on your unicorn tossing wildflowers.” “Unicorn?” PROTECT HER.
- No but the fact that “Mel…ancholia” was “off” enough that Santos even asked…
- “I’m not saying this is necessarily the case here, but recent studies have linked bullying behavior to different personality disorders? On the other hand, though, I — I am known to be a bit overly sensitive sometimes…”
- “Yo. Robinavitch! Somebody ditched a bundle of joy in chairs.”
- “That’s so sad.” “Tell me about it. I mean, who throws away a perfectly good baby?” Nice touch from LaNasa when Dana tosses those arms out and makes a show of telling her joke, followed by that little clap as she brings her arms down. And that big ol’ grin!
- If The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1 has taught us anything about Dr. Al-Hashimi, it’s that she does not appreciate the gallows humor. That…spells trouble.
- Nice to see hospital staff remembers what an N95 is when someone is smelly but not, you know, with airborne viruses…
- “Yeah, yeah. God forbid you prove useful.” From anyone else, I’d say this was b**chy. From Dana? Nah.
- I’m very worried about Kylie. Also very worried about what Santos will do, considering we’ve been down this road with her before.
- Dr. Mohan remains an angel. She’s rightfully frustrated with how her patient’s son treats her, but the second that sweet woman apologizes on his behalf and explains why he’s over protective, she does a complete 180. I think even without the apology, she’d be treating her patient with care and respect. As always. But the fact that this woman opens up to her just soothes the soul. And she is so amused when she learns how many “special” cookies this woman is eating!
- “Well, that sucks for old people.”
- Perlah and Dr. Santos in that bathroom with Kylie…what is going on?
- “Where’s your new resident badge buddy, Buddy?” And he has “ducklings”!
- “Do you drink coffee?” “Ugh. No. I avoid caffeine.” I will allow this from Mel only.
- …especially when she’s so adorable about the boba tea.
- “Miracle what a little soap, water, and human decency can do sometimes.”
- Poor Emma does not get Dana’s sense of humor. So shy about the personal questions. And so aghast when Dana asks her about killing a man.
- I’m going to need this guy to not hurt Dr. McKay.
- Well. Evelyn Bostick being brought in after her husband died…ouch.
- But why does Dr. Al-Hashimi react like that??? Yes, the idea of someone abandoning a baby is sad. But that’s…still not a normal reaction, especially since Dr. Mohan can’t get her attention.
What does the plaque Dr. Robby stopped by say?
What a beautiful tribute to the events of Season 1.
“In the aftermath of the tragic events of Pittfest, the PTMC staff exemplified the highest standards of care, compassion and resilience.
We are forever grateful for your extraordinary service, saving innumerable lives, comforting those who suffered, and showing the country the strength of the City of Pittsburgh.
On behalf of all the citizens of our great city, the Pittsburgh City Council proudly thanks you for your bravery and steadfast dedication on that fateful day and the days that followed.”
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of The Pitt Season 2 Episode 1? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of The Pitt stream Thursdays 9/8c on HBO Max.
