The Pitt Season 2 Premiere Promises To Fix A Season 1 Plot Point That Fell Short
by Joe Roberts · /FilmIn "The Pitt" season 1, Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch and Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Heather Collins (who left "The Pitt" before season 2) clashed over falsifying medical records. But after the latter endured a miscarriage, she was sent home, and we never got to see how the two doctors' differing approaches to medicine would play out. Now, with Sepideh Moafi's Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi joining the show for season 2, we might just get the attending physician showdown we've been waiting for.
When "The Pitt" debuted on January 9, 2025, viewers were entirely unprepared for the harrowing events that would play out over the course of the next 14 episodes. But there were clues that things weren't going to go to plan for the staff of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. For one thing, Dr. Robby was still recovering from the loss of his mentor, Dr. Montgomery Adamson, during the early months of the pandemic — a loss which ultimately played a big role in the doctor's breakdown during episode 13 of the season (which featured Wyle's best performance yet).
But that was just one small part of the powder keg that was Dr. Robby's emergency room in season 1, and things aren't looking much better for the attending physician in the season 2 premiere — especially since he and Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi clearly don't see eye-to-eye on pretty much anything. Luckily for us, that means we should finally get some juicy drama as they're forced to reconcile their conflicting approaches to emergency medicine.
The Dr. Robby/Dr. Collins clash that never was
"The Pitt" season 2 continues to turn empathy and competency into great TV, but there's no doubt the drama is a big part of the appeal. In the season premiere, we learn that Dr. Robby is preparing for his three-month sabbatical. He seems to be doing much better than when we last saw him, but within the first few minutes, we see Wyle's doctor stop in front of a memorial plaque for the victims of the mass shooting from last season. That plaque is conveniently placed opposite a portrait of Dr. Montgomery Adamson, providing a visual representation of how Dr. Robby is now working under an even bigger shadow, and perhaps a grim sign that the upcoming shift will be even more taxing than the last time around.
Making matters worse, the new attending physician, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, has started early, and her approach to running the ER isn't exactly in line with Dr. Robby's. As frustrating as that will no doubt be for Wyle's character, it also means we're in for what will surely be a major clash between the two, which means we'll finally get the drama we missed out on with Dr. Robby and Dr. Heather Collins last season.
Collins was a senior resident, and while she wasn't quite on the same level as Robby, she basically matched his competence and even challenged him on several occasions, most notably when it came to reinterpreting a young girl's ultrasound to allow her to get an abortion. This led to a heated confrontation, wherein Collins called Robby's actions "flat-out illegal," which seemed to point towards some sort of reckoning whereby the pair's opposing views would be put to the ultimate test. Unfortunately for us, that never happened.
Dr. Robby and Dr. Al-Hashimi are surely headed for a major clash
When Dr. Heather Collins had a miscarriage in season 1, she and Dr. Robby — who were previously romantically involved — shared a tender moment wherein the latter was extremely empathetic and encouraged Collins to take time for herself. As touching as it was, it left the pair's original dynamic hanging. Now, with Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi present, we'll see what it's like for Dr. Robby to have an equally competent doctor challenge him on his medical decisions, and it should be even more explosive as they're both attending physicians.
Dr. Robby's replacement is also a stickler for the rules. She goes by the book and wants to institute changes designed to fulfill Chief Medical Officer Gloria Underwood's (Michael Hyatt) efficiency goals at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. She's an advocate for AI tools in the ER (an example of how "The Pitt" season 2 is tackling major cultural issues) and has instituted something called "patient passports," both of which clearly irk Dr. Robby, who just wants to get on with things.
But Dr. Al-Hashimi also happens to be one of the only doctors with the expertise to match his, which makes their dynamic ripe for some interesting trauma room clashes between the two. As the season plays out, it looks as though this mismatch could lead to a climax, likely involving a patient who requires some sort of life-saving treatment. Though Dr. Robby faced a whole slew of problems last time around, this is a brand new challenge for him that not only follows through on a plot that was seemingly abandoned in season 1, but makes the new season feel fresh, exciting, and potentially even more addictively stressful than season 1.