Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Pitt Season 2 Episode 2.
The Pitt dominated the TV landscape in 2025, becoming not only one of the year’s most popular shows but also winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as acting trophies for Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa. After a nine-month hiatus, The Pitt returned last week on HBO Max, bringing back some well-known characters along with some new faces. Leading the way again is Dr. Robby (Wyle), but this time, things are much different at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.
The biggest developments at the top of The Pitt Season 2 are the return of Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) and the arrival of Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), Robby’s replacement as he readies himself for a much-needed sabbatical. With one shift left before his break, anything could happen for Robby, especially given that the new attending won’t get out of his way, but will the next hour get any better for him?
Dr. Al-Hashimi Continues To Follow Robby Everywhere in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 2
When “8:00 A.M.” begins, Dr. Al-Hashimi is still frozen, staring at the abandoned baby. She tells a confused Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) to let her know when the labs are back, then leaves without an explanation. Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) is talking to Robby about the possibility that her young patient has been abused and whether they can get the girl’s father to come in. Her “gut” is what has led her to think something is wrong, which Robby tells Al-Hashimi that A.I. can never mimic.
Al-Hashimi asks Robby about whether Santos has ever jumped to conclusions before, but before he can answer her, Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) approaches him for advice about her patient with the head injury. With a construction worker with a badly dislocated shoulder en route, Robby and Al-Hashimi have Mel join them. Al-Hashimi presses Mel to be more specific about the injury, but she can’t recall what the exact dislocation is called. Al-Hashimi is an intimidating presence who makes others nervous, yet when she suggests they get orthopedics involved, she’s laughed at because they’re so slow.
Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell) is with the new med students preparing to drain Louie’s (Ernest Harden Jr.) distended abdomen, while Robby supervises and trains at the same time. James Oglivie (Luca Iverson) is quick to respond, but Joy Kwon (Irene Choi) is more hesitant. When Al-Hashimi walks in to supervise, Robby immediately leaves. Meanwhile, Santos is talking to Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) about possibly doing a double residency with her mom, Dr. Eileen Shamsi (Deepti Gupta), but the latter advises against it. As Javadi looks up the conjunctivitis chart for her nun patient, she’s concerned by the discovery that the woman somehow has gonorrhea. Santos thinks it’s funny, though. When the two talk to the nun about her diagnosis, it seems that she may have contracted gonorrhea by working without gloves in a homeless shelter. Meanwhile, new nurse Emma Nolan (Laëtitia Hollard) takes Troy Digby’s (Charles Baker) smelly clothes to Dana (LaNasa) before being introduced to Dr. Mohan. The unhoused man has had a cast on for months, and it’s beyond time for it to come off. Mohan takes charge while Emma watches, but the cast comes off to reveal a host of maggots underneath. Emma almost pukes and takes off for a moment to collect herself.
Dr. Al-Hashimi Tries to Sell the Other Doctors on A.I. in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 2
At the same time, it’s a struggle to treat the patient with a dislocated shoulder. Al-Hashimi thinks the next step might be the OR, but Robby believes they can get the patient’s shoulder back into joint — and they do. When Robby notices Mel’s gloomy mood, she mentions the deposition, and Robby asks if she wants to talk about it. He’s been sued several times, if that makes her feel better, but Al-Hashimi ruins the moment by saying she’s never been sued. Meanwhile, Whitaker is chatting with a patient with dementia who was brought in within the last hour. Sadly, her husband came into the ER just before her and passed away. When Whitaker breaks the news to her, the patient breaks down, but later, she forgets all about it, so he tells her again, leading to the same reaction. Whitaker ultimately decides to bring the woman to see her husband’s body in the hope that the truth will be hammered home, but she only believes her spouse is sleeping and wants to take him home.
One of the ER’s social workers comes in for Santos’ young patient, but she’s interested in speaking with the woman who brought her in first. It’s clear Robby is annoyed by Dr. Al-Hashimi’s assertive attitude, though, when she says to keep them both informed. They also disagree on how to treat the baby that was abandoned in the ER bathroom an hour ago. Meanwhile, Cassie checks in on her confused patient, who’s about to be taken to get a CT scan, as Mel returns to the patient who’s been flirting with her. The moment goes south fast when the cops come in and Mel’s patient flees, knocking her down and causing her to hit her head in the process.
‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Makes One Small Choice That Changes How We See Dr. Robby
Pittsburgh’s most dedicated ER doctor has become even more haunted in the new season.
Robby, who declares he’s leaving for his sabbatical tonight after his shift ends instead of waiting for the next morning, gets a win when he shows Al-Hashimi a trick to get the abandoned baby to pee for a urine test. (Thankfully, he’s not around when Langdon introduces himself to the new attending.) Al-Hashimi summons the other doctors over to show off an AI app that she believes will make taking patient notes and charting easier. They’re impressed because it saves a lot of time, but the AI also gets several details wrong, including the medication a patient might be taking.
Mel’s the Only One Who Seems Happy To See Langdon in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 2
As Langdon performs a concussion test on Mel, she confesses she’s glad he’s back, and he admits to his addiction and trip to rehab. Langdon also apologizes to her, but Mel insists he never let her down. When the police return to talk to Mel, they reveal the young man she was talking to was a thief who stole from a liquor store, and she’ll need to testify in court if they manage to track him down. She visibly tenses up. Meanwhile, Robby is talking to Santos’ young patient, whose dad hasn’t shown up yet. She loves horseback riding, but has she ever fallen out of the saddle? Her blood is drawn, and she doesn’t even flinch. Has she become accustomed to pain? Robby tells a visibly upset Santos that her patient needs to be tested for possible sexual abuse, too. Whitaker and Javadi are talking about him being an official doctor now, but Santos points out that Ogilvie is their competition before she notices Langdon approaching them and quickly exits. What she said shouldn’t be forgotten, though, because Ogilvie is cocky, even going so far as to correct Dr. Mohan in an attempt to look better than her. He butts heads with Javadi, too, except he goes too far and annoys Robby, who wants the med students to be team players.
Langdon receives a hard patient — literally — in the form of a man who’s had an erection for the last 8 hours. He used two ED injections, doubling the recommendation, because it was his wedding anniversary. Al-Hashimi watches Santos, Mel, and Emma treat the poor guy, but Mel’s so scared about her deposition that she’s struggling to focus. Al-Hashimi tells her to stick to the facts of the case and compliments her for always being thorough. When another patient comes in with an upper airway obstruction, Robby and Al-Hashimi butt heads over the potential cause. When the former gets his way about how to proceed, Al-Hashimi leaves; she’s never been sued and would like to keep it that way. A camera down the patient’s airway finds a piece of broccoli stuck in his throat, and Robby stresses that his way was right because they didn’t have to intubate like Al-Hashimi wanted. As Episode 2 ends, Robby goes to the parking lot for a break, only to be approached again by Dr. Al-Hashimi, who wants advice about her recommendations. She tries to sell him on A.I. and patient passports, but the arrival of another ambulance interrupts them. Good luck getting him to agree.
- Release Date
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January 9, 2025
- Network
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Max
- Showrunner
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R. Scott Gemmill
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Noah Wyle
Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch
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Tracy Ifeachor
Dr. Heather Collins
Pros & Cons
- Dr. Robby’s drama with Dr. Al-Hashimi is a slow build rather than becoming an over-the-top clash.
- Mel’s anxiety over her deposition adds complexity to her usual demeanor.
- Dr. Langdon continues to try to redeem himself.
- There have been too many patients to focus on, with none sticking out.
- Ogilvie could become so irritating that he’s unwatchable.
