The Pitt (Season 2) Review

To review, our crew of ED doctors, nurses, EMTs, radiologists, surgeons, residents, and (one) laboratorian are back for another round of abuse and exhaustion after the first season ended in a pretty gnarly set piece involving a mass shooting at "PittFest".

Drs. Robby and Al-Hashimi, not in that order

So, did we want a second season? Yes, absolutely. This group, even the more unlikeable characters, have been very compelling. And especially, the captain of the crew, Dr. Robinavitch (or, Dr. Robby, played by "ER" alum Noah Wyle).

How does this season stack up. Comparison is the thief of joy, so let's not try to measure this season directly to the first. The big difference is that this season (slight spoiler) does not culminate in a single unifying event, the day just drags on and on and on, becoming more or a frog-in-boiling-water situation. Is this bad? Not necessarily, just different. In fact, it may serve to better capture the real crisis of health care: the day-after-day, year-after-year grind that burns healthcare workers out. Top to bottom, the system requires a monumental amount of energy and dedication to make the thing just work at a baseline level.

Dr. Robinovitch embodies this. He feels that he cannot step away from an ED department that feels like a cracked dam. And he cannot bring himself to pass his work off to another physician. Bringing us to the next development and point of tension...

Dr. Al-Hashimi, played by Sepideh Moafi, an American actress of Persian descent and new to The Pitt this season. Clearly a talented physician, she comes in and immediately ruffles feathers by making changes and doing things differently (i.e. not the Dr. Robby way). She receives pushback from Dr. Robby who is starting to let his control freak nature show a bit. One could even say the saintly shine comes off a bit in this season, and he even drops his preternatural cool at moments, losing his ever-loving shit on the residents (namely the sweet Dr. Mohan).

Through it all, as the hot shots of the department fall apart and the wheels come off, the two nervous noobs from the first season, student Javadi and resident Whitaker, come out looking like the two who might have a semblance of mental health and seem to be thriving the most. They are the only ones who are able to draw boundaries between who they are and what they do for a living.

Bright young things, med student Javadi and resident Dr. Whitaker.

Grades for The Pitt: Season 2

Storyline: 7/10

For the most part, the storyline does not pop and sometimes things are a bit murky. Like, what's the deal with the baby? Season 2 depends on the individual arcs of the characters rather than a large event. The closest to a large event is the downtime for the EMR (the medical records system) that causes widespread consternation and annoyance, as anyone who has experienced this in real life can tell you.

Novelty: 6/10

I guess this is the weak point of the season when we get down to it. For the most part, we already know the characters. Some of the most exciting novelty comes from the night shifters (led by the ex-military tough-but-sweet guy, Dr. Jack Abbot, played by the low-key jacked Shawn Hatosy) who tend to steal the scenes they are in. In fact, we wouldn't hate a spinoff based on the night shifters.

Characters: 9/10

The characters are really the goldmine of the show and the key to its success. Noah Wyle has the "it" factor and produces the gravity that holds the show and all the disparate storylines together. The above-mentioned night-shifters add an extra pop as we get to see a bit more of them. The introduction of Dr. Al-Hashimi brings a bit more flavor to the show and is the source of some tension. And as we see more of the new kids on the block, we see them develop as professionals and as people. We even start seeing into Dr. Robby's life a bit more and meet a good friend of his who becomes a patient.

Medical coolness: 9/10

This is always cool. Gnarly injuries are a constant. Among them:

Fireworks accidents

Very bad sunburns

An open, dislocated shoulder

A broken neck

Gunshot wounds

But there are also tear-jerking scenes involving the end-stage cancer of a mom of two youngish kids that ground the show and prevent it from dipping too far into the weird novel injury territory that you might see in Grey's Anatomy.

Low-key jacked Shawn Hatosy as Dr. Abbot (w/ Robby)

Overall: 7.8/10

We can't wait for the next season already and bring on the night-shifter spin-off.