The Pitt Season 2, Episode 1 Recap & Discussion: Who Is Robby's Replacement?

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Pitt season 2, episode 1.The premiere of The Pitt season 2 brought back most of the show's doctors, all of its high-stress medical emergencies, and a few new elements that are worth looking at more closely. Less than 10 months after the ending of The Pitt season 1, HBO Max's hit medical drama is back. Most of the cast of The Pitt has returned, though there are a few notable exceptions who moved away from Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.

In The Pitt's typical fashion, audiences were thrown right into the deep end in the season 2 premiere. No time was wasted in getting into complex patients, new dynamics at PTMC, and several important details that were dropped in naturally in the midst of dialog. With everything that happened in The Pitt season 2, episode 1, and how subtly some information is revealed, it's worth recapping the events and reveals of the premiere.

Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi Is Filling In For Robby While He Takes A Sabbatical

The biggest change The Pitt season 2, episode 1 introduced was a replacement for Dr. Robby: Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi). Robby eventually told Dr. Langdon that he's taking a three-month sabbatical. He plans to go to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a significant historical site in Alberta, Canada. While he's away, Dr. Al-Hashimi will be PTMC's attending physician for the day shift.

The Pitt also told us a bit about who Dr. Al-Hashimi is. Baran said she came from a Veterans Affairs hospital, likely somewhere in Pennsylvania. While it wasn't an emergency room, she did deal with gunshot wounds and other traumas. She's also been described as a progressive who favors technology and new programs, such as the patient passports she implemented and a plan to stop calling PTMC's emergency room "the Pitt."

Al-Hashimi also butted heads with Robby in several ways during their first hour together. Robby prefers a more hands-off method of teaching residents and interns, and he lets them come up with their own treatments. Al-Hashimi, on the other hand, is much more hands-on, and she tells the residents what to do. Robby also prefers more traditional and unorthodox medical practices, while Al-Hashimi is more progressive and technology-minded.

Dr. Langdon Returned To PTMC & Is Making Amends In The Pitt Season 2

Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) also made his not-so-triumphant return to PTMC in The Pitt season 2, episode 1. Towards the end of The Pitt season 1, Santos and Robby caught Langdon stealing benzos from Louie to feed his drug addiction. In the months between seasons, Langdon went to rehab, and The Pitt season 2 takes place on his first day back to work. However, it's not all good news for Langdon.

Clearly, between seasons, the doctors and nurses of PTMC had been gossiping about Langdon, and the reason for his time off is probably common knowledge. That made his return quite awkward and led to more than a few tense reunions. Langdon is also trying to make amends with some people. He apologized for stealing Louie's medicine, but Langdon's redemption arc is just starting.

Langdon's standing with Robby also took a massive hit. Robby entirely dismissed Langdon's attempt to talk to him, and he sent him to work the clinic instead of the major cases in the rest of the emergency room. It seems Robby still feels betrayed by Langdon, and though he went to rehab, it's going to take more than that to heal their student-teacher relationship.

What We Know About The Other Doctors & Nurses In The Pitt Season 2

The Pitt season 2, episode 1 also revealed several smaller details about the other doctors and nurses of PTMC. Nurse Donny, for example, became a father between seasons. Dana evidently took some time off after the stress of the PittFest mass shooting and being punched in season 1, though she's returned to her role as charge nurse. PTMC also got a new nurse, Emma, who is eager but inexperienced.

The returning characters of The Pitt season 2 also had a few new developments. Dr. King was worrying about a medical malpractice lawsuit she was named in. Dr. Santos has her eyes on a dual fellowship for emergency medicine and surgery. Whitaker also has two new interns, Joy, who is deadpan and often uninterested, and James, who is whip-smart but lacks social skills. Javadi is still having trouble with her mother, and McKay's son is seemingly with his father during this shift.

Someone Left A Baby In PTMC's Bathroom: Dr. Al-Hashimi's Reaction Explained

In typical fashion for The Pitt, the premiere episode ended on a cliffhanger. Earlier in the episode, someone left a very young infant in the waiting room bathroom. Robby, Al-Hashimi, and Mohan couldn't be sure if the baby was over or under a month old, but they ran tests. When those tests came back, however, Dr. Al-Hashimi seemed very troubled by the results, and the episode ended.

It's obviously too early to be sure what's wrong with the abandoned baby, and The Pitt is nothing if not unpredictable, but we can still speculate about what happened. The baby's tests may have come back and revealed a troubling diagnosis, like a sickness or genetic disorder that will be hard to treat. Al-Hashimi may also simply be overwhelmed by dealing with a potentially abandoned child, something she didn't see often at a VA hospital.

The Pitt Season 2, Episode 1's Notable Patients Explained

The doctors and nurses of PTMC aren't the only interesting part of the show, however: The Pitt season 2 also has several new and interesting patients to keep track of. We did get one patient as a holdover from the last season: Louie, an alcoholic man with a hard belly and an infection in his gums. One of the more notable new patients was an unhoused man who was covered in dirt and smelled so bad that doctors and patients alike were revolted by him.

There was also a nurse who had an eye infection, and a few more complicated cases. Dr. McKay treated a man who had fallen, but every time she revisited him his demeanor was different, which could indicate a neurological injury. Santos also treated a little girl who had fallen, but after seeing older bruises and blood in her urine, she suspects the child is a victim of abuse. Lastly, there was a deaf woman in the waiting room who hasn't been introduced yet, but will likely be important to the future of The Pitt season 2.