Season 2 of The Pitt ended, surprisingly enough, with a hug: Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) cradling Baby Jane Doe, promising her: “Everything is going to be fine.” But is it?
There’s still the question of his looming sabbatical and that helmet-less motorcycle trip, not to mention his very much untreated mental health issues. And for the rest of the staff, we learned that Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) has been hiding a seizure disorder, which she disclosed to Robby — who’s now threatening to report her to the hospital administration. We already know that Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) won’t be back for Season 3 — is she the only one?
Here’s everything you need to know about Season 3.
Sepideh Moafi and Noah WyleWarrick Page/HBO Max
Will Dr. Al-Hashimi be back?
The season ended with Robby issuing an ultimatum to Al-Hashimi: Either you tell the administration about your diagnosis or I will. So what does that mean for the character — will we see her again in season 3? “What I can confirm is I know nothing,” Moafi said on the Today show. “I think the plan is to have me back.”
Showrunner R. Scott Gemmill confirmed that her character’s arc will be addressed in the medical drama’s third season in an interview with TV Line. “We’ve seen these characters struggle with mental health, but we haven’t really seen them deal with a physical issue like this — something that could derail a career,” he said. “With Baran, it’s that classic ‘physician, heal thyself’ question. What kind of patient is she going to be? Is she in denial about what she’s facing? It certainly seems like she’s been pushing it to the edge, and now she’s confronted with the reality of whether she can continue to practice medicine. It’s a really interesting situation, and we’ll continue to explore it in Season 3.”
Noah WyleWarrick Page/HBO Max
Will Robby go on his sabbatical? Will he foster Baby Jane Doe? Will he get the help he needs?
Yes, he does go on his sabbatical; no, he won’t foster the baby. As for getting the help he needs, that’s a more complicated question. Season 3 will pick up four months later, but Robby’s state of mind is still very much up in the air.
“Clearly he’s in a very bad place and we should be worried about him. I’m worried about him, you know? He needs to take steps to get better and he hasn’t. Until he does, things are only going to get worse,” Gemmill tells Gold Derby. “We’ll learn more about Robby moving forward in Season 3. We’ll start to reveal what Robby’s backstory was and it wasn’t always pleasant. He has his own demons that he’s never really dealt with.”
Taylor Dearden and Supriya GaneshWarrick Page/HBO Max
Why is Dr. Mohan leaving the show?
“It’s part of the process,” Gemmill explains to Gold Derby. “It is a bit of a revolving door in the hospital and in order to keep a certain amount of that feel authentic is the departure of certain individuals and the arrival of others. So we have new people coming in and we have new people leaving and old people leaving. And that helps keep the show fresh and keeps the audience on their toes. It also eliminates that sense of false jeopardy that some shows have where this isn’t going to happen because we know they’re not going to get rid of that character. When characters can leave in a moment’s notice and unexpectedly, then you don’t have that false jeopardy and you never know what can happen.”
Sepideh MoafiWarrick Page/HBO Max
What was cut from the finale?
A few moments didn’t make it to the final version that hit our screens Thursday night.
Al-Hashimi’s breakdown in her car was an emotional moment in the finale, but Moafi tells Gold Derby a key moment was cut where she called her ex-husband and asked him to watch their son, claiming she was having car trouble — and hearing something in her voice, he offers to come pick her up. “That moment of that gesture, the way he extends himself, that kindness is exactly what she needs in this moment,” she says. “And that was when she starts to crumble, and she quickly gets off the phone with him so he can’t hear it and then has her breakdown. But I think that moment also taught me a lot about where she is, that she needs to be alone right now, because this hasn’t only triggered her own trauma from her life in this condition, it’s also triggered her relationship to trust.”
Moafi tells Gold Derby there was also a line where Robby made a joke after Dr Al-Hashimi revealed her diagnosis and said, “Sorry, I’ve had a really bad day.” She replied, “Haven’t we all?” “I love that moment, I love that exchange, because he’s right,” Moafi said. “He’s had a real f–king horrible day. So has she, and we’ve seen horrible, horrible experiences throughout the day. It’s just a reminder for all of us that we’re always carrying something. I love that part of The Pitt that it humanizes every struggle and every bad behavior and every judgment that we have. It dismantles it and humanizes it.”
Katherine LaNasaWarrick Page/HBO Max
Even nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) faced a moment that was left on the cutting-room floor — another scene of her confronting Robby. “The only thing that was different was we had shifted — it was me telling him, “There’s nothing out there. What are you looking for out there? What are you going to find? What are you going to do?” she tells Gold Derby. “And again, trying to get him to promise me that he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. But a lot of characters say that, and there’s been a lot with me and Noah, so I didn’t really feel like we needed it. I was very satisfied as a viewer [without] it. Even though that was cut, it didn’t bother me. I felt like it was kind of a perfect episode.”
Expect to see more of Irene Choi and Lucas Iverson (middle)Warrick Page/HBO Max
Will there be more cast changes?
“There will be some new faces, some people will be gone and some new people will show up,” says Gemmill. “[We’re] really focusing on Robby’s journey through mental health and hopefully getting better.”) New nurse Emma Nolan (Laetitia Hollard) will be back, Gemmill confirmed to TV Line, and said we may see medical students Joy Kwon (Irene Choi) and James Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) briefly.
Ayesha Harris (middle) will become a regular next seasonWarrick Page/HBO Max
With Ayesha Harris now a series regular, does this mean we’re going to spend more time with the night shift?
Although Shawn Hatosy (Dr. Jack Abbot) has been floating the idea of a night shift spinoff, sounds like Ellis is going to start working days.
“Every time you have new faces come in, it changes the dynamic,” says Gemmill. “Not everyone works steady nights. Some people you can, but it’s not recommended. It’s hard on the doctors and so they usually swap out. It just felt like an idea to seize one of the night shift doctors working a day shift for a change just to change up the dynamic.”
Patrick Ball and Katherine LaNasaWarrick Page/HBO Max
Will Langdon relapse?
Throughout Season 2, we watch Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) going through the steps of recovery, making amends and asserting his sobriety, but he’s also subject to a drug test. “I was reminded many times that half the doctors that go through substance-abuse treatment relapse, and I was reminded frequently that relapse is part of the addiction journey,” Ball tells Gold Derby. “I don’t know how it’s going to work out. … It’s useful to not know where the plane is headed exactly, but it doesn’t mean it’s exactly comfortable for sure.”
Noah Wyle and Gerran HowellWarrick Page/HBO Max
Will Whitaker actually housesit for Robby?
Even with his roommate Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) reacting badly and widow Amy Miller (Bailey Gavulic) needing his help, Gerran Howell (Dennis Whitaker) thinks he will end up moving into Robby’s bachelor pad. “It’s a hard offer to turn down,” Howell tells Gold Derby. “I think there’s a part of Whitaker that feels maybe I’m just getting on [Santos’] nerves, so maybe it’s for the best. … Whatever he decides to do, it’s going to be rough, I think.”
For what it’s worth, Hatosy has his own prediction: “Let’s start in Robby’s bachelor pad,” he tells Gold Derby of his wish for Season 3. “Whitaker’s there and they’re putting together a crib, because they’ve taken the baby, and it’s going to be Whitaker, Robby and a baby. … And Abbot’s outside doing nude yoga.”
How did Digby wind up with Whitaker’s badge?Warrick Page/HBO Max
How did Whitaker lose his badge and will he get it back?
When last we saw Whitaker’s badge, it was being worn by the freshly cleaned-up John Digby (Charles Baker) as he heads off into the night. Will the ID ever be returned? “All will be revealed,” Howell promises Gold Derby. “Of all the threads that are out there, that is one thing that does have a conclusion for sure. I hope it’s satisfying for people. It really has been a big mystery. I’ve seen people kind of try to catch where it happens in the show. I don’t think anyone’s actually caught the real moment yet, which is kind of cool. There was a moment where it comes off me and we choreographed it, and I think they even shot it falling off, but didn’t keep it. But when I bump into Natalie was the official moment.”
Taylor Dearden and Isa BrionesWarrick Page/HBO Max
Will there be more karaoke?
No word yet, but given the success of their first outing, one can only hope Santos and King step up to the mic again. We hear they’re taking requests.
