Review: The Pitt, "7:00 AM" | Season 2, Episode 1

Welcome to Episodic Medium's coverage of The Pitt, HBO Max's Emmy-winning medical drama. As per usual, although distinct from season one, this first review will be free for all, but subsequent reviews will be exclusively for paid subscribers. Until 1/16, you can get 10% off the already discounted yearly membership by clicking this button.

For the majority of its first season, The Pitt was created in a vacuum. Given that streamers often produce an entire series before its release, this is not uncommon. However, The Pitt straddles a traditional network procedural model and contemporary shorter episode orders. Where ER was simultaneously becoming a breakout hit while making its first season (allowing writers to respond to the audience reaction), The Pitt was at the end of its shooting schedule when the season launched on HBO Max this time last year. The scripts were written and the characters crafted before it became the runaway monster, Emmy-winning smash hit of 2025. Now comes the challenge of returning to what is now a beloved series, embraced by critics, audiences, the medical community, and their peers in the Television Academy. One of the biggest questions going into Season 2 is whether the shape of The Pitt will change in response to its success. The premiere backs up what the creative team has been saying since the summer: not much.

Creator Scott R. Gemmill and executive producers John Wells and Noah Wyle are not messing with the winning formula, anchoring the season at the start of the day. Sticking to its real(ish) time format, with each of the 15 episodes taking place over an hour of a single shift, is the first indication that it is business as usual on the Warner Bros. lot. Don’t expect to see George Clooney stunt-casting anytime soon (no matter how many times a Clooney cameo makes headlines), or any other A-list faces clamoring for a guest appearance. But some grander flourishes ensure it isn’t simply hitting repeat; Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch rides a motorbike to the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, rather than walking as he did in the pilot. It is also July 4th, upping the stakes early on because a holiday involving fireworks, booze, and hot temperatures is a recipe for a busy emergency department.

Another thing any season premiere (monster success or not) needs to do is establish the passage of time and what has occurred within this window. In this case, it has been 10 months since an already challenging shift for Robby spiraled into worst-case-scenario territory, and he had a breakdown in the same pedes room where his mentor, Dr. Adamson, died five years earlier. When Robby now enters the ER, the wall opposite the dedications to those healthcare professionals lost during COVID bears a plaque commemorating the department’s efforts in the aftermath of the PittFest shooting. Unlike other shows that benefit from seeing character lives unfold over days, weeks, and months, The Pitt’s format immediately restricts access. Those tight parameters mean we have to pay attention to dialogue, reactions, and context clues to fill in the gaps; this show isn’t above an exposition dump, but it also doesn’t spoon-feed a rundown of the staff since we last saw them.

As I mentioned in my first reaction post last season, ER is one of the shows that made me want to write about TV (The X-Files and My So-Called Life are the other two), and approaching a season premiere always made me giddy. Part of that came from the excitement of catching up with my favorite characters, and another thrill was seeing the inevitable new haircuts and costume choices. Now, a medical show has fewer opportunities for sartorial glamor, and yet the image of Wyle as John Carter, wearing a patterned blue-and-white holiday shirt, shorts, and sandals when he’s late on his first day back as a newly qualified doctor, is burned into my mind. Hair, makeup, and costume can be as informative as dialogue, and having spent an entire season with Robby wearing a blue Beers of the Burgh hoodie, it is jarring to see him in a green fleece this year. However, the most worrying and telling clothing choice is that Robby doesn’t wear a helmet on his motorcycle (even though he has one on hand). Costume designer Lyn Elizabeth Paolo (who also worked on 325 episodes of ER) doesn’t throw any wild outfit choices or major makeovers into the mix. Still, it is fun to notice details like Victoria’s Independence Day-themed red, white, and blue heart-shaped earrings.

Balancing the returning cast and the new additions is also a tightrope, which The Pitt successfully walks in the premiere by immediately establishing that this is Robby’s last day before he goes on a three-month sabbatical, and introducing the attending physician covering the ER while he is gone. While I struggle to believe that Robby wouldn’t have met Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) to handover until his final shift, it is quickly established that their methods are at odds. Even before Al-Hashimi has stepped onto the screen, night shift charge nurse Lena shares the new attending’s romantic status (divorced) and “can already tell she is a strict rule follower.” Dr. Shen adds that Al-Hashimi is a clinical informatics expert, but the ice-coffee-drinking night-shift attending switched off as soon as AI was mentioned. An information dump via gossip-y observations is an organic way to share broad character details in this particular setting and to prepare us for friction. Robby's annoyance is immediate because Al-Hashimi has not only come in early, but is also running a “mock code” with the ED's intern (Whitaker) and med students (Victoria, Ogilvie, and Joy).

By the time we meet Al-Hashimi, our first impression is therefore through the lens of an irritable Robby, whose mood worsens when she suggests an array of quality-improvement changes. Part of me wondered if they even wanted us to give Al-Hashimi a chance before we chalk her off as an AI-loving, rigid antagonist, but seeing her reconnecting with Mohan (who she worked with at the VA) offers a more positive perspective. In addition, Robby’s maverick status doesn’t make him immune to criticism; he is rigid in other ways, and The Pitt does not want his flaws to be overlooked. Take how Robby responds when he sees Langdon back after his time in rehab and counseling, immediately shutting down Langdon's request to talk. Robby might be an excellent mentor to those in favor, like Whitaker, but his lack of flexibility is still an issue 10 months after we last saw him.

The end of the first season left questions about who would return, but it seemed unlikely that charge nurse Dana’s decision to call it a day would stick. Between seasons, though, news broke that Tracy Ifeachor would not be returning as Dr. Heather Collins. Reports varied on the creative reasons, and as of the premiere, Collins’ absence remains unexplained. Some of the best moments of The Pitt’s debut season featured Collins, including her friendship with Dana, and complicated history with Robby (the conversation in Episode 11 being a highlight). Losing this character doesn’t go unnoticed, even without factoring in the behind-the-scenes questions. While Al-Hashimi could be seen as a replacement, the push-pull chemistry between Wyle and Moafi is entirely different from that with Ifeachor. What is also curious is how Al-Hashimi reacts to Mohan at the end of the episode when they are treating the abandoned baby. The scene takes place in the same pedes room, which was a temporary morgue the last time we were in what seems like a cursed space. 

No direct references are made to events that have previously occurred within the cartoon animal-decorated walls. The same goes for Dana’s attack. Change and growth are inevitable when this much time has passed between seasons, and the scars of that day vary. We don’t know how long Dana had off before returning to PTMC, and her tone and delivery are sometimes spikier. With new graduate nurse Emma Nolan, she softens her tone, while still emphasizing the importance of personal safety—earlier, Dana removes the scissors protruding from Emma’s pocket. Given the environment, it is the kind of lesson Dana has likely delivered countless times before she was sucker punched by a patient. Nevertheless, being assaulted at work adds another layer to this conversation. It isn’t that Robby’s mental health isn’t a concern this year, but I worry that—like Robby—Dana’s strength doesn’t lie in self-reflection and seeking help. The two veterans have a lot in common, including their gallows humor (“Who throws away a perfectly good baby?” says Dana. Robby laughs, Al-Hashimi does not). 

Unlike Robby, Dana gives Langdon a warm welcome. Perhaps the most significant personality shift, unsurprisingly, is the attending who was caught pilfering Benzos. The contrast to his introduction in the first season is stark; the confident swagger and cracking jokes are no more. Patrick Ball’s physicality as Langdon has gone from easy, breezy to shrinking in stature, reflecting his trepidation at returning to the scene of what he refers to as "a fucking crime." It is only when Robby tells him to cover Triage that we see a flash of his cocky former self, immediately objecting to this assignment before quickly correcting himself. Robby doesn’t want to have whatever soul-baring conversation Langdon is keen to get out of the way. I give it at least until Episode 9 before they do.

Another question is how long it will be before Langdon has any one-on-one time with Santos. Although he has years of history with Robby, it is worth remembering that Langdon and Santos have spent only one day together. Her eye roll and stiffening body at clocking Langdon are as telling as Mel’s delight. Ditto the awkwardness when Langdon hands off Louie’s care to Whitaker and his two med students. It is difficult to determine whether this weird vibe stems from Whitaker being roommates with Santos and therefore naturally aligned with her, or from Whitaker’s unease about how to handle this conversation. It is only hour one, and I am interested to see how the so-called "prodigal son" integrates back into this stressful environment.

Having Louie as a returning patient is another solid creative choice because his alcoholism means he is a familiar face at this hospital. Unbeknownst to him, Louie also has a link to Langdon’s recovery journey: it was Louie’s Librium that Langdon stole. Previously, Langdon refused to admit that he had an addiction: he is no longer in denial. This tether to Season 1 is grounding, but I hope there is more to Louie’s story than allowing Langdon to make amends. Whether this is a long or short stay for Louie, The Pitt’s first episode back offers a reminder that some patients need repeat assistance.

The season premiere pulls us back into this medical world without resorting to gimmicks or changing the format. At the same time, it doesn't come across as treading water to start at 7:00 AM again. There are no fireworks injuries so far, and plenty of time to see if Dr. Shen has jinxed this department for a second season in a row. Not only that, but it is thrilling to have a streaming series airing like clockwork the year after its debut. Similar to Slow Horses, a tight production schedule delivers far from diminishing returns (so far).  

Stray Observations

• So Garcia and Santos definitely have had a thing based on Garcia’s comments about Whitaker using her toothbrush. The jury is out on whether this is ongoing, but it is noticeable that Whitaker is at his most curt to the surgeon (who probably shouldn’t be bringing their personal lives into the trauma room). Garcia and Santos do share a love of giving people nicknames, as Garcia calls Whitaker “White Chocolate.” Santos still refers to Victoria as “Crash” and tries out “Mel-ancholia” on the out-of-sorts Mel.
• Mel’s distracted, low mood stems from a deposition scheduled for later, as she has been named in a malpractice suit. Santos tries to reassure her that she will be fine and could even cut off someone’s head and be covered by the hospital. This interaction shows Santos at her most and least empathetic. Any guesses on what Mel is being sued for?  
• The waiting room is busy but “manageable” at the start of the day shift. As with last season, it is likely that characters already sitting in chairs will end up a focus. Similar to how you can guess who the killer is in a crime procedural by recognizing an actor, I am already sure that the woman (Irina Dubova) who complains about the smell will get an expanded storyline. Dubova guest-starred in one of the most harrowing episodes of The Americans, a show I am currently rewatching, and that is very much on my mind.
• The unhoused man she complains about is mentioned several times as if he isn’t present. So when Dana says, “it’s a miracle what a little soap, water, and human decency can do,” it feels like Mr. Digby hasn’t been on the receiving end of the latter for much of his time in the ER. 
• One criticism from the medical community last season was the lack of nurse practitioner representation. Donnie is not only a new dad but has also passed his nurse practitioner certification.
• Victoria is turning 21 in a few days, and she does not want to celebrate. First, she gives her mother the brush-off, then she begs Santos not to tell anyone (she immediately tells Princess). She might still be the youngest student doctor, but Victoria is no longer the least experienced med student. Speaking of, what do you make of the two new med students, Ogilvie and Joy? 
• Another nod to last year is how Whitaker draws on Robby’s teaching, giving a moment of silence for the deceased. Robby looks on like a proud parent, sharing a look with Princess that knocks away any cynicism I had about this scene.  
• The bar was set high in the premiere last season with the degloved foot prosthetic designed by Autonomous FX. This year, the first trauma (involving someone falling on a knife sticking out of a dishwasher) also makes an impression, particularly with the clamshell procedure and when the heart does indeed look like a bag of worms. “That’s a hell of a way to start the day,” Robby says. And what a way to kick off the season. I cannot wait to dig into The Pitt’s return with you all. (Unsurprising but great news: HBO Max has also already renewed The Pitt for a third season)