there is a consistent pattern of robby seeing himself in several characters throughout two seasons, but i genuinely don't think we can ignore that him seeing himself in other characters works out positively(or at least, it gives them grace) if those characters are white men, but when it's samira it works against her. and i do think that it's an oversight from the showrunners, and that the 'seeing himself in her' is a lazy excuse when there are glaring differences in how he treats those around him.
with whitaker, the 'seeing himself' schtick allows him to teach students way beyond what he's supposed to be doing, be independent, get robby's house, all while he he has had at least two instances of ignoring black women's pain and clearly still has a lot to learn. with langdon, it allowed him to get away with diverting and stealing meds without a proper report, allowing him back in the ED with barely any consequences besides urine tests. with david, it prevented him from being reported to the police even though there was clear evidence he wanted to murder girls; robby even says that he didn't care about the girls as much, because all he saw was a sad boy.
but with samira? she's squandeing her potential, and he has to lash out and shame her in order for her to become better, even if it clearly only drags her further down. seeing himself in her is torture for samira, and places impossible standards on her; while seeing himself in men allows them to roam free and be trusted beyond what's safe and acceptable.
for samira, being seen as a version of robby means being put down, being distrusted, and directed towards another specialty instead of receiving the support she needs. for the men, it gives them opportunities, second chances, praise, trust, and protection. and even in the case that he is angry at them, his behavior never reaches the low it hits when he has to witness samira's mere existence as an equally struggeling physician with parental trauma.
it just bothers me when people try and justify his behavior by saying that he sees himself in her. it doesn't matter, it just doesn't. it doesn't change anything; if him seeing himself in her causes this much despair while the same phenomenon grants the white men absolution, that's not fair or realistic writing. that's bias. her getting to call him a dick afterwards doesn't change anything if the creators are unable to see or acknowledge that robby's behavior is more than just being mentally ill and lashing out. because if it was really just the mental illness and not also a clear bias, there wouldn't be such an inbalance in how he treats those around him. but alas. i'm beating a dead horse again.
