The Pitt season one had the sauce in a manner season 2 has lost for many reasons. You can disagree all you want, but narratively what I found compelling about the show is disappearing at a rate that's deeply sad to me. Because at the end of the day the show has tried to say "the system is broken, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try" and Al-Hashimi basically says exactly that in season 2 which tells me I was right in my first impression of the show. That's what it wants to reiterate, but does it truly? Let's look at the handling of Dr Collins, Dr Mohan and Dr McKay.
Season one used Collins, Mohan and McKay in very pointed specific yet different ways to push against the jaded old guard all we can do is survive fuck em all mentality that is essentially the way Robby and Dana run the day shift. Collins could get away with pushing back at robby in a way no other character can, where he'd at least try to listen if she disagreed, whereas any other woman who disagree with him will later magically come around to agreeing with Robby and then apologize to him or compliment him - this is illustrated repeatedly both seasons - but the thing is he's not always right, and those moments are narratively necessary to explore, if they want to say anything meaningful about improving the system.
Mckay exemplified this from my point of view well in season one when Robby decided to outweigh the value of one potentially violent boy to the value of many girls on a hit list. Because he was overworked and couldn't handle dealing with the cops and kept giving excuses - this was also unconscious bias but thats a different conversation about the show. Basically he wanted to ignore the problem because he didn't have the time, which ia pessimistic and goes against everything McKay brings to the show - she is Always for protecting and helping vulnerable women and girls in dangerous situations AS WE SHOULD BE. And yet, her screen time in season two was severely reduced, her role limited and her butting up against robby? Nonexistent.
Mohan is another important character because she pushes the narrative forward by giving you a compare and contrast that no one else quite gives you. THIS IS GOOD because it illustrates where the flaws in the system lie and where you could potentially change the system. Don't forget, Robby's patient satisfaction scores were atrocious but Mohan's were fantastic. The season one arc exemplified Mohan's integrity, while also illustrating that she was capable of both tasks - she was capable of working intense traumas and excelling (slowmo-no-mo), and yet she also did well to catch complex cases and look for little things many people miss. Most importantly, she was a narrative device to explain people's biases on multiple cases at greater rates than other doctors, besides Collins - both of them leaving IS a narrative scope problem if we're talking about the handling of racism especially. and no, putting another black woman (i love harris dont come at me) does not solve the narrative dilemma that's now posed when you strip two of the three characters whose main role in the show was to press at sexist and racist biases and social issues -- mohan is literally the only one who was doing research on race based prejudice in health.... losing her is a Choice to distance from that established narrative. The season two arc does not (or SHOULD NOT) confirm Robby's clinically burned out pessimistic beliefs as "true". Everyone has bad days because people are human, people make mistakes especially when you work under extremes. Not to mention multiple other characters lost patients or almost lost patients in season one or two but no one has suggesting Whitaker isn't fit for the ER. I wonder why.... Instead what we witnessed was Robby continually harassing Mohan, belittling and questioning her until she started to lose her confidence. Until the two cases where someone might die cracks her open under continual workplace abuse. The only time Robby asked her how she was, she asked if it was a trick question. That should tell you everything you need to know about their dynamic, that and the fact she didn't want him to write her a fellowship letter; she feared what he would say. the reality is, if Mohan can't manage in Robby's ER anymore, like so many people online are arguing, it's not because of her.
It's because of Robby's management and teaching style where he refuses to help his doctors in any form of healthy way, mentally or physically. He told everyone to lock away their grief and never look at it again in s1, he laughed at Langdon's pain in a way that made him hide and mask it, and then he mocked Mohan for having a panic attack in s2, which would hinder everyone from seeking help. He's causing harm and that has a domino effect. Sure, you can say projection. whatever. My point isn't about why Robby does anything, but how it affects the people around him and how that then negatively affects the narrative thematically if they do not question Robby.
Without a clear focus on Robby actually being wrong in so many scenarios, we lose sight of the fucking plot - we see people say "she should do geriatrics!" "This season was always about her leaving!" when if people called out Robby more on his abuses then they might not think One Bad Day means she can't hack a job that she's dreamt about. Her panic attack, her lack of a social life, her workaholic tendencies are fixable things, things that plenty of the people around her have also gone through and found ways to manage. It does not condemn her as unworthy of the ER, and people arguing it does have fallen in the trap of Robby's thinking. And that's on the writing, but also on people taking Robby's words at face value, on judging Mohan (like Robby does) in a way no one is judging the white characters. well, besides the people who think Langdon should be in prison for life or shot -- which... yeah also fucked up and I disagree.
This is why characters such as Collins, Mohan and McKay are essential narratively to contradict Robby's falsities based in severe depression and burn out - its why people should take a second look at how much MORE Dana is like Robby in season 2, why that's the case and how Dana is also giving unhelpful advice to people left and right. If we strip the narrative of characters who push back, who have different opinions than Robby, who say "wait, no. That's not the only way," then we are left with a world where Robby is essentially right. Where his worldview becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the hospital because that has already happened. He refuses to have a second or third attending on his shifts - something that is not realistic and a sign of his control issues, and will impact everyone and create a pressure cooker. And before anyone says the hospital wont pay for it, then why does the night shift always have at least two attending? Without the narrative questioning him and then Not backing down, the narrative turns towards a depressing and horrible message. No wonder burn out is so high.
I think they tried to fix the hole they put themselves in when they fired Collins' actress by bringing in Al-Hashimi, but the narrative refuses to do much of anything with her and in fact purposefully undercuts her authority routinely; honestly, I'm terrified of what they'll do with her in the finale. She pushes back in quiet "what the fuck was that" moments but then one hour later is joking and flirting with him and telling him she respects his opinion like nothing happened. And the problem is actually relatively opaque. The writing wants Robby to be complicated but beloved and almost hero-worshiped, even when it's not earned. Even when he is the one causing harm. Even when he is outright wrong.
How bad will this become when Collins AND Mohan are gone? Will Cassie be written out just as much or worse? Will Mel and Santos still kiss his ass? Harris has already outright defended Robby to Langdon, so I can't imagine she'll do much for push back in season 3. I don't have high hopes...
