Hi everyone. Before getting into episode 2, I got to ask my friend and upstanding pittizen Bald Ann Dowd (aka Sivi) a few questions as she’ll graciously drop in from time to time to weigh in on this season! Enjoy.
Reminder: A new episode of The Pitt is now up on HBO Max.
Ezgi (11am Saturday): I remember when you were watching season one my entire timeline was The Pitt tweets (and it was glorious), walk me through that time— what was the catalyst that made you start watching? Did you binge the whole season at once?
Sivi (Bald Ann Dowd): I’m from Pittsburgh and both of my parents had undergone cancer treatment shortly before The Pitt originally premiered. So, as you can imagine, there was a significant period of time where all of my time was spent feeling shitty in Pittsburgh hospitals and I couldn’t fathom using my free time to watch a Pittsburgh-set hospital show. One time, I bravely tried to press play on episode 1 but threw up from panic before Dr. Robby had even walked through the doors of PTMC.
My dad finally had a clear scan about 6 months later, at which point I felt ready to start watching the show and ended up tearing through all the episodes in a few short days. The Pittsburgh-ness of it all absolutely thrilled me (shoutout to Dana’s ever-thickening accent), and I was completely enthralled by the structure of the season (i.e. each episode reflecting one hour of a long and grueling shift).
Ezgi: You’ve crafted so many tweets about The Pitt that are simply historic. Please give us a behind-the-scenes look into a few of them:
Sivi: My lawyers have advised me not to comment on my music listening habits, as I’m currently embroiled in a legal battle with Spotify over their declaration that I “listened to a lot of the Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording” in 2025. What I can say is that I often think about The Pitt while listening to music.
Sivi: Merritt Wever gives one of the greatest performances of all time when she serves Adam Driver divorce papers in Marriage Story, and I want to say on the record that I don’t think I could ever come close to doing what she did in that film. However, many people (myself included) believe that a divorce may very well be in Frank Langdon’s future and, as a Pittsburgh native and massive fan of this show, it has become my dream to awkwardly pop into the ER for a minute and give him a quick little serve. It’d be such an exciting cameo for, like, 5 people in the world.
Sivi: Dr. Robby was being a bitch to the most beautiful and kind woman on earth.
Ezgi: I know you’ve been campaigning for a while to be cast as Dr. Abbot’s deceased wife in a flashback. Would you like to use this platform today to give the producers an official pitch?
Sivi Yes, thank you so much for asking. Now, first thing’s first: I’m not a seasoned actress. And I’d never dare to ask for pages upon pages of emotional monologues or medical jargon. However, I AM a lover of film. A lover of theatrics. And my hair is dark blonde, which means that it’s not dark enough for me to play a bookish girl next door, not light enough for me to play a blonde bombshell, and just the right shade for me to believably play a woman whose absence on this physical plane informs all the choices of a sad middle-aged guy. So, if there’s one thing I feel prepared to do, it’s QUIETLY HAUNT JACK ABBOT’S NARRATIVE!
There are so many different approaches we could take: I could giggle while backlit under a white sheet. I could giggle while wearing overalls and painting a wall with one of those roller things, backlit as hell. I could silently cry in the waiting room of Abbot’s first post-accident physical therapy appointment while light illuminates me from behind. Consider it.
I’d also like to note that this plan is foolproof because, if my performance knocks everybody’s socks off, then you can lean into flashbacks as a storytelling device and bring me back for more. But if my screen presence feels more Disney Channel than Meryl, you can just not invite me back ever again. Because ultimately I am dead.
S2E2: 8:00 A.M.
I’m gonna give this episode a 6 out of 10 on the Queasy-meter which is something I just invented. The biggest culprit is the bone sticking out of the armpit of the crushing victim and the subsequent pulling of the limbs, however, the maggots that pop out of the unhoused patient’s cast are a close second. Fun fact: Supriya Ganesh (Dr. Mohan) said the biggest challenge while shooting that scene was to make sure all the maggots stayed alive as they’re protected by animal cruelty laws. Employed AND protected, good for the maggots.
Some notes from the episode:
I’m loving Dana’s idgaf era after getting assaulted by that idiot patient last season and almost quitting. Aura through the roof. Mentally cursing Robby’s motorcycle on the way in. Constantly chewing gum (she’s off cigarettes) and spitting them into the bushes. Accent thicker than ever as she says to Robby: “If anyone even looks at me funny, I’m taking them out.” and I’ll help.
Much to Twitter’s confusion, the writers have said that this season’s gonna be all about putting a dent in Robby’s unrealistically perfect armor. He’s avoiding mandated post-MCI trauma counseling, casually hooking up with hospital staff (the gorgeous Meta Golding as case manager Hastings), and avoiding confronting his best
friendresident. All before 9am.Speaking of, the Robby x Langdon discord is one of my favorite storylines this season. It’s so rich with repressed emotion and heats up by the hour until it will no doubt reach a boiling point by EOD. Bald Ann Dowd weighs in:
“The massive amount of love and respect between Robby and Langdon at the beginning of the show --- as well as Langdon’s clear talent, passion, and potential as a doctor --- makes the betrayal and eventual eruptive falling-out hit so hard. Noah Wyle has repeatedly said that he and Patrick Ball played that exchange as a breakup scene rather than an angry confrontation, and I think all the sadness and despair that comes with something like that was incredibly palpable and moving.
I’m really, really pleased by the creators’ decision to have season 2 pick up on Langdon’s first day back at work post drug scandal. Watching Robby continue to ice him out emotionally while assigning him scut work is such a thrill, and I can’t wait to see how their arc plays out over the next 14 episodes. Patrick Ball is coming for that Emmy!!!!!”
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Louie is kinda living my dream (a regular at PTMC, every doctor’s favorite)
New fear unlocked: As a fan and frequent consumer of broccoli I’m not pleased that I now need to worry about a tiny floret choking me by getting stuck in my breathing tube. Runner-up: The patient who accidentally used superglue instead of lash glue thus gluing her one eye shut. Nothing Dr. J can’t handle.
isa@tomswrreni'm actually so surprised robby has only been sued four times4:18 AM · Jan 9, 2026 · 66.4K Views9 Replies · 143 Reposts · 5.93K LikesI so far like Al-Hashimi as a foil to Robby, she clearly sees him (which he hates) and can draw a line between his shortcomings and potential pitfalls within his staff (which he hates even more). It’s also really fun to watch her find new and innovative ways of sneaking up to him.
“Dr. McKay has a heightened sense of empathy” and the most versatile set of bangs on television. She’s probably in my top 5 favorite characters on the show, more on this later in the season.
I’m betting one million dollars on Javadi in her fight vs. the new smartass med student. Easy win.
Other things I’m #noticing: Santos once again being an advocate for kid patients. Mohan leading her own traumas without Robby buzzing in her ear. Whitaker’s new tan and confidence (was he just writing everything Robby said down in season one?)
Langdon treating Mel after Temu Langdon knocks her off her chair might be favorite scene of the episode. Langdon’s making amends to those closest to him, tail between his legs, but he has nothing to fear when it comes to Mel as she tells him he’s never actually let her down. He notices her discomfort (with the prospect of a SECOND court summons before 9am) and turns the lights off on his way out— a perfect callback to last season when Mel taught him how to approach a patient on the spectrum. These two have such great chemistry that every scene between them is a joy to watch, especially this season when they’re both lacking in the friend department.
Favorite line read of the episode goes to Joy: “AI… Almost intelligent.” She is now officially a client of mine.
The Pitt is on HBO Max with new episodes dropping every Thursday at 9pm ET, followed by the official companion podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
I can’t pick a fav part of this bc I loved every single word so for now I’ll say I can’t wait for more of your recaps this season!!
wait so what was the discourse that was gonna hit the tl like an asteroid lmaoooo it was all i could think about watching the ep