HBO’s hit show The Pitt has just concluded its second season and is already slated for a third. This season follows our favorite doctors and nurses at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center as they navigate an already busy emergency department (ED) on the Fourth of July as Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) prepares to depart on a three-month sabbatical. Despite only being in its second year, The Pitt boasts multiple coveted awards and nominations, including an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and an Actor for Outstanding Ensemble. With such an all-star cast, EnVi wanted to share some of our favorite performances from this season.
Spoilers ahead.
Sepideh Moafi
A new addition this season, Sepideh Moafi joined the impressive cast list as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, the attending meant to take over for Dr. Robby. Though she is initially met with friction, she quickly proves herself to be a skilled doctor who is more than qualified for the position. Throughout the season, a polished Al-Hashimi slowly unravels. The foundation begins to crack as she appears to zone out while treating two separate patients. It all culminates in a heated exchange with Robby in the season finale (“9:00 P.M.”) after a teary-eyed Al-Hashimi revealed her history with a seizure disorder in the prior episode. Moafi delivers an explosive performance, a dramatic yet satisfying departure from the buttoned-up composure of Al-Hashimi all season. The mask of professionalism Al-Hashimi carefully dons slips quickly, and her typically even tone is traded for an angrier and more passionate one as she points out Robby’s hypocrisy when he tells her she is unfit to work in the emergency department. That’s not the only stellar performance we get from Moafi in the season finale. Al-Hashimi ends her night sobbing in her car as the events of the day finally hit her full force. Without any lines spoken, Moafi skillfully pours what feels like a lifetime’s worth of frustration into the scene.
Isa Briones
As Dr. Trinity Santos, perhaps the show’s most polarizing character, Isa Briones has her work cut out for her. Unsettled by Dr. Langdon’s return, Dr. Santos spends much of season two struggling through a myriad of emotions, a task Briones pulls off with impressive nuance. In “1:00 P.M.” Santos, reluctantly left alone with a crying Baby Jane Doe, allows her resolve to soften enough to sing a Filipino lullaby to calm the baby. When the crying subsides, the smallest of smiles creeps across Santos’ face as she looks down into the crib. Her vulnerability creeps in again in “6:00 P.M.” when Santos expresses her reservations regarding Langdon’s return to Whitaker, amongst other topics like her precarious relationship with Dr. Garcia. Briones’ voice wavers slightly as she delivers a monologue detailing Santos’ feelings of isolation. Santos cuts the interaction short, though, and clams up when Whitaker extends his sympathy. She returns to her usual guarded self and walks away. As Whitaker follows her, Briones winces as the audience watches Santos bottle her feelings up. The conversation continues, and Santos expresses her displeasure with Whitaker’s current life choices. There is a clear and purposeful contrast between the two conversations in the scene, and Briones executes it seamlessly.
Supriya Ganesh
We would be remiss to not include Supriya Ganesh, who brings Dr. Samira Mohan to life on screen. An emotional pillar of the show, we are going to miss Dr. Mohan’s presence in the coming seasons. Despite her arc fizzling out towards the end of the season, Mohan remains one of the more compelling characters in the show. After her plans to move to New Jersey fall through, Mohan is left scrambling for a fellowship in Pittsburgh. She also spends much of the season treating Orlando, a patient unable to afford health insurance. In “4:00 P.M.” under the stress from her mother calling nonstop interrupting her work, and Orlando leaving early unadvised, Mohan suffers from what she believes is a heart attack but is actually a panic attack. Ganesh throws themself into the performance as Mohan’s breathing quickly becomes more erratic as the scene progresses. Later in the episode, Mohan is berated by Robby when he finds out about the incident. The look in Ganesh’s eyes as Robby laughs in Mohan’s face is nothing short of heartbreaking.
Fiona Dourif
Previously known for her work in horror, specifically in the Chucky franchise, Fiona Dourif plays Dr. Cassie McKay. This season found McKay caring for a terminally ill cancer patient, Roxie Hamler (Brittany Allen), as she makes necessary end of life decisions. A heavy storyline, Dourif does a beautiful job portraying McKay’s inner turmoil in regards to her own life without taking attention from the heartfelt story playing out in front of her. Her place in the story only adds to the narrative. The gentleness with which Dourif portrays McKay shines through in these scenes with Roxie, particularly in “3:00 P.M.” when the gravity of Roxie’s situation sets in for the audience. McKay is left speechless as she listens to Roxie speak about the unimaginable physical pain she is enduring, as well as the pain of knowing she will never see her children grow up. Dourif knocks it out of the park with her masterful microexpressions and presence opposite Brittany Allen, her equally amazing scene partner.
Shabana Azeez
Much like her co-stars on the show, Shabana Azeez has found her breakout role with The Pitt, playing medical student and prodigy Victoria Javadi. Having found her footing after her eventful first day in season one, this new season brings more challenges and opportunities for growth to Javadi as she works alongside McKay, treating Roxie. Unused to seeing death in such a manner, and struggling to make sense of her tense relationship with her own mother, this was a mentally challenging case for Javadi. There are multiple moments where the audience can see this internal conflict, but perhaps the most gripping moment occurs in “5:00 P.M.” when Roxie passes. The scene carries out in complete silence as Robby officially declares Roxie’s death. Robby and Javadi share a quiet glance, emotion flowing through their eyes. Javadi does her best to hold herself together as tears pool in her expressive eyes, not for the first time this season. Azeez’s emotive face is a shining star throughout the show, but this moment held the most emotional weight for the character this season.
Amielynn Abellera
Amielynn Abellera gives an incredible performance as Perlah Alawi, one of the many nurses working in the PTMC emergency department. This season took the time to celebrate the often unrecognized work of nurses in EDs, one of the most notable episodes being “12:00 P.M.” which was hailed as a love letter to nurses. When frequent flyer Louie dies of liver failure, the impact on the doctors and nurses, especially Perlah, is palpable. She is the first to offer to clean Louie in preparation for the viewing room and after his time of death is called, Perlah leaves the trauma room in a daze, devastated. Abellera has another standout moment on the roof, where a few of the hospital staff have gathered to watch the fireworks in “9:00 P.M.”. Perlah watches the fireworks in tears, feeling the heaviness of the day including the loss of Louie and witnessing fellow nurse Jesse (Ned Brower) be taken away by ICE. The performance is made even more impressive with the knowledge that the cast did not know the reason for their characters’ emotions at the time of filming.
Lucas Iverson
A recent graduate from the Yale School of Drama, Lucas Iverson plays medical student James Ogilvie. The character is introduced as the stereotypical med student with an ego, but Iverson’s performance dives far deeper than that initial characterization. The care put into playing Ogilvie is evident as the audience watches the steady deterioration of the character over the course of the season. Ogilvie goes from standing tall at the beginning of the season, literally towering over most of the cast, to crying in a corner on the ground of the ambulance bay in “7:00 P.M.”. Iverson plays his last scene beautifully as Ogilvie questions his fitness for the emergency department after losing a patient, in part due to his lack of experience in medicine. In that moment, the audience is presented with the opportunity to view Ogilvie as a complex person rather than a one-dimensional character, a testament to Iverson’s skills as an actor.
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