‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 14 finally reveals what’s wrong with Dr Al-Hashimi ahead of finale
The penultimate episode of 'The Pitt' Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger after revealing what has been happening with Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) all season long. During her shift, she has experienced episodes of freezing up and staring into space for a few moments, almost at random, while treating patients. These incidents raise serious questions about her ability to perform her duties as the new attending physician of the Emergency Department (ED) in Robby's absence. After noticing it firsthand in last week's episode, Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) asked Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) about her time working as a VA in Afghanistan, thinking it could be related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
However, in the final moments of this week's episode, Al-Hashimi is seen consulting Robby over a 40-year-old female patient with a decades-long history of seizure disorder that started with a bout of viral meningitis in childhood and has worsened recently. Robby takes one look at the reports and instantly makes the connection. "Baran, is this you?" he asks her, but before she can answer, the screen turns black. Baran has had at least two seizures in the past 14 hours and even spoke to her neurologist in Episode 7 (aired on February 19), signaling that her condition could potentially need long-term treatment.
After the episode aired, the series creator, R. Scott Gemmill, shared insight into how Al-Hashimi's diagnosis could affect her medical career. He told TVLine on April 9 that, “With Baran, it's that classic ‘physician, heal thyself’ question. What kind of patient is she going to be? Is she in denial about what she's facing? It certainly seems like she’s been pushing it to the edge, and now she’s confronted with the reality of whether she can continue to practice medicine. It’s a really interesting situation, and we’ll continue to explore it in Season 3.”
The interaction also becomes a sort of bonding moment between Robby and Al-Hashimi, who have been at odds since the start of the shift. Robby softens towards his colleague after seeing her in a vulnerable position. "I think he starts to see her as a person. He sees someone who's scared, who needs comfort — who needs a friend more than she needs a colleague in that moment. Up until then, she's been rubbing him the wrong way with some of her approaches to medicine, and there's been friction. But in that moment, a lot of that falls away because he sees her vulnerability," Gemmill said about their changing dynamic.
Moreover, her diagnosis poses a serious dilemma for Robby, who cannot leave for his sabbatical when Al-Hashimi's ability to do her job is compromised. The episode did not delve into how serious her condition is and whether it can be managed with medication. Robby had already shared his concerns with Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) about how the staff would manage in his absence in last week's episode. Now, it seems that he has a clear reason to cancel his sabbatical and continue working, as it will be difficult to find a last-minute replacement for Al-Hashimi. We will have to wait until next Thursday to see how the finale handles her storyline. Tune in to HBO Max on April 16 at 9 p.m. ET for the Season 2 finale of 'The Pitt.'
