One Must Imagine Robby Happy - A Review of The Pitt, Season Two
““The Pitt” is a medical drama currently enthralling millions, praised for the shocking realism afforded to the production due to its place on HBO MAX.”
Image: fernandozhiminaicela onhttps://pixabay.com/
May 8, 2026
Cole Writeout, Contributing Writer
Trigger Warning: Self-Harm/Suicidal Ideation
Spoilers for season two of “The Pitt”
"One must imagine Sisyphus happy" is the line wrapping up Albert Camus's “The Myth of Sisyphus,” and was quoted by Dr. Robinivich, the main character of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama, “The Pitt.” “The Pitt” is a medical drama currently enthralling millions, praised for the shocking realism afforded to the production due to its place on HBO MAX. The Pitt does not flinch away from showing its viewers the most brutal injuries that emergency medical doctors deal with, from degloving injuries that will make the strongest stomachs lurch to a guillotine amputation. Working in emergency medicine is truly a Sisyphean task, and according to many medical professionals, “The Pitt” captures that special sauce.
Rolling this season’s boulder is Dr. 'Robby' Robinavitch, played by Noah Wyle, as “The Pitt” expands upon an aspect that received praise from their first season, being the depiction of mental health struggles experienced by medical workers. Last season, we both started and ended the season on the hospital roof, with fan favorite characters straddling the edge of life as they look over the edge. While we do not see Dr. Robby literally one step away from death this season, we are given an intense look at his mental well-being, or lack thereof, as he spends his last day on shift before a cross-country motorcycle ride with only one destination in mind. All he can think about is the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, where indigenous peoples drove buffalo off of the cliffs where they’d die both from the fall and the crushing weight of their peers, and if that doesn’t send up red flags, then I don’t know what does. I spent the whole season begging someone to put this man on a psychiatric hold, but unfortunately, the little people on my TV can’t actually hear me.
Robby worries his staff all season, as he implies he may never come back, and lashes out at his staff, including Dr. Mohan. Dr. Mohan experiences a scarily accurate panic attack this season, to which Robby ridicules her and makes her feel unfit for working in the emergency department, which lines up with Ganesh not returning next season. Robby is deeply flawed this season, and clearly one step away from the edge. This makes for the ultimate catharsis when each of the three final episodes of the season involves his closest friends and those he respects most, giving him verbal thrashings, one after another. They finally address his suicidal ideation in beautiful scenes where they talk about how selfish suicide can be, with his best friend dropping the impactful line “That’s your final lesson for these kids?”
In short, if you enjoy a medical drama where the medicine and real issues take center stage, rather than relationships and melodrama, and you are up for some uncomfortable experiences, catch “The Pitt” on HBO MAX.
