What's Wrong with Dr. Al-Hashimi on 'The Pitt'?

The way I see it, Dr. Robby doesn’t want to check out of life. Dr. Robby wants to check out of The Pitt. Permanently. He’s afraid that whatever vacation he takes won’t be enough. He’s completely burned out, but he’s burdened by an overwhelming sense of obligation to the people he cares about — and he doesn’t think they can carry on without him. It’s part God complex, part reality. He’s not wrong about Dr. Al-Hashimi zoning out because of whatever is ailing her. He’s not wrong about Javadi, whose self-esteem is shot. He’s not wrong about Mohan, either — maybe she’s not cut out for the ER (and we know she’s not returning next season).

Whittaker, Langdon, and Nurse Dana? They’ll be fine. Duke? He can take care of himself. But if Dr. Robby doesn’t take care of himself, he’s useless to The Pitt anyway. The worst thing he can do is stay. The second worst thing he can do — maybe — is leave.

Meanwhile, it’s sadly the third-to-last episode of the season, and aside from Robby’s continued breakdown (that’s two in two seasons), the big movement here is the night shift coming aboard — Dr. Abbott, Dr. Shen, Dr. Ellis, and new young intern Dr. Tamirian. The hotness factor jumped a couple of notches, but unfortunately, it comes at the expense of some of our favorite regulars — Whittaker, Santos, and Mel — who have been sidelined into charting, shredding, and filling in the gaps.

In some cases, they’re also holding hands on the way out. Whittaker gave Ogilvie a pep talk that may or may not convince him to return, and Mel did the same for Langdon, who struggled after missing a teen’s collapsed lung (a genuinely terrifying case). There’s nothing wrong with Nurse Emma, though. She left her shift in arguably better spirits than she began it — surviving the day and realizing, perhaps, that she’s exactly where she belongs. She’s a natural. And it’s nice when The Pitt gives us a win.

What else did we learn? The American health care system is broken, an oft-repeated lesson. Turmeric in large quantities is bad for you. Skinny Pete looks better with a haircut. And I’m maybe most excited to see Luke Tennie (Shrinking, Abbott Elementary) join the night shift — though I hope it doesn’t mean he’s leaving either show. That guy’s disposition just brings me joy. And joy is in short supply right now.

With two episodes remaining, things don’t look like they’ll improve next week. There isn’t much time left for the doctors and nurses of The Pitt to prove to Dr. Robby that they can, in fact, carry on without him. That may depend mostly on how well Dr. Al-Hashimi can carry on without him. A bad case of PTSD (the likely culprit, owing to her time in Kabul) or possibly seizures seems the most likely culprit. If Dr. Robby figures that out, the man may never leave.