The Pitt Season 2 Confirms What's Really Going On With Dr. Al-Hashimi - SlashFilm

Warrick Page/HBO Max Don't pull up any charts if you haven't watched episode 14 of season 2 of "The Pitt," titled "8:00 P.M." Massive spoilers ahead! Throughout season 2 of "The Pitt," a show that some fans are just straight-up bad at watching, we've spent quite a bit of time with Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, the new trauma attending played by Sepideh Moafi. Along the way, we've noticed that something seems ... off. That's not to say that Al-Hashimi isn't an excellent physician who thinks quickly and takes incredible care of her patients, because she accomplishes both of those feats in this series that takes place "in real time." As the final "hour" of the shift approaches, though, Al-Hashimi asks to speak to Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, our protagonist, about something: specifically, she asks him to look at a patient chart so she can get a second opinion. Robby reads, out loud, that the patient has been experiencing seizures for over 30 years after enduring a severe case of viral meningitis as a child. As Robby turns to Al-Hashimi, he says, "Baran, is this you?" That's when the episode cuts to black. This is a stunning piece of information that has huge ramifications on the final episode of the season, which airs on April 16. So what does Dr. Al-Hashimi's big reveal mean, and what else might we find out in that season 2 finale? Warrick Page/HBO Max For all of season 2 of "The Pitt," we've watched as Dr. Robby prepares for a three-month sabbatical that's supposed to begin after his shift on July 4, the same day this season takes place. Unfortunately for Robby, Dr. Al-Hashimi's choice to reveal her medical situation to him might put that in jeopardy, but it's not the only harbinger of doom as far as Robby's sabbatical is concerned. Earlier in "8:00 P.M.," an ambulance clips Robby's motorcycle, the very vehicle he planned to ride for those three months. (He also, notably, rides without a helmet in the season 2 premiere and then lies about his helmet usage to his colleagues.) With his motorcycle randomly damaged and his replacement experiencing what very well might be a medical crisis, will Robby be able to go? This reveal also clarifies some moments throughout season 2 of the series where Robby notices Al-Hashimi lose focus during emergencies or procedures. To the untrained eye, it can kind of just look like she's zoning out a little bit. If the reason that Al-Hashimi is telling Robby about her diagnosis is that she was experiencing seizure incidents at work, this could cause a very, very large problem for everyone's favorite crabby attending physician. Warrick Page/HBO Max Now that we know that Dr. Al-Hashimi suffers from a seizure disorder, it puts a lot of her behavior throughout season 2 into context — namely, the fact that she sometimes seems to freeze like a deer in headlights during tense moments in the emergency room. Men's Health spoke to Dr. Robert Glatter, the Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital, about the reality of Dr. Al-Hashimi's seizures. When we think about seizures, we probably think of the way they're typically represented in media: a person falling to the floor and twitching uncontrollably. "Throughout season 2 of 'The Pitt,' the recurring 'freezing' episodes experienced by Dr. Al-Hashimi is portrayed well," Dr. Glatter explained, saying that she's experiencing "focal impaired awareness seizures," referred to as FIAS. "FIAS may present in a subtle manner: a pause in speech, transient unresponsiveness, fixed gaze, or brief dissociation from the environment," he continued. "In a high-pressure environment like the emergency department, these signs can be misinterpreted as distraction, stress, or burnout — making the show's depiction particularly realistic." So what impact could this have on Dr. Al-Hashimi's job? "Emergency medicine requires uninterrupted situational awareness, rapid decision-making, and procedural reliability; even short lapses could affect patient safety," Dr. Glatter said. "Therefore, Dr. Al-Hashimi's symptoms would be considered serious but not automatically career-ending. The key question is if it poses a functional risk in the clinical environment." Here's the thing, though: We can safely assume Dr. Al-Hashimi wouldn't show her information to Robby if she wasn't at least slightly concerned about her ability to perform her job. In any case, we'll have to see how this turns out during the season 2 finale on Thursday, April 16.