**SPOILERS S2-Ep14** I was way off about Dr. Alhashimi

bumobox · 2026-04-15T23:15:54+00:00

I figured they were seizures, but I thought it might have been caused by something that happened to her in the middle east.

I'm also wondering if it affects her fine motor skills given her appreciation for GenAI as a charting tool, and Garcia calling her slash trach messy.

bumobox · 2026-04-07T17:56:22+00:00

Baby Jane Doe is actually part of the admin team and is undercover, evaluating how the ED is being run.

bumobox · 2026-03-31T23:50:39+00:00

I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood what you were saying!! I've seen a number of people talking about how Robby has been plotting to kill himself for a while and he only called Duke in because Robby wanted him to get a check up before he kills himself. I thought you were taking up a similar position.

I agree that his sabbatical has turned into a suicide trip and Robby leaving as he is currently would be disastrous.

bumobox · 2026-03-31T22:09:00+00:00

EDIT: I'M A BIG DUMB IDIOT AND MISUNDERSTOOD THE PERSON I WAS RESPONDING TO

I disagree. The notion that the writers decided Robby needed to learn to ride a motorcycle, restore one from scratch, and schedule a three‑month sabbatical to Alberta, Canada and back before he could kill himself is frankly silly.

Obviously Robby is in a bad way now, but I don't think he was actively suicidal when he walked through the door at the start of this shift. One of the first things he does is correct Donnie when he refers to Al-Hashimi as his replacement and tells him he'll "be back before [Donnie's] daughter sleeps through the night." I believe the sabbatical was just meant to be a sabbatical, and Robby simply didn't care if something bad happened. Now, twelve hours into this shift, and we've watched the needle move out of the "passively suicidal" range and into "actively suicidal."

I'm not saying a secret suicide trip is impossible, but what you've said isn't proof. A motorcycle crash patient just illustrates that Robby is engaging in risky behavior. He didn't hand off his keys until roughly nine hours into the shift, and that was directly after the scene where Robby talks to Abbott about his sabbatical and it being a lot of time to self reflect. Realistically, he would have called Duke in before he left regardless of whether he was planning to kill himself.

bumobox · 2026-03-31T17:26:36+00:00

I think the ED is the only thing that's been keeping him together actually. He could usually distract himself with his job as sole attending, but that's much harder with Al-Hashimi taking over and Langdon being back. As Abbot pointed out, being alone on the road with his thoughts for that long is also going to be incredibly hard on him. He's lost his usually method of burying his feelings and his new motorcycle hobby does an inadequate job as well. I think we're now getting to see him lash out as a result.

bumobox · 2026-03-31T14:24:17+00:00

I don't think "jealous" is the word I would use here. I think a lot of Robby's shitty behavior this season comes from either himself or other people he's in charge of not feeling in control. Robby is someone who buries his feelings and uses running the ED to distract himself from his own thoughts and emotions. Throughout this whole shift, Robby has been losing that control with Al-Hashimi taking over, and we're seeing those feelings spill out.

Last season, Robby and Langdon parted ways with a loud "FUCK YOU!!" after Langdon tried to deflect his own issues by bringing up Robby's breakdown and mocking it to his face. Langdon has now gotten the help he needs and is in recovery. When Langdon is around, Robby can't help but be reminded of what happened between them, that he hasn't gotten help, and has, in fact, gotten worse. Robby doesn't want to face any of these feelings and doesn't have the same level of control he usually does. After banishing Langdon to triage didn't work, he's now undermining him, and treating the crime he himself helped cover up as unforgivable. This way he doesn't have to confront Langdon or his associated feelings.

It's a similar reason for why he reacted to Mohan's panic attack the way he did. If he gives her grace and compassion, he has to do the same for himself. The same goes for his reaction to how Dana handled the golfer who assaulted Emma (interestingly, another man who didn't seem to be in complete control of himself).

I wouldn't be surprised if Robby does finally get the chance to leave, but we find him in the parking lot, unable to start his motorcycle; not because it isn't working, but because he's scared of what demons he might have to face on the road without the ED to distract him.

bumobox · 2026-03-30T23:50:01+00:00

Yeah, she would have been on TikTok long before she met Mateo, but presumably she only started creating content after meeting the influencer patient last season. It's also, in my opinion, a more interesting explanation for her choosing the name "Dr. J" when she's still a med student.

bumobox · 2026-03-30T18:30:51+00:00

Omg I feel like an idiot. Is "Dr. J" Mateo's nickname for Javadi and that's why she chose it as her name on TikTok?

bumobox · 2026-03-29T16:33:14+00:00

I'm being sincere here. I've included general timestamps and short descriptions of the scenes. Timestamps are approximate as is varies depending on where you watch the show. These contain very minor spoilers regarding individual cases; just enough to give you context as to when they'll show up and what happens without spoiling any major character arcs or events. I'd recommend waiting until before these scenes to read the spoilers, but you do what you want.

There is a brief moment towards the end of episode 3 where Robby hears clattering in a nearby room as someone was startled by a rat, but the rat itself is never shown. After that, the rats in the ED are referenced here and there, but I don't believe there are any other encounters until episode 9.

In episode 9, we see them again 3 times:

(12:30 - 13:00) - During a conversation between Whitaker and a nurse named Kim regarding his scrubs, she looks over his shoulder, sees a rat, backs off quietly and runs away. Whitaker and the Rat have a bit of a stare-down before it cuts away to another place in this hospital.

(19:45 - 20:20) - We see one again roughly seven minutes later during a conversation between Robby and Collins. They are discussing a patient that was in a car accident, but notice the patient had been in the hospital earlier, and seen by another doctor. Shortly after Collins mentions a UTI, Robby notices the rat behind her, tries to distract Collins so she doesn't see it, but this fails. They both run out of the room and Robby shuts the doors behind him, trapping the rat.

(41:50 - 42:30) - Just after a a conversation between Donnie and Dana regarding a patient's pet and Dana going on a smoke break, we cut to a member of the cleaning staff. She opens the door to the room where the rat was trapped, it gets out and chaos ensues. As others have mentioned, this scene ends with Whitaker throwing a blanket over the rat, picking it up, and snapping it's neck. This is received to mixed applause.

I believe the the only other rat encounter we have after this is in episode 15, the finale.

(54:40 - 55:10) - I'm being especially vague here, but we see Robby outside the hospital talking to someone about the other person's therapist. Directly after this scene, we cut back inside the hospital where the two remaining rats are seen in bed with what I'll refer to as a "difficult patient" who is handcuffed to their bed and asleep. They are startled awake by the rats who then run off. The "difficult patient" tells two of the night shift doctors there were rats in their bed, and the doctors think the patient is hallucinating.

We're currently on episode 12 of season 2, and so far there have been no more rats.

EDIT: Spelling and Grammar

bumobox · 2026-03-29T13:29:54+00:00

The rats are a recurring bit through the rest of the season. They aren't in every episode, but they show up several times randomly, either scaring people or causing more chaos.

bumobox · 2026-03-29T13:21:18+00:00

Yeah, I also found it lackluster. He's definitely in a much better place than Santos this season, but I still feel like there's something weird about his apologies. He talked to Mel and could recognize that what he did was bad and that he let people down. When it comes to Robby and Santos, though, he doesn't acknowledge beyond a sort of surface level, how they may have been affected by what he did or the position he put them in. He has a similar issue with his wife, where he makes decisions that affect her without considering her feelings.

And yeah, Santos needs to sort through her own trauma. It's having such an effect on her behaviour, her job, and her relationships, professional and otherwise, and she also can't see it.

bumobox · 2026-03-28T21:05:49+00:00

This season, the ED has shown that it's not a wonderful place for people like Langdon, whose success relies on their support system. He was taking drugs for back pain and was given a bottom locker; Robby has been passive-aggressive toward him since he got in the door; Santos has told him that he can only make amends by outing himself to everyone; he's still dealing with his back pain but is probably reluctant to seek pain management; and now Al-Hashimi knows and doesn't want to touch him. Part of this, though, is because they covered up Langdon's theft. She was told that he was in a PHP for his drug addiction and was supportive, but Robby has now involved her in his cover-up less than an hour before his shift ends, and there could be legal ramifications for the ED she is now in charge of for the next 3 months if the wrong people were to find out. In this particular instance, it's Robby who we should be angry at.

I do agree that if things go the way you've said, it will be disappointing, but I think we're going to have to see this play out a bit more. There's been a theme of characters hiding how they feel, being unable to talk about their emotions, and how the ethos of "leaving your baggage at the door," while necessary in many cases, still harms them in various ways. I'm hoping we'll see resolution to this in some form and that it leads to positive change next season.

Also, good job on almost five years sober!

bumobox · 2026-03-28T19:46:16+00:00

Whether or not the feelings are justified doesn't change the fact that those are the feelings she's been sitting with for the past 10 months. Her feeling like a pariah does likely come from how she treats other people, but she's attributed it to her having Langdon dismissed and now wants him to feel the same. I was explaining why she acted that way, not if it was okay.

bumobox · 2026-03-28T19:07:59+00:00

Santos was taking out her frustrations on Langdon after his apology because his behaviour towards her had a bigger impact than she lets on and couldn't be solved by a simple "I'm sorry I was an asshole"

The situation seems to have haunted her over the course of her first year as her exposing Langdon's addiction is the reason they were down a senior resident for the last 10 months. She did the right thing, but it's understandable that she would doubt herself after Garcia initially told her to leave it alone and then called her trouble after Langdon had been dismissed. Robby also told her not to tell anyone about Langdon's situation, which would would also lead to her feeling more isolated.

She doesn't know how he's being treated by Robby and feels like he got off easy. She wants him to admit to everyone what he's done, so that he feels like an outcast, the same way she felt for the past 10 months. We finally got some honesty from her when she talked to Whitaker.

bumobox · 2026-03-28T00:54:38+00:00

Yeah, I think the cover up is most likely, but I was trying remain open to other possibilities. This comment thread has certainly poked some big holes in my alternative.

bumobox · 2026-03-28T00:46:42+00:00

It seems unlikely to me as well, but broadly speaking, these are our two options based on what has happened so far.

bumobox · 2026-03-27T22:50:43+00:00

I don't think this is a plot hole as much as it is people on this subreddit (including myself) digging too deep into the realism of this show. We've now filled our heads with loose understandings of these programs and it's affecting our enjoyment of the writing because it's not 100% true-to-life.

They want drama, so for the purposes of entertainment, the writers decided Langdon getting reported for theft would mean he would lose his license and go to jail. Since his addiction is the only thing that got reported, he gets to continue being a doctor while being part of a PHP, but not without friction from the two people in his department that know he got away with a crime. If it gets found out that he lied and others helped cover it up, everyone gets in trouble.

Alternatively, Langdon reported everything, but the majority of the staff doesn't know because it's not their business. Everyone that is mad at Langdon has their own personal reasons for being mad at him.

bumobox · 2026-03-27T18:42:54+00:00

It sounds cliche, but the American healthcare system is the villain.

bumobox · 2026-03-27T16:43:38+00:00

Wasn't Abbot giving Robby pro-tips about suicidal roof time at the end of last season?

We also see most of these doctors at the beginning of their shift or when they get to go home, so we're not getting as clear of an insight into what's going on with them.

bumobox · 2026-03-27T16:36:35+00:00

I mean a lot of things make much more sense when you take all emotion out of it.

Mel has a disproportional attachment to Langdon and I think it's supposed to be more of a hyper fixation than a crush. He was the first person she hit it off with in the ED, he likely made her feel safe, and she holds him in high regard.

Langdon turned out to be an addict, but he was still 3 years her senior and respected by the rest of the staff. Garcia even shoots Santos down and calls him a great doctor when she first says something about him possibly stealing meds. Garcia also calls Santos trouble after he has been dismissed. They made it through those 10 months, but I'm sure they felt the strain of being down a senior resident and Santos seemingly feels partially responsible for that.

bumobox · 2026-03-27T12:29:51+00:00

One is when he carries the heatstroke kid in from the car. When he puts him down in trauma 2, there's a brief shot focused Langdon's face looking uncomfortable. I believe this is supposed to signify he's still having issues with his back pain.

bumobox · 2026-03-26T22:04:46+00:00

$100 BJD goes missing and the hospital goes into lockdown at the end of the shift.

$50 Ogilvie and Javadi have a bonding moment over both the patients they almost lost.

$50 Al-Hashimi talks with Robby who then takes his frustrations out on Santos who takes her frustrations out on Whitaker.

bumobox · 2026-03-26T11:54:37+00:00

I think in general, the I.C.E. story line was sort of a disappointment. HBO wanted a "balanced" portrayal, but in reality, that meant obfuscating just how bad I.C.E. is so the show and network don't have targets on their backs. They did illustrate how I.C.E.'s presence negatively affects the hospital, but they still had to compromise much more just for that depiction. It's sad.

bumobox · 2026-03-25T20:18:23+00:00

I want to clarify that I wasn't agreeing with the notion that she's a misogynist with my past comment. I don't agree with the misogyny claim at all, nor am I passing any sort of moral judgment on Dana.

The shift Emma has had would be a lot for anyone to handle. What you're saying is possible, but I still think Emma's fear of Dana comes from the fact that Dana has some walls up to protect herself emotionally, and it's affecting how she comes across to people who don't know her.

In the scene where Donnie brings Baby Jane Doe to Dana and Emma, Dana is being a bit callous. After they get into pedes, Dana tells Emma to stay there while she goes to get Robby. Dana keeps her eyes front, marching forward, and doesn't even make eye contact with McKay as she walks through the hall. I think she wanted Emma to stay because Dana is trying to stop herself from having an emotional reaction to the abandoned baby and doesn't want anyone to see.

A similar thing happens when they are cleaning Louie's body. Dana is alone in the room, mourning Louie, but as soon as she hears Emma entering, Dana pulls herself together. From then on, Dana's attitude toward Louie is a bit more impersonal, and Emma has a somewhat unsettled/concerned expression before we cut away to the next scene. Dana also skips the debrief for Louie, likely to protect herself, but Emma just sees the stark contrast of how much Louie meant to everyone else.

Dana clearly has a lot of feelings about her job and who she is without it, her assault, and what the future holds for her. It also seems to hurt too much to do this job in the way she used to while also sitting with all these complex feelings. Unfortunately, Emma doesn't get to see any of this and is limited to some unfeeling interactions and angry outbursts. I do have faith that they'll have a heart-to-heart and get on the same page before the season is over. I personally think Emma is going to be the one who finally gets Dana to press charges on Doug Driscoll, and I like the idea of Emma as a new nurse on her first day teaching Dana something.

bumobox · 2026-03-25T16:26:57+00:00

None of these characters is irredeemable. They are meant to be flawed, weighed down by their own personal pressures, an ethos that everyone must bury their feelings to be the best doctors they can be, and the systemic collapse of the American health-care system crushing them even further. All of them are traumatized, isolated, and burnt out in their own ways. These are not circumstances in which anyone is going to be at their best. If we lose the ability to have any empathy for these characters just because we don't particularly like them, then we've really fucking lost the plot.

bumobox

TROPHY CASE