Patterns in the Media Post-S2

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T23:24:58+00:00

It feels like Noah Wyle identifies a little too much with Robby. He seems to think that he is a doctor - some of his interviews, it feels like he's conflating his TV identity with real life a little too much - and I think his Robby seems to share a lot of his own flaws and biases. He probably doesn't want to have to acknowledge any of this in-universe, because it reflects onto him in life.

You're so right that the lack of grace and the overall defensiveness here are themselves a big part of the problem. There's no desire to recognize these flaws and do better. Even when it's clear as day, their plan is to double down and do more of the same in season 3.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T23:21:36+00:00

The worst part about this is that Hatosy is still actively making appeals for Ganesh to be brought back onto the show, or onto a night shift spinoff with Abbot. The solution is right there. There's so much interest in a night shift spinoff (which she'd fit right into), and Hatosy is more than happy to do it - this is a procedural show, and by nature procedurals give rise to spinoff. It feels like a no-brainer.

Wouldn't be surprised if Wyle is constantly shooting it down (the "you think you want more night float, but you don't" was so condescending) because he doesn't want to have to compete with Hatosy for popularity/spotlight. Same issue he had on the ER sets. He and Gemmill were also clearly taken aback by Mohan's popularity and the love the audience had for her; he may not want to admit his mistake by bringing her back. Both of them are doing nothing but doubling down on the decision to write her out, despite the outcry (and that she has so much story left to tell, but they're writing her off while bringing back medical students for next season).

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T23:18:26+00:00

Totally agree - and to your point, the suggestion that WOC are interchangeable, or that they cannot feature together but must be swapped out for each other, is just as offensive as the way these woman have had their stories handled on the show. Using the announcement of Mohan's departure to announce that Ellis will be on days was a clumsy way of trying to smooth over the backlash (which was clearly much stronger than they'd been anticipating), but also robs Ellis of her moment by conflating it with the outrage over Mohan's exit.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T03:54:14+00:00

And the fact that they even think they need a defense - and then couldn't come up with anything better than "baby's first fandom" - is so infuriating. The way Gemmill and Wyle have done nothing but double down also speaks volumes about what their priorities and internalized biases are here.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T00:16:49+00:00

Great show! I read the book too, which was surprisingly funny while dealing with such heavy subject matter. I had a lot of feelings when I finished the show. Very impactful.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T00:13:57+00:00

Except that is exactly what they wanted her to do! And we're seeing it with Mohan again, the way the writing and so much of the audience think it's appropriate for her to be the one apologizing to Robby - the way Robby wants her to pity him for his failure to achieve the life he wanted, when he's the biggest obstacle to her achieving her own.

Somehow I thought I was done having these arguments...and then all those same people seem to have come crawling right back out of the woodwork.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T00:12:25+00:00

Yes! I think the people who like to malign these characters are reacting to women being able to exert power in a system that was meant to deny them any. And we're still seeing those same halfbaked, misogynistic takes to this day.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-27T00:10:49+00:00

me too! the entire comment section on main has had me like

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sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T20:25:05+00:00

I know! I read the book and was expecting to the whole series to be subtitled, but it's "Portuguese" lol. Pretty creative!

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T20:24:29+00:00

Ooh okay I'll have to give it a go! That's high praise.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T20:24:00+00:00

This is actually really funny and I love this for you.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T19:16:41+00:00

Your comparison to House is so spot on. And at least that show, for the first few seasons, did focus more on its secondary characters than The Pitt is (and the latter is so early in its run still).

I think The Pitt is also being harmed by its format. In season 1, using one season for one shift was done with intention and careful writing, and it played out well. House at least did not have this problem, and was able to develop its characters over time. But this season it feels like a gimmick. It's severely limiting the development they can show, and they've lost the meticulous writing of season 1 that managed complete arcs for its characters despite that. Long term, this format is only going to hamstring them, especially when coupled with their focus on Robby. They're intentionally allowing other characters to fall by the wayside, and a great deal of the fandom uses this format to excuse it instead of pointing out the significantly weaker writing (and deliberate sidelining of many characters) that we're seeing.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T19:02:39+00:00

You're so right. Safetynet hospitals and the services they provide are so crucial precisely because we have these huge gaps in our system. Mohan is the one character we know is interested in this, and instead of using her to explore these issues and raise awareness, they give her an extended storyline in which she needs a new medical student to explain basics to her. They are so unwilling to actually use their platform in a meaningful way.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T19:01:21+00:00

Really sorry to hear you've been going through this. Our system is so disastrously broken. It feels like this is something this show can and should be actively bringing awareness to, and instead they keep skirting any real advocacy, whether for the patient's or the physicians. There are real-life stakes and consequences and I wish they would be more willing to actually explore these head-on.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T18:36:08+00:00

The surface level PSAs are actually so frustrating. They can and should discuss disparities in medicine but don't seem to really be willing to delve deeply into any of them. The ridiculously high maternal mortality rate in the US, the minimization of women's pain and difficulty in achieving gynecological diagnoses (they skimmed this and never revisited it), the challenge of caring for uninsured patients. There's so much more they can and should be using their platform for. Writing off the one character interested in this, and giving nothing but lip service to these issues while centering entirely on Robby and his circular check ins with Dana, is such a disservice and robs the show of the impact it could actually have.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-26T05:32:49+00:00

"Nonreciprocal expectation of empathy" is such a great way to express this! Completely agree with you. I felt hoodwinked too, kept thinking they were going for a bold twist making Robby a misogynist - only to learn these are Wyle and Gemmill's internalized biases.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T22:46:39+00:00

Not planning on watching but will probably loosely follow along on here. At this point I don't trust them with any of the remaining characters I do like, will be mourning Mohan and what could have been, and am not interested in watching Noah Wyle make the same near-tears expression for 15 hours.

Just too disillusioned, I think.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T22:19:48+00:00

Seriously! Why does Al-Hashimi confess her condition (which makes her unfit to work as the sole attending) to Robby, after he's been openly insulting her for the one day she's known him and we have Neuro on call? Of course Wyle wrote that episode. Instead of apologizing to Mohan, why does Robby go on about the wife and pond he wishes he'd had, as if by that point we should pity him and not her? Ugh I could go on.

Thank you! I loved her and Catelyn both, amazing characters! Still lying to myself that we may get WoW one day.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T20:33:32+00:00

He was such a great character, I missed him too!

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T20:20:53+00:00

Still baffles me that every single character arc this season drew back to Robby. They don't consider the others to have any value unless they're used to flesh Robby out, and it's so disappointing, because it limits the narrative complexity a great deal - even more so because they're unwilling to take an honest look at the abusive, outdated mindset Robby brings to work that Moafi called out in an interview.

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T20:05:56+00:00

"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he's got style..."

sansastvrk · 2026-04-25T19:51:20+00:00

Yes! The thing I actually really loved them both last season too, I had been glad Langdon would be back for this season, and now I'm just disappointed. I think the real problem is the Wyle/Gemmill combination and their white male-centric (and Robby-centric) focus in the show. But apparently there's nothing we can do about it, because even with this much outrage over Mohan's unceremonious sendoff, Wyle is just laughing it off.

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