Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ brings forth another stressful day in the lives of the people working at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. While it may look like just another day, a lot has changed at the hospital. It’s the day of transition, particularly when it comes to Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. While ten months have passed since the events of the previous Labor Day, Robby is yet to come to terms with his trauma and loss, so he is about to leave for a sabbatical. In his absence, the hospital needs a new attending physician, which is where Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi comes into the picture. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi Serves as a Major Conflict Point for Robby in The Pitt Season 2
As chaotic as the Pitt might be, it has its own system, one that Robby and his team are not only used to but rely on to get through the day. Their methods might not be to everyone’s liking, but the system works for them, which is why it is challenging for them to adapt to the new ways that are brought forth by Robby’s replacement, Baran Al-Hashimi. He is about to leave on a three-month leave, during which he will hopefully address his issues. With him gone, someone else will need to take charge, and Dr. Al-Hashimi is brought in for exactly that. However, she comes with her own system, and that doesn’t necessarily sit well with everyone.
A quick look into Dr. Al-Hashimi’s history reveals that she was at the VA Hospital before being brought to the PTMC. She is also entirely a stranger to the team, as she has worked with Dr. Mel King and Dr. Samira Mohan before. What, perhaps, sets her apart from Robby and some of the others on her new team is her tech savviness. She sees things from a different light and believes that technology can be used to make things, especially the system in the Pitt, better.
Since she is still getting to know the residents, she hasn’t yet developed the trust to let them do things by themselves. She wants to keep things under her control, which is where, perhaps, she differs from Robby the most. Even though it is supposed to be his last day, Robby struggles to give up the reins to Dr. Al-Hashimi, and a tug of war ensues between them. Since both of them are set in their own ways, things get more complicated between them, and the drama adds to the tension that arrives in the hospital in the form of a never-ending queue of patients.
Sepideh Moafi Brings New Drama and Intrigue to The Pitt Season 2
Sepideh Moafi plays the role of Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi in the second season of ‘The Pitt.’ This isn’t her first HBO show, as she has previously appeared in ‘The Deuce,’ alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco. She is also known for her work in Showtime’s ‘The L Word: Generation Q,’ Apple TV+’s ‘Black Bird,’ and FX’s ‘Class of ’09.’ Hailing from a working-class family, Moafi got interested in acting and singing when she was a teenager. She shaped her raw talent into a passion that led her to receive a full scholarship at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Apart from her work in TV shows and movies, she has worked extensively in the world of theatre, performing in off-Broadway productions, like ‘One Thousand Nights and One Day,’ ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and ‘9 Parts of Desire,’ to name a few. While acting takes up her professional talents, her personal space is devoted to the cause of helping refugees and immigrants. Her parents fled Iran following the Islamic Revolution, and after spending some time in Turkey, they arrived in Germany. They stayed in a refugee camp in Regensburg, Germany, which is where Moafi was born. Soon after her birth, her family received visas to enter the United States, having sought political asylum and claimed refugee status.
Having been through the experience of growing up feeling a sense of dissonance from where she was and where she was supposed to be, Moafi empathizes with the people who are going through the same thing her parents went through all those years ago. She works with NGOs and other organisations like the International Rescue Committee to raise awareness on the subject. She also organizes fundraisers and volunteers, while participating in other events in different capacities. She approaches her roles with a similar thought process, of empathising with people, and presenting their complex, messy, and deeply human nature.
Read More: The Pitt: Is Pittsburgh Trauma Medical a Real Hospital?
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