The Pitt Season 2 Premiere Scene With Dr. Robby That You Didn't Know Was Improvised

"The Pitt" season 2 opens with Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch riding to work on his motorcycle. During the trip we see him give a nod to an ambulance, in a moment that was improvised on the day.

At the end of season 1, Dr. Robby wasn't doing so well. That first run of 15 episodes saw the attending physician and his ER staff at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center endure the shift from hell, which was both extremely compelling and extremely hard to watch. Dr. Robby had a particularly rough day, with the stress of the job eventually proving too much and bringing on a full breakdown during episode 13 of the season (which featured Wyle's best performance of the season). Though he made it out in one piece, and even shared a beer with his colleagues in the final scene, it was uncertain just how stable his mental state would be moving forward.

Now, "The Pitt" is bringing back its brand of radical empathy and hyper competency for season 2. But before we even make it to the ER we're treated to shots of Dr. Robby riding his motorbike through Pittsburgh (sans helmet) all to the tune of "Better Off Without You" by Steel City locals, The Clarks. It's about as carefree as we've ever seen the good doctor, and a strikingly upbeat way to reintroduce a man who previously seemed on the verge of complete mental collapse. During his oddly upbeat commute into work, Dr. Robby is also seen riding his bike over a bridge where he passes an ambulance and gives the driver a nod — all of which was improvised on the day.

"The Pitt" is known for being the most realistic medical drama on TV, and as such is full of factoids and statistics, cleverly snuck in by writers who are in constant communication with medical advisors and actual doctors. The moment where Dr. Michael Robinavitch nods at the ambulance might not be as specific as the 100% medically accurate way to treat asystole, but it does add an element of realism to the show. 

In an interview with the AV Club, Noah Wyle was asked whether the nod in the opening scene was in the script. "I think they came up with that on the spot for us, actually," he said. "The thinking being it was professional courtesy from a doctor to a paramedic in that moment." It certainly doesn't feel out of place, though given how realistic "The Pitt" season 1 was throughout, we've been primed to believe pretty much anything this show throws at us.

Throughout the rest of the episode there are several more similarly neat moments clearly based on the experience of real doctors. When Dr. Robby tells his staff to give a frantic patient a shot of a Cyanocobalamin to "save her life," for example, it's quickly revealed that the medicine is just Vitamin B12. Things won't stay so lighthearted for long, though. This is "The Pitt" after all; nods between medical workers and B12 shots will surely give way to heartbreaking tragedy sooner or later. Thankfully, season 2 of "The Pitt" also promises to resolve some dangling plot threads from season 1, so hopefully it'll be a satisfying, if harrowing, ride.