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Published Jan 23, 2026, 7:20 PM EST
Shawn Van Horn is a Senior Author for Collider. He's watched way too many slasher movies over the decades, which makes him an aficionado on all things Halloween and Friday the 13th. Don't ask him to choose between Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees because he can't do it. He grew up in the 90s, when Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, and TGIF were his life, and still watches them religiously to this day. Larry David is his spirit animal. His love for entertainment spreads to the written word as well. He has written two novels and is neck deep in the querying trenches. He is also a short story maker upper and poet with a dozen publishing credits to his name. He lives in small town Ohio, where he likes to watch professional wrestling and movies.
Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Pitt Season 2 Episode 3.
The Pitt might have a large ensemble, but Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch is our way into the Emmy Award-winning HBO Max medical drama. Dr. Robby has two things going for him: he's played by the immensely likable Wyle, whom viewers have tuned in for since his days on ER, but he's also shown to be so passionate about his job of helping others that he'll push his own body and mind to the brink. The latter is never more evident than in the breakdown he has in Season 1.
So far, in The Pitt's Season 2, Robby seems calmer, mostly focused on the three-month sabbatical he's just one shift away from. However, he's so ready to check out of being in doctor mode that he also seems to be checking out of taking care of himself. In the show's most recent episode, he's confronted with the potential consequences of his reckless behavior, but chooses to lie to those who respect him most.
Dr. Robby Lies About Wearing a Motorcycle Helmet in 'The Pitt' Season 2 Episode 3
The first scene of The Pitt's Season 2 shows Dr. Robby, sunglasses on and looking cool, as he rides his motorcycle to work along the streets of Pittsburgh. It's a phenomenal shot, but a concerning one, due to the fact that Robby is not wearing a helmet — and if anyone should be aware of how unsafe that is, it's a doctor. That opening could have served as the show's only reference to Robby's reckless decision-making. After all, with The Pitt's real-time premise revolving around every episode representing one hour of a 15-hour shift, he likely won't be getting back on his bike again until the season finale. Rather than shelve the scene, however, The Pitt hammers the point home a few times in its latest episode.
One of the ER's newest patients being treated is a motorcycle rider who collided with a car. The man is unconscious with part of his brain exposed, which wouldn't have been the case if he'd been wearing a helmet. This results in a conversation where Robby flat-out lies, saying that he always wears his helmet. It might be a small moment for anyone else, but Robby's lack of honesty, delivered so nonchalantly, is actually heartbreaking.
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Robby's love of riding motorcycles comes up later in the hour while he's treating Yana Kovalenko (Irina Dubova), an older Jewish woman who takes to Robby over their shared religion. After learning she's a victim of the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting, Robby comes back to check on her, where nurse Perlah Alawi (Amielyn Abellera) tells Yana about how the doctor is leaving them to spend three months on a motorcycle. Yana calls Robby stupid for riding a bike as a middle-aged man and laughs about how sad it is in a moment that seems lighthearted on the surface but becomes more convicting given how Season 2 begins.
Noah Wyle Wanted To Challenge Viewers' Perception of Dr. Robby in 'The Pitt' Season 2
In a January 14 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Wyle spoke with the host about his recent Golden Globe win and what to expect in The Pitt Season 2. After showing a clip of Dr. Robby's scene with Yana, Jimmy Kimmel asked if the visual of his character not wearing a helmet in the first episode was an intentional choice. The actor admitted it wasn't in the original script, and the scene only changed after Wyle met with executive producer John Wells. According to Wyle, "I don't know that Robby wears the helmet. I think he tells people he wears a helmet."
Wyle compared the possibly controversial decision to Gene Wilder's desire to have the first time the audience sees his character in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factor come after an elaborate fall, only to bounce back up and bow. As Wyle recalled, Wilder said he wanted to make sure the viewer would never know whether Wonka was telling the truth at any point:
"And I thought, when we're talking about a guy who's on a mental health journey, who's resistant to getting the help that he probably should get, what better clue could we give the audience that he's playing a little fast and loose with his life than to let them in on this detail that he's not telling the people that he works with, that love him?"
If Dr. Robby can so easily lie about something like wearing a motorcycle helmet, what else could he be withholding? Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) was able to hide his own struggle with addiction until he was finally caught, so Robby could be hiding his own demons, too. The fact that The Pitt's most respected doctor is playing this fast and loose with his own health is terrifying. We may only see him on his motorcycle once more this season, so would The Pitt be bold enough to send Robby right back to the ER — not as a doctor but a patient this time?
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