The Pitt Season 2 References The 2018 Tree Of Life Synagogue Shooting

The Pitt has been lauded for its medical accuracy and unvarnished depiction of current social issues. And in Season 2, the HBO Max medical drama makes its connection to the real world even clearer — weaving a 2018 tragedy into a patient’s storyline.

In the Jan. 22 episode, Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) and nurse Perlah Alawi (Amielynn Abellera) treat a patient named Yana Kovalenko (Irina Dubova). After hearing Fourth of July firecrackers, she’d dropped a samovar (a type of metal vessel with Russian roots used to boil water) and severely burned her leg.

After asking Robby if he attends a synagogue — “Not for a while,” he says — Yana shares that she attended the Tree of Life, where a shooter killed 11 congregants on Oct. 27, 2018. Robby notes that they’re in the process of rebuilding, and Yana replies with the motto of the project: “Remember. Rebuild. Renew.” (Plans to build a memorial, museum, and education center at the site of the attack are in the works.)

The Pitt Parallels

Later, Yana says that she was actually on her way into the synagogue when the deadly shooting began and re-entered the tragic scene after police arrived. Since then, she’s struggled with hearing fireworks on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July. “There is no clock on how long it takes,” Robby says, seemingly connecting Yana’s story to his own experience with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Season 1, Robby is shown to be struggling on the fifth anniversary of his mentor’s death during the COVID pandemic. On the same day, the titular emergency room reckons with the grisly fallout of a mass shooting at a music festival. So, Robby has a personal understanding of what Yana is going through.

After Robby steps away, Yana asks if Perlah is Muslim, and once the nurse shares that she is, Yana thanks her. “After the shooting, it was the Muslims that came together for us in support and walked with us,” she says. “You raised money, you paid for all the funerals. Anyway, thank you.”

Indeed, in the days immediately following the Tree of Life shooting, multiple Muslim organizations mobilized to fundraise more than $230,000 for funeral expenses, medical costs, and other needs.

The show’s star Noah Wyle — who also penned this episode — has been open about reflecting real life on The Pitt, telling The Hollywood Reporter last year he wants to honor front-line workers. “The intention of this show is to put a spotlight back on that community, to hear their cry for help and for reinforcements but also to hear their warning that this is a very fragile system — as fragile as their mental health.”