I was so frustrated with the season 2 storyline of Robbie. Everyone knew something bad was up with his mental health. Almost everyone confronted him about it. He was told not to go on the motorcycle. He was told to pay attention to the message he was sending his student doctors. He displays every single sign of major depression throughout the season, including his outbursts and other seemingly inappropriate behaviors.
I was so upset that he wasn’t committed even by the professional doctors, nurses, and social workers who should know better. Then it occurred to me, but this is how it almost always plays out in real life. Even the best professionals in this show, just like real life, do not understand that the person suffering the illness of major depression has no control over their extremely dangerous and fatal illness. They cannot decide to just be different or want to live. The chemistry in their brain is so out of balance they cannot get out of it without medical intervention. I wondered a lot why that was happening to Robbie in season two. Why wasn’t anyone taking that step to have him committed to get him medical help? Then I thought of Dr. Hashimi, who was having seizures. Robbie was ready to report her, but no one was willing to report him. Were they afraid he might not be able to come back because of his illness, if they reported him? Were they willing to take the gamble with his life in hopes of keeping his expertise in that emergency room? Were they just in denial? Did they really believe they were doing him a favor? The writers focused a lot on nurse Dana as well. She spent the entire season being so nurturing, thoughtful, diligent, and disciplined in her craft. She got serious over making sure the rape kits were handled properly, and she cared so much for the homeless character. However, she knew what was going on with Robbie, and she treated him as if he had some control over his situation. That whole storyline left me feeling so empty and sad. Dr Mohan was mistreated by Robbie, due to the symptoms of his illness. She was so helpful and so invested in all of her patients, but she was unable to invest in Robbie in the same way. There are other examples, but you get the gist. Initially, I thought writers were missing the point, and getting something wrong. Now I think writers knew exactly the story they wanted to tell, and it is actually so close to real life.