Briones says her character has "been a bit of a pariah for blowing the whistle on someone who's beloved in the ER"
Credit: Warrick Page/Max
NEED TO KNOW
- Isa Briones, who plays Dr. Trinity Santos in The Pitt, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that the tension between her character and Patrick Ball’s Dr. Frank Langdon is building to something major
- Season 2 sees Langdon’s anticipated return to the ER after Santos turned him in for stealing drugs from a patient
- “I think both of them don’t wanna face it. That eventually is going to combust because you can’t avoid each other forever in an ER,” the actress says
The tension between Santos and Langdon grows.
Isa Briones, who plays Dr. Trinity Santos in The Pitt, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that the tension between her character and Patrick Ball's Dr. Frank Langdon is building to something major in season 2.
The first season of the hit HBO medical drama sees Langdon, a senior resident, being kicked out of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center after he was caught stealing drugs from a patient.
And who turned him in? Santos, an intern who was already butting heads with Langdon due to her eagerness and their clashing personalities.
Season 2 sees Langdon’s anticipated return after a stint in rehab and his trouble reconciling with some colleagues. The situation worsens in the Feb. 26 episode that sees him paired with Santos to treat a patient amid the hospital’s stressful IT crisis.
Credit: John Johnson/HBO Max
Santos wheels in a patient with a deep tongue laceration, and Langdon jumps on the case. She gives him an annoyed look, and he explains to her that senior attending physicians Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) are both already treating critical patients.
The two proceed to treat the patient, who injured herself while heavily drinking. They fall into old patterns as Santos interrupts and speaks over Langdon on multiple occasions while discussing the treatment plan. Another notable moment comes when a newbie suggests recommending rehab to the treatment and awkward glances are exchanged.
Giving insight into the interactions between Santos and Langdon, Briones tells PEOPLE that her character is having trouble accepting the other's return.
“Langdon coming back to the ER is a little unexpected for her,” the actress, 27, says. “I don't think she necessarily knew that he was coming back. She's had a rough go of it for the past 10 months, trying to find her place in the ER.”
Briones says that Santos “did the right thing” by reporting Langdon’s actions, but it has left her feeling like an outsider.
“A lot of people don't know what exactly happened. She and Robby know the ins and outs of what happened, but other people don't. They just know that Landgon left and she had something to do with it. She's been a bit of a pariah for blowing the whistle on someone who's beloved in the ER,” she says of her character.
Credit: Warrick Page/HBOMAX
The Goosebumps alum explains that Langdon and Santos clash due to how they are perceived. “She and Langdon are very similar people, but she is seen as, ‘Oh, she's too much.' He's the same way and they're like, ‘Oh my God, he is the best,' " the actress says.
"I think that is a bigger comment on the society we live in. But now with him coming back, she has to face someone who really made her feel like she did not belong there.”
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But all good feuds must eventually come to an end, and Briones knows it. As the show follows the medical staff through one 15-hour shift, she says their tense encounters is “leading to something.”
“I think both of them don't wanna face it. That eventually is going to combust because you can't avoid each other forever in an ER. It's only so big. So you're gonna see that come to fruition.”
New episodes of The Pitt season 2 air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.
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