Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers up to The Pitt Season 2 Episode 4.

When HBO’s <em>The Pitt</em> first premiered, its quiet fanfare quickly accelerated into something much more intense — not unlike the shift in the emergency room of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, which plays out in real time over the course of Season 1. Now that R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells, and Noah Wyle‘s medical drama has already returned for a second season, the day seems like it’s getting off to a relatively quiet start despite it also being the Fourth of July. That doesn’t mean the doctors and nurses are experiencing any shortage of difficult cases while they’ve got their own drama going on, and the season’s fourth hour, “10:00 A.M.,” teases the arrival of even more patients incoming while another hospital is dealing with a Code Black.

Ahead of The Pitt‘s return, Collider had the opportunity to speak with the show’s creators and cast alike about some of Season 2’s most pivotal moments early on, including Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samira Mohan, and Taylor Dearden, who plays Dr. Mel Langdon. Over the course of the interview, which you can watch above or read below, the co-stars delve into the complex emotions and professional hurdles their characters are facing this season, from Mohan’s patient healthcare crisis to Mel’s lingering anxiety about her deposition.

COLLIDER: Taylor, Mel and Langdon’s friendship is something that audiences have really latched onto. I just spoke with Scott [Gemmill] and John [Wells] about the 10-month time jump between Seasons 1 and 2. Langdon has been away from the ER, and Mel finds out that he’s back at the beginning of the shift, and you have this really great, excited reaction where you go towards him, but then kind of pull yourself back at the last moment. I was curious about how you decided on how much or how little to express her excitement about him being back.

TAYLOR DEARDEN: We went through a lot of different takes, and I did a lot of different options, as I tend to do. I actually haven’t seen the first episode, so I don’t know which one they landed on. But I think for me, it was kind of like, “I’ve known him for one day, almost a year ago,” as well as realizing that we’re professionals in a professional environment. I don’t know. It kind of came naturally to really want to have a big moment and then realize we’re in public. We’re doctors. We’re professionals.

SUPRIYA GANESH: We’re at work.

DEARDEN: As well as, the truth is, we barely know each other, like, at all. So, yeah, it was kind of fun to figure out the level. And with John [Wells], especially, directing, I always tell him, “I’m going to get you stuff. You tell me and go down or up, whatever.” Usually, it’s never up. It’s always, “Down. Less than that.” It’s like, “Understood. Will do that.” We had a lot of fun figuring out what that was going to be.

Supriya Ganesh Reveals How Mohan Has Changed Most Between ‘The Pitt’ Seasons 1 & 2

“I think she feels way more confident in her ability to trust her gut, have good instincts, and figure out the balance.”

Given the time jump, you see the effects that this passage of time has had on the doctors in many ways, like Whitaker for instance. We’re seeing that he’s more confident in the E.R., and he’s more confident being a mentor. Supriya for Mohan this season shows her working with a family who doesn’t have a health insurance plan and trying to figure out how to make all of this affordable for them. What do you feel like the biggest change for her has been between Seasons 1 and 2 in terms of her approach to being a doctor and her patients?

GANESH: She’s maybe figuring out how to spend an appropriate amount of time with patients. I think she feels way more confident in her ability to trust her gut, have good instincts, and figure out the balance. She’s on Robby’s good side at the start of the show which is a great difference for her and something she really appreciates. Whether that lasts remains to be seen. But she’s still that empathetic patient advocate doctor that we see in Season 1, and I think you really see that with the health insurance storyline where she’s calling all sorts of people bending over backwards trying to figure out how to get this family the care they need.

For that storyline,I did a lot of research into the American healthcare system and medical insurance, and just how convoluted all of it can be. Especially for a doctor like Samira it’s so incredibly frustrating to have to think about something like that when you just want to help someone as I’m sure a lot of doctors face throughout the country. So I’m really excited for people to see that storyline develop.

Talking about things that are maybe looming over these doctors’ heads or interfering with their mindset Taylor Mel is dealing with this lawsuit. We see her bring it up early on and she’s talking about this deposition that she is clearly very apprehensive about the outcome of. Do you feel like she’s trying to compartmentalize a little bit and not let it impact her? What are the ways it might be affecting her approach to this shift?

DEARDEN: It’s a really tough day all around for Mel. The implication of a malpractice lawsuit is that you’re not doing a good job as a doctor. I think any confidence that she built over these 10 months after the mass casualty event kind of erodes immediately as soon as the day starts realizing that at some point she’s going to go into a room and people are going to say “You’re a terrible doctor.”

How do you keep your confidence up? How do you do your best work for the patients’ sake when you feel trashed for what you’re doing? I think it’s a huge hit for Mel to try and navigate being a good doctor throughout the day knowing she’s about to go into a really terrible situation for her. Also, the biggest thing is just the unknown. Mel’s never had this before even though it affects lots of doctors just having no idea what the room is going to be like is daunting for sure.

She does have a little bit of a bright spot at least with the patient who is flirting with her. But the outcome of that is something that…

DEARDEN: Yeah. You mean the criminal? [Laughs]

That was what I was getting at. The scene where you get knocked down was that you doing your own stunt?

DEARDEN: Oh of course not. I would have gotten a bad concussion from that. If you slow it down you see the stunt double fully hits their head on the pavement. It’s a thing.

GANESH: It’s probably weird when they look like you too.

DEARDEN: It is. It was weird. And there’s a bit of me going “Oh!” But yeah,the day just keeps getting worse for Mel.

That’s an ominous sentiment Supriya you might be surprised to know this [or] maybe not but fans have really latched onto the potential of Mohan and Dr. Abbot as a pairing.

GANESH: Oh I’m aware. I get DMs about it constantly.

With that in mind I have to ask if there are any nuggets for Season 2 any interactions that [you] can tease hopes with.

DEARDEN: Can we also talk about how inappropriate it would be for an attending?

GANESH: I plead the Fifth. We will see what happens when he shows up.

Taylor Dearden Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Details of THAT Prosthetics Scene in ‘The Pitt’ Season 2

“I do think all ED medication stocks are going to take a massive hit after that episode.”

We have to give flowers to the effects and prosthetics teams on this show because they’re doing some incredible work last season obviously was the birth Taylor this season you have a really interesting procedure as well with the priapism patient I know there’s usually rehearsal involved in figuring out how to do a procedure or at least make it look convincing but what was the process like?

DEARDEN: We actually don’t usually have a lot of time we have a very tight schedule.I do give ourselves props that it’s incredible what we can do in very little amount of rehearsal we have. But yeah for that there was a medical video HIPAA-rule-followed video and it was really interesting to watch during boot camp every man’s face in room fell they turned green and white it was like “Yep Okay.”

GANESH: Also I hope I never encounter anything like that as a doctor.[Laughs]

DEARDEN: I asked real doctors “Is this common?” And they went,“Yeah Like every shift usually someone comes in with this.”. It’s like oh my god! But our makeup team is insanely amazing they do incredible work they had two different penises one that was more erect one that was semi-flaccid so they had switch it out based on where we were in scene it’s absolutely ridiculous so I do think all ED medication stocks are going take massive hit after episode.

As we’ve been seeing with Season 1 they’re airing it on TNT uncensored I have wonder is Season 2 going completely uncensored?

DEARDEN: They already cut whatever you saw was way cut down from how much shown before director’s cut I was told was lot more graphic.

GANESH: Oh my god.

DEARDEN: I think added comedy so it’s not nearly so…in my opinion but it’s also like “Okay I get that.” But it’s still — yeah it’s a lot yeah I don’t know how they’re going show that.