Isa Briones breaks down Trinity Santos' relationships in 'The Pitt'

Dr. Trinity Santos, played by Filipino-American actress Isa Briones, is one of the most complex characters in the award-winning medical series "The Pitt."

In Season 1, she is introduced as a first year resident at the Emergency Department of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. She is very confident in her skills as a doctor, but the way she interacts with other people leaves much to be desired.

She gives unflattering nicknames to her colleagues and her bedside manner towards her patients is at times brusque, but she is also shown to have a good heart.

"I think she is so on unabashedly herself and at times can be very imposing and brash, but she's also a good doctor at the end of the day," Isa told several members of the Philippine media in a virtual round table interview.

"I think even though there can be some tension between her and the other residents, there is also, like, 'This is what I work with, and I accept her flaws and her really great doctoring,'" she added.

Santos has interesting relationships with several characters in the series, and Isa shared her thoughts on those dynamics.

Dr. Frank Langdon

Langdon, played by Patrick Ball, is a senior resident in "The Pitt." Like Santos, he is a competent doctor who has his own issues. And like two magnets with the same pole, they don't get along. They have serious beef in Season 1, and their relationship continues to be rocky in Season 2.

Because of what happened between them, Santos struggles to find her place among her colleagues. Isa said she wonders what exactly they know and what they think of her because of it.

"She's never quite felt like she belonged because of what happened on her first day," she said. "She has not felt super comfortable at work. Doesn't really trust people, people don't trust her, so I think she has kind of, there's a bit of a sadness that has really settled in, I think."

Isa said Santos and Langdon are mirror images of each other, but the characters themselves seem to be unaware of it.

"I also hope that she and Langdon can realize how similar they are and be like, actually, we're two sides of the same coin. Just one of us is a woman, so we move through the world a little differently. So I would love to see that going forward," she said.

Dr. Michael Robinavitch

Robinavitch (played by Noah Wyle), or Robby, as everyone calls him, is the head of the Emergency Department. As Santos and Langdon's superior, he gets involved their conflict.

Isa said that Santos clings to him partly because he is the only person who knows the details of what happened between her and Langdon.

"I think it's because he believed her, and she has not been believed in the past. And I think a person of authority who believes her and listens to her is really powerful to her," she said.

Robby also gives his residents a long leash, which empowers Santos to handle patient cases as she sees fit.

"He's kind of this renegade of the ED and she can kind of get away with her shenananigans and her maybe unorthodox ways of doing things sometimes," Isa said.

Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi

Al-Hashimi, played by Sepideh Moafi, enters "The Pitt" in Season 2 as the interim head of the Emergency Department as Robby goes into a three-month sabbatical.

She makes her presence felt on her very first day, introducing several initiatives to make the ED function more efficiently. Santos does not like her right off the bat, but Isa herself thinks she would make a better mentor than Robby or night shift attending Dr. Jack Abbot (Shawn Hatosy).

"She's so misunderstood I think," she said. "Al-Hashimi is very by the book and that can be scary to some people, but she comes in with such a wonderful energy." 

"I was watching the show, I was seeing how she's so warm with everyone. Like, she makes sure to really connect with the people working under her and working with her. She has a very open energy and very calming energy," she added. "I think that me personally, Isa, would love to work with her."

Dr. Dennis Whitaker

Isa said that part of the reason why Santos keeps her colleagues at an arms' length is the trauma from her best friend dying by suicide.

"She's gotten so used to isolating herself, because from her past experiences, if she gets close to someone, either they're gonna hurt her or they're gonna leave. And that's a really scary thing to then let people in again," the actress said.

But by the time Season 2 begins, Santos becomes closer to Dr. Dennis Whitaker (played by Gerran Howell), who was student doctor when they first met the previous season.

Whitaker, who is now in his first year of residency while Santos is in her second, is an empathetic person who openly cares a lot about other people. They share a friendship, even though Santos seems to be in denial about it.

"I think Whitaker is the one person who's able to get in there and to be her friend and be like, I'm right here. Like, I'm here to talk. And I think she wants that. I think she really wants a connection," Isa said.

"The Pitt" also stars Katherine LaNasa, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Supriya Ganesh, Shabana Azeez, and more. Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on HBO Max. —CDC, GMA News