Transplant is finally on the way back to NBC with new episodes for the first time in more than a year, and fans who have been waiting since the Season 1 finale back in late 2020 will get some resolution to the cliffhangers. On top of the life-or-death question about Dr. Bishop's fate after his collapse, there was the very big question of the identity of the mystery woman who Bash and Amira were so surprised to see. Fortunately, stars Hamza Haq and John Hannah opened up about how Transplant will handle the fallout in Season 2.
Hamza Haq and John Hannah, who play Dr. Bash Hamed and Dr. Jed Bishop, spoke with CinemaBlend about what's on the way now that Season 2 is finally arriving to reveal what happens next. Looking back to how Season 1 ended, Haq previewed what kind of fallout fans should expect, and how soon the Season 2 premiere will pick up after the cliffhanger of the mystery woman:
When we finished Season 1, Dr. Bishop is in a coma again, or rather, he's bedridden again. And we leave off with this massive cliffhanger of who is this mystery woman that has come back into Bashir's life, and we won't have to wait long at all to find the answers to this. Season 2 picks up like seconds after that moment. So right away, we find out that this is somebody that Bashir had a previous relationship with back in Syria and how her return affects every aspect of his life, while he's also trying to manage the recovery – or maybe not! – of his mentor, and surrogate father figure in Dr. Bishop. And we see him navigate the various aspects that that requires in the entirety of Season 2.
Hamza Haq may not have dropped all the spoilers for what's on the way with Bash and the new arrival from the Season 1 finale, but fans don't have to worry that they'll miss out on any drama from the reunion because of a time skip. Season 2 picks up where Season 1 ended, even though there was a long delay in production due to the COVID pandemic. Her return affecting "every aspect of his life" may or may not be a good thing, considering that he has quite a lot on his plate already. His mentor wasn't even conscious when last fans saw him!
With John Hannah's return for Season 2, it is safe to say that Bishop won't be killed off before the opening credits of the premiere, and the actor's comments indicate that he won't spend the full season delivering a comatose performance. Of course, Bishop's condition is at least partly his own fault, since he pushed himself too hard too quickly after his head trauma in Season 1, and Hannah previewed that he's going to have to reap what he sowed in Season 2:
I think Bishop certainly faces some jeopardy from how incautious he was with the rules. Sometimes, as we have seen when people are in charge, they think they can make the rules up and bend them to suit, but there is certainly going to be fallout from what happened and Bashir is certainly in the firing line for a lot of the damage that's coming down the line. And again, that gives us an opportunity of some interesting twists and turns. There are moments of high jeopardy for both characters that creates tensions. And that's what the show was about. That's what people want to see. You know, if everybody was getting on and it was all just great, there's no point in anybody tuning in! [laughs]
Bishop's collapse was not only upsetting for Bashir in terms of his mentor's life hanging in the balance, but also very poorly-timed for Bash's efforts to keep his place in the hospital. Bishop was his biggest ally with the most power; whatever Bishop's condition after the end of Season 1, it seems unlikely that he'll be back in charge of anything before a recovery period. If at all! While this may be complicated news for both Bash and Bishop, there's certainly plenty to look forward to. As John Hannah noted, what would be the point in watching without some twists, turns, and tension to go around?
See what Transplant has in store to deliver on Season 1 with the Season 2 premiere on Sunday, March 6 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC in the 2022 TV schedule. The show returns while one of the network's other hit medical dramas is on a brief break (with New Amsterdam returning with some "big consequences" in April), so there's no better time to tune in to new episodes of Transplant. If you need a refresher on what has happened for Bash and Co. so far on the show, you can find the full first season streaming with a Hulu subscription now!
