Recently, medical procedures have been the subject of much hype, with HBO’s new smash series The Pitt receiving critical acclaim and Grey’s Anatomy being renewed for its 22nd season. In typical Netflix fashion, the streamer jumps on board audiences’ love for intense medical dramas. Enter Pulse, created by Zoe Robyn, Netflix’s first English-language medical drama. With its focus on the staff and patients within Maguire Medical Centre, Pulse has endearing heartfelt moments and juicy drama. However, it tends to flatline with its barely developed characters, lack of chemistry between the leads, and bizarrely written plotline about sexual harassment. This show doesn’t bring anything fresh to the field of medical procedurals. It just rehashes existing properties. It wants to be taken seriously by bringing in heavy topics, but falls back on melodramatic themes.
Pulse is set in Miami, with protagonist Danielle “Danny” Simms (Willa Fitzgerald), a third-year resident. She has just filed a sexual harassment case against Chief Resident Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell). On top of all, a disastrous hurricane serves as a backdrop. Viewers are made aware of this setting with a diabolical establishing shot that is clearly CGI. There’s a supporting cast consisting of Danny’s best friend Sam Elijah (played The Boys’ Jessie T. Usher); the Chair of Surgery and Emergency Medicine, Natalia Cruz (Justina Machado); Tom Cole (Jack Bannon), a snarky British Surgical resident; Camila Perez (Daniela Neves), a bubbly third year medical student; and Sophie Chan (Chelsea Muirhead), a nonchalant surgical intern, just to name a few staffers.
There’s an extended cast, but Danny’s relationship with Phillips is the central point… unfortunately. After Danny accuses Phillips of sexual harrassment, she takes the position of Chief Resident, and he is put on administrative leave. Unfortunately, due to the hurricane and the hospital being understaffed, Phillip is requested to stay and work. Pulse shows the development of their relationship through the present time and flashbacks. This narrative soon becomes exasperating and audiences are forced to care. Danny and Phillip’s relationship, despite being a primary focus, is one of the weakest factors of the show.
Their turbulent relationship is revealed to have been a long-term one. This adds to the tone-deaf depiction of sexual harassment. What could’ve been an interesting take on power dynamics in the workplace and the neglect of victims by these institutions and abuse of power is floundered by a tiresome lead couple. The show just dips its toes into these themes, but the storyline ultimately becomes overshadowed by the fact that these two were most definitely in love, and viewers are bombarded with steamy scenes.
The tumultuous pairing of Danny and Phillip does seep into the other characters’ plots as they choose sides. Elijah is underdeveloped and serves no other role but to be Danny’s best friend, who is secretly in love with her. He is, however, extremely driven and yearns for the spot as Chief Resident, but that’s about it. Tom is a known womaniser, and his brash personality causes him to be called out for his behaviour on occasion. But his character doesn’t grow by the end of the season. He also lands himself in more trouble by getting involved with a patient.
Sophie is perhaps the better character of the supporting cast. She’s reserved, and Tom constantly belittles her, but she evolves throughout Pulse and finds the confidence to succeed. Her relationship with Camilla is also a highlight to watch and is a refreshing pairing. Their moments serve as one of the most heartfelt in the show and make up for the romantic, tiring melodrama we see with Danny and Phillips.
However, Danny as a standalone character also has compelling moments. She has an interesting dynamic with her younger sister, Harper (Jessy Yates), that revolves outside of the main plot with Phillips. Harper is a second-year resident and a wheelchair user, and the show highlights her warm nature that allows patients to be vulnerable with her. The small moments with the supporting characters compensate for Pulse’s lacklustre main plot.
The show’s overall structure is unusual, with the hospital frantic as the hurricane sweeps Miami during the first three episodes. Then chatter echoes amongst the walls about Danny and Phillips as things quieten. We’re immediately thrust into the eye of the storm once it’s announced that Danny will be taking Phillip’s position. This takes a bit of time to catch up on the role of each character. However, dealing with the aftermath of the storm allows more time for the characters to breathe as season continues. As things quiet down, there’s more to unravel.
If you want something more reminiscent of Grey’s Anatomy, which has its dose of melodrama and romance, this might be for you. Pulse has its compelling moments but it doesn’t bring anything new to the medical genre. Moreover, its tone deaf portrayal of sexual harassment serves as nothing more than to build tension between its leads, and it barely digs any deeper for such a heavy topic, especially in the current climate where these conversations are prevalent. The supporting characters, however, are what keeps Pulse beating.
