Netflix’s New Medical Drama ‘Pulse’ Delivers A Literal Hurricane Of A First Episode
Pulse is Netflix’s first foray into an English language medical drama, and boy, do they deliver. Treading the path laid by the likes of ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and House and layering on a fresh spin may be a daunting task, but creator Zoe Robyn correctly assumes that viewers already know what to expect from this genre and goes full throttle from the first shot, never hitting the breaks once until the credits roll. Here are the highlights from the frenzy that is episode one.
1. Welcome To Miami
Every good medical drama has a memorable location. County General in Chicago. Seattle Grace, in, well, Seattle. Pulse opens up with a shot of coastal Miami in the middle of what is soon to become a hurricane and Cardi B’s “I Like It Like That” pulling us right into the South Florida milieu. A bus full of soccer players sport jerseys reading “Miami High School” in the signature pink and black of Messi’s Inter Miami CF.
2. Massive Trauma Ahead
Of course that bus comes barreling toward a multi-car accident, spins out of control, and goes flying off of a bridge. Medical dramas need an emergency, and Pulse isn’t giving us a slow build that starts with some stitches, instead choosing to kick off with the kind of emergencies that you typically see in a season finale.
3. Not Suitable For Work
Our leading lady, Dr. Danny Simms, is not starting her first day of residency like Meredith Grey, rather we meet her in the immediate aftermath of a sexual harassment accusation she filed with HR against her well-like male colleague, Chief Resident Xander Phillips. Word has gotten around the ER that Danny made the complaint, and co-workers are confused about what happened, and why Danny didn’t choose to confide in trusted friends.
4. It’s A Competitive Field
Phillips is suspended until further notice, leaving the chief resident role open and in need of a replacement. Many have already been vying for the role, but the day becomes further complicated when it is given to Danny. She confronts Chair of Surgery Natalie Cruz, feeling it may not be a good look in the wake of her complaint, only to realize she may not have been the first choice.
5. Too Busy For Therapy
Luckily for Danny, she works with her younger sister, Harper, who is in a wheelchair, because it wouldn’t be a medical drama without some family drama thrown in for color. In one scene, Danny tells a convincing story to a patient about attempting to push Harper down the stairs when they were younger, claiming it is the reason her sister cannot walk, but Phillips later confronts Danny for lying, revealing to the audience it was her father who pushed Harper, planting the first crucial seeds of doubt about Danny. Needless to say, this hooks in viewers by leaving plenty to unpack in future episodes.
6. Natural Disaster Ahead
If things aren’t tense enough already, the hurricane is quickly approaching which means no one will be leaving the hospital any time soon. The ER is understaffed, and Phillips will need to come out of suspension to lend a hand. He and Danny have tense but cryptic conversations about why she reported him and why he was really transferred from his last hospital, but it is all cut short by a lack of privacy in the surrounding buzz of emergent care.
7. Could The Stakes Get Any Higher?
Would it be a hurricane without a power outage? In the middle of a dangerous procedure that requires the use of on an ultrasound? That happens to require electricity? Oh, and Danny is performing it on the Chair of Surgery’s daughter? Who she didn’t warn could be coming into the ER? Yeah, this one is a doozy.
8. My Boss Doesn’t Like Me
So it’s not surprising in the least that Cruz becomes furious with Danny when she is finally pulled out of surgery to see her daughter. Danny now has to contend with her ire, as well as a betrayal by friend Sam, who outed Danny’s decision not to scare Cruz with a hypothetical. Whether Danny will remain chief resident after this episode is left to be seen.
9. Let’s End On A Cliff Hanger
By the time we’ve reached the closing scene, viewers are just trying to organize of the major information that’s been shared in this action-packed episode. But the last few minutes deliver the biggest shock of all when we see a flashback of Danny coming home, taking off her scrubs, and joining Phillips (?!?) in the shower. It’s clear they have a consensual relationship that neither wants to make public at work. Phillips apologizes to Danny for a near slip we saw a glimpse of earlier in the episode, which opens up a whole can of worms surrounding her true motives for reporting him. At this point we’ve been given so many reasons to continue watching the series, it’s impossible to turn the TV off.