Netflix’s new, dystopian K-drama series, “Pulse”, is gripping audiences all over the world. It’s a deep exploration of a very complex workplace romance, and it all takes place in the frenetic world of Maguire Medical Center. The series just premiered but already has a compelling backstory. It centers on third-year medical resident Danny Simms and her attending physician/ chief resident, Xander Phillips.
Willa Fitzgerald gives Danny a rich, nuanced interior life as she grapples with the temptation of success and the responsibilities of friendship. Sometimes she wrestles with the ethical weight of her clandestine engagement to Xander (Colin Woodell). The series continues with an in-depth look into truth, listening, and self-awareness. In addition, it provides audiences with an insider’s look at the fast-paced world of a hospital’s emergency department.
Season one of “Pulse” is comprised of these compelling ten episodes. Each episode fits into the connective fabric of their detailed plot, tackling the various layers to Danny and Xander’s relationship. Danny’s connection with her coworkers becomes increasingly fraught when she finds herself between a rock and a hard place. After a fiery confrontation with a patient’s aggressive mother, her career at Maguire Medical Center is on the line.
Danny’s streak of bad luck isn’t done yet, as she receives a crushing blow. She ultimately loses the competitive chief resident position to her male colleague, Sam Elijah. This loss heightens her character’s arc. It’s just as true that it glorifies the extreme conditions that our medical professionals face in a cutthroat culture.
Those speak to really deep conversations that the show’s creator, executive producer Carlton Cuse and executive producer Zoe Robyn had. Their attention turned to the character arcs and the big shape of “Pulse.” Together, these conversations have crafted a compelling narrative that appeals to viewers attracted to both intense medical dramas and character-driven, real world storytelling.
Willa Fitzgerald, who plays the show’s lead, told us she was excited about how differently “Pulse” tackles familiar territory.
“It’s exciting to get to see this genre blown up in the way that it is on this show,” – Willa Fitzgerald
Here’s what she had to say about how “Pulse” makes its mark among a saturated genre. The show pairs the usual medical drama fare with even stronger emotional stories.
“It’s functioning on the level of a really great medical drama, but it’s also going further and doing something that I’ve never seen a show in this world do, and that was really exciting.” – Willa Fitzgerald
The show’s setting at Maguire Medical Center serves as more than just a backdrop. It becomes a character in its own right. The hospital setting creates high-stress scenarios that place extreme demands on medical workers. Simultaneously, it serves as a stage for intimate, personal stories to play out.
Viewers experience Danny’s ride along with her, and follow her quest as she tries to keep her ambition from overwhelming her vulnerability. By following her choices, they learn of her development as a dweller and a person. Her relationship with Xander is layered and nuanced enough to be compelling. Each step of the way, they must navigate not only institutional expectations but their own growing personal affection for each other.
If “Pulse” provides all the heart-racing medical tension expected from a procedural, it asks viewers to grapple with much more profound material. The series adeptly depicts the conflict between career aspirations and family ties. It provokes audiences, daring them not to question how these worlds interact in our everyday lives.
The first season of “Pulse” has set a strong foundation for potential future explorations of these characters and their relationships. Danny’s journey to Tokyo has the fans buzzing with excitement. Readers are anxious to see how she is able to tackle the challenges before her, particularly after her crushing recent losses at Maguire Medical Center.