Fans go into any hospital drama expecting messy fraternization between the doctors. But Netflix's new drama Pulse ups the ante in a huge way.
The premiere episode kicks off with the reveal that Miami trauma resident Danny (Willa Fitzgerald) has filed a sexual harassment claim against her boss, Xander Philips (Colin Woodell). It gets instantly more complicated when Xander is suspended. And Danny is named as his temp replacement – and they are both stuck working together as a hurricane makes landfall before Xander can clear out his office.
The audience is then tasked with trying to unravel what actually happened between the two colleagues as they work through a stressful storm. Everything viewers thought they knew goes out the window at the end of the first episode when it's revealed that Xander and Danny were not only in a full-on relationship, but essentially living together when she filed the complaint.
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The rest of the season goes on to show the course of their relationship through flashbacks as they, and the rest of the hospital staff, navigate work as Danny's harassment claim is processed and investigated. Danny and Xander, as well as their colleagues and friends, ask hard questions. The answers are almost never black and white, which is what drew both Fitzgerald and Woodell to the story.
"There was a real interest in the gray area and imperfect understandings, and imperfect choices," Fitzgerald told Parade. "Things are not being good or bad or existing on that binary. We get to have 10 episodes exploring why decisions were made that a lot of people will have a lot of feelings about. I just love a puzzle, so getting to put all of that together and exploring the choices that they’re making was really interesting to me."
Her co-star Woodell fully agreed, and applauded executive producers Zoe Robyn and Carlton Cuse for not being afraid of getting messy.
"It’s sometimes a scary territory to approach the subject. It can sometimes be black and white. There’s picking a side," he said. "What Zoe and Carlton wanted to achieve, and I think so brilliantly did, was the gray area between them and what can really get messed up and convoluted in relationships. Both these people are flawed. They love each other, but they can’t seem to get out of their own way. They’re tackling a tough subject matter, and it was a really unique story that I hadn’t seen before."
Fitzgerald was on point in describing the show as a puzzle. The flashbacks are from Danny's perspective, but Woodell urges that fans should see them as the objective truth of what happened between the couple. At times, the two are obviously falling head over heels for each other. In subsequent scenes, Xander is pushy and potentially manipulative. Danny is inconsistent and doesn't always communicate her feelings to her partner or her boss. It was important to both actors that what was shown showed that both Danny and Xander weren't always on their best behavior.
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"Ultimately, I felt that regardless of whether it was from her perspective or not, making sure every moment we showed, whether good or bad, was honest and that you saw the complexity and nuance between these two people," Woodell offered.
"We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve been in some sort of messy relationship that is profoundly important and impossible. That’s a very human experience of wanting something that just doesn’t work for whatever reason," Fitzgerald explained. "I think that the fundamental problem between those two people is a lack of self-understanding and, therefore, a lack of ability to see the other person for who they actually are. There’s ample opportunity for both of them to grow."
Colin Woodell as Xander Phillips and Willa Fitzgerald as Danny SimmsCourtesy of Netflix © 2025
The back and forth makes untangling their complicated relationship more difficult, and more intriguing. As Danny has more time to process the final fight that led to her filing the complaint, and outside pressure sets in, she decides to withdraw the complaint against Xander. Fitzgerald maintains that Danny didn't back down because her job was threatened.
"I think that she withdraws the complaint not because her job’s in jeopardy but because of a deeper understanding of herself and the situation that both she and Xander are in," the actress elaborated. "I think the journey we see her taking over the season is one to some more integrated understanding of her emotional experiences and choices. Her withdrawing the complaint is a direct response to that."
She also gets what she ultimately wanted from her partner: An apology and him accepting accountability for his part in what went wrong in their relationship.
"Xander really takes ownership. It takes some time, but he’s so concerned with proving innocence and feeling this betrayal that he can’t see his own actions in a lot of ways," Woodell said. "Finally, he realizes what he’s done. It’s a really beautiful moment. He’s also realized, ‘Man, maybe we can’t go back to what we were,’ even though he may wish it. I think he sees and respects Danny in a way that he never had, even though he loved her. I think he really regrets his actions. He really regrets what he did and how he hurt her."
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The apology was what Danny wanted, but is it enough? Ultimately, Xander was the one with the power in the relationship, and it remains to be seen whether his change of heart at the end of the season is enough penance for what happened. Both Fitzgerald and Woodell are excited to see what viewers make of the situation and what conversations the storyline will prompt.
"I was so excited by the fact that this show was allowing things to live in a gray space. There’s not one correct answer. There’s not one correct opinion or read of the show," said Fitzgerald. "That’s a really interesting place to get to have conversations from. I hope a lot of people talk about what’s going on for these two characters and can have nuanced conversations, because I think we are living in a time where everyone is existing in that binary of ‘that person is right’ and ‘that person is wrong’. It’s a great opportunity to have a more complicated conversation."
Colin Woodell as Xander Phillips and Willa Fitzgerald as Danny SimmsNetflix
Woodell shared the sentiment and is excited to see fan reactions.
"I hope they see the flaws that make us human and how nuanced situations can be romantically. I hope they’re able to root for love and not just one person," he explained. "I hope they don’t villainize, but support how we try to explore the story. I just hope they’re entertained more than anything, because it’s a fun show."
And now the show looks to the future. With Danny withdrawing her complaint, Xander was able to accept an attending position at the hospital. And she will remain on staff as a senior resident, which means they'll continue working together. Figuring out what Xander's apology means for their continued working dynamic is what excites Woodell most about a potential Season 2.
"I’m curious about his dynamic with Danny. I will always be curious about it because he’s going to care about her. He’s going to see her every single day at work. There are going to be feelings that are still there," he revealed. "There’s a lot of work to do for both of them individually. Realistically, they jumped pretty quickly into a relationship, and they are colleagues. They are not only colleagues, but there was a power dynamic between the two of them. By the end, I could feel watching the show, ‘Wow, these two have a lot of work they need to do individually before they’re ready for a relationship.’ They need to go their separate ways, even though I’m rooting for them to be together."
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald is hoping that Danny can have a little more fun in the next season.
"It’s definitely time for more salsa dancing. It’s time for long walks in nature and everything that would not be good for TV viewing but would be really fun for Danny," the actress joked.
Pulse Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix with all episodes available.
Related: 6 Reasons Why Netflix's 'Pulse' Is the Next 'Grey's Anatomy'
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