Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Pulse’ takes place in the high-stakes environment of Maguire Medical Center in Miami, where each doctor has to give their best to save their patients from a life-and-death situation. The protagonist of the story is Danny Simms, whose promising career meets a hitch when she files a complaint against the Chief Resident, Xavier Phillips. Everyone is shocked to discover that she has accused him of sexual harassment, especially because the duo had a very close relationship where he mentored her towards becoming the next Chief. What the others didn’t know was that the duo had been in a secret relationship, which progressed to the point where they were basically living together. But then, something changed drastically, leading Danny to make a decision that would alter both their lives. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Danny and Xander’s Power Dynamics at Work Play Into Their Romance
When Danny and Xander first meet each other at Maguire, there is an instant connection between them. Still, she tries to keep her distance from him because he is her superior, and a relationship between them could ruin both their lives. He, on the other hand, continues to pursue her, and eventually, she, too, gives in to her feelings. When she suggests that they should go to HR about their relationship, he tells her that this is not a good time to do that. His argument is that the declaration of their relationship would lead people to see her differently, as most would think that she is trying to sleep her way to the top. He doesn’t want her to go through that, so it is decided that their romance should continue in secret.
As months pass and they keep a strict line between the personal and professional, Danny starts to worry that Xander might use his position as Chief Resident to sway their boss, Natalie Cruz, into choosing Danny as the next Chief Resident. What concerns her is the fact that Xander’s recommendation might have more to do with his personal connection to her rather than him actually seeing her as a worthy candidate for the role. She tries to explain the situation to him and tells him to steer clear of giving an opinion in her favor because she wants to know that if and when she gets promoted, it is because she is good and not because she put in a good word for her because he loves her.
Xander’s Lack of Understanding Harms His Relationship with Danny
Xander tries to convince Danny that all the good things he says about her are because she deserves it, but he fails to see things from her point of view. This feeling of unrest continues to swirl in her brain, and it comes to a breaking point when Xander proposes that they should make their relationship public. By this time, he has already secured his position as the next attending, which means that if their affair becomes public knowledge, it will not impact his career. She also realizes that this is why he argued against going to HR when she proposed it. At the time, he was still in consideration for the promotion, and if he told his superiors that he was indulged in a relationship with his junior, they might not take kindly to this and may pass him over. So, it wasn’t really Danny that he was concerned about but himself.
Now that he is in the clear, he has no inhibitions about telling people about them, and he seems to have completely forgotten his own argument about how it might impact the way people see Danny, further influencing their boss’ decision to make her Chief Resident. As Danny puts forward this point, the conversation changes from sharing I-love-yous to a fight that has her in a bind. In this crisis, she turns to her sister for help. When Harper discovers how Xander has been manipulating the situation to benefit himself, she gets angry at him for stringing along her sister without any concern about her career. This is when she tells Danny about the rumors from his previous place of employment and his sudden departure from it.
Xander transferred to Maguire from Kennedy, but it was not revealed why he left the previous hospital. When no official explanation is given for it, people start to make up their own theories, and the one that takes root is that someone filed sexual harassment complaints against him, due to which he was quietly let go. When Danny finds out about this, she is infuriated, but mostly, she feels betrayed. She realizes that this is what Xander does: climbing the ladder at the expense of the women around him. She feels used, and it makes her see their relationship in a completely different light. This is when Harper advises her to file a complaint against Xander, and that marks the end of their relationship.
Danny and Xander Patch Up But Need More Time to Heal
When Danny files the complaint against Xander, it destabilizes the dynamics at their workplace. Slowly, she is made to realize that, while valid, her complaint could negatively impact her career, mainly because Xander comes from a very wealthy and powerful family. While Cruz likes her, she tells Danny to carefully consider what she really wants and whether going through with the complaint is actually worth it, considering the circumstances. Eventually, she decides to rescind her accusations, and she and Xander begin a process of patching up. She tells him what made her file the complaint, while he assures her that the reason he left Kennedy had nothing to do with any sexual harassment claims against him.
Over the course of the next few days, things start getting back to the way they used to be. In the end, Xander accepts that he has refused to see things from Danny’s point of view and now understands what she needs from their relationship and why. His understanding is what she craved all this while, and when he finally gets it, she is ready to give things another chance. They also clear the air about the real reason behind his leaving Kennedy, and his vulnerability makes him more empathetic to Danny. Due to her complaint, Xander’s mother tries to have Danny fired, and when it seems almost certain, Danny sees a silver lining in her departure from Maguire. If she leaves, they won’t be professionally tied up anymore, and they could give their relationship a proper chance, starting from scratch.
This feels like quite a hopeful thing for them, and had she been fired, they might even have gotten back together. But in the end, she is not fired, and Cruz even expresses her desire to make her Chief Resident. Though Danny doesn’t get the promotion, she continues to work at Maguire, and with Xander becoming an attendant, the power dynamics between them become even more lopsided, which means they are back to square one. Considering how it turned out the last time, neither of them would want to go through the same thing again, at least not immediately, so they don’t get back together, at least for now.
Read More: Pulse Episode 1 and 2 Recap
