Netflix's 2025 medical drama Pulse ends with several unexpected twists, though none of them are difficult to predict. Protagonist Danny Simms faces a difficult time in both her personal and professional life, as it's unclear whether she and Xander Phillips will get back together or if she'll lose her job at Maguire Hospital after Natalie Cruz warned her of such an outcome. Pulse's finale also clarifies exactly what Xander did at his previous job, while the finale seems to leave a small window open for a possible second season.
Pulse's protagonist, Danny Simms, finds himself in serious trouble when his emotions and protective nature toward his sister, Harper, get the better of him, leading to an altercation with a patient's relative. When Benny's father, Glenn, tried to get his son out of the hospital, despite his wife and the doctors believing his treatment wasn't yet complete, Harper tried to intervene. This led Glenn to become verbally aggressive and disrespectful toward the young doctor, and Danny didn't hesitate to come between them. Danny also had to tolerate Glenn's rude behavior. Unable to remain calm, Danny grabbed him, pushing him slightly to show she wasn't intimidated. While the push obviously didn't hurt Glenn, and Danny didn't intend to, the act was considered a serious breach of protocol.
Creator: Zoe Robyn
Stars: Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, Jack Bannon
It's obviously illegal for anyone working at the hospital to have physical altercations with a patient or their family, so Danny's momentary loss of composure had consequences. She was called into the office of her boss, Dr. Natalie Cruz, where Natalie explained that she would likely be fired from her position at the hospital because of this altercation. Shortly before, Libby, Xander Phillips's mother, had met Natalie with a request—or rather, a demand, since the Phillipses were one of the hospital's largest donors and therefore very influential. Libby feared that Danny's sexual harassment complaint against her son would also expose Xander's old mistakes, which would put him and his parents under enormous pressure. Therefore, Libby wanted the matter resolved as soon as possible, and the only way to do that, she believed, was to fire Danny from the hospital.
So, when Danny faces the threat of dismissal for his reckless behavior, it's actually Libby's orders that come into play. The fact that Danny pressured Glenn gives the authorities a reason to fire her, while the real reason is that key donors want her out. Natalie also makes no secret of this situation, having been very supportive of Danny and all his subordinates, so it's clear to the protagonist that she could be spending her last day at Maguire. Despite having dropped the sexual harassment complaint, her previous decision still threatens to ruin her life. But although Xander is almost directly responsible for this situation, he doesn't tell her the news or do anything to improve it, much to Harper's frustration.
During the Pulse finale, Danny realizes how much her job and workplace mean to her, especially the opportunity to work with her sister, and decides to take action. She tells Xander about Libby's orders and Natalie's inability to do anything about them, which makes him realize how Danny is being hounded because of them. Therefore, Xander tells Danny the exact reason for his dismissal from his previous workplace, Kennedy Hospital, despite having previously signed a confidentiality agreement to keep the matter a secret. He tells Danny to go to his parents and threaten them with this information so they will withdraw their demand for his dismissal, so she can keep her job at Maguire. For a while, it even seems like Danny will have to take such drastic measures to save his career, but in the end, he doesn't have to.
Despite being very helpful and understanding to her subordinates, Natalie Cruz finds it very difficult to protect Danny, realizing that the influence of her superiors is cornering her. The board has already decided to split surgery and emergency medicine into two separate departments, and while Natalie continues to head the surgical department, a new professional, Dr. Patrick Sanchez, is appointed to head the emergency medicine department. It turns out that Natalie isn't too fond of Patrick, both because of his close affinity with the board members and his irritating attempts to seduce her. She therefore realizes that Patrick has been specifically assigned to her hospital in an attempt by the board to disempower her and, essentially, interfere in her affairs.
At the beginning of Pulse, Xander Phillips was temporarily suspended due to the sexual harassment accusation Danny filed against him. The protagonist also discovered, through her sister, that Xander had also faced similar accusations in the past. Before working as chief resident at Maguire, he had worked as a resident physician at Kennedy Hospital, where his time was cut short for some undisclosed reason. The matter was so serious that Xander had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement promising that no one other than him, his parents, and the hospital's highest authorities would know what happened. Finally, towards the end of the series, he reveals to Danny exactly what happened at his previous workplace and also explains the alleged sexual harassment accusations against him.
While working as a resident physician at Kennedy Hospital, I became close friends with a young patient named Julio, who came in regularly for gastrointestinal issues. During one of those visits, Julio and his mother asked Xander to perform the necessary medical procedure to temporarily cure him that same day. Despite the hospital and himself having a very tight schedule, Xander decided to undergo the procedure to relieve Julio's pain and prepare him for his college days. However, during the operation, a more senior colleague of his, Dr. Lucy Broussard, chastised him for using the emergency room for unscheduled business, forcing Xander to rush. While an ultrasound was required to determine the incision location, Xander didn't have time to perform it, and Dr. Broussard even encouraged him to have the operation without one. Although the procedure was completed normally, Julio had to be rushed to the hospital a few hours later after suddenly collapsing. After testing, it was revealed that the previous surgery, performed by Xander, had left him with severe after-effects, from which Julio died. Naturally, Julio's death was deemed to have been caused by Xander Phillips, placing a serious stain on his professional and academic record—something his parents were determined to keep secret. Therefore, the wealthy and influential Phillips ensured that his son and the authorities signed a confidentiality agreement so that Xander's career wouldn't be affected, despite having been fired from Kennedy Hospital. For this reason, Xander joined Maguire almost out of the blue, but since no one at either of his workplaces knew what had happened, certain rumors began to circulate.
The accusation of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior that Harper had heard from somewhere and then told her sister was also among these false rumors, and since Xander had signed the confidentiality agreement, he couldn't even defend himself against them. Eventually, Xander Phillips opens up to Danny about his past and experiences a moment of redemption when he has to perform a major operation without the aid of an ultrasound, just as he had with Julio previously. However, this time, he manages to save the patient and delivers the happy news to his husband himself.
In the Pulse finale, the entire team of doctors and nurses prepares for the year-end evaluation, where they will enjoy a meeting organized by the hospital authorities and, most importantly, the announcement of the new chief resident for the new year. As one of the hospital's most dedicated, hardworking, and skilled medical residents, Danny Simms obviously wants to be selected as chief resident, but she's also prepared for the other candidate, Sam Elijah, to be selected. Although Danny and Sam are very good friends and have always supported each other since their internship days at the hospital, the protagonist has high ambitions for herself, along with very little self-confidence, which makes her genuinely yearn for the position.
When Natalie tells Danny that she has been cleared to continue working at the hospital, she also informs the protagonist that she has been selected as chief resident for the coming year. This is very happy news for Danny, who is mentally prepared to hear the same announcement at the official meeting. However, the new Chief of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Patrick Sanchez, throws a curveball by announcing Sam Elijah as the next chief resident instead of Danny. Although Natalie had chosen the protagonist for the position, Patrick overrules her and chooses his preferred candidate, as technically the two of them have to decide the matter together.
Patrick clearly does this to remind Natalie that he, too, has quite a bit of power and can influence her decisions in his favor. He's likely not too happy with Natalie's decision to stay with Danny.
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