Pulse‘s season 1 finale leaves the door open for more drama and more scandal worthy of a hurricane metaphor in a potential season 2. Pulse debuted with a solid Rotten Tomatoes score, initially drawing viewers in with the bombshell of Dr. Xander Phillips’ (Colin Woodell) suspension after Dr. Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) filed a sexual harassment complaint to HR. Across the season, Pulse retraces their complicated relationship — as both characters try to come to terms with the past and attempt to redefine their dynamic in the intense world of trauma medicine.

Pulse‘s similarities to early Grey’s Anatomy promised a steady stream of twists, keeping the Maguire Trauma Center in a constant state of chaos and excitement. As the characters from Pulse confront unresolved family wounds, tangled love triangles, and tense hospital politics, adrenaline-fueled disasters become vehicles for growth, revenge, and unexpected reconciliation. Just as things begin to stabilize, Pulse season 1’s final minutes upend everything — Danny’s fate becomes uncertain, Chan’s (Chelsea Muirhead) heart suffers a blow from an unexpected revelation, Cole’s (Jack Bannon) career hangs in the balance, and Elijah (Jessie T. Usher), Xander, and Cruz (Justina Machado) are thrust into even more demanding roles.

Was Danny In The Beach Accident In Pulse Season 1’s Ending?

The Beach Accident Flips Danny’s Hopeful Ending

In a moment that marks the start of Xander and Danny’s tumultuous relationship, he invites her to treat a surfer on the beach. It is the place where he asks her out for dinner and then shuts her out of the case when she declines. Danny going for a swim at the beach in Pulse‘s ending symbolizes she is free from the burden of her relationship with Xander. Now, she’s no longer stressed by the need to prove herself, indulge him, or feel conflicted over his favoritism — as she is single and has not gotten the Chief Resident position.

In many ways, Danny finds herself back at square one, except she’s free to build her career on her own terms, just as she always intended. Shockingly, Pulse hints that Danny’s next chapter may begin not as a doctor but as a patient. In the final moments of season 1, Cass (Jessica Rothe) announces there’s been a speedboat collision off Key Biscayne beach. While the last image shows Danny still happily swimming, the timing of the beach accident seems ominous, foreshadowing a complicated start to season 2.

Why Elijah Is Chosen As Chief Resident Instead Of Danny

Xander’s Parents Make Sure Danny Doesn’t Get Her Deserved Promotion

Pulse steadily builds toward Danny getting Chief Resident, with her successfully proving herself in every episode. Despite being iced out by colleagues after her relationship with Xander is exposed, she doesn’t let her feelings affect her work ethic, prioritizing supporting her co-workers in their activities. Most importantly, she puts her patients first, demonstrating her ability to perform exceptional medical and mentoring work amidst a personal crisis. In a pivotal moment, Cruz, once biased against her, defies the Maguire board and selects Danny for the Chief Resident role, recognizing her indisputable potential.

He’s displaying favoritism toward Elijah and a bias against Danny, which could drive a wedge between the friends again while setting the stage for a season full of heightened drama and new tensions.

Unfortunately for Danny, the board (led by Xander’s parents) retaliates by appointing a new ER chairman, stripping Cruz of the final say. Patrick Sanchez (J.R. Ramirez) names Elijah as Chief Resident, a move that appears politically motivated, likely influenced by Danny’s HR complaint and an incident where she lost her temper with a violent patient. While Elijah was a contender from the start, his emotional volatility and tendency to let personal issues cloud his judgment, snapping at colleagues and neglecting patients, are evident. Still, season 2 could explore his potential for growth, as he seems eager to rise to the challenge.

Danny & Xander’s Relationship Explained: Why She Dropped Her HR Claim

Danny Admits She Doesn’t Want To Destroy Xander Despite Wanting To Move On

Although they were in a relationship for five months, Danny reveals she felt pressured to respond to Xander’s advances because she was scared he would take it out on her job. The imbalance of power between them left her in a constant state of anxiety, second-guessing her abilities as a doctor while also feeling responsible for managing his emotions at work. When he tells her he loves her and wants to go public, Danny becomes convinced he had kept their relationship hidden until securing his promotion to attending, deepening her sense of being manipulated and belittled.

Danny resents Xander for never accepting that their relationship jeopardized her chances of becoming Chief Resident, and even gaslighting her by insisting she was sabotaging herself. When she goes to her sister, Harper (Jessy Yates) urges Danny to go to HR. However, near Pulse‘s ending, Danny drops her complaint, realizing what she truly wanted was for Xander to apologize. She’s able to admit she loved him and doesn’t want to ruin his career. Though they reconcile, and he acknowledges he pushed her into their relationship, Danny decides it’s better they don’t get back together and repeat old mistakes.

Xander’s Secret Explained: Why He Got Transferred From Kennedy Memorial

Xander Accidentally Killed A Patient & His Parents Covered It Up

Part of what motivated Danny to speak out against Xander was a rumor Harper shared, which said he had been transferred from Kennedy Memorial after multiple women filed complaints about his inappropriate behavior. Danny’s suspicions deepened when, instead of giving her a clear answer, Xander grew defensive and evasive whenever she confronted him — the dramatic miscommunication echoing Pulse‘s comparisons to Grey’s Anatomy. The show’s last episodes reveal Xander was transferred because he accidentally killed a patient after being rushed by a superior to perform a procedure without an ultrasound.

To cover up his mistake, Xander’s parents had him sign an NDA and quietly transferred him to Maguire Trauma Center. However, when Danny asks for help to convince his mother not to remove her from the residency program, Xander tells her the truth, hoping she can use it as leverage to protect her position. Ultimately, Xander chooses to come clean to the department himself, finally taking accountability for his past actions, something he failed to do in his relationship with Danny and the social scrutiny that came with it.

Why Cole Drops Chan From Surgical Service

As His Career Implodes, Cole Begins To See The Error Of His Way

While there isn’t a perfect character in Pulse, Cole arguably makes the worst decisions. He steps on his surgical student’s confidence at every turn, flirts with several women, and antagonizes his colleagues, often making his patients pay the price for his behavior. Overall, he seems unable to commit to one thing, as he ruins his mentorship with one of the hospital’s top surgeons because he is distracted by the temptation of private practice. As the revelation of Cole’s emotional involvement with a patient comes to light, his career and personal relations hang by a thread.

With Nadia now in critical condition and her family aware of Cole’s involvement, they could sue the hospital, possibly getting him fired. His future is unclear as Soriano (Nestor Carbonell) and Cass push him away, realizing he betrayed their trust and engaged in deeply inappropriate behavior. Isolated and facing the consequences of his actions, Cole appears to have a moment of self-awareness, finally recognizing his abusive and selfish tendencies. In a surprising turn, he decides to drop his surgical student, Chan, so that she can get a better mentor and not have to work with him.

Why Does Camila Decide To Stay At Maguire?

Camila Gets Hopeful About A Positive Future At Maguire

Camila (Daniela Nieves) shines as a beacon of positivity in the harsh, tense environment of Maguire, always finding ways to cheer up her peers. While she forms beautiful connections with Danny, Chan, and some nurses, the toxic atmosphere in the ER takes a toll on her spirit. Notably, she has her first day amid the fallout from Danny and Xander’s relationship, and witnesses first-hand the bad treatment between doctors and students. Especially hoping to avoid having Cole as her mentor, Camila petitions for a transfer to another hospital, seeking a healthier work environment.

There’s also a subtle suggestion of a budding romance between Camila and Chan, especially when the latter makes a grand gesture to encourage her to stay.

Chan initially tells her she has to develop a thicker skin, but Camila refuses to tolerate abuse. She decides to stay after seeing Cole’s change and having Cruz praise her positive attitude and exceptional work, as the ER chairman notes that many colleagues have spoken highly of her. There’s also a subtle suggestion of a budding romance between Camila and Chan, especially when the latter makes a grand gesture to encourage her to stay. Season 2 may reveal whether their connection deepens, particularly as Camila’s fiancé is unexpectedly introduced at the end of the season, adding complexity to the situation.

Who Patrick Sanchez Is & How His Introduction Set Up Pulse Season 2

The New ER Chairman Is Set To Wreak Havoc Among Characters In Season 2

Angry at Cruz for refusing to fire Danny, Xander’s parents appoint Patrick Sanchez as her replacement as Chairman of the ER. An attending at Maguire, Sanchez is quickly established as a troublemaker, launching an unspoken war against both Cruz and Xander by selecting Elijah over Danny. His arrival forces Cruz out of the ER and into the surgery department, a move that will significantly alter her ability to advocate for Pulse‘s key characters in season 2, including Danny, Camila, Elijah, and even Chan.