ulse, Netflix’s latest, is more or less a failed attempt at a hospital drama. It’s just one of the shows that start with potential: fast-paced, high-stakes situations, characters dealing with big personal issues and some genuinely interesting moments. But, it soon starts feeling hollow, especially in its treatment of serious issues and the layers in its plot. At the end of the day, Pulse feels more like a messy soap opera set in a hospital than the edgy, emotionally layered series it was to be.

Let’s start with Dr Danielle “Danny” Simms. She’s the supposed lead, a brilliant young emergency medicine resident who somehow gets promoted to chief resident after just two years. Right off the bat, the show asks viewers to buy into this stretch. But the real issue is the train wreck of a storyline that follows her. After living with her boyfriend, Dr Xander Phillips, for a year, she suddenly accuses him of sexual harassment. Here there could’ve really been a nuanced portrayal of power dynamics and emotional trauma. Instead it’s rushed, superficial and confusing.

The show never adequately explains why Danny makes this accusation, or what’s going on in her head. One minute she’s angry, the next she’s questioning herself. There’s no depth to it. It feels like the writers threw this in for shock value, rather than actually diving into the situation. And Danny? Instead of feeling like a complex character with real growth, she comes across as a mess of contradictions, making erratic decisions without real self-awareness. It’s frustrating to watch because there’s potential for so much more but the show barely scratches the surface.

The sexual harassment storyline could’ve been the emotional anchor of the show. However, it is reduced to a plot twist devoid of emotional weight. There’s no follow-up and no real reflection by Danny or Xander. It’s just drama for the sake of drama, with nothing meaningful behind it. There’s nothing thus to the drama, just a whole lot of nothing. It’s the kind of storytelling that makes one roll their eyes and wonder what the writers were trying to say.

There’s nothing to it, just a whole lot of nothing. It’s the kind of storytelling that makes one roll their eyes and wonder what the writers were really trying to say.

But it’s not just Danny’s storyline that feels off. It’s also predictable. Every medical emergency seems like it’s been done a million times before in other shows. It’s not fresh, it’s not innovative and it doesn’t add anything to the genre. The plotlines about hospital politics, like the chief of surgery’s daughter being treated by her mother after a major accident, could have raised some ethical questions. But those get glossed over too, without any reflection or consequence. The twists keep coming, but none of those have real significance.

Then there’s Xander, the chief resident, who seems completely oblivious to the power dynamics in his relationship with Danny. They’re supposed to be mentor and mentee, but their relationship has far too many grey areas and Xander never seems to acknowledge that. Considering his wealthy family’s influence at the hospital, he’s in a position of power that he has to be too naive not to recognise. Instead of unpacking the mentor-mentee relationship, the show skims over it. It’s another missed opportunity to make this drama feel real and grounded.

The disabled doctor’s character too had real potential. She faces many challenges in her day-to-day life as a doctor. That storyline could’ve been nice. It would have been such a powerful look at ableism in the medical field, but the show glosses over it as well. Instead, it focuses more on the pointless relationship drama that just distracts from what could’ve been the heart of the series. It makes one wonder what the show could’ve been had it taken the storyline more seriously.

When all is said and done, Pulse feels like it’s trying too hard to be edgy and dramatic without ever really digging deep into any of the issues it brings up. The characters are inconsistent, the drama feels forced and the emotional stakes are non-existent.

Pulse will keep one entertained but it doesn’t offer the kind of characters viewers can truly get invested in.

The author is a freelance writer