Talk about a heart-stopping season finale! Netflix‘s Pulse ended with fans wondering where things stand between chief resident Dr. Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell) and third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms, played by Willa Fitzgerald. Life & Style explains season 1’s ending and what’s ahead for the characters.
What Happened Between Danny and Xander on the ‘Pulse’ Season 1 Finale?
Viewers watched Xander and Danny’s romance throughout the season as the action played out at Miami’s Maguire Medical Center via flashbacks. Danny was promoted to chief resident, but Xander later got the position back.
The finale episode saw Danny worried that Xander used his position as her mentor to spark their relationship. She ended up filing a complaint with human resources against her paramour amid rumors he lost his previous job over sexual harassment allegations.
Danny ended up withdrawing her sexual harassment claim against Xander, who moved into the new role of attending physician.
“We had the idea that Xander had this secret shame about something he had done at the old hospital and that a mentor made him do something that he wasn’t really comfortable with. All of that led to this tragic thing. His past was always different from what viewers would expect,” creator Zoe Robyn told Netflix’s Tudum.
Xander and Danny Were No Longer Together at the End of ‘Pulse’ Season 1
Xander and Danny didn’t have a happy ending at the end of season 1, even though he came clean to her about the real reason why he left Kennedy Hospital.
“They’re both two characters who want to be good partners to each other. But they also have a lot of work to do on themselves. Unfortunately, both of them need to figure some stuff out on their own first before they’re really available for the other,” Colin told Tudum about how things were left with Xander and Danny.
“We always endeavored to make Danny and Xander’s relationship a real, authentic look at a workplace romance,” Zoe said. “We really wanted to play in the gray area of that situation. Pulse shows the edges and pitfalls of their relationship — but also all the joyous moments of working a high-pressure job like this.”
Why Xander Left Kennedy Hospital Is Revealed in the ‘Pulse’ Season 1 Finale
It turns out that Xander didn’t leave Kennedy over sexual harassment claims. Rather, he accidentally killed a patient named Julio during a procedure due to the bad advice of a superior. His wealthy family made up of other medical professionals helped cover it up to help save Xander’s career.
“With that episode, you saw the personal investment that can sometimes happen with a patient — how hard you can take it if something were to happen to them. You’re more likely than not going to bury those feelings, right?” Colin told Tudum about his character. “Xander can get a change of scenery, move to a different hospital, and meet all new people. But that guilt is very real, and it manifests itself in lots of different ways.”
Xander ended up deciding to contact the hospital’s review board and come clean, while Sam Elijah (Jessie T. Usher) was named chief resident in his place at the end of Pulse season 1.
What Is ‘Pulse’ About?
Netflix’s tagline for the show reads: “A group of ER residents navigate medical crises and personal drama amid a divisive allegation at their Miami hospital.”
The 10-episode series premiered on April 3, 2025. Unlike several new medical dramas including Max’s The Pitt, all of the episodes of Pulse dropped at once for viewers to binge watch.
