Netflix’s medical drama Pulse is filled with twists, turns and tension until the very end. Throughout the series, fans get familiar with the tough but fair Dr. Natalie Cruz (Justina Machado), who is the chair of both surgery and the ER for the Level 1 trauma center at Maguire Medical Center in Miami. However, in the penultimate episode, a character named Dr. Patrick Sanchez (J.R. Ramirez) arrives at the hospital and threatens to take one of those positions away from her.
If Pulse gets a season 2, it seems as though Dr. Sanchez will butt heads with a few people at Maguire and play a much bigger role. Life & Style breaks down everything fans need to know about the character.
Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for the finale of Pulse season 1.
Who Is Patrick Sanchez on ‘Pulse’?
Patrick is described as an “affable and charming ER attending doctor, who isn’t afraid of making his opinions known,” according to Netflix’s Tudum. He’s introduced in episode 9 as a potential candidate to take over the ER from Dr. Cruz, which would leave her as the chair of surgery.
“We really wanted to play up the fact that Cruz — because of her authority, seniority, and talents — is this rare person who has both departments under her purview,” showrunner Carlton Cuse told Tudum. “There are tensions around her position at Maguire. We realize that hospital leadership doesn’t really love the fact that she’s got both.”
Senior general surgeon attending Ruben Soriano (Néstor Carbonell) encourages Natalie to fire resident Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) after her fight with a pediatric patient’s father in order to show the hospital board that she can manage both sides of the trauma center effectively. However, Natalie ultimately chooses to keep Danny, sacrificing her role as chair of the ER.
“She takes it like a champ, but it’s very hurtful to her,” Justina said of her character’s decision. “The hospital is something that she built from the ground up. But she feels like she made the right decisions and can live with her choices.”
In the finale, Natalie announces to the rest of the trauma center team that the ER and surgery will be splitting up, with Patrick taking on the role of chair of emergency medicine. This meant that he would ultimately get to decide who would become chief resident the following year. Natalie had already told Danny that she would be getting the position, but in a final twist, Patrick announces that Sam Elijah (Jessie T. Usher) would be chief resident instead.
Patrick Sanchez May Cause Tension in ‘Pulse’ Season 2
Though Netflix has yet to renew Pulse for a second season, the cast and creators are already thinking about the aftermath of the season 1 finale. Patrick’s decision to name Sam chief resident after Natalie promised the position to Danny could certainly drive a wedge between the two best friends. Plus, it’s already clear that there’s tension between Patrick and Natalie.
“It doesn’t seem like Natalie likes Patrick very much right now,” Justina said. “I feel like she’s not going to go down without a fight.”
Patrick may also have an issue with former chief resident Xander Phillips (Colin Woodell), who said in the finale that Patrick was his “least favorite” attending physician. He’s likely going to make Xander pay for that comment.
“I think Patrick is going to make Xander’s life a living hell,” Colin said.
Who Plays Patrick Sanchez on ‘Pulse’?
J.R. Ramirez stars as Patrick in Pulse. Netflix watchers may recognize him from the hit series Manifest, in which he played Detective Jared Vasquez. He’s also known for playing Julio in the Starz series Power, Oscar Arocho in the Netflix series Jessica Jones and Ted Grant/Wildcat in the CW series Arrow.
