Pulse‘s Actors Reveal What’s in Store for Xander & Danny’s Romantic Future After That Shocking Finale
Pulse is Netflix‘s take on the medical drama amid the sea of critically acclaimed hospital shows that are airing right now. The messy romantic drama between third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms (Willa Fitzgerald) and chief Dr. Xander Phillips (Collin Woodall) takes place in the backdrop of a severe hurricane, but could Miami’s Maguire Hospital stand intact?
Though it’s established in the first episode that Danny filed a sexual harassment complaint against her boss, Danny and Xander’s relationship is explored through flashbacks throughout the season. The two seem extremely close and they even seem to cohabitate and have keys to each other’s houses. When Danny suggests that they tell HR about their blossoming relationship, Xander is reluctant to do so.
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Danny has this epiphany that Xander’s position of power is holding her back from her true potential and messing up her career path. “You saw the complexity of the relationship and the genuine love between the two of them,” Woodell told Tudum in April 2025 of the characters’ relationship. “But you also saw how things got convoluted and completely misinterpreted, along with the flaws in each of them.”
What Did Xander do to Danny on Pulse?
Danny files a sexual harassment claim against Xander because she thought that he coerced her into a relationship with his power dynamics as Chief. When she found out the real reason he left his former hospital and he told her the truth, she rescinded the claim. Turns out, Xander left the Kennedy hospital because he accidentally killed a patient and his rich parents covered it up with a bunch of NDAs. It jeopardizes Xander’s medical license and is grounds for him to get sued, but hey, he let it all out. All Danny wanted from Xander was an apology, and she got it during the last couple of minutes of the show on the beach.
Does that mean that they can move forward with their relationship? Not necessarily. The two don’t restart their relationship by the end of the season even though they’re on good terms. “They’re both two characters who want to be good partners to each other,” Woodell told Tudum. “Unfortunately, both of them need to figure some stuff out on their own first before they’re really available for the other.”
As for why Danny went ahead with the sexual harassment claim before their reconciliation, “Genuinely, one of the main reasons Danny went to HR is just to have somebody in a position of power say, ‘Yes, you are right. You are right to feel uncomfortable about this relationship. Even if you love him,’ ” creator Zoe Robyn told Tudum. “Those two feelings can exist together.”
