Comedy
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ is a fitting sequel series to Disney’s ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ And that can be a good or a bad thing.
The stress of hospital work—especially not knowing what kind of injury may come through that door—is bad enough. But For Miami resident doctor Danielle “Danny” Simms, things just seem to keep getting worse.
It’s common knowledge that she reported chief resident Xander Phillips for sexual harassment. It’s less common knowledge that they had been in a pseudo-relationship, living together for about a year.
But the drama doesn’t stop there, since not everyone believes her claim. And it looks really, really bad for her when the hospital board appoints her as interim chief resident while HR looks into her claim.
Ah, and then the incoming hurricane seems prime to smash right into their whole operation…and given the imminence of the emergency, they’ll have to keep Xander on staff to assist with the influx of patients. So he and Danny will be bumping into each other often.
Could things get any messier and more complicated?
Well … yes.
After all, this is a television show.
I don’t think I would like being wheeled into Danny’s hospital. Sure, the people seem competent, but they’re also quite quippy. And they love to argue directly in front of patients who are about two minutes away from meeting the Lord. So if I were someone who was at risk of bleeding out, I might take my chances running to the next closest hospital.
In other words, Pulse is far more invested in staff relationships than patients—and these residents have enough baggage between them to fill an airplane. To that end, we see relationship drama, including some within the realm of the LGBT world. We see some people in their underwear—mostly because they’re changing scrubs or they’re a female patient whose operation required removing her shirt (we see the side of a woman’s breast during one procedure as well as a man’s naked rear, too). And as for that sexual harassment charge? Would you believe me if I said it was more complicated than what you might think?
But don’t get me wrong, patients do flood these sterile halls. And doctors do operate on babies, teens and adults alike … even though some of those adults don’t always make it. Still, the surgeries are intrusive: viewers can expect to see lots of incisions, blood, bones and organs. And, as for language, it seeps out, too, in the occasional f-word and s-word, too.
And viewers might discover all of that content is enough to make Pulse flatline.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
As a hurricane slams into Miami, Danny and Xander are forced to work together when a wounded high school sports team floods through the door.
A school bus flies off an overpass and crashes into the river below. The players, said to be 17 years old, come in, bloodied, on gurneys. One of the boys has lost his hand, and we see the stump covered in blood-soaked gauze. Someone later finds the hand and lifts it up to show the camera, and the appendage is reattached. The doctors stitch people up. We hear a reference to child abuse. We’re told a child was pushed down the stairs, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
We see Danny in her underwear. She greets Xander in the shower, and we see his exposed rear. We see a female patient in her bra as doctors operate on her. A man and woman kiss.
People talk about drinking tequila. We hear a reference to urination. A woman gives birth. A man who can undergo a life-saving surgery considers refusing treatment.
We hear the s-word 13 times. We also hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “p-ss” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain four times, once paired with “d–n.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ is a fitting sequel series to Disney’s ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ And that can be a good or a bad thing.
Shape Island may charm little viewers and won’t bend their parents out of shape. But the show can also feel surprisingly flat.
Max’s newest release, Task, takes audiences to task with a slow-burn storyline involving graphic violence, nudity and crude language.
It’s fun, but the show is guilty of lack of restraint in the second degree—a senseless crime if ever there was one.
