Every episode of Pitch‘s first season up until this point has centered on Ginny Baker, and why wouldn’t it? Kylie Bunbury’s character is the star of not just the Padres but of the show, and it has been important that Pitch has given her the time and attention that she’s needed (and deserved) in the series’ first six episodes in order to fully flesh her out as a character. However, tonight’s episode, “San Francisco,” turns away from Ginny slightly (she’s still got a substantial storyline throughout the hour) and puts its focus on Mike Lawson, who has become less of a supporting player and more like Pitch‘s second lead. Throughout “San Francisco,” we watch as Mike not only deals with a major problem in the present, as the Padres call up Livan to the majors after their back-up catcher is injured, but we also get a window into Mike’s troubled past.
So let’s start with Mike’s past, shall we? The constant conflict Mike’s mom created in his life, whether it was uprooting them from the town they lived in or forcing him to scam and steal money for her, helps us better understand Mike’s womanizing ways and his inability to fully connect with women while in a relationship. However, the not-so-surprising twist that Mike’s former coach, Dave, is also his dad (and also the person that encouraged Mike to play catcher when he was younger) adds an extra, unexpected dimension to Mike Lawson that is no less powerful despite how predictable it is.
Like many television characters we’ve seen before (and like many people in real life), Mike’s broken family from his past prevents him from cultivating a new one in the present. It’s why he continues to keep his distance from people like Amelia, Ginny, or even Blip; unfortunately, there’s a belief in him that he can’t seem to shake, a belief that he’s not good enough, which comes from when he’s younger and has to watch his own father raise another family instead of him. Those feelings are only reinforced in the present day, when Mike works up the courage to go and speak with his dad, only to find him having a catch with his grandson as the son he chose watches on proudly. Sure, one could argue that Mike’s storyline in “San Francisco” isn’t the most original thing in the world, and they’d be right. But originality only matters so much, especially we’ve you got fine writing and directing from the Pitch creative team and Mark-Paul Gosselaar acting the hell out of every scene he’s in.
It also helps that the flashbacks to Mike’s childhood tie in nicely with his story in the present. The fact that his father taught him how to play catcher explains why Mike is so attached to the position, even as he begins to realize that his bad knees and older age ensure that he won’t be playing there for too much longer, and it injects some real pathos into his situation. Even more impressive, though, is watching him take on the role of teacher/mentor for Livan, who acts like a hot shot, All-Star player even though he’s just a rookie taking part in his first couple of games. While Mike certainly isn’t easy on him, he gives Livan pointers on how to be both a successful catcher and a successful player overall in the MLB, and when the two of them and Ginny are on the mound in the 13th inning against the Giants, Mike doesn’t second guess Livan’s instincts; instead, he tells Ginny to trust her new catcher. While the ghost of Mike’s past still haunts him, hindering him from fully growing up into the man he wants to be, he displays an impressive amount of maturity in nearly every episode of Pitch, and it’s part of what makes him my favorite (and probably the best) character on the show.
Meanwhile, Ginny is still struggling with her own doubts after last week’s mental breakdown, but Al does his best to help her see the bigger picture. He not only takes her out to dinner in his hometown (we learn Al is from San Francisco), but he also brings her to his favorite spot in the city, which he always uses to help try to clear his head. Even though Al admits to her that it hardly ever works, his words provide comfort and wisdom to Ginny, as he tells her that being on the mound can’t be “normal” for her. As Ginny explored in last week’s episode, there’s so much more to life than baseball; it’s all about finding a balance and discovering the people and things that make her the happiest outside of the sport.
Al’s words help Ginny both on and off the field, but he can’t come to her aid when it comes the nude photo scandal that she also is forced to deal with in “San Francisco.” The naked pictures that Ginny sent Trevor years ago are only days from being released, but fortunately, she and Amelia concoct an ingenious plan that not only minimizes the damage but also helps speak to the larger issues of sexism that are at play throughout this storyline. Ginny gets ahead of the photo leak by posing nude for Sports Illustrated‘s Body Issue, and proving yet again how much they have her back, Mike, Blip, and several of her other Padres teammates join her, showing off their bulking arm muscles and six-pack abs so that the photo scandal pretty much disappears, as the Sports Illustrated pictures are less about objectifying Ginny’s body and more about celebrating the strength and power of athletes.
Pitch can’t switch its focus over to Mike Lawson in every episode, and it shouldn’t. Ginny Baker is the main character on this show for a reason, and she has been a fascinating individual to follow throughout these first seven hours. However, “San Francisco” is easily one of Pitch‘s best installments yet, as it not only pushes several major storylines forward, but it also provides even more depth and insight into one of the show’s very best characters, one that’s felt pretty damn genuine from the beginning but that seems even more authentic and fully formed after tonight.
Other thoughts:
- While Mike is the one who gives Livan most of the advice in “San Francisco,” I also love that Oscar takes the time to have a conversation with the rookie. Similar to their first talk in “The Break,” the two men bond over their similar backgrounds, and Oscar’s frustration with Livan comes from a real place of caring. He sees a lot of himself in the rookie and knows that he can do better.
- One of my few minor issues with Pitch comes from the fact that Ginny sometimes doesn’t know things about baseball that any typical player would (like how different deals break down during the trade deadline). However, her being completely clueless about who Wally Pipp is actually made some decent sense, as she brings up how she was only born in 1992 and therefore doesn’t know EVERYTHING about baseball history. Plus, it made for a pretty funny conversation between her, Mike, and Blip.
- So how about that Ginny bobblehead? Yikes. Thank God it’s just a prototype.
What did everyone else think about this week’s episode of Pitch? Comment below and let me know.
[Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX]
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