Last weekend, as we watched Sunday football, my friends and I talked about how difficult it is to create wholly original sports movies nowadays. Even something as special as last year’s Creed owes almost all of its story beats to Rocky, but the important thing about Creed and so many other sports films and shows isn’t that their stories are surprising or unique but that they hit you on an intense emotional level. That’s why tonight’s penultimate episode of Pitch Season 1 (hopefully it’s not the penultimate episode of the series) was both predictable and effective. I knew where things were going, that Will would prove to be untrustworthy, that Natalie would choose to leave San Diego, and that Mike, somehow, would remain a Padre. But even though I expected those story developments and wasn’t fully surprised by anything (not even Ginny and Mike’s almost kiss, thanks to FOX’s promos for this week’s episode), I was still emotionally connected to it all, and that’s because of how well Pitch has crafted its characters throughout its first season.
Even someone like Oscar, who in early episodes was painted as nothing more than your typical, shallow GM, has become a more complex and compelling character, a person that I want to see succeed and be happy. While I think Natalie’s decision to volunteer for International Medical Corps would have possessed a greater impact after having us spend more episodes with her and Oscar together as a couple, it still packed a decent punch, especially for the clear effect that it has on not just Oscar but also Al. Hopefully, if Pitch gets a second season, Sarah Shahi will be able to return, not just because I love Sarah Shahi but also because I don’t want Natalie to be wasted as a plot device that’s simply used to bring her father and Oscar back together as friends; both the character and Shahi deserve better than that.
One character that doesn’t seem to deserve what he’s gotten so far is Will, who appears to not just be taking Ginny’s money for an ill-advised business but utilizing those funds for something else entirely. He’s clearly hiding money from Evelyn, money that he’s not spending on the sports bar and grille that he and she agreed to work on together. Again, Will’s turn here isn’t a huge surprise; Pitch wouldn’t just re-introduce his character to have him open up a restaurant that’s close to Ginny without some major complications to go along with it, but it’s disappointing to watch someone who was such a true and honest advocate for his sister in the past take advantage of her now and abuse her trust. I can’t wait for Evelyn and Amelia to take him down and for Ginny to see who her brother really is.
Speaking of Ginny, let’s get down to the biggest moments from “Scratched,” which involve Ginny and Mike, as the two of them share what they believe is one last drink together before he’s traded to the Cubs. While I personally wasn’t a fan of how Pitch introduced Tyler Hilton’s Noah in this episode (it seemed very forced that he and Ginny would have such an attraction and connection to each other so quickly), his presence does allow us to see a new side to Ginny, as she only seems to turn to Noah after experiencing coldness or distance from Mike. Not to mention, as Mike himself points out, Ginny doesn’t even mention her date with Noah to him, instead telling him that she’s going out with her brother for the night. It’s been clear for a little while now that Mike has been harboring some type of romantic feelings for Ginny, but it was never 100% certain if those feelings were mutual; with Tyler’s appearance in this episode and the near-kiss between Ginny and Mike, I think we can finally confirm that they are now.
And although I know that a lot of Pitch fans don’t love the idea of a Ginny/Mike romance, as I’ve said before, I’m up for it, mainly because of the electric chemistry between Kylie Bunbury and Mark-Paul Gosselaar but also because the two of them better each other. They don’t just help one another with their play on the field; Ginny and Mike offer advice and comfort to each other whenever they need it, and it’s something more than friendship–they bring out the very best in each other, which is, in my humble opinion, the most important quality you need in someone that you enter into a romantic relationship with. The best romances on television aren’t the best because of the sexual tension between the characters (although there’s plenty of that here on Pitch as well), or because the characters trade barbs back and forth. The best romances are ones in which those characters bring out a different side of each other, one that neither of them expects to see and when these characters (for lack of a better word) complete each other, filling in the empty gaps and holes that they both have for a more fulfilled and stronger pair.
Maybe Ginny and Mike’s romance won’t move forward now that he’s remaining in San Diego; that last-second phone call that interrupts their kiss is an obvious cliffhanger but also a very effective one, as it leaves both the characters and us as viewers frozen, waiting for what comes next and unsure of what we’re going to get. When Pitch‘s finale airs next Thursday, we might see all the twists and turns coming, both between Ginny and Mike and with the show’s other characters as well, but if this show can continue to hit me on the emotional level it has all season, I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll be leaving that final episode absolutely satisfied.
Other thoughts:
- Perhaps it’s because, as a Phillies fan, I’ve seen more than a couple of my longtime favorite players leave the team in recent years (most notably, Chase Utley), but Mike’s curtain call to the Padres fans really got to me. God, I love baseball.
- I was also happy to see that Pitch didn’t feel the need to have Mike hit a home run in his “final” at bat as a Padre. Of course, the show’s writers (and us viewers) know Mark-Paul Gosselaar isn’t going anywhere, but still that strikeout looking is a nice subversion of the typical film and television cliche.
- It’s a small story thread throughout “Scratched,” but I love how Ginny and Mike both recognize how great of a leader Blip already is and would continue to be in the clubhouse, if Mike had actually been traded. It’s easy to forget how much Blip is there for his teammates when Mike is always the one getting up and giving the big speeches (which Ginny gets a nice jab at while the two of them talk at the bar), but he’s just as important to the Padres.
What did everyone else think about this week’s episode of Pitch? What are you hopes and expectations for next week’s finale? Comment below and let me know.
[Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX]
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