We are in the midst of one of the most lit television seasons ever. It’s also arguably one of the most black seasons. If you aren’t getting your life by what’s on the small screen from Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, then quite frankly, you’re not looking hard enough!
Warning: Major spoilers below
Pitch was one of the most buzzworthy shows heading into the fall. Fronted by actress Kylie Bunbury in her breakout role (previous credits include Twisted and Under the Dome), the show revolves around the first female player in Major League Baseball. There are major allusions to Jackie Robinson’s history-making feat in the show, even giving the title star the #43.
Everything that happens in Pitch is expected, and you have the most typical character archetypes that you could ever ask for – and at the same time, it all works. Bunbury’s Ginny Baker never intended to be a superstar baseball pitcher, but was prodded by her father, Bill (Michael Beach), a former minor leaguer who never got to where he wanted to. After his son wasn’t interested, he took a note of Ginny’s skills and focused all of his energy on her.
In its pilot episode, sexism is at the forefront, which we all could have guessed, but that’s what the show is here for. Baker arrives in San Diego to play for the Padres franchise and make history. Within the first few minutes, she is treated like Beyoncé. Loads of fans and young girls of all backgrounds bum rush her car. One beat that the show has glaringly missed so far, is not how much this fictional feat means for not just for women, but black women in particular. We get dramatic, close up shots of little white girls with their “We Love Ginny”-esque signs, but not the same for black little girls. But then again, as messed up as this may sound, Pitch is not a ‘black’ show, in the same vain as Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, etc. are not ‘black’ shows, but are led by powerful black women and have a diverse cast. Pitch meets this mark, and while I’m not going to beat them up about it so far, I’m going to push them to be better.
But now that’s out of the way, let’s dive into what we’re seeing in the pilot episode – again, sexism. It’s brutal sexism, actually. She gets a cold reception in the locker room. The team’s manager, Al (Bob Lauria), isn’t really feeling it, and thinks it;s a stunt, just like most of the team. Amelia (Ali Larter) makes her presence known as Baker’s cunning, charismastic new Hollywood manager, standing her ground at where she wants to see her client. The Padres’ general manager Oscar (Mark Consuelos), and their owner, Frank Reid (Bob Balaban), aren’t necessarily denying Ginny’s talent, but they are well aware of the money the history they are making and the money this is bringing in for them.
Aside from the cold reception she’s received in general, Ginny links back up with Blip Sanders (Mo McRae), a former teammate of hers in the minors, who is now her Padres teammate serves as her go-to guy. McRae is standout in this role and it will be interesting to see how his character develops.
Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselar), clearly the team’s veteran and most outstanding player, antagonizes her and thinks that she’ll just last a just few games. Soon enough, it’s time for Ginny’s moment to shine in her MLB debut. She flops, and as we have throughout the whole pilot, get flashbacks to her father (Michael Beach) training her and and pushing her to be better. Each time she advances to a new level in her career, she tells him “we did it pop,” to which he responds, “we ain’t done nothing yet” – a recurring theme I’m sure we’ll continue to see throughout this season.
After she feels like a failure, her father comes to her hotel and makes her practice some more. We flashback to scenes were he taught her what is now her signature move, the screwball. While Mike still isn’t feeling Baker’s presence, Blip tells him to focus on the history that she’s making, and how he can be a part of this in helping her.
After this, Mike gives Ginny a pep talk and tells her to focus on herself, not everyone else’s expectations. So as expected, she comes out during the second game and delivers a FIRE pitching performance and is back on the track of not just making history, but being excellent in her position.
Slowly but surely, people begin warming up to her at the Padres club, except for the injured pitcher that Ginny replaced, who calls her a “bitch,” after which he is confronted by Blip. After Blip defends her again, the pitcher suggests Ginny and Blip must have slept together, which ignites a fight between himself and Blip. This is a plot point that makes the audience wonder have Blip and Ginny been involved, or will they later on in the season. Blip has a wife (Meghan Holder), who brought Ginny wine for girl talk after her bad performance, as well as kids who look up to her, so it will be surprising if the show goes down this route.
At the end of the episode, after Frank tells Oscar that Al’s got to go as manager as he isn’t handling the team well (Ginny’s buzz plus the locker room fight), Ginny heads back to the ballpark to practice. In this moment, we get a flashback where after competing in a finals game in North Carolina, Ginny and Bill are approached by a scouter for the Padres. On the ride home, Ginny says “we did it pop,” and as he smiles before he responds, they collide with another car. The impact sends Bill through the dashboard, and Ginny awakes from unconsciousness to find him outside the car. We see her distraught by witnessing the death of her father, and realize that he has been in her imagination this whole time. This is a twist, while honestly predictable, I didn’t see coming, and it added a whole layer of this show that will help it this season.
In theory, Pitch would have been an awesome movie in the vain of Remember The Titans and Glory Road, and I’m only saying this because so far, it feels like it could be told in 2 hours and 30 minutes. However, due to the character development and actor performance (Kylie Bunbury is an emerging talent, and this role is HER moment) as well as the twist at the end, Pitch is very promising. I’m really interested to see what the show will do in the next few episodes, let alone what would happen if it would return for a second season. There is so much room for speculation. What would plot lines continue? Would Ginny as the first female major leaguer continue to be the biggest device of the show?
However, in this moment, let’s celebrate Bunbury for killing this role and the show of what it’s potential could be. With that said, I’m leaving hope for them to make bigger plot statements as well as embracing Bunbury as a lit, black woman making moves for the culture.
