Pitch has been absolutely phenomenal in its first three episodes. Though most Fangirlish writers were initially concerned that it would drop off after the Pilot, it has proven us wrong, continuing to be one of the most well-written and entertaining new shows this year. This week, it didn’t disappoint, continuing to develop its characters and deliver a fantastic hour of television.
Join Fangirlish writers as we discuss Double Switch, the third episode of Pitch.
What were your overall thoughts on this episode?
Beata: I’m starting to feel like a broken record here, but I loved it. There was so much development for characters I didn’t know I needed more of, and I fall more in love with Ginny every episode.
Lizzie: Is it possible that this show keeps getting better and better? Is it? Am I not imagining it? Because that was a good episode, one that balanced interpersonal dynamics and baseball in a way that was not just understandable, it was relatable. Also, the episode continued on the trend of making Ginny a three-dimensional character who doesn’t always make the right choices, who doesn’t always listen, but who is, always, the most interesting person on our screen. Except for Mike, of course. He’s growing. And Amelia. And Oscar …damn it, everyone. See, that’s the mark of a good show. Plenty of interesting characters.
Lyra: I’ve been waiting for this show to lose steam and run out of ideas. I’m glad to see that they keep surprising me at every turn without losing me with their baseball jargon, which I have no idea about. I love that we also get a chance to see how Ginny got here and how her past melds in with her present in interesting and surprisingly ways. The romantic element added in Episode 3 just helped to shape her even more and gave me an understanding of why she does things the way she does. It wasn’t an easy journey and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
It looks like we’re starting to see a bit of redemption for Tommy Miller. Have you forgiven him for the way he acted in the first two episodes? Do you think Ginny should?
Beata: I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I liked Tommy in this episode, because I hated him so much in the first two. As a girl who plays hockey, I’ve encountered plenty of guys like Tommy, so I hated him immediately. But now that he’s started to actually respect Ginny, I really like him. I also think that because he was so outspoken against Ginny in the beginning, his hard-earned respect is so much more satisfying. We know he’s actually on her side.
Lizzie: No, but yes. I haven’t forgiven him – but I understand why Ginny did. She’s trying to fit in. I also think that, as shitty as Tommy was, he was treating Ginny just like he would any other rookie. The dynamics of sports teams are weird. What I really like about this is that it strikes me as real, and that Tommy is growing within the confines of the story, without contradicting common sense.
Lyra: I’m starting to see a itsy bitsy spark of hope for Tommy. Jerks can still do nice things for people but he stepped up to defend his teammate. No apologies yet.
Ginny got a romantic storyline in the flashbacks. Do you ship it? If not, would you be open to a romance between Ginny and someone else?
Beata: Nope. I mean, Trevor’s cute, but he’s not good enough for Ginny. He didn’t appreciate what she had to go through as a female athlete and he didn’t respect her wishes. Even if he understands her better now, I think there’s too much broken trust between them. Ginny can do better. I’m not opposed to a romance in the future, but at the moment there’s no one I really ship her with.
Lizzie: No. Hell no. Trevor doesn’t deserve me shipping him with Ginny. I mean, I know in the grand scheme of things they could redeem him in my eyes – what he didn’t wasn’t criminal, but right now I just don’t like him. I would, however, be open to a romance for Ginny. Just – not yet. I’d like to find her footing and become part of this team and make relationships without romance being on the table. Then we’ll see.
Lyra: I have to admit I’ve got a love for Shamier Anderson who plays Trevor. When he smiles I’m like, “Woah! Control that beauty!” So I had a hard time hating him or thinking that what he did was the worst thing in the world. Was it a little shady? Yes. But was he scared of telling her he’d changed his mind because he was afraid that she’d leave him? Yes. It’s shades of grey for sure. While I’m all for Ginny getting her needs fulfilled, I’d like to see the show focus on her journey integrating herself into this new world without the added element of romance. It’s not needed right now because there’s so much on her plate in this unconventional show that pushes away from cliches.
This episode saw Ginny escalate a beanball fight, which won her some favours with her teammates, but also got her kicked out of the game. Do you think she should have done it?
Beata: She was absolutely in the right. I don’t watch enough baseball to know how this stuff works, but as a hockey fan, I can take a pretty good guess. In hockey, if somebody deliberately hurts your teammate, you smash them into the boards. Or you start a fight. Yeah, you might get in trouble. No, you’re not helping your team score more goals, which is ultimately the goal of the game. But what you are doing is sending a message to everyone else in the league that your team is not to be messed with, as well as showing your own teammates that you will stick up for them no matter what. If you let those things slide, you create problems in the dressing room, and you let all the other teams know that they can push your team around. So even though Ginny didn’t exactly help the Padres win that game, she sent a message to her teammates, and to the rest of the league, and that’s going to be a good thing in the long run. Go Ginny.
Lizzie: Yes. This is how baseball works. Maybe I’ve watched too much of it, but I didn’t even hesitate in writing my answer. Ginny’s fighting to be a regular ball player. This is what they do.
Lyra: Knowing nothing about baseball and having to research what this meant, aka asking Lizzie, I’ve come to the conclusion that Ginny made the right move. She was taking a risk for her teammates but also for herself. Ginny knew what she was doing every step of the way and was going to act like the ballplayer she thought she deserved to be treated like. Does that make sense? *reads over* Yup. Makes sense to me. Go Ginny!
Most of the Padres seem to have made the switch from hating Ginny to protecting her. Do you think this is an improvement? Or should they treat her like any other player?
Beata: I think it’s a big improvement. Yeah, it sucks that they see her as weaker than everyone else, but it also proves that they actually care about her, which is so important to the team dynamic. Athletes stick up for each other. Have you ever seen a rookie get hurt in a professional sports game? The rest of the team loses their shit. Now that they actually care about her, I think it will be pretty easy for them to turn that into respect.
Lizzie: I think they should treat her like another player, yes, but that’s a hard switch. I don’t see their protectiveness as 100% being about the fact that she’s a girl, though, of course, there’s some of that. Baseball players will tackle each other like Tommy did to Trevor for other guys too. Fights happen all the time and no MLB has any girls. That being said, maybe once she’s more than an anomaly, it’ll be easier for them to treat her like any other player.
Lyra: Lizzie keeps stealing my answers! Ginny is a new element to the dynamic of their team. As such, it’s going to take a while for them to become accustomed to the fact that a girl is exceeding all of their expectations and they’ll need to readjust. In a way it’s just as much of a journey for them as it is for Ginny and the viewers. It’s a changing environment that I’m happy to be a witness to because it looks to be having a positive outcome already. We’re all just humans. Why don’t we start treating each other like we are?
Finally, there’s no way the show would drop the bomb of Trevor getting hacked if they didn’t plan on releasing the pictures. What do you think this means for Ginny’s image and place on the team?
Beata: It’s going to be a huge scandal, and it’s going to be pretty rough for awhile. Right when Ginny’s finally starting to fit in, this thing will come along to remind everyone that she is not like all the other players. Not only has she dated a baseball player, she dated a guy who is currently playing against her in the MLB. The media will make it out to be a bigger deal than it is, players will start to tease her about it again, and she’ll become even more of an outsider in the league.
Lizzie: I get the feeling this isn’t going to come into play right away, but yeah, they wouldn’t drop that if they didn’t mean to release them. And I think it’s probably going to be rough for a while for Ginny when it happens – she’ll go from potentially fitting in to standing out again. Ultimately, though, I think the team will rally around her. Because that’s what you do for your team.
Lyra: I gotta agree with Lizzie on this one. The photos are definitely going to come out. But until that happens we’ll see her becoming an integral part of the team and getting to know the people she’s working with. She will become one of the ball players and just when things look like they can’t get any better…THEY WILL GO WRONG! Hopefully, by that point she’ll have the support of her team and that of her fans. There’s no doubt it’s going to get ugly at some point and people looking for good scoop or an opportunity will try to smear Ginny’s good reputation. If this show has taught us one thing, its that it’s unconventional and will not play out like we expect.
Pitch airs Thursdays at 9pm on Fox.
