Pitch has given us a variety of nuanced and engaging characters from different backgrounds. Which character, aside from Ginny, has been your favourite so far?
Beata: Evelyn, for sure. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the characters. Amelia is a badass, Blip is wonderful, Tommy had a fascinating arc, Al is amazing, Oscar is awesome, Eliot is hilarious and I love Mike most of the time. But Evelyn is consistently this wonderful ray of sunshine who steals every scene she’s in. She’s hilarious, and uplifting, and so wonderfully positive that I just can’t get enough of her. She’s also one of the only characters that I have never been even slightly annoyed with. She just makes me so happy all the time, and that’s a wonderful character trait. She’s the best. Can she be in every scene, please?
Lizzie: It’s hard to go wrong with Mike Lawson, because we all love Mike Lawson and how human he is, despite the persona that he’s built around himself, but that’d be the easy answer. I’m going to say Amelia, because she’s this show’s answer to: there’s more than one kind of strong and more than one kind of role model. Yes, Ginny is our main role model, but Amelia is not less of a bad-ass woman just because she’s not on the field, and the show never goes the route of making her a stereotype. She can be harsh, but she’s not a bitch, she can be cold, but she also cares a lot, and she’s got everything under control … except when she doesn’t. She kind of makes me feel like it’s okay to stumble sometimes. It’s normal. Can I just give Ali Larter a hug for reminding me that even in heels and a suit you can still be a badass? I kinda want to.
Erin: Mike. I love Mike Lawson. He’s an ass – no question, but personally I think that is a facade. I think he’s guarded because of his past and I get that. I respect that. I adore him.
Charles: There are a ton of good choices from Amelia to Al but Mike Lawson without a doubt. Mark Paul Gosselaar has never been better playing Mike as the aging catcher taking the rookie pitcher under his wing. We see Mike cares for Ginny and wants her to succeed but never misses the chance to tease her in the veteran/rookie dynamic every chance he gets. I also root for the aging veteran struggling for one last moment of glory and I have had fun watching Mike’s arc of feeling rejuvenated again in his career while his personal life is struggling. Another flawed but fascinating character.
Meredith: I could go the easy route and say Mike Lawson, and I wouldn’t be lying. I love Mike Lawson. I also considered saying Eliot, because he’s funny but as we saw recently layered, too, and I want to see more of him. But in the end I have to settle on Evelyn. Evelyn is so different from Ginny, but no less strong and independent and worthy of looking up to. Her friendship with Ginny is one of my favorite parts of the show, and her relationship with Blip – this strong, solid, real marriage – is something we don’t get to see on TV often. I missed her in last week’s episode (1×07) and I can’t wait to see her again.
Kate: So, my gut reaction to this question is totally to answer Mike. Gosselaar just oozes charisma in this role, and he and the show absolutely capture the essence of that aging team leader who realizes baseball isn’t forever. However, Mike’s probably a popular choice, and the show has actually done a great job balancing the progression of many characters, so based on the recent “San Francisco” episode, I am going to highlight Oscar. He showed a nice balance of empathy and toughness in his dealings with the rookie catcher from Cuba and with Amelia about Ginny’s leaked photos. I especially loved the shift in his relationship with Amelia from slightly adversarial to one of real admiration and cooperation. That’s a relationship I am keeping my eye on!
Ann: At this point in the season, I think the other character that I want to see more of is Evelyn. She’s been funny, strong, supportive, and determined. I hope we learn more about her but she’s already my 2nd favorite character besides Ginny. Each scene she’s in ends up being one of the highlights for me.
I find myself having different favorites depending on the episode, though… The rest of the cast is terrific and the characters are fascinating. I’ve enjoyed seeing characters behave in ways that I didn’t expect; whether they push or pull Ginny, it’s been interesting seeing them all adjust to life with Ginny in it.
Jen: Evelyn. God, do I love Evelyn Sanders. Little by little, this show gives us more depth of the people around Ginny, and Evelyn is my favorite. She’s smart and sexy, she’s caring and motherly. She can absolutely set Blip in his place, but does it with the most caring of spirits because she loves her man. God, that relationship is so solid and so beautiful. I want to know everything about her and I also want her to be my best friend.
Cor: My heart says Mike Lawson. Mark-Paul blows me away every week! Plus that beard gives him a leg up. That said, I love all of them. Every single one. I don’t remember the last time I loved every single character on a single show. You could ask me this question each week and the answer would be different. I loved Mike in “San Francisco.” I loved Blip in “Alfonso Guzman-Chavez.” I loved Evelyn in “The Break.” The list could go on. However, I’m finding myself loving Oscar more and more each week. I really think Mark Consuelos is the unsung hero of the show. Oscar has been a brilliant character every week. He cares so much for the team, even though he has to play the bad guy. He makes the very important and needed correction when someone calls him Spanish that he is actually Mexican. We also see how vulnerable Oscar gets, I think that’s why he fights so hard. Also, the scene where he had to tell his daughter about he divorce broke my heart. I hope we get to see more of Oscar each week, because I am always left wanting more after each of his scenes.
Souris: I honestly love them all! There’s not a single one I see as a dud, which is pretty rare. For sheer fun-to-screen-time ratio, I have to go with Evelyn. She’s a hoot but is also a strong woman in a completely different position than Ginny or Amelia. I love that she and Ginny are supportive of each other and great friends, rather than the stereotypical jealous frenemy that a lot of shows would have her be. I’d love to see more of her. Her relationship with Blip is a great, positive portrait of a marriage.
I’m glad they’ve given Amelia some depth. At the start I felt she was a bit of a stereotype of the hard business woman, but they’ve expanded her and given her nuances, and I’m really happy about that. And I really liked the look we got into Mike’s childhood – that was an unexpected touch that really added depth to him, too.