The show has also been full of surprises, from redemption arcs for characters we never expected to like, to plot twists we never saw coming. What do you think has been the best surprise in Pitch so far?
Beata: Oh man, there are so many. SO MANY. How do I choose? Learning how Ginny’s dad died, Mike leaving for Chicago in the last episode, Tommy not being a total asshole… but I think I have to go with Al’s character development. Al is a guy that I wanted gone from the very first scene I saw him in. I had him pegged as a really small-minded, old school sports guy who would have to leave the team if Ginny was ever going to fit in. And then, gradually, he changed. I realised he was a guy who genuinely cared about his players and tried his best to keep up with the changing sport, even though it had kind of passed him by. And then somewhere along the way he became one of the most supportive and important characters on the show. Well played, Pitch. I did not see that coming at all.
Lizzie: I’m not sure it counts as a good surprise – but the thing with her Dad in the Pilot really hit me, and yes, it surprised me. I thought he was probably going to die, I didn’t think he was already dead. And, I just… didn’t want to be right about what I was thinking, anyway. And then, when a few episodes later, we saw HOW he died. Another twist that was just… gut-wrenching. And that’s probably the best/worst parts about these twists. It’s not about surprises – it’s about making you feel. That gives it all a whole new dimension.
Erin: The shock of Ginny’s Dad being dead. But it was more like a startling discovery. But the fact that he was killed by her friend’s father – I lost it.
Charles: The best surprises the show has done are the little ones to me. One example for me is Tommy, a teammate of Ginny’s who disliked her when she first showed up. As time went on though, they earned each other’s respect and became friendly to one another. It was a good little arc that ended with Tommy being traded off the Padres in a moment that shows Ginny that nothing is forever in baseball.
Meredith: Ohhh the one that shocked me the most was that young Ginny’s friend’s dad was the one who killed HER dad. So it wasn’t the best as in the most positive, but it was the “best” in that it was the most surprising. I loooove these surprises and twists they throw at us – it keeps the story fresh and exciting!
Kate: For me, one of the best surprises has been the authentic feel of the baseball elements of the show – from the action on the field, to training sessions, to the behind the scenes mechanics of trade deadline day. Starting the show, I was skeptical about whether they’d be able to achieve this kind of realism. Of course they need to simplify and over-explain some of these areas for non baseball fans, but overall the baseball stuff works great, especially when they film at real parks like Petco and AT&T. Also, the tense conferences on the mound between Ginny and Mike and Al feel authentic and have been among my favorite scenes of the series. Mike and Ginny’s early morning training session in episode two perfectly showed the two of them bonding over how much harder they would have to work to stay in the big leagues (and proved how much effort Bunbury and Gosselaar have put in to get in game shape for these roles.)
Ann: 2 plot twists that I didn’t see coming:
- Al being so supportive even if his words are often awkward; I admit I expected the trope of him being a chauvinistic blowhard.
- Ginny’s father being killed by her friend’s father; I was in stunned silence during that whole scene.
Jen: I didn’t expect to like Mike, y’all. Seriously, what a jerk he was at the beginning! I really love the work they put in making Mike her confidant. He could’ve just been the playboy veteran with the big mouth and sarcastic remarks, but he’s so much more than that now. Kudos to MPG for doing real work there.
Cor: I was most surprised about Ginny’s mom’s affair, and that Ginny caught her mom when she was a child. I understand that Ginny’s father wasn’t an easy man, his whole life was making Ginny a ballplayer. But I did gasp when I saw young Ginny, who was so excited to tell her mom she wanted to go to the dance, catch her mom. Watching Ginny’s heart and trust get broken in a different way every week is taking its toll.
Souris: I’ve gasped out loud twice at the show – in the premiere when the accident happened and we realized her dad was a “ghost” hanging over her life, and in the later episode when we saw that Ginny’s friend’s dad was the drunk driver who hit them. I also was happily surprised that the waitress Ginny met didn’t take advantage of her and showed real care for her and humanity by giving the video to her team instead of the tabloids. A lovely, decent character moment for a one-ep character.