Pitch Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)
As Pitch Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” begins, gifts from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Hillary Rodham Clinton come into view. And as I see the Nike logo all over Ginny’s clothes, I think about the gilded cage she’s in.
Yes, she’s the first woman to play in the Major Leagues, an incredible accomplishment. But she’s also under intense scrutiny: if she messes up, that’s it. No woman will be given this chance again for a very long time.
A cage made of gold is still a cage.
Sports commentator: But comparing this girl to Jackie Robinson is preposterous.
Firstly, she’s a woman, not a girl. She’s not twelve. Secondly, it’s preposterous that this guy doesn’t see the similarities between Ginny and Jackie Robinson.
Jackie Robinson was the first Black man to play Major League Baseball, Ginny is the first woman, and she’s Black. How is that not similar?
Does she not deserve to be compared to him because she’s woman? Because she hasn’t proven how good she is yet?
Any woman reading this knows if she wasn’t an incredible pitcher she wouldn’t be in the Major Leagues. As a Black woman, she’s had to be three times as good to get half as much her entire life.
When Ginny enters the hotel lobby in the beginning of the episode, and when she signs autographs at her first game, I’m disappointed there aren’t any Black little girls waiting to get her autograph. I think the show missed an opportunity here.
Ginny means a lot to women and young girls, particularly women and girl athletes, but she means the most to Black women and girls because she is them. When you see someone who looks like you doing what you want to do, you know you can do it too.
Female sports commentator: If you wanna say she’s only getting her shot because she’s a woman, go ahead. …if you’re saying that, you’re a man. You’re a backwards-thinking, backwards-cap-wearing, male-pattern-baldness-hiding man. So bitch and moan all you want, gentlemen, but tonight, a girl’s gonna be the lead sports story in the world. And if that upsets you, well, maybe you’re just getting your period.
I LIVE for these lines! So well written! It is ineffable how happy it makes me to hear the sexism Ginny is facing addressed so directly.
When Amelia asks Ginny if she’s ready, I love that she says, “I’ve been ready my whole life,” because this statement will resonate with so many people, and it shows what a strong female protagonist she is.
So many woman lead characters always seem to be afraid of or nervous about what is happening to them. Ginny’s cool as a cucumber from the moment she gets out of bed, and that’s what I like to see.
As I watch the strong and confident Ginny, I am so happy this show is on Fox because Ginny is a great contrast to Empire’s Cookie. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cookie, but there are many different types of Black women in the world, and I’m glad Fox’s viewers will get to see a different kind of Black woman protagonist.
This may seem like a small thing, but fuller representation in popular media helps dispel stereotypes.
One of the greatest things about the pilot of Pitch is you don’t have to know anything about, or even like, baseball to enjoy it. The show is about Ginny and her experience, not the sport, which is a smart move on the show creators’ part. It makes the show more relatable.
When Ginny’s first several pitches don’t go perfectly, I’m extremely frustrated. I’m yelling at my TV, “Get it together, Ginny!” But as I said in my last Mr. Robot review, if everything goes perfectly, there’s no suspense, right?
Still, I think it’s incongruent with the character of Ginny that she would ask to be removed from the game. She is a display of complete strength up until this point in the episode. She throws a few bad pitches, and she just gives up? I don’t think so.
I hate to see my beloved Mark-Paul Gosselaar play such a jerk on this show because he is my original celebrity crush, but that’s one hell of a speech his character gives Ginny on the pitcher’s mound.
He’s right, even though she’s an inspiration to girls all over the world, it’s not her job to be a role model. It’s her job to be a great pitcher, and that’s what she should focus on.
But it irks me that it’s Mike’s words that resonate with her and not the steadfastness her father taught her. Is it because her father never played Major League baseball, and therefore, can’t put himself in her shoes like Mike can?
Ginny’s father reminds me a lot of my grandfather: he never tells her how great she is because he thinks it’ll make her soft. The truth is a little encouragement every now and then never hurt anyone. In fact, it’s a great motivator.
What’s not motivating is name calling. When Tommy calls Ginny a bitch, it is the epitome of what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world. He insults her, she responds with a simple “okay,” and she’s the bitch?!
Stop projecting, Tommy. It’s not cute.
Other Random Thoughts:
- I really hate to objectify Kylie Bunbury like this, please forgive me, but her butt is amazing.
- Ginny Baker is a great baseball name.
- That slow motion shot of Ginny pitching, with the camera following the ball, near the end of the episode is everything.
- Separated is still married, is it not?
I believe Pitch will be a true story one day. I just hope I’m alive to see it.
Season 1 Episode 1 is great, but the plot is somewhat predictable. It’s not that shocking when we realize Ginny is interacting with her father’s ghost.
This “plot twist” would have worked better if it had been revealed at the end of the season. Now that would’ve shocked me. Plus, it would’ve been interesting to watch Ginny’s relationship with her father evolve as she plays in the Major Leagues.
What did you think of the series premiere of Pitch? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Pitch airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Fox.
Sheena Bosket
Sheena is an attorney, writer, and Black feminist living and working in Atlanta. She can be found searching for an opportunity to date Jake Gyllenhaal and renovating her condo in Shondaland. She watches all of the Real Housewives franchises, and she's not ashamed. Sheena also occasionally writes about pop culture, politics, and feminism for Donatidaily.com.