Episode:Pilot
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"Pilot"
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| Episode No. | Season 1 Episode 1 / 2 | |
| Writer(s) | Scott Peters René Echevarria | |
| Story by | ||
| Director | Yves Simoneau | |
| Special guest(s) | ||
| Production No. | ||
| Nielsen Rating | ||
| US airdate | July 11, 2004 | |
| DVD release | ||
| Episode Chronology | ||
| Previous Episode: | ||
| Next Episode: | The New and Improved Carl Morrissey | |
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Everyone on Earth is excited about a comet passing by, but as soon as its trajectory changes to a collision course, everyone starts to panic. The comet turns out to be a giant ball of light that, after exploding, leaves behind 4400 people. They are missing persons who have been gone from a few months to 58 years, and none have aged a day. The 4400 are put in quarantine and eventually released. Some of the returnees begin to exhibit strange and uncontrollable new abilities. Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris, two Homeland Security agents, are appointed to find out what has happened to 'The 4400'.
[edit] Plot
1946: Maia Rutledge is having a picnic with her parents when she disappears in a forest.
1951: Richard Tyler, an African-American U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, is recovering from a beating by his fellow officers, when a beam of light flashes above him and he is gone.
1979: Businessman Orson Bailey is on his way to meet his wife for their anniversary dinner, when all goes white and he vanishes.
2001: Cousins Shawn Farrell and Kyle Baldwin are drinking beers on a beach. In a flash, Shawn is gone and Kyle is unconscious.
2004: Federal Agent Tom Baldwin sits in his son Kyle's hospital room. Kyle's been in a coma for three years, and no one has heard from Shawn. Tom looks up on the hospital TV and sees a news story about a big comet scheduled to come close to the Earth. His estranged wife Linda comes in. They briefly argue. Linda needs to move on and is upset with Tom for continuing to hire private detectives to track down Shawn, whom Tom suspects is on the run for his role in Kyle's coma.
Later, after a bright light flashes across the entire sky, the Homeland Security offices in Washington go on high alert. Bureau Chief Dennis Ryland is briefing Federal Agent Diana Skouris on the comet. It is now heading directly towards Earth. One of the agents informs them that the comet has changed course and that they have approximately 28 minutes until impact. Diana notes that a comet cannot change course, so this is not a comet. Ryland gets a call that China has launched its missiles at the comet. A few minutes later, missiles are launched from several other countries. When they make contact with the comet, they explode but do no damage. The comet is still coming.
Meanwhile, Susan Farrell is standing with her younger son Danny Farrell and his girlfriend Nikki Hudson, watching the comet deflect the missiles. She goes in to her house and calls her brother Tom, asking if there is a shelter that they might all hide in. Tom tells her it won't make any difference.
Back at the Homeland Security office, the agents realize the comet is actually slowing down, and that it must be a ship. And they realize that it's landing right in their area. Later, the agents are securing the area, trying to keep onlookers from getting in the way. The "comet" hovers over a lake, then explodes in a flash of blinding light. People are thrown backwards. When they stand back up, they see a field full of thousands people; all ages, sizes, and nationalities. They are wearing clothes that seem to span sixty years worth of fashions. They all seemed dazed and confused.
Tom Baldwin and Susan Farrell (watching on TVs) are stunned to see Shawn Farrell among the crowd. We also see Maia Skouris, Richard Tyler and Orson Bailey in the crowd. Six days later, Tom is in Ryland's office, demanding his old job back. He had taken an extended leave of absence after Kyle's accident and all but lost his job over it. Ryland gives in and assigns Tom to work with Diana-who's not thrilled. Later, Tom goes into the quarantine area that's housing all 4400 of the "Returnees". He finds Shawn and immediately starts questioning him about Kyle's condition. Shawn is shocked to find out his cousin is in a coma, and feels hurt that his uncle thinks he has something to do with it.
Meanwhile, Richard Tyler meets a woman named Lily Moore, who is a dead ringer for the girl named Lily that he left behind. They discover that his Lily is her grandmother. Richard is heartbroken to discover she is long dead.
Over across the room, Orson Bailey is demanding to see a lawyer or have access to a phone to call his wife. Maia Skouris comes up to him and hands him a few tissues. He looks at her oddly, but only seconds later, his nose begins to bleed.
Six Weeks Later: The returnees are released to their families. Lily heads home to her husband and daughter, Orson goes to find his wife and Shawn reunites with Susan (his mom) and Danny (his brother). Lily is heartbroken to find that her daughter doesn't know her, and that her husband has remarried. He tells her he's raised her daughter to believe that his second wife is her mother, and that they have a son. Crushed, she leaves, not knowing where to go. Meanwhile, Richard discovers his old neighbourhood in St. Louis is now a freeway and Maia heads to a foster home. Orson goes to see his wife in a nursing home and then off to his old company. He's horrified to discover his late partner's son, Adam Kensington, is running the company and he has no desire to take Orson back. Orson loses his temper and shatters a glass. The son threatens to call security. Shawn's family throws a party for him. He is shocked to see that Nikki is all grown up and is now his age. Tom uses the party as an opportunity to patch things up with his nephew. While they are talking, a bird fatally flies into the sliding glass door. Shawn picks it up and it seems to come back to life and fly away. The next day, Tom and Diana are discussing how 75% of the returnees (now dubbed "The 4400" by the press) are still living in the Seattle area. In season 3, an episode revealed that the 4400 were returned to Seattle to have children with people who had the Starzl Mutation. Tom and Diana discussed how it was unusual that a round number of people were returned, and Diana called the 4400 staying in Seattle a "disease cluster."
Elsewhere, Maia tries to settle in with her new foster parents Patty and Kenneth Griffin. She puts her new shoes on a chair and Patty tells her that shoes aren't allowed on furniture. Maia says she doesn't want them to get wet. As soon as Patty and Kenneth leave, Maia retrieves the shoes from the closet and puts them back on the chair. Later, Patty starts the washing machine, not realizing there is a leak that will flood part of the house-including Maia's room. When Patty discovers it, she rushes in to Maia's room and finds Maia's shoes back on the chair.
That night, Shawn is out staring at the stars, wondering if he has once lived up there. He catches Nikki looking at him through her bedroom window. Just then, he hears glass breaking. He rushes over to his old Mustang and discovers someone has trashed it and sprayed the word "Freak" across it.
Meanwhile, Orson Bailey visits his wife in the nursing home. He goes to Adam Kensington's mansion to beg for a job. Kensington won't let him in, which enrages Orson. He rattles the bars on the gate, and suddenly knick-knacks inside the house begin to shake. Kensington clutches his head and screams, as glass breaks all around him. A final howl from Orson knocks Kensigton to the ground, impaling him on a spike.
Later, Diana finds Tom in Kyle's hospital room and informs him Orson has been arrested for Kensington's murder.
Shawn is bullied by Brad, a kid he used to pick on in high school. The kid is now bigger than Shawn, and the same age. Much to his humiliation, Danny and Nikki come to his rescue. The bully backs off but asks Shawn how he likes the new paint job on his car and tells him it's not over between them.
Elsewhere, Tom and Diana talk to Orson at the police station. While Tom keeps Orson calm and talking, Diana reads him an insulting email from Kensington to Kensington's lawyer. The email angers Orson and the coffeepot behind him explodes. He demands to be charged or released. They have no choice but to release him. Meanwhile, Patty and Kenneth Griffin bring Maia to her parents' gravesites. She tells Kenneth that the cemetery he and Patty will be buried in (Crown Hill) is much nicer. This news unsettles the couple.
Later, Tom and Diana are over at the morgue, talking to the coroner. She tells them that although Adam Kensington was indeed impaled, he was actually already dead from a cracked skull.
Back in St. Louis, Richard attempts to call Lily. Her daughter Heidi answers, but tells him no one named Lily lives there.
In the meantime, Lily is at a doctor's office, getting checked out. The doctor reveals that she's pregnant. Lily is stunned. She goes to visit Brian who takes the news badly. He hands her a restraining order to keep her away from Heidi and tells her he doesn't want to see her anymore. She realizes she's completely alone.
Now that Orson is free, he goes to visit his wife. She's not in her room and her personal belongings are gone. Orson confronts Alan Kushner, the nursing home's chief administrator. He informs Orson that his wife has died. Orson is upset, and several orderlies come to pin him down, which only angers him.
Later, the hallway is in shambles, with lights broken, furniture splintered, tiles hanging from the ceiling and wires exposed. Tom and Diana question Kushner on what took place. Kushner tells him that stuff was physically flying around the room, and his head felt like it was going to explode. Tom "explains" to Kushner that he'd better not read or otherwise hear about this incident from anyone. Then he and Diana head back to tell Dennis Ryland about the scene. Ryland tells them that Orson checked out of his hotel and may be on the run. Tom and Diana leave to go find him.
After school, Shawn, Danny and Nikki are heading home. Brad the bully calls Shawn out. They get into a fight and Shawn pins Brad down. But Brad almost chokes to death (even though Shawn wasn't blocking his airway) and Danny has to pull him off. All of the students freak out because they think Shawn tried to kill Brad by somehow absorbing his life force. Later at home, Shawn and Danny are playing hoops but it gets ugly when Danny confronts Shawn about what he really thinks happened to Brad. Shawn walks off in a huff.
That night, Patty and Kenneth Griffin find a Crown Hill Cemetery brochure in their mail. Kenneth decides he's too creeped out to keep Maia any longer. When they go to her room, she's already packed and ready to go. When they take her back to HomeSec, Patty has a hard time saying goodbye, but warns Maia that maybe she should watch what she says around people, because it might scare them.
After going through Orson's wife's belongings, Tom and Diana find a photo of the couple taken at a cabin. They decide that Orson is probably hiding out there and decide to track the place down.
The next day, Nikki gives Shawn a CD of current bands to help him catch up with what's cool. He's surprised she wants to hang out with him because the entire rest of the school thinks he's a freak and is avoiding him like the plague. She says she doesn't care what anyone else thinks.
Meanwhile, Tom and Diana figure out which cabin they need to head to. Just as they are about to leave, Diana gets a phone call from her estranged father. The conversation doesn't go well. Then Tom is served with his divorce papers.
Elsewhere, Richard has flown back to Seattle to track down Lily, after not being able to reach her on her home phone. After searching high and low, he finds her at her favorite park. She's desperate and clings to Richard. They go to a café and she reveals her pregnancy. She admits that Brian was out of town when she was taken, and she's never been unfaithful, and she hasn't been with anyone since she returned. There is an uneasy silence as they contemplate what this could mean. Richard admits that he and Lily's grandmother were once a secret couple, back in the 50's.
Later, Tom and Diana make their way to Orson's cabin and confront him. He refuses to come out and becomes angry. Blood starts to pour from his nose. And Tom's. And Diana's. Tom kicks open the door but the pain in his head becomes too much and he drops to the floor. Diana orders Orson to stop, but he can't. The cabin is shaking and blood is now coming out of his ears and eyes as well. Diana has no choice but to shoot Orson. Tom is able to regain his strength and they quickly call 911.
Over at Shawn's house, he catches Nikki and Danny looking at a website about the 4400. It has an article about Orson killing some guy. Shawn says he's not a freak, and Danny accuses him again of purposely doing something to Brad. Shawn storms off, and Nikki is horrified.
That night, Orson is recovering in a hospital bed. Dennis Ryland expects Tom to look into the other returnees to make sure they don't have similar abilities. Tom thanks Diana for saving his life. She questions him about Shawn, but he denies noticing anything unusual.
Meanwhile, Shawn has snuck into his cousin Kyle's hospital room to see him for the first time since he was taken. He touches Kyle's chest and Kyle begins to stir. Kyle struggles violently to open his eyes. He coughs. Panicked, Shawn backs off, and Kyle slips back into the coma. Shawn is shocked over what just happened.
[edit] Quotes
- Diana: It's as if it was coming in for a landing!
- Unknown: Landing? Like a plane?
- Unknown: No. More like a mothership!
[edit] External links
- Pilot - Official Episode Guide
- TV Twiz Transcript of the Pilot
- "Pilot" at Wikipedia.
- IMDB Episode Guide - Pilot
| Episodes |
|---|
| Season One |
| Pilot | The New and Improved Carl Morrissey | Becoming | Trial By Fire | White Light |
[edit] Episode Gallery
 Tom and Kyle Baldwin |
 Missles |
 The comet hovering |
 Lily goes home |
 Maia's foster parents |
 Orson @ Kensington's |
 The morgue |
 Orson's struggle |
 Shawn's new ability |
 Maia returning to NTAC |
 Orson's cabin |
 Orson at his cabin |
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