| Pilot | |
|---|---|
| Season One, Episode One | |
| |
| First aired | June 7, 2010 |
| Written by | Christopher McQuarrie |
| Directed by | Michael Rymer |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous None |
Next The Edge |
Pilot" is the first episode of Persons Unknown. It aired on Monday June 7, 2010. "A group of seven strangers must come together to solve the puzzle of their lives."
Synopsis[]
A group of seven seemingly unconnected, random people are kidnapped from across america and placed in a ghost town from which there seems to be no escape. "Pilot" introduces the seven Abductees.
Plot[]
Presidio Park[]
In San Francisco at Presidio Park, Janet Cooper watches her daughter Megan playing. Mr. Edick, a private investigator, meets with Janet and tells her that he hasn't had any luck finding her absent husband. Janet accuses Edick of taking money from her husband to make sure that he isn't found, but Edick denies it. After he leaves, Janet looks for Megan and is unable to find her. She panics and starts searching through the playground, and finally spots the balloons that her daughter was wearing. Janet runs to the spot and several men grab her, chloroform her unconscious, and take her away. Back at the playground, Megan emerges from a slide and looks for her mother. Megan is seen wandering around the park calling for her mommy.
The Hotel[]
In a hotel room, Janet wakes up with no idea of where she is or how she got there. The door is locked and there is no key, and someone walks by outside without saying anything. Janet yells for her daughter and then notices a surveillance camera on the ceiling. She pleads with whoever is watching to give her Megan back, but gets no response. She then starts to look through the drawers finding only a bible, which she throws onto the bed before finally she breaks apart a piece of furniture in a fit of rage and tries to use a nail as a lock pick.
Someone outside yells for Janet, and then breaks down the door. He tries to reassure Janet, explaining that his name is Joe. When she wonders how he got out of his room, he explains that there was a key in the room Bible and shows her that there was another one in her room's Bible. Joe claims that he has no idea why he is there, and explains that he was in New York when he was abducted. He helps remove a splinter in her hand and then suggests they look around and see if there are any other prisoners. When Janet wonders if they can trust whoever they find, Joe points out that they don't have a choice.
As Janet and Joe investigate the other doors on the hallway, one man yells out to them. They tell him how to get out and he emerges. The man introduces himself as an investor, Charlie Morse. Another woman, Moira Doherty, overhears their instructions and gets out of her room. A third man, Army Sgt. Graham McNair, breaks down the door of his room and attacks Joe. Joe manages to calm him down and explain that they are all prisoners. A third woman, Victoria Fairchild, emerges from her room, clearly hung over.
The six strangers check out the floor they're trapped on. The exit door is magnetically sealed and the elevator doesn't work. Charlie starts to worry about his wife, who has emotional problems and can't handle being on her own. Joe suggests they set off the smoke alarm in the ceiling so they can escape, and he and McNair break down some furniture for kindling and try to start a fire.
The San Francisco Register[]
In San Francisco, reporter Mark Renbe gets word of Janet's disappearance and the apparent abandonment of Megan at the park. He brings the story to his editor, Kat Damatto, who doesn't think it's important but tells him to investigate after he finishes his current workload.
The Town[]
As Joe and McNair try to start a fire, Charlie talks to Moira and wonders why she's there. She explains that she's only a councilor and no one could possibly want her for ransom. When Charlie asks the others who they are and why they might be valuable, Joe repeatedly ducks his questions. When the others wonder why he's secretive, Joe suggests that one of them might be a mole, and he doesn't want to give away too much. The fire starts and they try to activate the smoke alarm. It doesn't work, but an empty elevator comes up to their floor. They enter and go down to the lobby. The doors are unlocked and they go outside to find themselves in a small town. There are no signs of life, but there are more security cameras. There are also phones, but none of them work.
The six prisoners go to the Sheriff's Office in the hope of finding someone or something. They discover an empty gun rack, and a man burst out of the back office, pointing a rifle at them. He thinks that they've abducted him and demand answers, and Joe tries to explain that they're all prisoners. The man doesn't believe him and Charlie dares him to shoot, insisting he has nothing to live for. Joe and McNair exchange military hand gestures and then launch an attack on the man, disarming him. Charlie starts to attack the man, who explains that he's Bill Blackham, a car salesman. He doesn't remember anything since he was pulled over by the police, to the point where he woke up in the hotel. Janet realizes he was the man who walked by his room earlier and left her there.
Joe insists that they should walk out of town before it gets dark, while McNair feels they should stay together, use the one gun they have, and recon after dark. Joe disagrees and leaves on his own, but a worried Janet goes with him so she can find her daughter. As she and Joe walk to the city limits, Janet wonders how Joe knew the hand signals and asks if he's in the military. He avoids the question and assures her that Megan will be okay. Joe, a few steps ahead, reaches the edge of town first. He immediately collapses, and Janet collapses when she runs to him. The others see them go down, and McNair and Charlie go to investigate. The sergeant tells Charlie to stay back and then tries to carry Janet out. The same thing affects him and he collapses, while the other four prisoners hide in a building.
Janet's mother[]
Mark goes to see Janet's mother, Eleanor, who is keeping Megan in Janet's absence. She admits that Janet thought she was an abusive mother, and admits that she hit her once with a hairbrush. However, she dismisses it as inconsequential. Megan runs in an old doll from a bedroom, and Eleanor says that it's hers now. After she sends Megan out to play, Eleanor admits that now she has a good chance to make up for the bad parenting she was falsely accused of. Mark assures her that Janet will soon turn up and leaves... unaware that someone has Eleanor under surveillance.
The implants[]
The four conscious prisoners return to the hotel as the sun sets. As they discuss what to do, they see a van pull up outside. A number of Chinese men get out, carrying the unconscious prisoners. When Charlie and the others come out, they give Charlie the rifle from the sheriff's office but seem unable to speak English or answer questions. They go into a nearby Chinese restaurant. Joe and the others wake up, and Moira tells Joe to take off his clothing. She examines his body and finds a surgical scar on his thigh. McNair and Janet have similar scars, and they soon realize that the other four prisoners have the same scars. Moira explains that they're biometric implants, triggered by a remote signal. When activated, they pump a tranquilizer into the body. Moira warns them that the implants are in too deep to be safely removed.
The Restaurant[]
One of the Chinese men, Tom, comes out and speaks English, inviting them into the restaurant. When they're inside, Charlie and Bill grab Tom and take the rest of the Chinese staff hostage. Tom and the others claim ignorance, and Joe and McNair grab the gun from Bill. Tom seats them at a table and the staff brings out a full meal. Everyone wonders whether the food is tampered with, and McNair finally eats. Once it's clear the food is untainted, everyone else except Janet starts eating. She's concerned that Megan may have been taken and is being kept somewhere else.
The Fortune Cookies[]
Once the prisoners are done eating, Tom brings out fortune cookies. They wonder which ones to take, and Victoria puts them on the centerpiece and turns it so they choose randomly. Despite that, Charlie's says that his wife is waiting for him, and seems to be intended strictly for him. The others are not so specific. Joe's says that his judgment is off, while Victoria's says that she'll receive a prize. Bill's says that if he helps someone then he'll receive help. McNair's is in Chinese and no one understands what it means. Moira's has a series of numbers on it. Janet says that hers has an Irish proverb.
The Night Manager[]
The prisoners return to the hotel and find a new man at the desk. He identifies himself as The Night Manager and says that he just started working there. When they ask what he knows, the night manager explains that they were already in his rooms when he started his job. When Janet asks where he came from, the night manager explains that he accepted a job, went to sleep, and woke up at an apartment behind the hotel. He appears unfazed by the experience, claiming that he's used to it.
As the others talk to the night manager, Janet steps to the side and takes out her fortune. She opens it and carefully rereads it. Despite what she claimed earlier, what it actually says is, "Kill your neighbor and you'll go free."
