Pilot (Roswell)

Infobox Television episode


Title=Pilot
Series=Roswell
Season=1
Episode=1
Airdate=October 6, 1999
Production=1ADA79
Writer=Melinda Metz
Jason Katims
Director=David Nutter
Guests=John Doe
Michael Horse
Wendle Josepher
Kevin Weisman

Episode list=List of Roswell episodes
Prev=
Next="The Morning After"

Pilot is the pilot episode of the American science fiction television series Roswell, which first aired in October 6, 1999. [cite web|url=http://news.tigerdirect.com/1999/10/06/roswell-series-pilot/|title=Roswell: Series Pilot|date=1999-10-06|publisher=TigerDirect News|language=English|accessdate=2008-06-19]

Plot

The series premiere begins with Liz Parker writing in her journal about how "five days ago, I died. After that, things got really weird." The scene then changes to Liz working in the Crashdown Cafe. A heightened spat between two surly men results in one drawing a gun and inadvertently firing, and Liz is shot in the stomach. As the two men flee, fellow classmate Max Evans runs up to Liz, rips her shirt open, and lays his hand on her stomach. To hide his handiwork he breaks a ketchup bottle to hide her blood, and then runs out of the cafe with his friend Michael. Liz stands up, alive and shocked as she watches Max and Michael speed away. As things settle down, Sheriff Valenti shows up on the scene and seems skeptical from the start. Two tourist mention how there was no bullet and that after the gun was shot, a boy did "something" to Liz.

When Liz returns home, she finds a glaring silver hand print on her stomach where the wound had been. The following day, while in biology class, Liz observes some strange cell structures from a pencil that had been in Max's mouth. After class, she pulls him aside to question him. After a brief encounter with her boyfriend Kyle, Sheriff Valenti's son, Max acknowledges that he is "not-of-this-Earth" and is actually an alien, along with his sister Isabel and friend Michael, who survived the Roswell crash of 1947. She freaks out and he tells her that no one must know, that his life is in her hands.

Max tells his sister, Isabel, and his friend, Michael, that he had told Liz about his secret. They discuss the possibility of leaving Roswell now that some knows about their secret. That evening, Liz goes on a date with Kyle, and he happens to see the silver hand print on her stomach. Sheriff Valenti questions Liz the next day, showing her pictures of a similar marking on an autopsy photo. When asked to show her stomach, the mark has faded. Valenti is then seen conversing with a man, most likely from the FBI, about the possibility that this has something to do with the Roswell crash.

Liz confronts Max for further information after the mark has faded. He tells her that they were in "incubation pods" for a number of years after the 1947 crash. He discusses some of their powers, saying: "we can connect with people ... we can manipulate molecular structures". She tells Max about the pictures and what happened with Valenti. Max makes the decision that it is time for the three of them to leave because of Valenti suspecting them.

Maria confronts Liz and demands to know the truth. Liz reveals her secret and Maria ends up flipping out. After calming Maria down, she and Liz find the Max, Michael, and Isabel and convince then into a plan to get Valenti off their tail. They end up at the Crash Festival where Valenti accosts Max. While cuffing Max, Maria gets "hit" by a car driven by Isabel and is "saved" by an alien-masked man, who leaves a silver print on her chest. Liz, Deputy Owen, Sheriff Valenti, Max, Alex, and the two tourists from the Crashdown witness the feat. When Valenti goes after the masked person, it turns out to be his son. Michael is then shown taking the same exact mask off and disposing of it in a port-o-poty. Valenti has to let Max go, but not before he warns Max that things are not over. Max, Michael, and Isabel watch the recreation of the Roswell crash sullenly while the rest of the crowd cheers loudly at the end of the Crash Festival. Max meets Liz atop a hill, telling her it is not safe for the two of them to be together. The episode ends with a voice-over of Liz writing in her journal, much like the beginning of the episode: "It's September 24th. I'm Liz Parker and five days ago, I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life."

Powers used

*Max heals Liz's bullet wound, thus saving her life. He is considerably drained by the act to the verge of near collapse, but is able to run out of the Crashdown with vigor.
*Max's cells are very much alive when Liz views them under the microscope, as opposed to hers. This may suggest regenerative powers.
*Isabel heats up a taco with the palm of her hand.
*On the trip back from eating, Isabel is playing a CD by having it close to her ear.
*Max enduces a vision for Liz to see into his past.
*Max changed the molecular structure of a clay sculpture to appear blank before changing it back.

Production

The pilot episode was filmed in 12 days with a budget of $2,000,000. [cite web|url=http://www.hackwriters.com/roswell.htm|title=Teen Alienation from novel to screen|publisher=hackwriters.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-06-19] One of the executive producers is Jonathan Frakes of fame. He also appears at the Crash Festival to countdown the crash itself, reminiscent of the ball dropping on New Years Eve.

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0690284/ Roswell Pilot at IMBD.com]
* [http://www.tv.com/roswell/pilot/episode/33721/summary.html Roswell Pilot at tv.cm]