The Pilot: More Memorable Moments

[maggiethecat]

More memorable moments . . .

. . . that I missed the first few dozen times, no doubt because all I could see was Ron Eldard’s expressive face. Just dancing around here, picking out moments, picking out screencaps, so we can all savor and remember. Let’s add more as the spirit moves us. (Besides, the original Pilot thread is now as long as your average Russian novel.)

1. Terry at the bank. Again, I was so focused on Jim that it took me a while to notice that, at the beginning of the scene, Terry is doing all he can, urging on a uniformed officer -- "Go, go!" -- crouched low and running. He’s all over the street, all over the situation. It’s only when he slumps down against the side of the building, sweating and frozen . . .



. . . that it all falls away. So was it a moment of weakness after all, and not a deeply-rooted character flaw exposed by circumstance . . . ?

2. The first meeting with Fisk. “If you remember,” he says to Jim, “one of the things a cop looks for in a partner is whether that guy has their back.”



As often as I’ve heard that line, what strikes me now is “If you remember.” Man, that’s cold. Or is it simply the sort of expository dialogue a writer puts in a character’s mouth to establish backstory? Whatever, it’s definitely sharp, and adds to our sense that Fisk is not about to come around anytime soon.

3. “Can we be honest?” Fisk asks. “That sounds good,” Jim replies, and off come the glasses.



His “tell.” For the first time.

4. Why had I never noticed that after the blow-up with Christie, the ball Jim flips against the living room wall makes a noise? There’s a little rattle-y bell in it. Of course. How else would he know exactly where it was?



5. The first impression Jim made with Fisk was nothing short of disastrous -- he stumbled into Karen’s desk like Blind Pew. But he’s not about to make that same mistake twice, hence the wonderfully strong scene where he goes in at dawn to memorize and measure his new surroundings.



I love the sensitive shot of Jim running his hands over the top of the coffee station (what, no screencap?), but it makes me giggle a little. After The Pilot, the tecs invariably drink take-out coffee in those Greek diner blue-and-white cardboard cups. When there’s a coffee station in the break room? Maybe because office coffee at its best is not great. Funny and telling.

6. Later that morning, when Fisk calls Jim into his office and he confidently rises from his chair and walks toward the door. Catch the fleeting and slightly stunned expression of admiration on Karen’s face -- offset by Tom’s raised eyebrows and Marty’s open disbelief. "Smart guy, that Dunbar," you can see her thinking. "At least he’s a quick study.”



And, finally (for now, that is) on a purely personal note, I like the music in The Pilot best of all the episodes, especially under the opening credits.



It’s simple and rhythmic and spare, following the same harmonic progression as the long credit theme but somehow haunting rather than dirge-like. I wish they’d kept to it.

[bjobsessed]

I also like the part where Jim is throwing the ball against the wall. It took me quite a while to notice all the marks on the wall. He has obviously done this a lot. We see him do it after a fight with Christie, but I've often thought how it symbolizes his frustration at his situation and of the reactions of those around him. I admire the concentration it must take to do that which can only help him in his job. I've always thought it would be cool to try that. I don't have any place to do it though.

[mlm828]

1. Terry at the bank. Again, I was so focused on Jim that it took me a while to notice that, at the beginning of the scene, Terry is doing all he can, urging on a uniformed officer, crouched low and running. He’s all over that street, all over the situation. It’s only when he slumps down against the building that it all falls away.

maggie, your point #1 is very well-taken. Up to the point where he freezes, Terry seems to be responding adequately to the situation. I have always wondered whether it was seeing the uniformed officer gunned down, right in front of him, that caused him to freeze up. He had seen what the gunman could do, and he had reached a place of relative safety, and he just couldn't move, even though he knew the gunman's assault weapon was empty. Moment of weakness or character flaw? I'm not sure. All I can say is that each of us has his or her limit, and Terry reached his.

5. The first impression Jim made with Fisk was nothing short of disastrous -- he stumbled into Karen’s desk. But he’s not about to make that same mistake twice, hence the wonderful scene where he goes in at dawn to memorize and measure his surroundings.

I think it is Fisk's fault that Jim stumbles into Karen's desk on the first day. Fisk grabs Jim's arm and basically pulls him along, making it impossible for Jim to avoid the desk. Predictably, the other detectives don't see it that way; Jim's stumble confirms their belief that they've been saddled with a blind guy, whom they will have to "babysit."

I, too, love the scenes where Jim memorizes the squad room's layout and, later in the day, demonstrates his abilities. The "How'd he do that?" look on Karen's face is priceless.

[maggiethecat]

bjobsessed said:

I also like the part where Jim is throwing the ball against the wall. It took me quite a while to notice all the marks on the wall. He has obviously done this a lot.

Oh, you are so right, bjobsessed! What never ceases to amaze me about this one tiny detail is the brilliance of the set designers. How long has Jim been flipping that damned ball? For the better part of the last year, I have to think. The paint is just gone. I don't know how many noticed this -- and for the rest of the world apart from this board, this was an episode that aired only once -- but to me it speaks of the meticulous care and thought that the creative team put into this amazing show. That ruined wall is the sort of detail you put in for your own pride, and for the benefit of the actors. Like Adrian putting silk ruffles on the inside of the Camille costumes so Garbo would feel pampered, which would add to the depth of her portrayal.

In how many ways can we say and feel it? This was no ordinary television show.

[shmeep]

Mags,

Thanks for giving us another chance to relive this amazing episode. Your observations and the screencaps that go along with them are great. I had noticed many of those things myself--at least on a subconscious level--but everything came sharply into focus after your descriptions.

The one about Terry was something I recently began to take special note of. My copy of the tape has about a minute missing from that sequence. VCR error. I set it wrong and it stopped just as it was airing and it took me about a minute to get it set up again so I didn't get to see it all. It wasn't until I got to see Kenina's copy--and then the footage on some of the music videos (and didn't Longlashes once post a link to just the opening sequence online? I believe she did!) that I was really able to observe what Terry was doing. Was he ultimately as brave as Jim? Of course not. But he did step up at the beginning. It actually looked to me (and I could be remembering this incorrectly) that one of the guys he was trying to get out safely was killed right in front of him and that caused his panic attack. Anyone want to confirm this?

[rducasey]

Oops tried to do that quote thing and messed it all up, but as MLM said she loved the "How'd he do that look" on Karen's face"



Not to mention the "How'd he do that" look on Hank's face too.

[maggiethecat]

admin said:

The one about Terry was something I recently began to take special note of. Was he ultimately as brave as Jim? Of course not. But he did step up at the beginning. It actually looked to me (and I could be remembering this incorrectly) that one of the guys he was trying to get out safely was killed right in front of him and that caused his panic attack. Anyone want to confirm this?

This is why this show is such a flippin' knock-out. How many times have we all watched this one sequence, which comes in at a crisp minute and 40 seconds (and thanks, Doobrah, for the timing).

Did Terry freeze because an officer was shot right in front of him? I'd have to watch it again. (Heh. Like I need an excuse.) My gut says the effect on Terry was not so much specific as it was cumulative. But the last time I watched it (yesterday), here's what I thought and you can take it for what it's worth. Or, at the least, with a rawther (favorite Eloise word) large grain of salt.

As long as Terry is up and on his feet, running with the adrenaline pumping, he's fine. He's every bit as much of a kick-ass "through the door first" macho cop as Dunbar.



And that's saying quite a lot. But the minute Terry sits down? It all drains away. So I put it down to the same kind of physical reaction we've all had in one form or another, although (thank God) not in as drastic a fashion or with such disastrous consequences. Stay on your feet, keep going, keep moving, and you're okay. Sit down and you're doomed.

I keep coming back to (jumping threads here) "Up on the Roof," and the moment when Terry cries out to Jim, "That day at the bank, that wasn't me."

Or was it?

And we're back to square one, a point we can chew on until the end of time. If -- and it's a pretty big if -- Terry was a stand-up, courageous cop and that tragic instant of perfidy during the shoot-out was in reality "not him," then why his subsequent actions?

Did a year of stewing and fretting and trying to get Jim on the phone so warp him that he honestly thought a staged shooting -- Terry as the wounded hero cop -- would get him back in?



Back in to Jim's good graces, their "let's have a beer" friendship miraculously restored? That, somehow, they would be on equal footing even though Terry's easily-healed flesh wound was no match for Dunbar's sightless eyes?

Maybe this belongs in the "Why did Terry shoot himself?" thread . . . but it all begins at the bank. Everything comes back to the bank. And it's incredible that after all this time, and repeated viewings, I can watch that tightly edited sequence and see things in it I never saw before. Like Terry Jansen, before he cracked, being as brave and stalwart as Jim Dunbar.

It was a revelation.

Thoughts, anyone?

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

I think it is Fisk's fault that Jim stumbles into Karen's desk on the first day. Fisk grabs Jim's arm and basically pulls him along, making it impossible for Jim to avoid the desk. Predictably, the other detectives don't see it that way; Jim's stumble confirms their belief that they've been saddled with a blind guy, whom they will have to "babysit."

Oh my gosh, mlm, I don't remember Fisk grabbing Jim's arm. I just remember the stumble, Karen's embarrassment, and Jim's, "Tell you what -- you lead, he's gonna follow." Followed, of course, by Fisk's delicious, "Got it. This way, pup."

Are you telling me I have to watch this scene again?

[mlm828]

maggiethecat said:

Oh my gosh, mlm, I don't remember Fisk grabbing Jim's arm. I just remember the stumble, Karen's embarrassment, and Jim's, "Tell you what -- you lead, he's gonna follow." Followed, of course, by Fisk's delicious, "Got it. This way, pup."

Are you telling me I have to watch this scene again?

I just looked at the scene again (so you don't have to -- unless you want to ), and Fisk clearly grabs Jim's arm and pulls him right into Karen's desk.

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

I just looked at the scene again (so you don't have to -- unless you want to ), and Fisk clearly grabs Jim's arm and pulls him right into Karen's desk.

Thanks! So I guess Fisk is no natural? Of course, this doesn't mean I won't have to watch that scene again, you know. Any excuse.

[bjobsessed]

I know this isn't the right thread for this, but I can't remember where we were talking about it. Fell free to move this to the right place.

It concerns Blind Justice on dvd. I was in Future Shop yesterday and noticed a dvd for a tv show called "Miracles" I've never heard of it, but I found a website for it and it explains how they were successful in getting it out on dvd. Get this. It is also a show that only lasted 13 episodes. Only difference is that only 6 were aired (in the US anyway.) The dvd includes the other 7 as well. At least we all got to see 12.

Here's a link that explains what they did to get the show released. There are also links you can follow once there to find out about the show if you want.

www.miraclestv.com/DVDInfo.html

I was very encouraged to find this. Maybe there's hope for us. Has anyone found out where we need to write yet?

[doobrah]

This thread has given me something else to chew on.

I had noticed that Terry was a hard charger -- just as hard as Jim -- in the beginning, but then he see just several feet away two cops getting blown away and he retreats to keep from being #3. And that's where he freezes. It's an understandable reaction, but not entirely excuseable.

But what if.... what if Jim took out the shooter and wasn't shot himself? Would Terry's freezing up been as big a deal if Jim hadn't taken a bullet?

Terry's action (or rather inaction) would be the same, but because Jim is injured the ramifications are greater. Would Terry be a coward if Jim wasn't injured, but he is a coward because Jim was?

I'm not really sure where I stand on this, but it adds another layer to how I see Terry and evaluate his (in)action... that he really wasn't that guy. He, too, has to reconcile who he was, and after a life-changing event, who he is now. Seems Terry, in a different way, is dealing with the same issue as Jim: who he was before the shooting versus who he is now.

I know this is rambling, but this thread has brought out more nuance, and the point is well taken that we have had the luxury of seeing this multiple times versus the average viewer who saw it only once.

[inuvik]

bjobsessed said:

I was very encouraged to find this. Maybe there's hope for us. Has anyone found out where we need to write yet?

Thanks for this! Very interesting.

I say let's go with Paramount until we find out differently. They put out the promotional DVD's. If it is not them, perhaps they'll answer one of us and tell us who is responsible for them.

The address is in the Steven Bochco thread.

[maggiethecat]

inuvik said:

bjobsessed said:

I was very encouraged to find this. Maybe there's hope for us. Has anyone found out where we need to write yet?

Thanks for this! Very interesting.

I say let's go with Paramount until we find out differently. They put out the promotional DVD's. If it is not them, perhaps they'll answer one of us and tell us who is responsible for them.

The address is in the Steven Bochco thread.

Hi, all!

I just posted an answer over in the Steven Bochco thread under Announcements, which is where this discussion has been going for a few days. Letters to Paramount could be wasted, and the rest of my answer is in Bochco!

Thanks!

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

I just looked at the scene again (so you don't have to -- unless you want to ), and Fisk clearly grabs Jim's arm and pulls him right into Karen's desk.

Watched it again and you're dead right. Let's say it now, all together: Absolutely right. Fisk does exactly what you're not supposed to do -- grab a blind person and start pulling. He gets Jim by the arm and heads out, not even watching to see where Jim is going but looking straight ahead. So of course Dunbar bashes into Karen's desk. One of those little moments we can watch dozens of times and still see something we'd not seen before.