![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ts_essentials_modMost of the time, a show has to grab us right from the get-go, or else we're ready to flip to another channel. Even in 1996 this was true; much more so for a mid-season replacement show airing on UPN, which was not one of the big network stations. I was fortunate to see the pilot as my first episode, even though I'd been reading fanfic for a while. I've got to say that the creators of the show hit a home run. Because the pilot is longer than a regular episode and there's so much packed into it, I'll have to skip some details. Watch the episode—it is awesomely good.
We start five years before present day, where the Army has discovered debris from a crashed helicopter in a remote Peruvian jungle. A team of eight Rangers (an elite section of the Army) was in the 'copter, which disappeared 18 months before with everyone presumed dead. The S&R team sent in to investigate has found seven graves. They are quickly and efficiently surrounded by local tribesmen (the Chopec) and are greeted by a tall hunk of man dressed in camouflage gear with tribal markings on his muscular arms. The man has noticed the Special Forces patch on one soldier's uniform and introduces himself as Captain James Ellison, the leader of the team. He further informs them that he has continued the original mission for the entire time, using the Chopec to help him. The soldiers look at him with some skepticism, since he seems a little intense. He also seems to be exhibiting what is later described as hallucinatory behavior—hearing things that are not there as an example. In any event, it's obvious that this mission is over.
Cut to present day Cascade (read Seattle), Washington. In five short years, Ellison is now a senior detective in the Major Crime division of the Cascade Police Department. He's also currently the lead investigator in a serial bombing case that is holding the city at bay. Captain Simon Banks, Jim's boss, is briefing a task force about the situation. The bomber has singled Jim out for taunting, through anonymous emails signed "The Switchman". At this time we are also introduced to the head of the Technical Division, Carolyn Plummer. We further learn that Jim runs his investigations "in his own way". As a result, he's been staking out a likely location around the clock for a week.
The next scene sets the tone for the show. Jim, on stakeout, is alerted to the arrival of the perp. He and the team go in and are almost trapped there, except for Jim's quick realization that a bomb is about to explode. No loss of life, but there's a spectacular explosion and the entire warehouse disintegrates. The perp, who was hiding in the cellar, leaves via motorcycle and Jim tries but fails to apprehend him. Complicating things is the fact that Jim has been experiencing what could be described as hallucinatory behavior (sound familiar?) He hears, sees and smells things at the site that no one else does.
Cut to Simon's office where Jim enters, looking like something the cat dragged in. He requests a leave of absence, which Simon objects to because he's under so much pressure to solve the case. Jim tells Simon that he needs to see doctors to figure out what's wrong. Simon doesn't like it but doesn't have a choice. On a side note, out of all the scenes in the show, this one, with Jim sitting in a chair looking so defeated and lost, is one of the most poignant. He's obviously a warrior who takes his job seriously and something is preventing him from doing it. The weight of responsibility, as well as the fear from loss of control is evident.
Cut to a restaurant where Jim (cleaned up and looking dashing) is having dinner with Carolyn Plummer. We learn they were once married and are now on equitable terms. He quickly figures out that she's there at Simon's bidding to try to get him to return to work. They fight and some of their issues get brought up. Then he tastes his food and reacts as if he's been poisoned. Carolyn eats some herself, with no ill effects, and advises him to get some help.
Which he does. In the next scene we're in a hospital examination room, where we get a great shot of Jim's naked chest right before he dons a shirt. A squirrely-acting doctor walks in and explains that modern medicine can't help him, gives Jim a business card and leaves. Jim's annoyed and a little confused. Another doctor comes in and says they can't find anything wrong with Jim. Guess where Jim is going next?
To Rainier University, where the squirrely guy turns out to be Blair Sandburg, an anthropologist working on his PhD in none other than the study of people with heightened senses. He believes that Jim is the personification of what he's hoping to find: someone with all five senses enhanced—something he terms a "sentinel". (Catchy name for a show, eh?) He offers to help Jim figure the sentinel stuff out in exchange for writing his doctoral dissertation about Jim. In his excitement and eagerness to sell himself, Blair only ends up confusing and then pissing Jim off. In a scene universally beloved and oft-quoted, Jim grabs Blair by the shirt and shoves him back against a wall, calling him a "neo-hippy witch-doctor punk". Despite Blair giving Jim some pretty compelling information, Jim is still miffed at being played and leaves in a huff. Blair is not intimidated and, in fact, follows Jim out to tell him about a theoretical Achilles' heel that sentinels have—the zone out. Just in time, as Jim experiences one while he's in the middle of a street. Blair tackles him down and flings them both under a truck that would have killed Jim, but instead rolls over them harmlessly. Now Blair has Jim's attention, and thus begins a great relationship.
From the start, Blair is more than willing to share everything he knows and much of what he's extrapolated from his studies. He has some practical knowledge, having tested hundreds of people with one or two hyperactive senses. But he also uses a fair amount of deductive reasoning as well as intuitive leaps to figure out what to do. Although you can see the hero-worship in Blair's eyes, it's also clear that he cares about Jim as a person. He's more interested in making sure that Jim can function than he is about getting Jim into a lab for tests. Their first stop is a practical one—a farmer's market where Blair insists Jim can filter out one distinctive smell from all the others; in this case roses. Just as Jim is getting the hang of it, Blair gets distracted by two women from Rainier who come up to him to talk flirt. As the women move off, Blair immediately wants to use Jim's super powers to overhear their conversation. Perhaps Jim is annoyed that Blair's not focusing on his sentinel, because he ends up giving Blair an uncharitable answer. Altogether an adorable scene and a chance to see how well they are already bantering.
In the meantime, there's been another bombing at a train station, where we are introduced to another recurring character, Joel Taggart, captain of the Bomb Squad. He explains that the bombs are becoming more deadly. Simon asks Jim to come back to work. The Switchman has upped the ante and promises a spectacular and deadly finale the next day. Without much hope, Jim and Blair return to the demolished warehouse. Blair assures Jim that once he's able to control his senses he can utilize them in extraordinary ways to detect and prevent crimes. He calls Jim a "human crime lab". Sure enough, Jim 'super-sees' a bird making a nest with a strand of wool from a cap the perp was wearing. He's able to detect a scent on the wool. Blair ends up dragging an unwilling Jim through several fragrance shops until he's able to identify it.
Fortunately the shop keeps a client list, and the person who ordered the fragrance is one Veronica Sarris. It seems she does have a vendetta against Jim; her father was one of the men killed in the Peru mission. She was an explosives expert in the Navy before getting a psychiatric discharge, giving her means and motive. Simon doesn't think what Jim's smelled on a wool thread is enough for a warrant and, in fact, is thinking Jim has flipped his lid. So Jim, who does things "in his own way", tracks Veronica down, bringing Blair along in his wake. It seems Veronica is a tour guide and is currently on assignment with a group at the top of a tower-like building that has an observation deck.
Jim goes into the building looking for her, leaving Blair to watch the street. Blair sees she's loading her group on a bus, with no Jim in sight. Blair slips onto the bus and it takes off just as Jim gets outside. And just in time to see his car towed away. Jim commandeers a taxi, drives like crazy to get ahead of the bus and waits on an overpass for it to drive by. He decides to do something heroic and extremely dangerous by leaping onto the bus.
But before that happens, Veronica has pulled a gun on the bus driver, forcing him to go off course. Blair, hunched down and using Jim's cell phone, tries to call 911 with the situation. Veronica snatches it away and demands to talk to Jim, because she wants one last taunt. Simon doesn't know where to find Jim, but we do—he comes crashing through the back window, gun drawn. He disarms her by shooting his bullet right down the barrel of her gun (is that even possible? I guess for a sentinel it is). She accuses him of letting her father die. You can see that, even in this crisis, Jim is affected by the statement. Jim tells her that her father was his friend and that he tried to save them.
She's beyond listening and is only waiting for the bomb she planted on the bus to go off, ending her misery as well as the lives of all these people. In desperation he turns to Blair, who's been observing them and asks him to help Jim look for the bomb. Blair, already proving his worth, tells Jim "Don't look—listen!" Jim hands his gun to Blair to keep an eye on Sarris, and he starts listening for the telltale ticking. Now another aside: the one second shot where they focus on Blair holding the gun and looking at Veronica is one of the best shots for showing his handsome face and those extraordinary blue eyes. It's totally yummy.
Blair glances back to see how Jim is doing and Veronica gets the drop on him (she was trained in the military). They struggle and eventually Blair decks her with one good punch. Jim, in the meantime, is having a "directed zone" where he's tuned out everything except listening for the ticking. He finds the bomb just in time to chuck it out the back window and save the day.
The final scene has Simon congratulating Jim, and Carolyn inviting him over for dinner. In a spectacular reveal of his senses, he tells her that her missing watch is in her car. Not enough for her to put two and two together, but certainly not discreet on his part. Then he checks on Blair, who's had his hand bandaged by the EMTs (that must have been quite a punch) and is being questioned by Joel, who asks Jim if he knows Blair. He says "Yeah. My new partner", a statement he lives to regret. It's a statement that excites the already excitable Blair, especially when Jim tells him that, because apparently a sentinel needs a partner, Blair should be his. He also wrings a promise from Blair that will come back to haunt them both: he wants his sentinel abilities to stay secret. Blair readily agrees; not truly understanding all the implications. Instead he focuses on the shiny: will he be able to get a badge? Jim yanks his chain by telling him he has to attend the police academy and Blair parries with another famous line: "I am not cutting my hair!"
As pilots go this is altogether satisfying. The characters are introduced in a way that presents them, even this early on, as interesting and multi-dimensional. We want to know more about them. Jim Ellison is standard action hero in appearance and skills—he literally leaps off things and is totally dedicated to his job and ethics. Yet he's also vulnerable, has a sense of humor, and more than a few faults. But when he's not frightened or running on instinct, he is approachable and open to ideas.
At face value (and it's a damn fine face), Blair seems to be the polar opposite. Mostly an academic, although he has life experiences we learn about later, it wouldn't seem that he'd have much in common with Jim. He dresses half-way between flower child and grunge, and has long hair and earrings; contrasting sharply with Jim's casual but conservative look. He chatters when he's nervous, and there seems to be a bit of a snake-oil salesman about him. And yet they click. One could say that saving another man's life is a powerful bond—a show of faith more eloquent than a thousand words. But, as the rest of the series unfolds, most fans believe that there is something beyond any surface explanation.
For an interesting take on the subject, I refer you to the always enjoyable PatK who wrote this essay in 2005: The Connection Between Jim and Blair or "What's Up With Us, Chief?" She has an incredible talent for stripping away fanon and really focusing on canon, either facts or extrapolations. It's highly enjoyable and makes you realize that fen have been discussing these characters for years.
Essential Elements:
v Backstory: The mother lode! Jim's time as an Army Ranger captain, part of an elite group of soldiers. This already shows that he's several cuts above average, which could explain how he fast-tracked to become a respected detective in a major city's police department. He's been married and divorced. He has enough chops that he's allowed to use unusual methods to conduct his work. He takes his job and responsibilities very seriously. Yet, he's also very human. Underneath that competent shell is someone who is battling a few demons, and we witness a little of his vulnerability here. We also learn a bit about Blair; that he's studied hundreds of people with hyperactive senses, though none with all five. That he believes these mythic sentinels truly exist and he's actively searching for them. That he's not above using questionable methods, since he gets Jim's medical records and impersonates a doctor to meet Jim. He's also done some background investigation of Jim—he knows about Jim's time in Peru. He correctly guesses that Jim suppressed his memories and abilities as a result of PTSD. He's also incredibly quick to make connections, and almost immediately comes up with innovative ways to use and control Jim's senses.
v Sentinel mythology: We learn that sentinelism (for lack of a better word) is genetically based. They use a real life explorer, Richard Burton, to tell the myth that all tribal cultures had sentinels, that sentinels were prone to zone-outs and that sentinels had partners who watched their backs. Of course, Burton never wrote any such thing, but using his name gives a sense of realism to the mystique.
v Use of sentinel abilities: Again we have a mother lode here. Seeing: the Ranger badge, the bomb timer in the warehouse, the weird visual on the motorcycle, the bird with the yarn, seeing Veronica from the top of the tower building, shooting the gun barrel. Hearing: the flock of birds, the bubbling water, girls talking, bomb on the bus and Carolyn's watch. Smell: gas at the warehouse, the roses at the farmer's market, the yarn at the warehouse, the fragrance store. Taste: spicy food at the dinner with Carolyn. Touch: the wood ashes and plastic ashes at the warehouse.
v Relationship building: We're introduced to major and minor characters. Jim and Blair of course, but also Simon, Carolyn and Joel. Through the villain, Veronica Sarris, we discover that Jim had strong relationships while he was in the Army. He refers to her father as "his friend". The stage is set for a long-term relationship with Jim and Blair. Ostensibly it's a simple contract: Blair helps Jim with his senses and, in exchange, can write a dissertation about him and get his PhD (and creds for showing a myth really exists). But by the closing credits we can already see this is going to be more than a contractual arrangement. They care and listen to each other, they are comfortable enough for banter and Jim has already teased Blair and found a couple of nicknames for him. It is a testament to the actors, as much as the writing, that this happens so quickly. Jim and Blair definitely have chemistry.
v Memorable sound bytes: "Neo-hippy witch-doctor punk." "I'm not going to cut my hair!" "Richard Burton, the explorer not the actor." "You're a behavioral throwback to a pre-civilized breed of man." "The zone-out factor." And, of course, Jim's first use of his favorite nickname "Chief". He also shows a propensity for nicks by calling Blair "Darwin".
v Influence on fanfic: Although there's a fair number of missing scenes/epilogues written for Switchman, the gold mine is really all the canon mentioned in the other essential elements above. Every story of Jim's time with the Chopec, or just before going on the mission or even any story of his time in the Army finds its beginnings here. Every story of Blair focusing on finding a sentinel, his fascination with anthropology, or the Richard Burton monologue starts here. Jim's tendency to work "in his own way" has given rise to a host of stories that depict him as a rigid 'lone wolf'. Different meeting AUs that still have them ending up together because of Jim's senses and Blair's knowledge can give this episode a tip of the hat. It's one of the most influential episodes in the entire series.
episode-related fanfic
no subject
Date: 2011-11-22 06:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 06:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 02:59 am (UTC)Lovely wallpaper, gorgeous colors and caps, great blending.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 06:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 06:33 am (UTC)And yep Lyn did a great job on the artwork. I don't know how she could limit herself to just a few images.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-24 03:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 09:02 pm (UTC)Lyn - amazing artwork!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-24 03:35 am (UTC)