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Pilot is the pilot episode of The 4400. It was written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria and directed by Yves Simoneau. "The Return" first aired on July 11, 2004
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
Plot
March 3, 1946 Maia Rutledge is on a picnic with her parents in California. With their permission she explores an area a short distance away to pick flowers. A bright light surrounds her and she disappears.
May 11, 1951 Richard Tyler, an Air Force pilot is attacked by fellow officers in Sinanju Korea after they discover a photograph of a white woman, Lily Bonham, among his things.They leave him with the warning to transfer out, and a short while later he is surrounded by bright light and disappears.
June 11, 1979 Orson Bailey, president of the insurance firm Kensington and Bailey in Tacoma Washington prepares to celebrate his 35th wedding anniversary. While getting ready to pick up his wife, he disappears in a flash of bright light.
April 22, 2001 Shawn Farrell and his cousin Kyle Baldwin are drinking beer at Highland Beach. A bright light appears over Kyle and Shawn tries to protect him. Shawn disappears and Kyle falls unconscious.
July 11, 2004 Federal Agent Tom Baldwin visits his son Kyle in the hospital. Kyle has been in a coma for three years and Tom has been determined to find his nephew ever since. He took a leave of absence from his job and hired detectives to search for Shawn, believing he'd gone on the run after hurting Kyle. His marriage has fallen apart.
People everywhere are excited about a comet expected to make a near pass by Earth. The comet unexpectedly shifts trajectory to a collision with Earth and mass panic ensues. The Department of Homeland Security in Seattle are monitor the comet's approach. The U.S. fires missiles at it, as do China, England, France, and Russia. None of their attempts affects the comet. Agent Diana Skouris believes the comet may be something else entirely. When the object decreases in speed, agents track it to Highland Beach.
The object, a bright ball of light, comes to a halt, hovering over the lake. In a single flash it disappears and the area is shrouded in mist. When the mist begins to clear, it reveals hundreds of people. Maia, Shawn, Richard, and Orson are all among them.
Tom watches the events from his son's hospital room and recognizes his nephew among the returnees. Needing access to his nephew, Tom pays a visit to Dennis Ryland and requests his job back after the extended leave he took after . To his and Diana's dismay, Ryland makes them partners.
The returnees are held in quarantine at a federal facility and questioned. Tom questions Shawn about what happened but he has no answers for him. Tom reveals Kyle has been in a coma since the day Shawn disappeared.
While in quarantine, Richard meets Lily Moore who looks exactly like the Lily Bonham he once loved. She reveals that Lily was her grandmother and though Richard is saddened at the news that Lily died, he and her granddaughter become quick friends. Across the room Orson Bailey angrily demands to see a lawyer and an opportunity to call his wife. Maia approaches him and hands him tissues. Moments later, his nose begins to bleed.
Six weeks later, unable to detain them any longer, the government releases the 4400. Those who are able, reunite with the people they left behind. Lily is disappointed that her family hasn't come to find her goes home to see her husband and the baby girl she left behind. Her daughter, Heidi, now eleven, answers the door but doesn't recognize her. Her husband remarried and has a son with his second wife; they raised Heidi to believe she was theirs.
Richard returns home to St. Louis but finds his old neighborhood is now a freeway. Orson returns to his home and finds his wife is in a nursing home and his partner's son, Adam Kensington is running the insurance company and wants nothing to do with him. He becomes angry and a glass shatters.
Later, he visits Kensington's house. He grabs on to the gates and his overwhelming rage causes the house to shake and glass all over the house explodes. Kensington is impaled on shattered glass but dies as a result of a cracked skull. Orson is arrested and questioned but later released as he was not on the property at the time. He returns to the nursing home to discover his wife has passed away. Lights begin to shatter and furniture breaks as Orson vents his rage. Tom and Diana question the nursing home administrator, Alan Kushner. After learning from Ryland that Orson checked out of his hotel, the pair go to find him. They discover he may be hiding at a cabin he once owned.
Maia is placed in a foster home with Patty and Kenneth Griffin. She places her new shoes on a chair but Patty tells her it's not allowed and puts them on the floor. Maia explains that she doesn't want to get them wet and when Patty leaves she returns the shoes to the chair. Later, Patty runs the washing machine and the water leaks into Maia's room.
Maia goes to visit her family's grave with Patty and Kenneth, she informs them that they'll both be buried in a cemetery nearby. The next day they receive a brochure from the cemetery. Uncomfortable with Maia's clairvoyant abilities, they return her to Homeland Security
Shawn reunites with his mother Susan and younger brother Danny. Like the other 4400, he has not aged and he and Danny are now the same age. His family throws a party for him and Tom makes an effort to mend fences with Shawn. While they talk in the backyard, a bird flies into the glass door and appears to have suffered a broken neck. When Shawn picks it up however, it returns to life and flies away. Later that night, he discovers the words "Freak" spray painted on his car.
Shawn returns to school but finds his return is not welcomed by everyone. He gets into a fight with Brad who may be responsible for the paint job on his car. Shawn manages to gain the upper hand but in his attempt to defend himself, he begins to drain life from Brad but manages to stop before killing him.
Nikki, Danny's girlfriend, befriends Shawn. She gives him a CD of recent music to help him catch up on what he's missed. He's surprised that she doesn't consider him a freak.
Richard returns to Seattle from St. Louis and tries to find Lily. He finds her at her favorite park. She reveals that she's pregnant though she wasn't before she left and she has never been unfaithful to her husband, Brian.
Tom and Diana track Orson down at his cabin. He refuses to leave but when they try to apprehend him, he uses his abilities which cause their noses and ears to bleed. Orson is unable to stop what he's begun and Diana shoots him.
Ryland requests that Tom check on the other returnees to find out if the have abilities like Orson's. He asks about Shawn but Tom denies anything unusual about him.
Shawn's brother Danny find news on the internet about Orson killing Kensington. He accuses his brother of doing something to Brad and Shawn becomes angry and leaves.
He goes to the hospital to visit Kyle for the first time. When he touches him, Kyle begins to awake. Shawn panics and withdraws and Kyle returns to his coma.
Guest Stars
External Links
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