The 4400 - SCIFIPEDIA

The 4400

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The 4400

Original Run	July 11, 2004 to September 16, 2007
No. of Episodes	42
Genre(s)	Scifi Drama
Creator(s)	René Echevarria Scott Peters
Exec. Producer(s)	René Echevarria
Starring	Joel Gretsch Jacqueline McKenzie Mahershalalhashbaz Ali Laura Allen Megalyn Echikunwoke Patrick Flueger Chad Faust Karina Lombard Conchita Campbell Billy Campbell
Country of Origin	Canada United States
Original Channel	USA Network

The 4400 (2004–) is an original TV series from creators Rene Echevarria and Scott Peters that premiered July 11, 2004, on the USA Network. The basic premise concerns the reappearance in the present day of 4,400 people who had disappeared over the previous 66 years, the first being Maia Rutledge Skouris (Conchita Campbell), a six-year-old girl taken in 1938; and one of the last, Shawn Farrell (Patrick Flueger), taken in 2001.

After four seasons, USA Network announced in December, 2007, the cancellation of The 4400 and The Dead Zone due to low ratings. Following the cancellation, a fan campaign to return The 4400 to the air began. Taking their example from Jericho fans, who sent peanuts to CBS to get that series renewed, international fans of The 4400 compelled the makers of Giants Sunflower seeds to support their campaign to have the series renewed. Wether the campaign proves successful remains to be seen.

1 Summary
2 The Cast
- 2.1 Recurring
3 Episode Guide
4 External Links

Summary

When what at first appears to be a comet changes course and approaches Earth, humanity seems to the on the verge of extinction. Multiple nuclear missiles fired at the object have no effect. Then, 4,400 previously missing persons reappear on the shore of a lake in a bright flash of white light. All the abductees are returned to the present no older than they were when taken.

The Department of Homeland Security's new division NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command) is immediately tasked with quarantining the new arrivals and keeping watch over them as they develop strange new abilities. They try to solve the mystery behind their return and why they were taken. Meanwhile, various returnees find themselves in unusual and dangerous situations. The NTAC investigators are led by Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch), a crime investigator, and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie), a biomedic. Tom's nephew, Shawn Farrell, was taken, perhaps mistakenly, in place of his son Kyle (Chad Faust), leaving Kyle in a coma for four years.

Each episode follows the members of the 4,400 as they change and alter the world around them. At the end of the first season, it is revealed that the 4,400 were not abducted by aliens but by future humans tasked with making changes in the timeline.

The Cast

Joel Gretsch as Tom Baldwin

Jacqueline McKenzie as Diana Skouris

Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Richard Tyler

Laura Allen as Lily Tyler (2004–2005)

Megalyn Echikunwoke as Isabelle Tyler (2006 — 2007)

Patrick Flueger as Shawn Farrell

Chad Faust as Kyle Baldwin

Conchita Campbell as Maia Skouris

Billy Campbell as Jordan Collier

Samantha Ferris as Nina Jarvis (2005 - 2006;)

Jenny Baird as Megan Doyle (2007)

Recurring

Kaj-Erik Eriksen as Danny Farrell

Karina Lombard as Alana Mareva (2005 — 2006)

Brooke Nevin as Nikki Hudson (2004)

Peter Coyote as Dennis Ryland (2004-2006)

Natasha Gregson Wagner as April Skouris

Richard Kahan as Marco Pacella

Jeffrey Combs as Kevin Burkhoff

Episode Guide

Season 1

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.

4,400 previously missing people return in a brilliant flash of light at Highland Beach outside Seattle. None of them are any older than when they disappeared. Federal Agents Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris are assigned to investigate the phenomenon and a division of Homeland Security, NTAC, is created to deal with the 4,400.

Some of the returnees begin to develop strange abilities. Maia Rutledge, a small girl abducted in the 1940's is able to see the future and Shawn Farrell, Tom's nephew, has developed the power to heal as well as take life. Shawn awakens Tom's son, Kyle, from his three-year coma that began when Shawn was abducted. NTAC follows the 4400 and discover there may be a ripple effect caused by the actions of the 4,400.

4400 Lily Moore discovers she's pregnant though she wasn't before she was abducted. In fact, she'd recently had a baby girl who is now 12 years old and unaware Lily is her mother. Lily develops a relationship with fellow 4400, Richard Tyler. The two find themselves under the protective wing of business man and 4400, Jordan Collier, but soon learn he may not be trustworthy. Lily's unborn child exhibits amazing powers even in the womb and Lily can sense her emotions and thoughts. The couple eventually learn Richard is the father. Feeling threatened by Jordan Collier and mistrustful of NTAC, Lily and Richard go on the run to protect their unborn child.

Kyle Baldwin appeared to have recovered physically from his coma but appears disoriented and detached. He comes to believe that he isn't Kyle Baldwin and leads Tom back to Highland Beach where the 4400 were returned. Kyle becomes engulfed in a white light and communicates to Tom that the 4400 were taken to the future and have been returned to save Earth from a future catastrophe. The future intended to take Kyle but Shawn interrupted and he was taken instead and Kyle was injured in the process. The entity inside Kyle asks Tom to help the 4400.

Season 2

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.

The second season picks up a year after the events of the first with Lily and Richard who got married and gave birth to Isabelle Tyler. The family remains in hiding but a local religious fanatic targets them and begins to hunt them down. Isabelle protects her parents by killing the three men chasing them. Richard is wary of Isabelle's power particularly when she uses it against him. They eventually return to Seattle to find Jordan Collier has opened up The 4400 Center. Collier wins them over again and the two settle into roles at the center.

Shawn, alienated from his family, has become Jordan Collier's second in command at The 4400 Center. Jordan is grooming him for leadership role at the center and Shawn begins to use his abilities to help people of Jordan's choosing. Shawn doesn't agree with all Jordan's methods but believes in his cause.

Diana and Maia's relationship becomes official when Diana adopts her. Getting Maia into school proves difficult as her abilities tend to scare people. Diana eventually settles on home schooling. Maia predicts that Jordan Collier is going to die. Maia proves right when Collier is assassinated during an event at the center. Shawn is devastated but takes on the role as head of the center with the help of Matthew Ross.

Tom's divorce becomes final and he and Kyle move into a new house together. Kyle starts his first year of college and begins to settle in. He soon begins to suffer blackouts and lost time. The flashes of memories he has of his blackouts leads him to realize he killed Jordan Collier. He turns to Shawn who releases the entity inside him that caused him to kill Jordan. Despite his father's attempts to save him from prosecution, Kyle eventually turned himself in to the police.

Tom experiences an alternate reality in which the 4400 do not exist. He soon realizes the reality is the result of his wife in the new reality, Alana Mareva. The two spend several years together at the will of the people from the future. They eventually return to the real world after experiencing eight years together in a matter of minutes.

When the 4,400 begin to get ill, Tom and Diana's investigations lead them to their own boss Dennis Ryland. Dennis Ryland masterminded a plot to suppress the abilities by drugging them with a Promicin Inhibitor. The pandemic was a side effect. Dr. Kevin Burkoff was able to formulate a serum that cured the 4400 using pure promicin from baby Isabelle.

In a season ending surprise, Isabelle grew from an infant into an adult instantaneously.

Season 3

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.

Now off the promicin inhibitor, the 4,400 are developing knew abilities and strengthening their existing ones. In response to the threat from the government, the Nova group is formed and is considered a terrorist organization. Members of the Nova group attempt to kill Dennis Ryland during his trial. The plan backfires and the support he has for his decision becomes evident when he is let off lightly and becomes and executive at the Haspel corporation.

While Isabelle has grown into a woman, her mother has also aged and she has become elderly and infirm. Isabel's new adulthood is directly connected to her mother and Isabelle feels guilty. Isabelle attempts to kill herself but instantly recovers. Shawn helps stave off Lily's decline but she eventually dies leaving Richard to get to know his adult daughter. Matthew Ross offers Isabelle a syringe with a liquid he claims will kill her if she chooses, but she decides not to go through with it.

Isabelle asks Shawn to help her experience some of the rites of passage people usually experience as they grow but that she missed. The two grow close and start a sexual relationship. When Richard discovers it he demands Shawn end it but Isabelle refuses to let go. It quickly becomes clear that defying her wishes may have dire consequences and her powers are unstoppable. She begins to work with Haspel to produce Promicin.

Maia becomes excited when a woman claiming to be her sister, Sara, shows up at her apartment. Diana is wary of her, as she looked for Maia's relatives but was unable to find any. Maia and several other 4400 children are taken and Maia soon realizes Sara is from the future. She has plans to send Maia further back into the past.

Though their memories have been altered, Tom and Diana begin to have flashes of Maia and with Alana's help they are able to remember her. Tom risks his life and is able to convince Sara to return Maia for a price. Tom is ordered to kill Isabelle.

When Sean's mind comes under attack by members of the Nova group, Isabelle goes on a hunt to find the source, killing several 4400 members of the Nova group along the way. A lack of evidence prevents her prosecution. Further investigation into the Nova group leads Tom to realize Alana is a member. Alana is forced to leave to avoid prosecution.

Isabelle insists she and Sean must marry to prevent her from doing terrible things. On the eve of their wedding Collier returns and their wedding is postponed. Collier claims to have seen the future and knows what must be done to prevent the catastrophe.

Season 4

The series' fourth season opened with the battle for promicin. Promicin use has spread and has been made illegal. The 4400 have been forced to register their abilities and the use of them is illegal. Any individual found to be promicin positive through the use of the illegal drug is imprisoned for life and put on the inhibitor. NTAC sends former think tank member, Megan Doyle to seattle to head the local branch with the goal of making progress in containing the problem.

Kyle Baldwin, guided by his ability, manifest in the form of Cassie Donlevy, manages to awaken a comatose Shawn but the two later disagree on Shawn's stance against Collier. Despite the risks, Shawn reopens his healing foundation and manages to get away with using his abilities. He is also encouraged to run for public office which he does but not without opposition.

Diana returns to Seattle to find her sister April and ultimately decides that her place is there, straining her relationship with Ben.

Collier and his growing following take over and transform a derelict area of Seattle into a home for others like themselves, expanding its borders as they are threatened. Diana and Tom continue to track down dangerous 4400, particularly ones with new abilities.

Kyle rescues Isabel from custody and the two join Collier's movement. Collier never truly accepts Isabel and she is kidnapped by her own father who uses another 4400's ability to return her to a child, only to change his mind.

But Isabel was not free to follow her own destiny and neither was Tom. Tom is taken over by an agent from the future intending to quell the 4400 movement. Under the influence of another personality, he forces Isabel to take back her abilities and sends her to capture Collier and kill Kyle. Though she captures Collier, she ia unable to kill Kyle and gives her life to free Tom and Collier from the Marked, individuals who, like Tom, had been taken over by personalities from the future with an agenda. It is Marco, Diana and Megan who free Tom and find the means to do the same to others like him.

Ultimately, despite NTAC's attempts, the 4400 movement became impossible to contain when Shawn's brother, Danny took promicin and developed an ability to produce and spread promicin virally. His ability unintentionally killed thousands including his mother and transformed others including NTAC Seattle branch head, Megan Doyle into promicin-positive individuals with abilities. Danny died after begging his brother to end his suffering, leaving behind Shawn, Tom, and Kyle to grieve all their losses.