The Pilot (CSI episode)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the pilot
of the American crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
which is set in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. It originally aired as episode 1 of Season 1
on October 6, 2000.
, who is the assistant supervisor of the graveyard shift
. Nick Stokes
and Warrick Brown
both realize that they only need to solve one more crime to reach the level of CSI 3. Catherine Willows
jumps out of a car, saying goodbye to her daughter and her sister before rushing into the CSI building. Jim Brass
hands the CSIs their assignments for the night.
Brass and Grissom investigate what appears to be the suicide
of Royce Harmon. However, the autopsy
shows that the entry hole for the bullet is too small for a shot at close range, as would be the case if he had shot himself in the chest, and they realize that Harmon was murder
ed. Grissom finds a fingerprint
with latex
particles in it on the tape-recorder Harmon used to record his “suicide” note. The print belongs to Paul Millander, a man who sells fake Halloween
hands made from a mold
of his own hand. Grissom realizes that the suspect used one of these hands.
Nick Stokes arrives at his crime scene
and meets a man who was drugged by a hooker and had his possessions stolen while he was unconscious. Nick notices a discoloration around the man’s mouth that he thereafter ties up with another caseload, Kristy Hopkins, who accidentally crashes her car when she got knocked unconscious while driving. He notices the same discoloration around her nipple
s and realizes that she put scopolamine
on her nipples to knock out her victims and steal their possessions.
Catherine and Warrick arrive at a house where a man lies dead. They have discovered that the dead man had been staying at the house until the owners recently kicked him out. When he tried to kick in the door, the husband shot him. Catherine notices that the husband's left toenail is broken and that the laces of the dead man’s shoes are tied differently from each other. Warrick processes the shoes and finds a broken toenail in one of them. He tries to obtain a warrant
for the husband’s toenails but Brass refuses to call the judge, so Warrick visits Judge Cohen. In exchange for giving him a blank warrant, the judge gets Warrick to place a bet for him on a football
game.
Grissom takes Holly to her first crime scene, a store robbery, and leaves her there. However, when the store owner pulls a gun on Holly, she requests back up from Catherine. Later, as Holly wonders if she is cut out for this job, Catherine convinces her to stay until she solves her first case.
Brass discovers that Warrick went behind his back to obtain a warrant and pulls him from his case. He forces Warrick to shadow Holly. However, Warrick still has to place the bet for Judge Cohen and leaves Holly at the scene alone with a police officer. Unbeknownst to the CSI team, the officer leaves Holly’s scene, leaving her to process the scene alone. The suspect returns to the scene and attacks her. Meanwhile, Grissom takes over Warrick's case and finds the husband's toenail clippings. He matches the broken nail in the shoe to the husband's clippings and concludes that the husband shot the victim and then kicked the door in to make the murder look like self-defense.
Nick, having solved his 100th case, is now a Level 3 CSI. As the CSI team begins to celebrate, Brass tells them the news that Holly has been shot and is in hospital.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of the American crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
which is set in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It originally aired as episode 1 of Season 1
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 1)
The first season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000 and ended May 17, 2001. The first season was rereleased Blu-ray, May 12, 2009.It is the only season of the CSI franchise that was broadcast in 4:3 ratio...
on October 6, 2000.
Plot
At the crime lab, Holly Gribbs introduces herself to Gil GrissomGil Grissom
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
, who is the assistant supervisor of the graveyard shift
Shift work
Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of the 24 hours of the clock. The term "shift work" includes both long-term night shifts and work schedules in which employees change or rotate shifts....
. Nick Stokes
Nick Stokes
Nicholas "Nick" Stokes is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by George Eads. Nick has appeared in every episode except for "Blood Lust" from season three, "Jackpot" and "Butterflied" from season four, "Committed" from season five, and "Spellbound"...
and Warrick Brown
Warrick Brown
Warrick Brown is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Gary Dourdan. Warrick appeared in every episode until his death in season nine, with the exceptions of "After the Show" from season four, "Crow's Feet" and "Committed" from season five, and...
both realize that they only need to solve one more crime to reach the level of CSI 3. Catherine Willows
Catherine Willows
Catherine Willows is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Marg Helgenberger, who has received two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for the role...
jumps out of a car, saying goodbye to her daughter and her sister before rushing into the CSI building. Jim Brass
Jim Brass
James "Jim" Brass is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Paul Guilfoyle. Jim appeared in every episode, with exception of "Felonious Monk" from season two, "Gum Drops" and "The Unusual Suspect" from season six, "Leaving Las Vegas" from season...
hands the CSIs their assignments for the night.
Brass and Grissom investigate what appears to be the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of Royce Harmon. However, the autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
shows that the entry hole for the bullet is too small for a shot at close range, as would be the case if he had shot himself in the chest, and they realize that Harmon was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. Grissom finds a fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
with latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
particles in it on the tape-recorder Harmon used to record his “suicide” note. The print belongs to Paul Millander, a man who sells fake Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
hands made from a mold
Molding (process)
Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....
of his own hand. Grissom realizes that the suspect used one of these hands.
Nick Stokes arrives at his crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
and meets a man who was drugged by a hooker and had his possessions stolen while he was unconscious. Nick notices a discoloration around the man’s mouth that he thereafter ties up with another caseload, Kristy Hopkins, who accidentally crashes her car when she got knocked unconscious while driving. He notices the same discoloration around her nipple
Nipple
In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...
s and realizes that she put scopolamine
Scopolamine
Scopolamine, also known as levo-duboisine, and hyoscine, is a tropane alkaloid drug with muscarinic antagonist effects. It is among the secondary metabolites of plants from Solanaceae family of plants, such as henbane, jimson weed and Angel's Trumpets , and corkwood...
on her nipples to knock out her victims and steal their possessions.
Catherine and Warrick arrive at a house where a man lies dead. They have discovered that the dead man had been staying at the house until the owners recently kicked him out. When he tried to kick in the door, the husband shot him. Catherine notices that the husband's left toenail is broken and that the laces of the dead man’s shoes are tied differently from each other. Warrick processes the shoes and finds a broken toenail in one of them. He tries to obtain a warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
for the husband’s toenails but Brass refuses to call the judge, so Warrick visits Judge Cohen. In exchange for giving him a blank warrant, the judge gets Warrick to place a bet for him on a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game.
Grissom takes Holly to her first crime scene, a store robbery, and leaves her there. However, when the store owner pulls a gun on Holly, she requests back up from Catherine. Later, as Holly wonders if she is cut out for this job, Catherine convinces her to stay until she solves her first case.
Brass discovers that Warrick went behind his back to obtain a warrant and pulls him from his case. He forces Warrick to shadow Holly. However, Warrick still has to place the bet for Judge Cohen and leaves Holly at the scene alone with a police officer. Unbeknownst to the CSI team, the officer leaves Holly’s scene, leaving her to process the scene alone. The suspect returns to the scene and attacks her. Meanwhile, Grissom takes over Warrick's case and finds the husband's toenail clippings. He matches the broken nail in the shoe to the husband's clippings and concludes that the husband shot the victim and then kicked the door in to make the murder look like self-defense.
Nick, having solved his 100th case, is now a Level 3 CSI. As the CSI team begins to celebrate, Brass tells them the news that Holly has been shot and is in hospital.
Continuity
- The Royce Harmon murder is the first of a series involving Paul Millander, who would appear again in "Anonymous" and "Identity Crisis".
- Charlotte tells Grissom that if he wants to be different he should pin her up against a wall. In Invisible Evidence, Grissom pins SaraSara SidleSara Sidle is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by actress Jorja Fox. Sidle is a forensic scientist and one of the core characters of the show, which revolves around a crime scene investigation team from Clark County, Nevada that investigates...
against the wall.
External links
- "Pilot" at CSI Files