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Traveler :: Pilot (01x01)
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Episode Information |
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| Title: | Pilot |
| Episode #: | 01x01 |
| Original Airdate: | Thursday May 10th, 2007 |
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Two young men are racing through the halls of a hotel. As they reach their room, one of them calls out for someone named “Will” while the other, a blonde, quickly turns on the news. It seems there’s been some sort of incident involving possible casualties, a bomb, and “two men leaving the scene.”
“She’s talking about us,” the blonde says, panicked.
His friend, Jay, tries to rationalize things: they haven’t done anything wrong, so the best course is to simply contact the authorities and let them deal with it. For his own part, he’s more concerned with the missing Will. The blonde, whose name is Tyler, believes Will to be dead and begins racing for the bathroom—his nerves have gotten the better of him.
Upon seeing a battered copy of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road lying next to him, Jay begins to remember what started this whole ordeal---the beginning of a two month road trip with Tyler and Will. The previous day, Will—a Kerouac fan—declared the novel to be their “guidebook” for the next two months. He was not yet a chemical engineer, Tyler was not yet a venture capitalist and Jay was certainly not yet a lawyer. The three, according to Will, were “professional vagabonds” for the next two months. On that note, the three of them bid farewell to “the castle”---a graduate housing unit at Yale---and begin the trek to Manhattan.
Once in the city, Jay and Tyler are surprised at Will’s choice of accommodations---one of the more expensive hotels in Manhattan. Will’s rationalization is fairly straightforward: after this, the three will be living in dives and campgrounds all the way to San Francisco. This, Will reasons, is their last night to “live like kings.” He then tells the others he’s going to park the car. When Tyler tells him that the place has valet, Will tells him that he knows of a lot over on 51st street that’s half the price and he’ll meet them in a minute.
The room Will has booked is a suite---definitely a room where they could “live like kings.” The hotel porter, an outgoing and jovial man, claims to be able to guess what sort of trip the hotel guests are on based on their luggage, and asks whether they are on some sort of road trip. Both Jay and Tyler concur that the porter is right, and to that end Tyler arranges to have a limo pick them up later that night. Jay tells him that he’s not obligated to pay for everything on this trip, but Tyler counters: “We said Will would take care of the planning, I would cover any major expenses, and you would keep us out of trouble—and I say, of the three, you got the hardest job.”
In an upscale club later that night, Tyler is chatting up the ladies while Jay is trying his best to stay under the radar. Will lands next to him, video camera in hand, and wonders why Jay is hiding out. Jay counters Will by asking whether he’ll have his camera in hand the whole trip, to which Will says yes. Tyler comes over, telling the “wallflowers” that “there are three interns from Vogue looking for dance partners” but that if they don’t act fast, they’ll look elsewhere. Just then, Jay’s cell phone goes off, and Tyler grabs it---Jay’s girlfriend, Kim, is on the other end. While Jay protests, Tyler answers the call: “Hi Kim. Jay’s gonna call you back. In two months.” With that, he snaps the phone closed and once again joins the party. Will, on the other hand, has a heart-to heart with Jay, who’s worried about paying off his $80,000 loan and the future position that will help him do that. Will tells Jay that he’ll be worried about that for a long time to come, and that taking this trip and “stepping off the path to see what makes this country tick” will change his life.
The next morning, Tyler gets a rude awakening by Will, who claims to have the perfect way to start off their adventure. Standing in front of the Drexler Museum of Art, Will lays out the plan—the three of them will go to the top floor of the building, strap on their rollerblades, race to see who can make it to the door first and the one who wins won’t have to drive to Chicago. While Tyler is all for it, Jay has concerns---not only are they not in grad school anymore, but they have to worry about the consequences of pulling something like that. Tyler tells him that “in about two months that law firm will run your life” and that this is the opportunity to have a little fun. Will, playing moderator, states that either they all do it or none of them do, which leaves Jay as the swing vote. Jay agrees, but on the condition that if he wins, Tyler has to stop complaining about Kim for the whole trip.
At the top of the stairs, Jay and Tyler strap on their skates and ready themselves. Will tells them that he’ll follow them the whole way down, catching their act on camera. If they get split up, Will will meet them in the northwest corner of the museum outside. “Good luck,” he says, and with that, Jay and Tyler take off. Will, however, does not. As they race through the museum, trying to keep their balance on the stairs and stay ahead of each other, don’t even notice Will’s absence---until the fire alarm goes off. Upon spotting the guys in their skates, the museum security begins to chase them down, but both Jay and Tyler manage to make it the rest of the way out of the building, down the front steps and to the northwest corner without getting caught. Tyler crows at his luck—he’s not driving to Chicago—but Jay is on the phone looking for Will. When Will answers, the first thing he asks is “are you out of the building?” Jay replies that they both are, and they’re just waiting on him.
“I’m sorry I have to do this,” Will says. “Do what?” asks a puzzled Jay. A second later, there’s a massive explosion behind them---and what remains standing of the Drexler is in flames.
Back in their room, Tyler tells Jay that all of Will’s belongings are gone. Just then he spots something on the news that shakes him---it’s a snippet of security footage from the museum, and both his and Jay’s faces are more than prominent. The report is giving their descriptions, and stating that the event might be linked to terrorism. “They’re calling us terrorists now,” says Tyler, furious. He tosses a change of clothes at Jay and tells him to get dressed---his father used to have a good lawyer downtown, and they’re on their way to see him. When Jay protests---he is a lawyer, after all---Tyler tells Jay to face facts, and those are as follows:
1) Will apologized to them right before the museum exploded.
2) When they made it back to the room, all of Will’s things were gone—and there’s no way he could have beaten them back.
3) Both his and Jay’s faces are all over the news---there’s no sign of Will.
Jay is incredulous---does he really think Will framed them for this? Tyler says that he’d ask Will, but he doesn’t seem to be available at the moment. Jay, stunned that Tyler would think this about their friend, proposes another option---contact the authorities and tell them what happened.
At FBI headquarters in Manhattan, Jay’s call is being handled by an agent named Fred Chambers, who tells his colleagues to “start the workup” on Jay. Jay tells them the truth---that neither he nor his friend had anything to do with the bombing, but that a third was in the museum as it exploded. Jay gives Will’s name, and the agents begin running it through the system. When Chambers insinuates that Will is a “suspect” rather than a “witness,” Jay reiterates that, despite how things look, they didn’t do anything wrong. All they were doing was rollerblading through the museum as a prank---plain and simple. When Chambers presses the issue of guilt, Jay snaps that he’s fairly sure that the FBI can’t just broadcast information about them over the news without reasonable cause for suspicion. One of Chambers’s agents, Marlow, scribbles on a pad---LAWYER? When asked, Jay admits to “not technically” being one, Marlow tells him that he should realize that in cases concerning national security protocol “takes a backseat”---much to Jay’s shock. He pleads with them to check the security footage again and tell him if they see any sign of their friend.
Meanwhile, other agents are triangulating the call, and they’ve managed to get Jay and Tyler’s location. There are available agents in the area, and they can be at the hotel in two minutes. Chambers tells Marlow to stall them long enough for the agents to get there, to which she agrees to recheck the footage. Upon doing that, she finds that the snippet that’s been airing is the only remaining piece of footage that survived the explosion.
Just then, Tyler’s phone goes off. It’s his father, Carlton, who tells him that over 10 million shares in an insurance stock were sold just the day before. When Carlton quizzes his son, Tyler replies that the company deals in fine art. Carlton concurs, telling him that the company dealt only with insuring the pieces at the Drexler. Whoever did this, he reasons, was planning this well in advance and knew beyond all doubt that this would happen exactly when it did. When Tyler tells his father of Jay’s plan to go to the authorities, Carlton immediately nixes the idea, telling his son that it’s “not an accident” that their faces are all over the news. Tyler tells him that they aren’t responsible for what happened, but Carlton reminds him that that hasn’t stopped the government from “screwing over this family” before.
As he argues, Tyler notices something outside, and drops his call to alert Jay---there’s a platoon of black SUV’s arriving quickly, and it’s not an accident. When Jay asks if the cars are for them, Chambers tells him that it might be best if they come in; they can discuss the matter in person. Tyler snaps Jay’s phone shut, telling him that it’s “time to go.” Tyler also fills Jay in on what his father just told him, and says that their next move is to get out of the hotel and the city. When Jay states that “running will make us look guilty,” Tyler’s response is simple: “It’s a little late for that.” Jay, still adamant about finding Will, tells him that he’s still going to find him or else he’s not leaving. Tyler tells him that if that’s what it takes to get him out of the room, he’s all for it.
Going through the halls of the hotel, both Jay and Tyler are trying their best to look as inconspicuous as possible while finding a clear path to the exit. However, both of those goals are shot when the authorities begin storming the building and the two are recognized by hotel security. Racing through the stairwell, they find that they’re trapped---there are officers and agents both above and below them. Tyler notices that there’s a door leading to another floor, and after waiting for the patrolling agents to pass, pulls Jay through it. Panicked, the two manage to lock themselves into a sort of janitorial closet. “We’re running out of options,” muses Jay.
Tyler has an idea---but he’s sure Jay won’t like it. “Call in a bomb threat,” he says. Even if they think they’re bluffing, there’s the off-chance that it may be true and the authorities are forced to clear the building. “You’re right,” says Jay. “I don’t like it.”
Just then there’s a knock on the door, and, panicked, the two hide themselves behind a rolling laundry cart. They wait, praying no one sees them, when they notice who it is---it’s the porter from the day before. “You’re a long way from the luxury suite,” he says. Jay tells him that they have a friend that might be in trouble and that they can’t help him if they get caught. The porter tells them that they don’t have to worry---he’s not a fan of police---and he’ll help them in exchange for Tyler’s watch, which he gladly surrenders. The porter opens a laundry chute, telling them that they can slide down it and take a hallway to their right to go through the adjacent building.
At FBI headquarters, Chambers is getting the lowdown on Jay---Yale Law grad, UCLA undergrad, comes from a rough neighborhood near LA. His mother is a housekeeper with multiple jobs and his father was an army sergeant in the first Iraq war who was court-martialed for a friendly fire incident that killed five men. He committed suicide a year later. Chambers sees a possible motive in this information—perhaps Jay and his friend used the bombing as an act of retribution. Marlow also states that the name Jay gave them—Will Traveler—doesn’t have any listing of any kind. There’s no record that he even exists. Chambers thinks “decoy,” Marlow tells him that she doesn’t think that’s the case. While Jay was obviously panicked, he speech pattern was consistent with that of someone who’s telling the truth.
A few minutes later, Chambers learns that he has both good and bad news—the bad news being that the guys got away. The good news is that they’ve managed to ID Tyler, and his last name, Fog, rings a bell with the agents. Armed with this information, Chambers sends Marlow—his best profiler—and a team out to the Drexler to see what they can uncover. He directs his techs to start looking for any possible contacts that Jay and Tyler might have, and he tells the Port Authority that he wants the entire island shut down. “These guys do not leave Manhattan unless I personally walk them across a bridge,” says Chambers, and the teams disperse.
At the lot on 51st, where Will took the car, Tyler is frustrated—there’s no sign of the car. The attendant has checked four times, and Jay sweeps it himself, with no luck. The attendant tells Tyler that the subways are shutting down due to the bombing and the hunt for two suspects, “white, not Arab, if you can believe.” Tyler hides his panic, but when he reports this finding to Jay, Jay’s response is simple: “Great.”
As they walk, Tyler takes a phone call from his dad. Carlton tells Tyler that they need to get to the Queensbourough Bridge and walk across—it’s the closest to Elysium, the family estate. Tyler tells him that he still has the “black card” that Carlton gave him “for emergencies,” and Carlton give Tyler the PIN number. “Find an ATM and get as much cash as you can,” he says, and then he tells him to get to Queens as fast as he can and call him. “Good luck,” he says as he hangs up. Tyler fills Jay in on the plan, assuring him that the estate is safe and “off the grid,” but Jay stops. He left the hotel room so he could find Will, not run. When Tyler protests, stating that Will seems to be up to his neck in all this and is hanging them out to dry, Jay tells him to go himself—it’s easier and there’s less chance of being caught. Tyler is adamant, however, and tells Jay he doesn’t want to leave without him. He agrees to make the preparations to go to Queens, and he’ll wait for him at the footbridge for an hour, but after that he’s gone. Tyler tells Jay that “for both our sakes, I hope you’re there with me when I go.”
A woman arrives home, telling her father over the phone that she’s just gotten in and that he is the tenth person to call her today. The news in on, and she finds that the authorities are looking for both Jay and Tyler. The report also mentions that Tyler father, Carlton Fog, was a convicted conspirator in the Iran-Contra scandal. The woman is surprised by Jay, who’s hiding in the cupboard and holding a box of photo albums. “I don’t have a lot of time,” Jay says, and the woman, Kim, asks if he’s all right and to tell her what’s going on so she can help. Kim tells Jay that she knows that he and Tyler aren’t involved, but wonders why everyone else is saying they are. Jay explains that someone is doing a damn good job to making it look like they are responsible, and that he needs a picture of Will—any picture—to take to the cops. The two look through all of the photographs, but in each shot Will has managed to somehow obscure his face. There’s no evidence that he ever existed. Jay, frustrated, tosses the photo box into the wall and comes to terms with the truth---the man he thought was his best friend is trying to frame him. As the news plays, there’s talk of he and Tyler being “enemy combatants”---and when Kim asks why he thinks their cause is lost, he tells her that whoever’s doing this in ensuring that they “go straight to Guantenemo Bay.” Coupled with the information Carlton Fog gave them, Jay begins to realize what Tyler’s already had figured out: that this incident is larger than just Will and themselves. Jay tells Kim that he has to fight this, and he doesn’t want her to get involved. Before he leaves, he states that the government “killed” his father, and it didn’t make him hate his country—it made him want to fix it. He also promises to come back to her, as nothing—not Will, not this—can stop him from doing that.
At the museum, the bomb squad tells Marlow that the bomb was made with a compound that included napalm—not something grad students would know how to do unless they were trying. The other agent remarks that for as large and destructive as the bomb was, he’s surprised there weren’t any fatalities. The bomb squad leader then shows them the charred remains of someone wearing what looked to be a “dark blue track jacket”—exactly what Jay described Will to be wearing.
Tyler, meanwhile, is following his father’s instructions---he’s found an ATM and is withdrawing as much cash as he can. Unfortunately, the card is tagged by the FBI and they’ve located the area he’s in. When he spots police canvassing the corner, he exits the ATM and tries to move, but he’s spotted, and he runs. Tyler manages to evade at least six of New York’s finest before literally landing on the hood of Marlow’s car. Freaked, he runs through a nearby church with Marlow at his heels. The two sprint up through a vacant lot, up fire escapes, and over rooftops until Tyler hits a dead end right in front of the Queensbourough Bridge—there’s nowhere to run. Marlow takes him into custody while Tyler maintains his innocence. Just then, Marlow gets a call patched through to her cell phone—it’s Jay, and he’s watching from the footpath on the bridge.
Marlow asks if Jay will turn himself in, telling him that he knows what will happen if he drags this out any longer. Jay tells her he can’t do that, and after agonizing for a moment, tells her that he’s got another bomb hidden somewhere in the city. Marlow tells him she thinks he’s bluffing, and that they found Will dead in the museum. Jay tells her that no one has any idea what another person is capable of, and that she still has to take the deal. Just then Chambers cuts in, telling Marlow privately that he wants her to pull herself and her team out. When Marlow balks, Chambers tells her that he’s sending in undercover agents to their location to apprehend both guys. “Tell him what he wants to hear, let him see what he wants to see,” he says, but she needs to pull back. Frustrated, Marlow releases Tyler and pulls her agents out of the area.
Tyler, surprised at his luck, get a phone call—it’s Jay, who tells him that his “bomb threat” idea worked. He looks across the way, and sees Jay. Tyler says that he’s glad he came back for him. “You’d do the same for me,” Jay says, and cautions him to be careful getting out of the building—there might still be agents present. As Jay prepares to meet Tyler, he’s stopped by an undercover agent and taken into custody. In the building, Tyler doesn’t get too far before he too is captured. The surprise on each other’s faces is noticeable when Tyler sees Jay in the back of an FBI van, just before he himself is tossed inside.
As the van makes its way back to FBI headquarters, Tyler muses that “this is a hell of a way to start a road trip,” and that he should have listened to Jay instead of Will. Jay tells him that Will’s dead, and Tyler replies that he knows. When Tyler tries to apologize, the agent in the front snaps at the two to shut up, and he falls silent. Moments later the van is struck by something, and hard—the force is enough to knock the van on its side and give the guys a few bruises and grimaces of pain. When Tyler tries to right himself, he’s confronted with the agent in the front who’s pulled out is pistol and begins firing at him. Jay tries to use his feet to knock the agent out, but he’s overpowered and the agent continues firing—until he’s hit in the head by two shots from the outside. Freaked, Jay and Tyler move themselves so that they’re facing the door, and they’re surprised by who opens it—it’s the porter, who curtly tells them to get out and on their feet. After a moment, they do, and the porter releases them from their handcuffs, sets something on the bottom of the van, and tells them to follow him.
Completely confused, Jay asks the porter who he is, and he states that he’s “the only person who believes your side of the story.” When Tyler mentions the two agents that the porter’s just killed, the van explodes, sending both Jay and Tyler to the ground out of instinct. The porter tells them to get up and declines an answer when Jay pleads with him to tell them what’s going on. He returns Tyler’s watch to him, stating that “you’ll need this more than me,” and tells the two that “once you cross the bridge, the only people you trust are each other.” With that, he orders them to leave, and they do.
As Tyler calls his father, telling him that they’ve made it out of the city, Jay reflects back on the day he entered “the castle” and met Tyler and Will. He was surprised that all three of them were Cubs fans despite being from LA (Jay), Maine (Will), and the Hamptons (Tyler), and they seemed to click instantly. He remembers Will’s comment about the three of them being in the same house must be fate. He also remembers Will’s comment about “step off the beaten path and see what makes this country tick—it’ll change your life.” He thinks about where that has led them, and as Tyler tells him that they can pick up a car for cash nearby, he asks him to ask his dad to continue looking into Will—he’s their only lead at this point. On the other line, Carlton agrees to continue in that vein, but when he puts the phone back into its cradle, he looks directly at an unknown man standing in his office. After a moment’s hesitation, he tells the man that he’s done as he’s asked, and that the guys will be there that night.
As the subways begin to run on tracks again, Jay and Tyler are walking through Queens, trying to disappear into the crowd.
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