"Pilot" is the series premiere of Forever. It aired on September 22, 2014.
Press Release[]
"What if you could live forever? Would you find it a blessing or a curse? Meet Dr. Henry Morgan, New York City's star medical examiner who has an unusual secret. He doesn't just study the dead to solve criminal cases – he is trying to solve a mystery that has eluded him for over 200 years: his own inexplicable immortality.
Dr. Henry Morgan's exciting, adventurous and intriguing long life has blessed him with amazing insight and observational skills. So, when Henry and Detective Jo Martinez investigate a fatal subway collision, Jo not only is impressed, but her curiosity is piqued about who he is. Meanwhile, Henry soon discovers someone else knows his secret. He may not be the only 'immortal' out there. But who is that person and what does he want? The one person who can inject hope into Henry's life is Abe, his best and only friend. Fate has brought the two men together and they share an unconventional bond. It's just part of the captivating mystery surrounding Henry's strange circumstances and his long search to uncover the cause of his condition and escape.
Henry and Jo combine to make a powerful crime fighting team. Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will peel back the layers of Henry's colorful extraordinary past. Henry, with his charming wit, charisma and an eerie knowledge not just of police procedure but the whole culture, finds an apt collaborator in Jo. Her personal history thrust her into law enforcement, making her an outstanding cop who can connect with the criminal mentality. They both are hiding pieces of their lives and both have lost a great love, albeit Henry's stretches back some years. Henry met his beloved Abigail during World War II. On the other hand, Jo lost her husband less than a year ago. She finds a sympathetic ear in Henry, but his 'Sherlockian' perception and his straight forward, no nonsense approach to people both fascinates and frustrates her. How does this man know so much? Will she discover who the real Henry is?"[1]
Plot[]
A man introduces himself as Henry Morgan. He enters a train station and boards a train, sitting down two seats to the right of a beautiful blonde woman. Henry greets her in Russian, Добрый день (Good day). The woman is surprised, replying in kind, and enquires as to how he knew of her nationality. Henry impresses her with his astute observations and she invites him both to her cello performance later that night and a date afterwards. Henry agrees. The train they’re travelling on then crashes into another, stationary train, killing the woman, Henry, and everyone else in the car. It is revealed that Henry is immortal. Henry’s pocket watch is left behind in the wreckage.
Henry was transformed into an immortal over two centuries ago when he was serving as ship's doctor and stood in the way of the murder of an African captured for the slave trade, and was shot by the captain, his body thrown overboard.. Ever since, each time Henry dies he is always translocated into the nearest large body of water. Only Henry reappears, not anything he was wearing or carrying, so he reappears naked, which can be awkward. We see him come to the surface in what turns out to be the East River, and get picked up by a couple of beat cops.
Next morning Henry comes out of the detention center and is picked up by Abe, an old man who is clearly a good friend who knows all about Henry's immortality. Meanwhile, Detective Jo Martinez slips away from a one-night stand and arrives at the scene of the subway crash. The bodies have all been cleared away, but Jo finds a pocket watch (Henry's), still ticking, on the floor of the first car, where there were no survivors. Initial evidence points to the conductor having a heart attack, and her lieutenant sends her to confirm cause of death with the M. E.
Henry arrives at work, and is just starting his autopsy of the conductor when Jo arrives. He offers condolences on the recent loss of her husband, explaining he'd noticed the mark in her finger from a wedding ring, which she now wears on a necklace; he also knows she's been drinking to numb the loss. His autopsy finds indications the conductor was poisoned, although a tox screen will take three weeks to tell what poison, meaning Jo now has fifteen homicides to solve. Henry receives an anonymous phone call from someone who knows he was on the first subway car and somehow survived the crash.
Henry arrives home near panic, telling Abe to get packed, he's been found out and they have to move, to avoid and outlive the danger, but Abe glumly points out that he can't do the outlive part anymore, and urges Henry to stay and fight. Henry's been avoiding staying in one place long enough to make lasting connections ever since losing a woman in an old portrait, Abigail. Abe tells him he may not be able to die, but he hasn't lived in a long time. Henry decides to stay and fight, although he's not quite sure how.
Jo and a tech study surveillance footage of people coming on and off the subway that crashed, and Jo notices a man checking a pocket watch. A reflection reveals it's Henry. Henry arrives at the morgue and finds an envelope from his anonymous fan, which contains a picture of Henry and Abigail from the 1950s, when they were husband and wife. In a flashback, Abigail tells Henry his immortality must have a greater purpose. The envelope also contains a clipping on the subway crash, and a note which leads him to suspect the caller may have arranged the crash to test whether Henry is immortal. He collects a sample of the subway driver's blood, then takes it home and asks Abe to inject him with it in order to more quickly determine the poison used. Henry dies and Abe collects him from the river; Henry explains the symptoms he experienced are those of aconite poisoning, very quick-acting. As they arrive home, they find the antique shop surrounded by police cars and Jo inside.
Jo interrogates Henry about not telling her he'd been on the fatal subway car (Henry says he didn't want to distract her) and the contents of his basement laboratory (everything from organs in jars to BDSM gear). Henry points out that while everyone else was eager for a diagnosis of heart attack so the case could be closed, Henry was the one who pointed to murder. Henry comes across as a bit creepy, cheerfully stating he hasn't experimented with aconite in years and explaining what he'd choose to murder someone with instead, but Jo is forced to conclude that he's not a likely suspect. Henry and Lucas find the site the conductor was injected with the aconite, and are able to lift a fingerprint from his neck. Henry brings it to Jo just as the detectives are discussing how creepy he is; Jo, while agreeing, also thinks they need a new suspect. Henry cheerfully tells her he's been called worse than creepy, and if the print doesn't go anywhere they still have a very legitimate suspect, while miming holding his hands up to be cuffed.
The print leads to a man named Hans Koehler. Jo and Henry go to his house to interview him, but he's not home. Henry finds a dead rat, apparently poisoned by aconite, something he considers probable cause to look inside a small greenhouse, which turns out to be full of aconite plants. In the garage they find an elaborate array of chemistry equipment and beakers with aconite residue in them. The garage door begins to go up, and Henry and Jo hide as Koehler enters the garage with two large chemical carbouys. Jo whispers to Henry to stay hidden, then confronts Koehler at gunpoint. He manages to throw a beaker of aconite at her, hitting her hand, and as Jo fires at his fleeing car her hand begins to burn. The poison about to enter her bloodstream, Henry neutralizes it by pouring ethanol over her hand — and then setting it afire for several seconds before letting her extinguish it in water. He apologizes, explaining that aconite is a terrible way to die.
The team arrive to search the garage and house. Turns out Koehler worked as a chemist for Dow, and lost his wife when she fell off a subway platform. The conductor who he poisoned was the one who was driving the train that hit and killed her. Henry is forced to admit he was wrong about his own suspicions as to motive for the crash. He observes that Jo wants a drink, explaining he wasn't asking her out, merely stating fact, and he's the least judgmental person she'll ever meet. They go to a bar together, where Jo questions him about his med school diploma from Guam, his job before that as a grave digger, and his two hundred year old watch. Henry explains the watch as having been a gift, that once belonged to a doctor but had been on the ocean floor for over a century before treasure hunters found it. The one who gave it to him eventually came to her senses and left him. Henry asks Jo in turn about her husband, who was a lawyer and died of a heart attack on a hotel treadmill. Jo wishes the part of him she can still feel would just go away; Henry bluntly and confidently tells her it won't, softened with a grin she can't help but return. Then they're called back to the garage.
The two large carbouys have tested as both being full of aconite until recently, with traces of alcohol, which Henry suspects was to make the aconite soluble and easier to spread. The search has turned up schematics, including a crab and fish Henry identifies as being from the roof of Grand Central Station. The team heads there, and are discussing evacuating the station when Henry notes the air conditioning is on despite it being a chilly night, and the ventilation equipment is on the roof. He and Jo hurry to check on it, but find all is well — until a shot rings out and Jo is hit in the shoulder, leaving her badly wounded and unable to do more than see fuzzy shapes and hear some of what is said. Koehler orders Henry at gunpoint to move a heavy cask, presumably full of aconite. Henry tries to talk him down, without success, then refuses to help him further, stating that a gunshot isn't such a bad way to go. He grabs a wrench and strikes Koehler; in the ensuing struggle the gun goes off, and Henry is hit. Koehler resumes preparations to release the aconite into the ventilation system, and with his last strength Henry rushes him and his momentum carries them both over the edge of the roof, to crash onto a car and the pavement.
Jo awakens in a hospital room, groggy from morphine, and Henry tells her Koehler took his own life. She's skeptical, and Jo admits she thought Henry went over the side too, but Henry asks her if that makes any sense, and blames it on the morphine. The room's phone rings; it's for Henry, his anonymous caller again, who apparently watched his fall from the roof. He tells Henry that they share the same curse, that he is also unable to die, and declares they might as well have fun with it. Jo asks Henry if he's okay, and Henry replies that he'll survive.
A flashback shows Henry, in World War II medic's uniform, spotting the woman from the portrait photo, Abigail, holding a baby, who she explains was just rescued from one of the camps. Henry and Abigail can hardly take their eyes off each other, but the baby seems to be in perfect health, aside from the number tattooed on his right arm. A number which matches one on Abe's arm in the modern day as he contemplates a chessboard. Henry watches him with a father's affection, bringing him tea and kissing the top of his head before joining him in studying the chess board. Abe announces he's about to beat Henry for the first time in 65 years, declaring "Mate!" Before Henry can respond, there's a knock at the door. Jo is there, returning his pocketwatch to him. She also informs him that a world-famous antique sword is sticking out of some guy's chest, and she's requested Henry as her M. E. on the scene. Abe brings Henry his coat, and as they leave, Abe swings the sign on the door from CLOSED to OPEN.
(In a deleted scene, as they get into Jo's police car, Henry asks if they can turn on the sirens, and Jo, amused, asks him how old he is.)
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ioan Gruffudd as Henry Morgan
- Alana de la Garza as Jo Martinez
- Joel David Moore as Lucas Wahl
- Donnie Keshawarz as Mike Hanson
- Barbara Eve Harris as Lt. Marcia Roark
- Judd Hirsch as Abraham Morgan
Guest Starring[]
- Mackenzie Mauzy as Abigail Morgan
- Lee Tergesen as Hans Koehler
- Burn Gorman as Adam (uncredited, voice only)
Co-Starring[]
- Shamika Cotton as Anita
- Danny Deferrari as Jo's Man
- Olga Maliouk as Russian Woman
- Jack Koenig as Captain
- Michael Crane as Forensic Tech
- Lou Ferguson as Old African Slave
Quotes[]
- "My name is Henry Morgan. My story is a long one. It might sound a bit implausible. In fact, you probably won’t believe. But I’ll tell you anyway, because, beyond all else, I have lots and lots of time. I've lived a full life, been madly in love. I've had my heart broken. I've fought in wars and seen more than my fair share of death. In my long life, I've experienced many ends, but only one beginning. It all started 200 years ago. You see, something happened that night. I was transformed. I still feel love, pleasure, pain. My life is just like yours...except for one small difference. It never ends. Since that night, nearly two centuries ago, every time I die, I always return in water, and I'm always naked. Lends itself to some slightly awkward situations. Now you know about as much about my condition as I do. All I know for certain is that the pain is real. It's just the dying part is not." —Henry
- "You see a lot." "I've seen a lot."
- "It's a long story." —Henry
- "Just imagine all the things you could do with eternity. See the world, speak countless languages. In fact, there's almost nothing in this life I haven't done, except leave it. Unfortunately, that's not the case for those around me. Try watching as the people you love most in this world go off to another. Only then would you know what I do. That eternity is not really a blessing, but a curse." —Henry
- "Forgive me, but even for a man who died, and then spent the night in jail, you look like crap." -Abe
- "Thank you, Abe, but I assure you I look the same everyday. Although, that still may be like crap." —Henry
- "Abe, I think it's safe to say I've yet to figure out what the point of life is. Mine anyway." —Henry
- "Over the years, you could say I've become a student of death. Not out of some macabre obsession, but purely for research. You see, I need to find a way out of this -- a key to unlock my curse. I work for the New York City Medical Examiner's Office. It holds the largest collection of slightly-chilled corpses in the world. If your game is death, go where the action is." —Henry
- "What do you *think* he's after? Abe, please, this has happened before! I have had every ounce of my blood drained, my organs dissected in the name of science! I've been hanged for heresy!" "That was a long time ago." "Yes, a hundred and seventy-two years, and I remember it well! Hang me once, shame on you, hang me twice…" -Henry and Abe
- "I have news for you. You might not be able to die, but you haven't *lived* for a very long time." -Abe
- "Just call me a curious observer….with a bit of a vested interest." -Henry
- "Don't worry. I'm the least judgmental person you'll ever meet." -Henry to Jo, about her drinking
- "I'm saying we share the same pain, the same curse, the same affliction," "How is this possible?" "I'm afraid I'm as lost as you are. We're soul mates, Henry. We've got eternity together. Might as well have some fun with it." -anonymous caller and Henry
- "Henry, are you okay?" "I'll survive." -Jo and Henry
- "I've seen a lot of death, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering. But I've also seen a lot of life...a lot of beauty, a lot of wonder. It's not the number of years we live that matters. Our lives just add up to a series of moments. We never know when or where they'll happen. But they stick with us, marking our souls forever. The problem with living for 200 years isn't the loneliness or the pain or the loss. OK, sure, it is those things. But what really gets you is when life ceases to surprise you. I've spent my entire life studying the human body, but I can say with scientific certainty that what keeps us alive, more important than blood or oxygen or even love...is hope." —Henry
- "Can you put the sirens on?" "Really? How old are you?" - Henry and Jo (deleted scene)
Notes[]
- Abe's tattoo is 432289, on his right arm.
- Henry dies three times in this episode: in the subway wreck, from aconite poisoning, and falling from the roof of Grand Central Station. Abe notes that Henry has never died in a train crash before.
- Although Jo discovered Henry's basement lab, she doesn't seem to have found either any photos of Henry and Abigail together, or his notes on his personal experiences of death. These may be very well-hidden when he's not working on them.
Multimedia[]
Videos[]
Images[]
See also[]
External links[]
- Episode recap at Forever official website – archived from the original on November 8, 2015
- Episode at Wikipedia
- Episode at IMDB
- Watch this episode on CW Seed