DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY: HORIZONS {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this science fiction/comedy series, based on the novels by Douglas Adams, about a time-traveling detective and his reluctant sidekick. In this episode, a kitten wanders through a gruesome murder scene at a hotel, while elsewhere hapless bellhop Todd Brotzman is attacked by his unhinged landlord, Dorian, who ignores Todd's pleas of having already paid his rent. Todd observes a report on a missing teenager, Lydia Spring, and spots a corgi trotting along the street before arriving at work at a hotel, where he is tasked with attending to a drunken guest. On his way up to the penthouse, his phone call to his sister Amanda is interrupted when he stops on the eighteenth floor and spots – himself, clad in a fur coat. Bewildered, he finds a lottery ticket at the penthouse door and enters to find a scene of carnage. Missing Persons Detective Estevez and Zimmerfield arrive and inspect the bizarre scene, observing bite marks on the ceiling and strange burns, apparently all caused in a ten-second window by a gorilla-masked individual caught on the security camera. Todd, who has unfortunately lost his master key, denies any involvement, though asks to see the footage from the eighteenth floor.
Todd is stunned when his boss Herman abruptly fires him and informs him that his final paycheck will be delayed, and he spots the corgi again as he heads for home. In his apartment, he finds an eccentric stranger who, after a brief scuffle, introduces himself as Dirk Gently and correctly observes that Todd's boring life has suddenly been impacted by a deluge of "strangeness." He happily declares that Todd is now his "assistant" and roommate, though Todd throws him out. Outside, two guard-like men observe the situation and one fires a sniper rifle at Todd – but it ricochets through the ceiling and kills a man preparing to attack Todd's upstairs neighbor, Farah. Todd again calls Amanda, who notes that she "has good days and bad days," and he promises to visit soon. Elsewhere, a young hacker, Ken, is abruptly attacked by a machete-wielding maniac, Bart, who believes him to be Dirk. Todd is annoyed to find Dirk waiting for him in the morning, but he is forced to accept a ride from him to Amanda's house, as his own car has been destroyed by an enraged Dorian. Zimmerfield and Estevez reveal that the hotel victim was Lydia's rich father Patrick, and that the stairwell near the penthouse was apparently struck by lightning.
Dirk proves to be a wildly terrible driver as he explains to Todd that he is a "holistic detective" who prefers to search for broad, universal connections between things rather than simple clues. Bart offers Ken a similar explanation as she explains that she is a "holistic assassin" who kills whomever she pleases, though states that she has never killed "the wrong person," as connections always eventually present themselves. Dirk assures Todd that he will solve the hotel murders by "just kind of doing whatever," and Todd unwillingly takes him along to Amanda's house. Amanda explains that she is housebound by her "pararibulitis," a genetic nerve disease with unpredictable symptoms from which Todd also formerly suffered. She suffers an attack during a jam session, and upon departing, Todd admits to Dirk that he bankrupted their parents with his own treatments and pays for Amanda's medicine out of guilt, but is now entirely broke. Farah continues trying to free herself from her handcuffs as Dirk informs Todd that he is now a "vital part" of the case, explaining that Patrick hired him to solve his own murder – six weeks before it happened. Todd is horrified when four "rowdy" men with bats arrive and smash up his entire apartment, though when Dorian arrives and threatens Todd's life, he somehow ends up accidentally shooting himself dead. Zimmerfield and Estevez, as well as the two guards and two FBI agents, rush onto the scene and end up in a standoff, and the cops inform Todd that while they cannot hold him on any clear charges, he is officially a "person of interest" in the various murders.
Two bizarre-looking men, Ed and Zed, demand to know if Herman found a kitten in the penthouse before murdering him with an electric arrow. Todd, feeling guilty over the death of Dorian, from whom he stole the money in question, finally blows up at Dirk, declaring that he is now a homeless, unemployed murder suspect thanks to Dirk's meddling, and refuses to be "his Watson." Dirk, however, urges him to "break the pattern" and seize control of his life, and when Todd spots the corgi yet again, he takes it back to its owner – and spots Lydia inside the house. Farah finds that she is not alone in her apartment after all, and Dirk is revealed to have the kitten while Todd inspects the lottery ticket found at the penthouse and realizes that, just as Dirk hinted, he has suddenly come into a great deal of money. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: BBC America
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 128108
- GENRE: Comedy, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy, fantasy/science fiction; Drama; Detectives
- SERIES RUN: BBC America - TV series, 2016-2017
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ted Adams … Executive Producer
- David Alpert … Executive Producer
- Robert C. Cooper … Executive Producer
- Arvind Ethan David … Executive Producer
- Rick Jacobs … Executive Producer
- Zainir Aminullah … Executive Producer
- David Ozer … Executive Producer
- Dean Parisot … Executive Producer, Director
- Max Landis … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Andy Black … Supervising Producer
- Kim Todd … Producer
- Ben Brafman … Co-Producer
- Justin Lillehei … Co-Producer
- Paul Redford … Consulting Producer
- Douglas Adams … Based on the books by
- Cristobal Tapia de Veer … Music by
- Samuel Barnett … Cast, Dirk Gently
- Elijah Wood … Cast, Todd Brotzman
- Hannah Marks … Cast, Amanda Brotzman
- Fiona Dourif … Cast, Bart Curlish
- Jade Eshete … Cast, Farah Black
- Mpho Koaho … Cast, Ken
- Michael Eklund … Cast, Martin
- Dustin Milligan … Cast, Sgt. Hugo Friedkin
- Miguel Sandoval … Cast, Col. Scott Riggins
- Neil Brown Jr. … Cast, Estevez
- Richard Schiff … Cast, Zimmerfield
- Aaron Douglas … Cast, Gordon Rimmer
- Christian Bako … Cast, Ed
- Michael Adamthwaite … Cast, Zed
- David Lewis … Cast, Weedle
- Kavan Smith … Cast, Nathan
- Alison Thornton … Cast, Lydia Spring
- Osric Chau … Cast, Vogle
- Viv Leacock … Cast, Gripps
- Zak Santiago … Cast, Cross
- Caroline Cave … Cast, Sammy
- Ty Olsson … Cast, Dorian Osmond
- Ben Wilkinson … Cast, Hermano Palacios
- Shawn Stewart … Cast, Red
- Parker Brando … Cast, Robber #1
- Virgil Davies … Cast, Robber #2
- Aaron Hutchinson … Cast, CSI Tech
- Meena Mann … Cast, News Anchor #1
- Mark Brandon … Cast, News Anchor #2
- Paul Lazenby … Cast, Ned