EASTWICK: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this short-lived dramatic fantasy series, based on the book by John Updike, about three friends and the strange events that follow the arrival of the enigmatic Darryl Van Horne in their New England town. In this episode, at a festival in the small "edge of New England" town of Eastwick, artistic single mother Roxie Torcoletti mans a pretend "psychic" booth with her teenage daughter Mia and is visited by her much younger lover Chad, though nurse and mother of five Kat Gardener's boorish husband Raymond notes that Roxie is rumored to have murdered her husband. At the same time, low-level reporter Joanna Frankel embarrasses herself yet again in front of her colleague and crush, Will St. David. All three women find mysterious fifty-cent pieces and throw them into the town fountain, and magic seems to "awaken" as resident Bun Waverly is suddenly attacked by a swam of ants. Roxie, Kat and Joanna meet at the hospital after Bun's admission, and they quickly bond over drinks, admitting that they all held unfair preconceived notions about one another. Roxie asks what the others wished for with the coins, and she admits that she is dreaming of a wealthy, mysterious stranger who will sweep in and improve her life.
Later, Roxie experiences odd dreams as Joanna shyly angles for a promotion at work, and she tells her best friend Penny about her unexpected night with Kat and Roxie. Her lecherous boss Clyde reveals that a rich stranger has arrived in town and purchased not only the Lenox Mansion, which belongs to the town, but the paper itself, and Joanna decides to write an article about him. Roxie's strange dream seems to come true as she is invited to the Lenox Mansion, and she meets the suave Darryl Van Horne, who announces that he wishes to hire her to sculpt him – and to bed him as well – at any cost. Offended by his blunt manner, she rejects his offer and declares that she does not need his dirty money, but he points out that he is "exactly what she wanted" in her fountain wish. Disturbed, she goes home to Chad, who tries to convince her to accept him as her official "boyfriend," and more of Roxie's dreams appear to come true as she tells Kat and Joanna about her encounter with Darryl. Later, Darryl meets Joanna and invites her to interview him, and when Kat confronts a petulant Raymond about finding a new job, they are startled by a sudden earthquake.
At the hospital, Bun suddenly awakens from her coma and frantically tells Kat that it is "all their fault" and that "he" is evil, but does not explain further. Darryl informs Joanna that she is "hypnotic" and should not fear her own "power," and at work she is astonished when Clyde abruptly agrees to give her the promotion. At dinner, Kat begins to tell her friends about Bun's strange pronouncement, but Darryl, who also owns the restaurant, bombs in and serves them all some "magic" local water, which seems to make them drunk. The three new friends splash in the fountain, though Raymond arrives and drags Kat home, rudely scolding her for her behavior. When Kat finally stands up to him and declares that he is useless and "has no electricity," he is suddenly struck by lightning. At the same time, Roxie has a vision of Mia being assaulted by her boyfriend Gus and, realizing that it is actually real, rushes to her daughter's rescue with Darryl's help. She sincerely thanks him for his assistance and kisses him, though sternly orders him out of her home before matters can progress. Raymond fumes that Kat somehow caused the lightning strike, and when Kat demands a divorce, he declares that he will take their five children from her. Darryl, apparently visiting Bun, encounters a distraught Kat and promises to set her up with his high-powered attorney, and Joanna lays down the law with Clyde, though she cannot bring herself to use her newfound powers on Will to falsely create a relationship. Later, Roxie has another dream about a knife-wielding stranger and is stunned when the unknown man, Jamie, appears in her shop the next day, while elsewhere Penny informs Joanna that their new benefactor is not who he claims to be, as the real "Darryl Van Horne" is in fact dead. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 23, 2009 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:38
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 105103
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Drama, mystery/suspense; Witches; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2009-2010
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" home video
- TV - Commercials - "Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins" home video
- TV - Commercials - "Surrogates" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" motion pictures
- TV - Commercials - Arbor Day Foundation
- TV - Commercials - Campbell's Chunky soups
- TV - Commercials - Claritin allergy medication
- TV - Commercials - Federal Student Aid financial services
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Marshall's/T.J. Maxx stores
- TV - Commercials - Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Progresso soups
- TV - Commercials - Symbicort asthma medication
- TV - Commercials - The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
- TV - Commercials - Verizon Wireless cellular services
- TV - Commercials - Victoria's Secret stores
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Promos - "Desperate Housewives"
- TV - Promos - "Eastwick" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "FlashForward"
- TV - Promos - "Grey's Anatomy"
CREDITS
- Maggie Friedman … Executive Producer, Developed by, Writer
- David Nutter … Executive Producer, Director
- Marc David Alpert … Producer
- Aaron Miller … Associate Producer
- John Updike … Based on the book by
- Michael Cristofer … Based on the screenplay by
- Blake Neely … Music by
- Ashley Benson … Cast, Mia Torcoletti
- Jon Bernthal … Cast, Raymond Gardener
- Veronica Cartwright … Cast, Bun Waverly
- Jaime Ray Newman … Cast, Kat Gardener
- Lindsay Price … Cast, Joanna Frankel
- Rebecca Romijn … Cast, Roxie Torcoletti
- Sara Rue … Cast, Penny Higgins
- Johann Urb … Cast, Will St. David
- Paul Gross … Cast, Darryl Van Horne
- Matt Dallas … Cast, Chad
- Steve Hytner … Cast, Clyde
- Jack Huston … Cast, Jamie
- Torsten Voges … Cast, Fidel
- Christian Alexander … Cast, Gus
- V.C. Dupree … Cast, Edgar
- Dinora Walcott … Cast, Waitress
- Mia Hays … Cast, Amy Gardener