HANDLER, THE: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The pilot of this police drama about an FBI agent who oversees a web of undercover informants in order to help solve his cases.
FBI agent Joe Renato sets up an informant named Lily, disguised as a panhandler, to monitor a drug dealer, hoping to uncover the identity of his supplier. He then investigates a missing person’s case involving a woman named Marianne who has been missing for three months; he believes her abusive boyfriend Ray may have murdered her and disposed of her body. Meanwhile, Sonya, a stripper at a strip club owned by Russian criminals feels that she cannot continue there and wants Sergei, one of the bouncers, to buy her freedom and send her back to Russia to be with her young son. He promises to try to help her; “Sergei” is actually Alex, another of Joe’s informants, and he reports on the Russians’ activities to Joe. Joe is concerned that Alex might be indulging in the cocaine frequently used by the Russian criminals, but Alex denies this. He reports that the Russians plan to have a dozen underage girls from Odessa brought into the United States to serve in their prostitution ring after they obtain passports for them. Joe advises Alex to finish his assignment at the strip club soon, concerned that he has been “in too long.”
At the local FBI branch office, Joe recruits Heather, a new operative from New York, to serve as one of his informants, as the missing person case requires someone unrecognizable to the local criminal element. Joe asks her to pose as Marianne’s cousin in order to get closer to the boyfriend and find out more details about their relationship. Joe speaks to Alex’s wife Melanie and discovers that their divorce is in the works, and that Alex believes he can get Melanie back. Joe reveals that Alex is working on busting a prostitution ring and Melanie becomes angry, believing that it is merely an excuse for Alex to cheat on her. Joe speaks to Alex about his marital issues and Alex admits that he has started a relationship with Sonya. Joe is furious and says he is taking Alex off of the case, but allows him to complete one more task for the Russians. Joe recovers Lily and she reports on her observations, although Joe believes she may have missed vital information and sends her back out.
Joe coaches Heather on how to approach Ray and what information she should extract from him. The drug dealer finally approaches Lily and says he has noticed her, asking her to hold his drugs for him in exchange for money. Alex calls Joe and says he is concerned for Sonya’s life and wants to bring her in to meet Joe. Joe reluctantly agrees to this. Heather, using the name “Louise,” meets with Ray at his job at a restaurant. In the middle of the night, Joe gets a phone call from state troopers and heads down to the scene of a terrible automobile accident, where he finds Alex’s body among the wreckage; he discovers that Sonya perished in the accident as well. Joe informs Melanie of Alex’s death and she is emotionally devastated; she claims that she and Alex “weren’t happy” but is mostly concerned about how she will take care of her children. Joe leaves to pick up his brother Lou from prison; he is being released after serving a sentence for an unstated crime, and Joe makes it clear that he has not forgiven him.
In order to finish Alex’s case, Joe recruits Elena, a woman being held by the DEA on prostitution charges, to infiltrate the strip club and hand over the passports. They obtain the passports and Joe instructs her to attend “Sergei’s” funeral the following day, posing as his wife. Heather and Ray visit Marianne’s apartment and root through her remaining things; “Louise” says she is looking for Marianne’s diary. They find an empty tape recorder under Marianne’s bed, and Heather says that Marianne was receiving threatening phone calls and that she would tape them and send them to the police. Ray kisses Heather and she rejects him; he immediately apologizes. Later she returns to the FBI office, where the officers there thank her for her help, as they recorded her interaction with Ray as a set-up. Elena attends the funeral and introduces herself to the criminals, promising to deliver the passports to them.
Another informant posing as a private detective speaks to Ray at his workplace. He asks Ray about Marianne’s safety deposit box where her tapes are supposedly stored, but Ray claims to know nothing about it. That night, Ray leaves work and FBI agents follow him. Joe gets a call and goes to see Elena, who has passed out from an overdose. She is awakened and informs Joe that she lied about having overcome her drug habit. Joe orders that she get cleaned up in order to make the passport delivery. Lily, having gained the drug dealer’s trust, finally witnesses him interacting with his supplier. He invites her into a van with him, and she hesitantly does so. She attempts to make observations about their whereabouts, made more difficult when she smokes a joint of marijuana offered to her. Elena meets with the Russians again and hands off the passports before the entire meeting is busted by the FBI and the Russians are arrested.
Ray is arrested while coming out of Marianne’s storage locker. They take her key from his person and open it up, discovering Marianne’s body being stored inside a cooler. Lily is taken into an apartment and tries to allay the drug dealers’ suspicions while she makes more observations about her surroundings. She steals the drug dealer’s phone and tries to escape, but he has locked the door behind her and catches her. He attempts to fondle her but she slips into the bathroom and calls Joe, but the drug dealer intercepts her call. He enters the bathroom and Lily prepares to fight him off with a razor, but Joe enters and reveals that all her experiences where actually an elaborate training exercise, and that the drug dealer is actually one of his agents. Joe gives Lily advice and compliments her on her performance. Joe softens his stance on Lou and allows him to stay in his apartment for the time being. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 2002 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82530
- GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/private detective
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 2003-2004
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Chris Haddock … Executive Producer, Writer
- Sean Ryerson … Producer
- Mick Jackson … Director
- Joe Pantoliano … Cast, Joe Renato
- Dato Bakhdatze … Cast, Vladimir
- Anna Belknap … Cast, Lily
- Brent Briscoe … Cast, Chester Webber
- Rachelle Carson … Cast, Waitress
- John Cassini … Cast, Lou Renato
- Fatso-Fasano … Cast, Bouncer
- Alex Fernandez … Cast, Trooper Smith
- Lola Glaudini … Cast, Heather
- Jonathan Goldstein … Cast, Paramedic
- Noel Guglielmi … Cast, Jose
- Hill Harper … Cast, Darnell
- Harry Lennix … Cast, DEA Handler
- James MacDonald … Cast, Ray
- Mary Mara … Cast, Camilla
- Ilya Morelle … Cast, Ivan
- Radha Nilia … Cast, Dancer
- Natasha Novak … Cast, Elena
- Jeff Phillips … Cast, Young FBI
- Jeris Lee Poindexter … Cast, Man
- Lee Tergesen … Cast, Detective
- Stephanie Venditto … Cast, Melanie
- Olga Vilner … Cast, Sonya
- Pruitt Taylor Vince … Cast, Sergei/Alex
- Tanya Wright … Cast, Marcy