"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of Graceland. It aired on June 6, 2013 on the USA Network.
| Pilot | |
 | |
| Season 1 · Episode 01 | |
| Rating | TV14-LV |
| Airdate | June 6, 2013 |
| Writer | Jeff Eastin |
| Director | Russell Lee Fine |
| Episode images | |
| Episode chronology | |
|---|---|
| Next | Guadalajara Dog |
Summary[]
Freshly minted FBI agent Mike Warren had expected to get assigned to Washington D.C. But suspicions spark when he is redirected last minute to be trained by his hero, Paul Briggs. Despite what the agents believe, there are plenty of secrets in Graceland.
Plot[]
- "A beachfront property was seized in a drug raid by the US government in an undisclosed location in Southern California. It was turned into a residence for top undercover agents of the DEA, FBI and Customs. The following is based upon actual events surrounding the house, unofficially known as... Graceland."
At Quantico, Deputy Director Sam Campbell makes a rousing speech at an FBI graduation. He tells the young agents that they are not perfect and will fail. But he hopes that they will have the brains and luck to survive.
In San Pedro, undercover DEA agent Donnie Banks meets with Mexican and Russian crime cartels for a drug deal. But when Banks injects a concealed rubber ball to simulate testing the drugs, it slips from the crook of his elbow. With his cover blown, the cartels open fire on him. He is hit in the shoulder while another undercover agent (Lauren Kincaid) screams "Nyet!" from the Russian car. The criminals escape quickly, leaving Banks for dead.
At Graceland, Joe 'Johnny' Tuturro wakes Briggs early to go surfing, sparking an argument. But just as Briggs thinks he got rid of Johnny, his boss, Gerry Silvo, comes in with work. He tells Briggs, Lauren and Johnny to clear Donnie's room because a new agent is moving in -- Mike Warren. On an aeroplane over the U.S., Mike accidentally sparks a conversation with the woman beside him when he recites his Spanish lesson aloud. When asked, he claims he is learning Spanish to become a teacher at a new school. However, a flight attendant blows his cover when she approaches with a message for FBI Agent Mike Warren. There is an awkward silence between Mike and the other passenger until she tells him, "Manos arriba!" with finger guns.
After landing in California, Mike waits at baggage claim for hours until Johnny finally arrives to pick him up. Mike realises that Johnny is not Briggs when he compliments him on his high test scores.
On the way to Graceland, Johnny impresses upon Mike the importance of adapting to California. He also gives him a quick history lesson about his new home. The mansion they now live in used to belong to a drug lord who was obsessed with Elvis. When the Federal agents seized it, it was so full of memorabilia that it earned the unofficial name Graceland.
While giving Mike the grand tour of the house, Johnny tells him the rules:
- No civilians are allowed upstairs,
- No guns are allowed downstairs,
- And obey the chore wheel.
Mike's excitement fades when Johnny shows him his new room is still full of Donnie's things. And when he attempts to be friendly to Lauren, she tells him, "This is my partner's room. Don't touch anything. Don't get comfortable."
Somewhere in California, Dale Jakes negotiates a deal with an illegal bird smuggler while undercover. When he returns to Graceland, he meets Mike. But instead of greeting him, Jakes gets territorial over the food Johnny has tricked Mike into eating. He rants at him, grabs his cereal and storms out just as Briggs enters the kitchen.
Briggs is slobbish and openly drinks from Jakes' labelled milk carton, showing disinterest in Mike's presence. But seeing Mike's eagerness to impress, Briggs references The Karate Kid and tricks Mike into doing his chores, too. Mike can see through it but agrees.
Undercover at a drug house, Catherine 'Charlie' DeMarco takes concealed evidence from under the floorboards. She shows concern for a crying baby but cannot stay.
Returning to Graceland, she breaks in and rifles through Johnny’s jacket. Thinking she is an intruder, Mike goes toe-to-toe with her, displaying expert gun control. Once Charlie and Johnny clear up the confusion, they remind Mike that guns are not allowed downstairs.
Upstairs, Mike tries on his new flip-flops when Charlie enters his room. She shows him where Donnie keeps his spare key and warns him not to tell Lauren on pain of death. She is the first person at Graceland who has not either shown disinterest or open hostility towards him.
At a safehouse somewhere, Donnie gets a call from Lauren. She informs him that both the Russians and the Mexicans want him dead. And when the subject changes to Mike, Lauren is dismissive and reassures Donnie that it's not a sure thing. They both seem in denial about him leaving Graceland.
The next morning, Briggs comes downstairs to find that Mike has left the kitchen spotless. So he takes Mike surfing, with Johnny inviting himself. Both try to teach Mike the purpose of it. Johnny tells him it's a high better than sex but Briggs reveals it is about controlling your energy and understanding your body's relationship to the world. Mike is in awe of their skill but struggles to stay on the board himself.
Giving up, he returns to the beach where a dog (B.D.) steals his new flip-flop. He is too defeated to give chase.
When Charlie joins him under the pier, Mike admits he is not enjoying himself. He is disappointed that Briggs isn't the man he expected, finding him too relaxed. Charlie tells Mike that Briggs was professional a few years ago, but he took a leave of absence and returned 'Zen'. She then tells Mike that there are no secrets in Graceland. Mike adds, "Except for Briggs." Spurred on by Charlie's encouragement, Mike returns to the waves.
Returning to Graceland, Johnny and Mike enthusiastically discuss surfing while Lauren pulls Briggs aside. She tells him that he got a message from Felix Arroyo, who wants to make a buy. Briggs is visibly annoyed that Lauren intercepted his messages and reminds her that Arroyo is off their active list. They argue, but she digs in her heels because she knows Arroyo works for the Vzakonye. Briggs gives in and decides to use Mike for the operation.
On the highway, Briggs tells Mike to keep his cover simple. But after Johnny and Briggs tell Mike the story about The Movie, he insists on being in it for his cover. They agree that he will play the role of Briggs' brother-in-law.
At the stakeout base, Silvo is irritated that Briggs did not ask the FBI for permission to perform this operation. Briggs informs him that this was all Lauren’s idea. Silvo then debriefs Mike on what to expect from Arroyo and asks if he is nervous. Mike says yes.
Once at Arroyo's house, Mike fumbles over his cover story but recovers quickly, amusing Arroyo and his wife, Irina. When she asks if he also played a cop in the movie, Mike says, “Manos arriba!” with finger guns.
When he and Arroyo step out onto the porch to talk business, Arroyo reveals he does not have the money for the drugs. Instead, he has a truck of 15,000 pairs of Levi's jeans. Thinking on his feet, Mike suggests taking the jeans instead of payment.
Briggs and Silvo panic when Mike agrees to move to a second location with Arroyo, sending Johnny out to catch them on foot. But Mike manages to make the deal before they can screw it up.
After the arrest, Mike walks through the police precinct with Silvo and Johnny. But incompetent officers bring Arroyo across Mike’s path, burning his cover. Arroyo seems genuinely hurt that Mike broke his trust.
Manhattan beach, Mike sits watching the sunset when B.D. brings his mauled flip-flop back. He can’t stay angry, petting him as he continues to watch the sunset.
Back at the police precinct, Sergei Nayfeld comes to ‘represent’ Felix Arroyo. But when Arroyo sees Sergei, he panics and insists he is not his lawyer.
In his bedroom at Graceland, Briggs looks over Mike’s file with confusion. Mike had been at the top of his class and requested a posting in Washington D.C. So why was he sent to Graceland?
Downstairs, Charlie and Johnny drink beers with Mike and nickname him Levi. Mike's disapproval prompts Tuturro to admit that Johnny is a nickname. Briggs joins them as Charlie explains the story. Tuturro had wanted to join Briggs undercover in a biker gang. So he told the gang that he played a killer in The Movie. Briggs embellished it with the fact that Tuturro had shot a man on the toilet for reading his dirty magazines. The bikers called him Johnny after that.
At the police precinct, Sergei reveals that the Vzakonye now have Arroyo’s family as leverage to prevent him from talking to the Feds. Instead of telling Sergei that Mike is FBI, Arroyo claims he is just his brother-in-law.
Jakes’ returns home to Graceland in a better mood than before and teases Mike about the new nickname. He then demands he tell him a story. They tease each other until Jakes reveals that he is impressed that Mike didn't rat Johnny out after the food incident.
Silvo interrupts the party, handing responsibility for the jeans to Jakes because they were stolen from the port - making them a Customs problem. Silvo then reveals that Mike is going back undercover.
Once at the police precinct, Silvo gives his FBI agents the low down about Arroyo’s situation. Mike is going undercover as Frankie Bout, Felix Arroyo’s brother-in-law. When he sees Mike struggling to process the stress, Briggs takes him aside and tells him that the Vzakonye will ask him to kill someone. Briggs gives him an out but Mike insists on going through with it for the sake of Arroyo's family.
Briggs then helps Mike revise his cover while Charlie makes him up to look addicted to heroin. Briggs gives him a transmitter and instructs him to turn it off if he gets scanned. But Mike gets frightened when he realises they aren't going to put a tracker on him. Charlie reassures him that he is capable and will win.
Flawlessly in character as Frankie Bout, Mike enters Sergei's custody. Mike only briefly turns off his transmitter while they scan him for a tracker or wire.
At the police precinct, Lauren demands to get in on the operation but Silvo refuses. She threatens to go over his head, so he throws her out. But Briggs gives Silvo a look that convinces him to call Lauren back to listen in.
Mike gets taken to the Souren Autocenter, where he meets a Vzakonye leader, Semion Mogilevich. Mogilevich doesn't trust him because of his apparent addiction. But as Mike gets dragged out, he begs to prove himself and insists that he has killed someone before. He reveals that he shot a man called Crazy Jakes on the toilet for reading his dirty magazines.
Listening in at the precinct, Briggs is impressed and predicts what Mike will tell Mogilevich. They input the information into the crime database so Sergei can confirm the story. Silvo asks if Briggs is a mind reader. He has no idea that Mike is telling the Mogilevich an altered version of Johnny’s nickname story.
Agreeing to use Mike, the Vzakonye drive him to the suburbs. Mike whispers the house address on the way in but the agents at the precinct struggle to find any intel.
Concerned that sending in units would alert the Vzakonye and kill Arroyo’s family, Silvo sends Briggs to help Mike.
As Mike sneaks through the house with the gun, the other agents at the precinct realise that it is a government safe house. Mike tries not to alarm his target, who is lying in bed. He reassures him that he is not there to hurt him. But Donnie doesn't believe him.
Lauren recognises Donnie’s voice over the transmitter and realises that he was Mike's target. The agents panic because they know that if they were in Donnie’s position, they would kill the intruder. Lauren tries to call Donnie.
Donnie slowly grasps his gun under the covers as the phone rings. He insists Mike puts the gun down. But Mike can’t. As Mike goes to answer the phone, Donnie fires at him. They have a standoff and Donnie presses him for intel. Mike tells him the truth. When Donnie makes a short quip about the Russians finishing him off, Mike realises that this must be Donnie Banks, the agent whose room he now lives in. Mike uses his room key to prove they do not need to kill each other. Both set their guns down and Donnie addresses the other agents through the transmitter.
To fool the Vzakonye, Mike fires his gun at the floor and returns to the car. He yells at them that they did not tell him his target was a DEA Agent and complains that he got shot at. The Vzakonye demand Mike hand over the gun and get into the car. But Mike insists on walking.
At the precinct, Charlie can tell something is wrong as the men get more insistent. But when one raises a gun, Briggs comes up from behind and shoots him three times. Briggs then informs Mike that the Vzakonye wanted him to kill Donnie and then would drive Mike out somewhere remote to kill him, too. Briggs then tells the last Vzakonye in the car to show his hands. Mike begs him to do as he is told. But Briggs unethically shoots him. It turns out the Vzakonye had a concealed gun. Mike cuts the transmission to ask if Briggs saw the gun before firing.
At Graceland the next morning, the housemates gather around the television to watch the news. They have taken down the Vzakonye cartel .
Mike and Briggs then accompany Arroyo's family to visit him in jail. Arroyo shows tearful appreciation towards Mike.
Somewhere near Manhattan Beach, Marianne O’Connor of the FBI questions both Briggs and Mike about Briggs' conduct when he killed the two Vzakonye men. They both blatantly lie and Silvo notices but says nothing.
At a bonfire on the beach, Mike, Briggs, Johnny and Charlie all drink tequila and party to celebrate Mike's success. Briggs gives a speech, praising everyone for their part in the mission.
While Charlie and Johnny dance, Briggs tells Mike that as an official undercover agent, romantic partners and family cannot know anything about his life. Mike then gets a phone call. It is Agent Campbell with his assignment -- Investigate Paul Briggs.
Mike assures Campbell that what they went through will not affect his investigation. After hanging up, Briggs approaches Mike to question him about why he got sent to Graceland. But Mike lies.
Cast[]
Starring[] |
Guest Starring[]
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Co-Starring[]
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Quotes[]
- "I just knew I was the smartest, the fastest, the best this institution had to offer. And then… And then I stepped into the real world."
- ―Deputy Director Sam Campbell
- "There are no secrets in Graceland"
- ―Catherine 'Charlie' DeMarco
- "You see, bad guys don’t tend to ask a lot of questions because they don’t want you asking a lot of questions. Feel me?"
- ―Paul Briggs
- "Damn, I knew those jeans were bad luck."
- ―Felix Arroyo
- "Russian bastards aren’t going to finish me off."
- ―Donnie Banks
- "From this moment on, your lies are your life"
- ―Paul Briggs
Trivia[]
- Felix tells Mike that the trailer contains 15,000 pairs of jeans. Later Silvo tells the house that the trailer contains 12,000 pairs.
- The house filmed in the Pilot was used as the set for Sex and the City: the Movie. After Pilot, filming moved to Florida with a custom made set to cut costs.
- "Manos Arriba!" was a frequently used quote in the Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Later in the season, Mike encounters a Western obsessed crime boss.
Soundtrack[]
| Song Title | Artist | Time |
|---|---|---|
| As Lies Go... This One Is Beautiful | Matt Pryor | 8 minutes |
| All Of A Sudden | Telekinesis! | 23 minutes |
| Forever Wherever | Andrew Jed | 26 minutes |
| L.E.S. Artistes | Santigold | tbd minutes |
| For Your Precious Love | Unknown Artist | 26 minutes |
| L.O.V. | Fitz & the Tantrums | 37 minutes |
| Happy Go Lucky | Aubrey Haynie | tbd minutes |
| Welcome Home | Radical Face | tba minutes |
| West Coast Blues | Ernest Lewis | 68 minutes |
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