Kidnapped "Pilot" S01E01 OAD: 9-20-2006 *spoilers* [Text View]

terpfan1980

09-20-2006, 10:42 PM

Question for those that had seen the DVD preview or other "leaked" copies of the pilot, probably need to have also seen the episode tonite, but maybe not for answering the question here:

I don't recall the body guard turning up alive in the pilot that was on the DVD from Netflix - am I wrong in thinking that was an edit, or did I just miss that point in the preview?!

Only other comment is that I do very much like seeing Delroy Lindo in a regular series. The role seems perfect for him.

Tivohud

09-20-2006, 11:36 PM

I watched the pilot from Netflix and don't remember the body guard turning up alive. I'm going to go recover the pilot from Tivo and see what this is about. thanks for the tip

Hud

drew2k

09-21-2006, 12:57 AM

I thought this was excellent. There's another thread asking which will be better, Vanished or Kinapped, and without a doubt, this show wins that contest.

Finally ... a missing-persons show where I feel I have a vested interest in the characters!

Looking forward to more.

Stylin

09-21-2006, 03:46 AM

Hmm, I guess I was a little disappointed. I liked it, but was expecting much more b/c of all the great hype and reviews.

terpfan1980

09-21-2006, 07:07 AM

I watched the pilot from Netflix and don't remember the body guard turning up alive. I'm going to go recover the pilot from Tivo and see what this is about. thanks for the tip

Hud

No problem, at least it seems from your confirmation that I'm not crazy in thinking this was a change made somewhere along the way.

I know that at times I zone out a bit when "watching" TV, including DVDs... just a part of the multitasking that I'm sometimes doing, reading messages here at TCF or elsewhere on the web, or checking e-mail and such. I'm well aware I may miss something in doing so, but normally I don't miss the major stuff.

The scene I asked about makes a little sense to be there and helps to cover a bit of an apparent gap in the DVD preview, basically explaining why the FBI would have wormed its way into the case so easily.

What brought up the question at all was that I seemed to recall my wife asking what happened to the guard.

dwells

09-21-2006, 09:50 AM

DougF

09-21-2006, 09:53 AM

I liked it very much. Set the SP immediately after it was over.

I can't recall every seeing Jeremy Sisto in something before, but he was very good. And while Delroy Lindo is entertaining, I'm surprised they cast him in this given that he played pretty much the exact same part 10 years ago in Ransom.

I don't know what work she's had done, or what kind of makeup she was wearing but Dana Delany looks amazing. She'd look good for 40...and she's actually 50.

terpfan1980

09-21-2006, 10:31 AM

Jeremy Sisto played the psychotic brother (Billy) of the character Brenda in Six Feet Under. He did an amazing job with that role, and seems to be showing he's capable of a wide range of characters with this new one.

terpfan1980

09-21-2006, 10:36 AM

We thought it was pretty good- agree with drew2k, it was much better than Vanished. It has a GREAT cast.

However, my problem with Kidnapped is the same one I have read in several reviews of the show- is this story going to hold up for 22 episodes? To me, this would have made a great mini-series or at best a 13 episode series like The Shield or Rescue Me. Just not sure about watching this one storyline for a whole season...

I mentioned it above (I think), or perhaps it was in the poll question about which show is better (Vanished or Kidnapped), but I'll flesh it out here anyway...

I had some of the same questions about the show but then I thought about 24, and Prison Break, and realized that those shows have set a standard on how a show that would seem to only be able to work over a short period of time can work very well over a long season.

I'm not saying it will happen for sure, but with the success of those shows I think it's much easier for Kidnapped to work.

I agree though that the story has to remain interesting. Not just interesting, but tense. It has to keep bringing you back with new twists that give you some hope, but then leave you wanting again.

Not an easy chore, but it's possible. And as Drew2k mentioned either here or in the poll thread, the emotional attachment to these characters was much easier to form (at least for some of us) than it was with Vanished. I care about what happens to these people even after only seeing an hour of the season. With Vanished I couldn't make myself interested at all.

DevdogAZ

09-21-2006, 12:15 PM

I don't recall the body guard turning up alive in the pilot that was on the DVD from Netflix - am I wrong in thinking that was an edit, or did I just miss that point in the preview?!
Can you explain this question a little better? I saw no evidence that the bodyguard turned up alive at any point. Where/when did you get that idea?

I liked the show. It wasn't as compelling as I had hoped, but it was definitely well done and the acting was great. I like that they made the Leopold character smart and resourceful in the little bits that we saw of him. Makes it much easier to root for him. I'll be watching, at least for several weeks, at which point I'll be so into the story that I won't drop it even if it starts sucking.

drew2k

09-21-2006, 12:16 PM

Can you explain this question a little better? I saw no evidence that the bodyguard turned up alive at any point. Where/when did you get that idea?The bodyguard is named "Virgil". He's the friend of the FBI agent who was about to retire and was found, actually "left for dead", on Staten Island.

We saw a scene in the midle of the pilot where the FBI agent was in Virgil's hospital room, and Virgil asked, "How's the boy?" That's how the FBI first learned of Leopold's kidnapping.

DevdogAZ

09-21-2006, 12:27 PM

The bodyguard is named "Virgil". He's the friend of the FBI agent who was about to retire and was found, actually "left for dead", on Staten Island.

We saw a scene in the midle of the pilot where the FBI agent was in Virgil's hospital room, and Virgil asked, "How's the boy?" That's how the FBI first learned of Leopold's kidnapping.
Hmmm. I didn't see that scene. I thought the whole time that Delroy's character was looking for a missing Virgil and didn't know where he was, which was evidenced by his conversation with Virgil's wife, and the fact that his company told her he was on vacation, and the fact that Delroy was asking Mr. Caine about Virgil's whereabouts.

Did I actually watch the DVD screener version?

drew2k

09-21-2006, 12:36 PM

Hmmm. I didn't see that scene. I thought the whole time that Delroy's character was looking for a missing Virgil and didn't know where he was, which was evidenced by his conversation with Virgil's wife, and the fact that his company told her he was on vacation, and the fact that Delroy was asking Mr. Caine about Virgil's whereabouts.

Did I actually watch the DVD screener version?The scene you described happened earlier, right after the FBI agent got his gold watch, but I guess you missed the later scene I recounted. I never saw the DVD screener, so I can't say what's different, but other posters seem to think Virgil was never shown again on the DVD screener, so maybe the pilot was recut for the broadcast premiere?

DevdogAZ

09-21-2006, 12:40 PM

The scene you described happened earlier, right after the FBI agent got his gold watch, but I guess you missed the later scene I recounted. I never saw the DVD screener, so I can't say what's different, but other posters seem to think Virgil was never shown again on the DVD screener, so maybe the pilot was recut for the broadcast premiere?
I had both the DVD version and the broadcast version on my TiVo. When I turned on the broadcast version last night to watch, it didn't catch the beginning of the episode, so I went back into the NP List and chose the DVD version in order to see the beginning. At some point, I switched back over to the broadcast version to make sure I was seeing the most current edit, but I guess I switched after that scene. I'll have to check it out tonight and see what the differences are.

MacThor

09-21-2006, 01:06 PM

Well, it would certainly be a shame to kill off Mykelti Williamson (Virgil) on the pilot episode.

Maybe there's been some re-editing since the DVD pilot, and they planned to find Virgil in a later ep. That wouldn't make much sense though, since Virgil's conversation with Delroy Lindo was the confirmation of the kidnapping, so everything that happened with the FBI and the Cains followed from that.

Rob Helmerichs

09-21-2006, 01:25 PM

Well, it would certainly be a shame to kill off Mykelti Williamson (Virgil) on the pilot episode.
Especially since he's in the title cast... :D

drew2k

09-21-2006, 01:33 PM

Especially since he's in the title cast... :DHey now ... I could swear I've seen posts from you about the diversionary tactic of including a character in the title sequence of a pilot so it would be a shock when they were killed off later in the same episode. Was it about Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Rob Helmerichs

09-21-2006, 02:40 PM

Hey now ... I could swear I've seen posts from you about the diversionary tactic of including a character in the title sequence of a pilot so it would be a shock when they were killed off later in the same episode. Was it about Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Well, I don't know who created Kidnapped, and I don't mean this as a slur, but whoever he is, he's no Joss Whedon! :cool:

And even Joss Whedon couldn't get away with it in the first episode, although he tried. When he finally got it in, it was with a character who had been a regular for years.

tetspa

09-21-2006, 03:36 PM

drew2k

09-21-2006, 03:37 PM

Well, I don't know who created Kidnapped, and I don't mean this as a slur, but whoever he is, he's no Joss Whedon! :cool:

And even Joss Whedon couldn't get away with it in the first episode, although he tried. When he finally got it in, it was with a character who had been a regular for years.OK, my bad. I never watched Buffy, so what I knew of it was from reading here.

drew2k

09-21-2006, 03:39 PM

ok...how did the kidnappers know the FBI was involved? There has to be a leak from either 1) inside the house or 2) inside the FBI. I think the bodyguard in in on it. Since the bodyguards wife is the one who called the FBI in the first place. Why wouldnt a sniper of such high quality go for a head shot or a heart shot? I think he was shot as "cover".

Also, how much of a coincidence that the kid's friend was inside the car, yet survived, and can theoretically id the perps...suspicious he would be released alive.The bad guys, especially the "accountant", seem to be sharp and aware of everything going on, so my guess is that the overzealous FBI agent in the field in Brooklyn was sloppy and tipped then off by being overly visible. When that brown truck pulled up, even before they zoomed inside, I knew it was SWAT.

Rob Helmerichs

09-21-2006, 03:41 PM

DevdogAZ

09-21-2006, 04:58 PM

The bad guys, especially the "accountant", seem to be sharp and aware of everything going on, so my guess is that the overzealous FBI agent in the field in Brooklyn was sloppy and tipped then off by being overly visible. When that brown truck pulled up, even before they zoomed inside, I knew it was SWAT.
They even said as much in the episode. When the Jeremy Sisto character punched out the FBI agent, he said, "They saw you swarming all over the place and sent the bag man home."

Early in the episode, Sisto's assistant couldn't trace a call and mentioned that it was being bounced all over Brooklyn. Then, on the next call, she easily identified the location. That should have been the tip-off that it was a setup. However, they didn't clue into that and sent a team there. The kidnappers were clearly watching to see if the FBI took the bait, and when it became obvious, they sent the homeless guy down to the tracks with the "Nice seeing you in Brooklyn" note. Had they not seen the FBI in Brooklyn, the real guy probably would have gone down to the subway station and things would have gone more smoothly.

drew2k

09-21-2006, 06:39 PM

New thought: Does anyone think it's coincidence or just the writers trying to be cute that Jeremy Sisto's character is named Knapp? If he has a kid, it would be Mr. Knapp and Kid Knapp... :)

Martha

09-21-2006, 06:57 PM

New thought: Does anyone think it's coincidence or just the writers trying to be cute that Jeremy Sisto's character is named Knapp? If he has a kid, it would be Mr. Knapp and Kid Knapp... :)

:up: That's pretty funny. I was just about to post that I found the FBI guy's name (King?) and families name (Caine?) to be so close together when they pronounced them that at first I thought they were both named Caine. I had to go back and watch it again to figure out they were different. I couldn't figure out how they could be related! :eek: :D

7thton

09-22-2006, 10:03 AM

I liked it....keeping the SP.

Who was the actor who played the heavy set guy with the beard? I know I've seen him before...

7thton

09-22-2006, 10:20 AM

I thought she couldn't get a trace, period, the first time. Then, the 2nd time, she got a trace for Brooklyn.

Early in the episode, Sisto's assistant couldn't trace a call and mentioned that it was being bounced all over Brooklyn. Then, on the next call, she easily identified the location. That should have been the tip-off that it was a setup. However, they didn't clue into that and sent a team there. The kidnappers were clearly watching to see if the FBI took the bait, and when it became obvious, they sent the homeless guy down to the tracks with the "Nice seeing you in Brooklyn" note. Had they not seen the FBI in Brooklyn, the real guy probably would have gone down to the subway station and things would have gone more smoothly.

Martha

09-22-2006, 10:41 AM

I liked it....keeping the SP.

Who was the actor who played the heavy set guy with the beard? I know I've seen him before...

He reminded me of Headmaster Chalmers (sp?) on Gilmore Girls, but I'm sure that wasn't him.

Zevida

09-24-2006, 11:10 AM

I liked it and the production values are definitely better than Vanished, but I find the story of Vanished more interesting and mysterious. I'm sure Kidnapped needs more time to develop into that, but right now it is just a boy that is missing. I disagree about caring about any of the characters - the two parents are cold and unfeeling and the boy is your stereotypical Hollywood model-teenager: a rebellious punk who is a smart-ass to his parents but is a brilliant person who reads social philosophy and theology for fun. Nope, don't care about him either.

Loved Jermey Sisto and Delroy Lindo. I checked IMDB and I think I remember Jermey Sisto from Julious Caesar on TV, which was many moon ago but I recall liking it quite a bit. He's very cute.

I've added a SP for this and I'll keep it and Vanished around and see how they both turn out.

Maui

09-24-2006, 09:24 PM

I really liked the premiere. It has moved in to second place behind Studio 60 in my listing of new shows to watch.

pendragn

09-25-2006, 09:28 PM

I liked it....keeping the SP.

Who was the actor who played the heavy set guy with the beard? I know I've seen him before...
Jay something. He's a professional magician. He did a stint on Deadwood.

tk

edit: Make that Ricky Jay

Delta13

09-26-2006, 01:12 AM

I watched the pilot live, then caught the rerun Saturday and recorded it. (The local NBC HD was having trouble during a thunderstorm we were having, and I missed little bits live.) The second time around, I noticed something. At the very beginning, when the family is getting breakfast and the TV is on a financial channel - CNBC no doubt - there was a line about how "investors were waiting for Knapp to ..." and then it faded off.

CC also showed Knapp. I'm sure they weren't referring to Jeremy Sisto, but perhaps he has a father in business.

DougF

09-26-2006, 09:36 AM

Jay something. He's a professional magician. He did a stint on Deadwood.

tk

edit: Make that Ricky Jay

He was also Jack Horner's cameraman in Boogie Nights.

7thton

09-26-2006, 06:36 PM

Jay something. He's a professional magician. He did a stint on Deadwood.

tk

edit: Make that Ricky Jay
Thanks for that! It was driving me crazy! I must know him from Deadwood or the films he's been in such as Heist, Boogie Nights, and Spanish Prisoner.

I seem to remember him playing a role where he gets killed instead of giving up some sort of information. As I recall, it was a touching scene.

Anyone have a clue?

pendragn

09-26-2006, 06:38 PM

Have you looked him up on IMDB to see if that jiggles anything loose?

tk

7thton

09-26-2006, 06:43 PM

Have you looked him up on IMDB to see if that jiggles anything loose?

tk
Yep...that's the only reason I know he was in Heist, etc.

balboa dave

09-26-2006, 08:09 PM

Thanks for that! It was driving me crazy! I must know him from Deadwood or the films he's been in such as Heist, Boogie Nights, and Spanish Prisoner.

I seem to remember him playing a role where he gets killed instead of giving up some sort of information. As I recall, it was a touching scene.

Anyone have a clue?That would have been X-Files (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751219/).

7thton

09-26-2006, 08:24 PM

That would have been X-Files (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751219/).
That sounds like it could be it....but somehow it doesn't feel right. Could it have been Heist (the film with Gene Hackman)?

aindik

09-27-2006, 11:26 AM

ok...how did the kidnappers know the FBI was involved? There has to be a leak from either 1) inside the house or 2) inside the FBI. I think the bodyguard in in on it. Since the bodyguards wife is the one who called the FBI in the first place. Why wouldnt a sniper of such high quality go for a head shot or a heart shot? I think he was shot as "cover".

Also, how much of a coincidence that the kid's friend was inside the car, yet survived, and can theoretically id the perps...suspicious he would be released alive.

They made a point to tell us that the maid spoke Spanish to her husband on the phone. I think the Latino guy giving Leopold food and meds might be her husband or know her husband. If that's true, my wife called it.