I'm going to give a little sample and review of a couple of the more interesting fall pilots as we wait for the summer TV to really begin. I'll write up what the first episode is about and my review at the end. This process should give us all a good idea if we will be interested in watching the show come fall.The main characters are Carlos (a public defender), Mae *pictured* (a troubled and mysterious woman), Whitney (a powerful executive), Damian (a gambler and chauffeur), Laura (a mom with a failed marriage), and Steven (a recovering addict and a photographer).
Carlos is assigned to help Mae out of trouble when she is charged with indecent exposure. Carlos makes a deal with a judge to get Mae out of trouble because he feels something for her. Later on Carlos tells his friends with benefits girl Sandy that he has met someone and wants to break it off.
We meet Whitney as she finds out that she has made partner at her PR firm. Whitney's boyfriend Roy helps her celebrate as she asks him to marry her. Roy likes the idea but wants to be the one to surprise her with a ring.
Steven appears as he has snuck to his son's school to see him. It seems that his ex will not let Steven see his son, Max. Steven gets upset and goes to a bar where Damian is as well, they do not know each other.
Damian is at the bar watching a race that he has bet on. He loses and then goes to pick up a client in his Town Car. The client is none other than Roy on his way to see Whitney.
Later on Mae is on a pay phone talking to an Eric who is upset that she got in trouble with the law because she is supposed to be on the run. Mae tells Eric she has a plan.
Laura is at lunch with a friend Bonnie about how she is going back to work. Laura is hiding the reason of her broken marriage as the reason she needs to back to work.
Damian is waiting for a client who actually turns out to be his brother Michael. Its seems that Michael wants to help Damian out of his gambling debt. Damian does not take the offer but keeps it in mind.
Whitney has found one of Steven's photos by coincidence and has asked to have a meeting with him. Whitney offers Steven a job for a perfume client but Steven becomes upset and walks out. Whitney goes after him but instead sees one of her co-workers looking at a profile of Roy on a dating website. Whitney confronts Roy who says it was done as a joke and he is not looking for someone to date.
After Mae changes her appearance with a drastic haircut and color, she goes in for a live-in nanny interview at Laura's house. Laura is impressed with Mae and offers her a job since her references checked out . Later on Mae talks to Eric on the phone and commends his fine job pretending to be a reference. They talk about how the job is great because Mae will get paid cash and does not have to sign a lease to live anywhere, no trail. Later on Mae goes on a walk with Laura's daughter Eliza and gets scared because she thinks someone is following her. Mae considers quitting the job, it may be too dangerous.
Steven goes back to a gallery where his work used to be shown and regrets that his addiction had ruined his old life. Steven asks the owner to show his old photos but the owner suggests that Steven make new work to make people forget about what happened. Steven says that he does not have the inspiration anymore and doubts this idea would work.
Later on Whitney coincidently talks at a nail salon with a stranger who happens to be Laura. They talk about the dating website Whitney found Roy's profile on and Laura agrees to help Whitney.
After trying to call Mae and finding the number disconnected, Carlos sees Mae go into a nightclub and tries to get in but the bouncer won't let him. Carlos spots Damian and his Town Car and asks for a ride down the street back to the nightclub in order to look like a VIP. Damian offers Carlos some advice and clothing to look more the part of a VIP.
The next day Carlos' boss finds out about the deal with the judge and is not happy but admires his passion for wanting to help Mae out. He suspends Carlos but does not fire him.
Laura finally decides to confront her failed marriage and sends her husband's things away in a moving van. Once the van is out of sight, Laura breaks down on the street.
Steven runs home and turns his bathroom into a darkroom. It seems that he has captured something on film that inspired him. As the image develops we see that it is Laura during her break down.
That night Laura and Whitney have set Roy up by getting him to come to a fake date to meet Laura. Once Roy arrives, Whitney gets upset and knows that Roy was lying and is a cheater. Roy says that he knew it was a set up and he came to surprise Whitney with an engagement ring and pops the question.
Damian is off to pick up Michael and wants to accept his offer for help. Michael appears out of a building with another man and what appears to be a body bag. Michael asks Damian to pop the trunk. The next day Michael thanks Damian for helping him out the previous night and pays him a large sum of cash. Damian is dealing with the fact that he shot someone. Michael asks Damian to keep working with him and asks Damian to keep an eye out for a girl he is looking for, the photo reveals that it is Mae.
My take on the pilot: I liked reading this pilot more than I expected. I liked the characters right away and it was interesting how they were all slightly connected. There were several other coincidental ways that the character's crossed paths that I did not write about. I am interested to see where this story is going but I don't know if it is going to evolve into a big mystery or if all six are going to finally meet and become one big group of friends. I'll have to wait and see the show to really grasp the tone and direction but so far so good. And with a slot after Grey's Anatomy, Six Degrees has a good chance to become a hit.
Updated 5.27.06
