Episode:Pilot

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"Pilot"
An episode from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mike Peterson lands on the ground with a young woman he saved from the flames.
Episode Nb	Season 1 Episode 01
Directed by	Joss Whedon
Written by	Maurissa Tancharoen Jed Whedon Joss Whedon
Produced by	Garry A. Brown Samantha Thomas
Featured music	"Fais comme si" performed by Édith Piaf
Director of photography	David Boyd
Edited by	Joshua Charson Paul Trejo
Original air date	(2013-09-24) USA: September 24, 2013 (2013-09-27) UK: September 27, 2013 (2013-10-02) AUS: October 2, 2013
Length	44'04"
Guest starring
J. August Richards as Mike Peterson Shannon Lucio as Debbie Ron Glass as Dr. Streiten Bob Stephenson as Gary Special Guest Star Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Episode chronology
"0-8-4"
MCU timeline
All Hail the King "0-8-4"

S.H.I.E.L.D. puts together a special team, led by Agent Phil Coulson, to track down a mysterious man with special abilities and the young computer hacker who's encouraging him to reveal himself to the world.

"Pilot" is the 1st episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1. This is the pilot episode of the series.

Summary

• Since the Battle of New York (Marvel's The Avengers), the world has changed and anybody can access various (alien) advanced technologies.
• A recovered Phil Coulson (he was supposed to be dead) is given command of a S.H.I.E.L.D. special field team who is assigned to investigate unclassified cases.
• A young female hacker working for a worldwide conspiracy hacktivist group will lead the team to a new hooded superhero.
• Yet a new threat arises among the people of Los Angeles when the superhero's condition becomes critical.

Story development

Locations: France • Paris Items: Mike Peterson's driver license Miscellaneous: Harry Potter • Terminator

Story

Teaser

• The Battle of New York has revealed a new class of enhanced people and an organization that was hiding those things for decades.
• East Los Angeles, Mike Peterson buys a hot-dog to his son Ace. He tells him that even if the times are harsh, they will eventually find a solution. At the same moment, an explosion occurs on the top floor of a nearby building spreading a lot of fragments all around. Peterson leaves his son to Bernie, the hot-dog salesman, and goes to a back alley at the bottom of the building. A female voice calls for help. Then he hits some wall bricks and climbs up to the top floor.
• Peterson jumps in the room, but he is surrounded by flames. Outside the building, people are using their smartphones to shoot the event. Among them is Skye. Suddenly, Peterson jumps from the top floor handling a young woman in his arms and lands loudly on the street, splitting the macadam. Skye is amazed by the scene, but when Peterson sees her, he flees away to retrieve his son.

Act 1

Paris, France

• Three S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles drive near the river Seine and park not far from Notre Dame de Paris. An agent warns Agent Ward through radio that the Rising Tide has published on the internet the location of a special package he had to retrieve. Unwilling to abort the mission despite the threat, Ward parks his motorcycle near the Relais Odeon and disguises himself as a waiter. He picks up a champagne glass from a costumer, and reproduces the glass fingerprints on a special napkin.
• Later, he picks an apartment's lock, and comes into the main room. He turns on his X-Ray plate to locate an hidden control panel behind a painting, types a code on the pad and uses the napkin to match the prints for the sensor. The fireplace lifts up and unveils a safe containing several briefcases and a lot cash. Ward picks up a pouch and gets out the safe when a woman dressed with a robe stands before him, staring at him. The moment he tries to find an excuse, two henchmen come in the apartment and confront Ward. Several seconds later, during the fight, the agent finally warns Ward about the two men, to the great displeasure of Ward. While the woman gets dressed and leaves the apartment, Ward eventually manages to neutralize the two men, reaches the roofs and catches an helicopter's knotted climbing rope, leaving Paris with the package.

Agent Hill's field office, location: classified

• Agent Ward is audited by Agent Maria Hill about the meaning of S.H.I.E.L.D. for him. Ward explains himself and eventually gives her the Chitauri neural link he took at Paris as a mean to protect people from threats of "weirder worlds". When Hill asks Ward about Vanchat's buyer, Ward expresses his concern about the Rising Tide as they were supposed to be only hackers. Hill tells him that, since the Battle of New York, everything changed and all can access technology they cannot understand. When Ward asks the reason he left Paris, Hill replies that he will have to ask Agent Coulson. As a Clearance level 6 Agent, Ward knows about Coulson's fate just before the Battle of New York (Marvel's The Avengers).
• Suddenly a man moves out of the shadow: it is Agent Phil Coulson, who tells Agent Ward that he has been promoted to Level 7.
• In L.A., Mike Peterson walks on the streets, reading a newspaper. Seated at a bus shelter, Skye is discreetly watching him, then gets to her feet and trails him.
• In Hill's field's office, Coulson tells Ward and Hill that the fact he died contributed to put the Avengers together so they eventually manage to win the Battle of New York. Coulson speaks about his death and his recovery in Tahiti yet Ward is surprised to see Coulson back on work. On a big screen, Ward can see a video of an unknown unregistered superhero, published on line by the Rising Tide. Hill informs Ward that Coulson has assembled a mobile command unit in which Ward is assigned. His mission will be to use the Rising Tide to get to the hooded hero, as the man's world will change radically. Ward declines the assignment as he was trained since his first day at S.H.I.E.L.D. as a specialist, who is working alone, and never in a team. Coulson notices Agent Hill's assessment of Ward's last mission, noticing an expertise in combat, espionage, and his "people skills" that are way below the average, yet Coulson tells Ward that his is the guy for this mission.
• Dr. Streiten comes in the room and tells the group that all the team is approved, yet Fitz-Simmons is not clear for combat and Ward "is almost too fit". When Ward tries to argue with the report, Hill dismisses him. Once Ward gone, Hill is concerned about Coulson's health and project, but Coulson tells Hill and Streiten that he rested enough in Tahiti.
• After Coulson left the room, Streiten guesses that Coulson doesn't know about the way he recovered. Hill replies that he can never know.

Act 2

• Drinking a coffee inside Ruthie's Skillet, Mike Peterson holds a newspaper looking for a job and watches television. On channel KEJH 3, Debbie, the woman who has been saved by Peterson is interviewed and wonders if it is possible to thank him in any way. Skye enters and seats at Peterson's table, just in front of him. She tries without success to convince him that he is danger because of S.H.I.E.L.D., "scary men in dark suits", want to contain guys like him. She tells him that they knew for the Battle of New York and cleaned all the mess as quick as possible (Marvel's The Avengers). Skye offers Peterson to not hide anymore, creating for him a new identity. Peterson stands up to leave but Skye tries to retain him, inviting him to her van. When he leaves, she warns him that they're coming for him and looks at Mike Peterson's driver license she stole from him.

Character appearances

Click on the right "Expand" button to see all the characters. To hide them, click on the right "Collapse" button.

Angry man            Bernie            Phil Coulson            Debbie            French holder of the Chitauri neural link            Gary            Gunman            Maria Hill            Daisy Johnson            Melinda May            Ace Peterson            Ace Peterson's mother            Mike Peterson            S.H.I.E.L.D. agent            Streiten            Technician            Grant Ward            Woman

Notes

• The scenes in Paris, France were actually shot on location in... Paris, France for two days.
• Cobie Smulders guest starred in the pilot, portraying Maria Hill, a character previously seen in Marvel's The Avengers. According to Joss Whedon, "she is S.H.I.E.L.D. She's cool and commanding and has the dry humor that plays so well with Clark's [Gregg]."
• The full episode has premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2013.