Pilot

Pilot
Season One, Episode One
Air Date	July 11, 2011
Written By	Zak Penn Michael Karnow
Directed By	Jack Bender
Episode Guide
	"Cause & Effect"

"Pilot" is the first episode of Alphas. It first aired on Syfy in a ninety minute time slot from 10:00 pm to 11:30 pm on July 11, 2011.

Summary

Cameron Hicks is working at a grocery store when his cell phone rings. He answers, hears a warbling tone and reads a text message with a location and time. A mysterious figure wearing white gloves, The Ghost, is in the store when Cameron receives the call. People (an Elderly Woman in the store, the manager of the store, a woman pushing a stroller, an infant in a stroller and a man on the street) and media around him seem to be urging him that "It's time to Kill" and "Pull the trigger." Cameron proceeds to a rooftop where he finds a sniper rifle left for him. He fires one round toward an unidentified building.

Dr. Lee Rosen is swimming in his backyard pool when he sees a government agent standing near the pool. The agent tells Rosen that Don Wilson is inside the house. Wilson gives Rosen a classified case file.

Bill Harken talks with his wife Jeannie before leaving home for the day; outside he finds that a large vehicle is blocking his driveway. He exercises his hyperadrenal capability and pushes the offending vehicle sideways out of his way.

Nina Theroux is stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation. After he writes a traffic citation, Nina uses her influencer capability to tell the officer to eat both copies of the ticket. Gary Bell is being served breakfast by his mother. He uses his transducer capability to visualize media that most people can only see and hear with electronic hardware.

Rachel Pirzad enters the dry cleaning establishment owned by her parents. She asks the tailor to shorten the hem on one of her garments then tells her father that she will be working late. On the way out of the business, she pauses and uses her Synesthete capability to listen to the tailor and her father discussing her prospects. Her father says she will never find a husband with her "condition."

In response to Hick's sniper assassination, Wilson has Rosen gather the four gifted individuals (who Rosen calls "Alphas") to investigate. They track Hicks back to his apartment and capture him, finding out that he has been brainwashed by the Ghost. Using the Ghost's phone signals, they find him at an upscale hotel, and chase him until he jumps to his death from a rooftop patio.

Later, it's revealed that the jumper was another mind-controlled patsy, and the Ghost has followed the team back to their office. The Ghost takes Rachel hostage, but Hicks is able to control his ability well enough to shoot the mind-controller dead. Rosen gives Hicks an option; join his Alpha team or be put on trial for his brainwashed assassination.

Reception

• The series premiere drew in 2.515 million viewers, making it the most watched TV debut in Syfy's two year history.