A show about a young woman who relives days in order to save people taken before their time could have simply turned out as a more youth-oriented version of Touched by an Angel, but Tru Calling instead took a darker and more realistic tone to create an intriguing series about interfering with “what’s meant to happen.” Ten years after witnessing her mother’s death, Tru Davies (Eliza Dushku) experiences serious déjà vu when a deceased woman brought into her new job at the morgue asks for her help. Tru’s day rewinds to before the woman was killed, so Tru sets out to save this woman from death with little evidence to go on and no one to confide in. The pilot episode achieved its goal to set up the series and the characters, but as was the case with the entire run of the series, never got the opportunity to delve into the greater mythology. It was a common case of a series cancelled before its time. Despite that, let’s take a look at what the dedicated, yet small, audience clung to.
Episode 1, “Pilot”
Originally aired: October 30, 2003
Although I was not quite old enough to enjoy Tru Calling when it first aired, I discovered the series a few years back. Like many people I’m sure, the original appeal was that it starred the other slayer from Buffy. While Faith’s world is a far cry from Tru’s, they are both capable and feisty women that are just similar and different enough to fulfill nostalgia and give the audience a new character to invest in.
Tru Calling was built around a simple concept — what if you could go back and change the past — but it takes a less than simple approach to solving the cases of the week, and that’s what makes this essentially procedural show feel less like a conventional “case of the week” one and more like a blend of procedural, serialized stories, and family drama. Series with a mix like this tend to be among my favorites, so if you’re looking for something with a bit of closure every week and a bit of long-term payoff, I recommend Tru Calling.
Now looking at the pilot more closely, creator Jon Harmon Feldman crafted an opening hour that not only succeeded in introducing the audience to the types of stories that the series would be tackling each week, but also succeeded in establishing the character relationships that would exist throughout the series’ (short) run. The introduction into this supernatural world is smart and subtle. The series begins with a warm up to the supernatural events that will take place. By having young Tru believe her deceased mother spoke to her, Tru’s ability to hear the dead’s calls is hinted at, but not enough to scare the audience away since they could easily justify her convictions as those of a grieving child. It is not until at least ten minutes later that the full scope of the supernatural sets in. Unlike some series in which supernatural elements make the series’ world seem less real, the way in which Tru Calling handles it by having danger common to our world and the high stakes of life and death keeps the show grounded and plausible … at least in the world of television.
The most notable aspect of the supernatural storyline is that our first experience of Tru’s gift is also her first experience with it. Having the main character be just as shocked and baffled as the audience reduces the chance that the audience tunes out because they don’t get it or because it’s too far out there for them to accept. It keeps the show on a believable level, insomuch as it can be. It was a crafty move that pays off. Also, it’s a convenient way to explain what’s happening without it feeling like an information overload. The audience is learning right alongside the main character. We become more engaged and invested, and ultimately more accepting of the strange events, which is exactly what this show needed to do. It did not dumb down the concept in order to explain it, but rather found a way to work around the hurdle.
Overall, the pilot story was strong and engaging. The case of a woman seemingly murdered by her ex-boyfriend or her married lover was far more complicated than that. Even though the twist of her being pregnant was somewhat cliché and predictable, the final reveal of how she died on the original day was unexpected enough to wipe away any notions of this being a typical case. The way Tru went about solving the case was subpar by many standards, but with it being her first time doing this without many resources or much of an idea what to do, I’d say she did just fine. While cornering someone at their place of work and telling them they’re going to die today may not be the best course of action to gain their trust and allow you to save them, you have to give Tru credit for her determination and courage. Like good television does, it caused obstacles that she fought to overcome.
Throughout the pilot, Tru balances work and family, a common struggle on television, but only because it’s so relatable. Tru, as a recent college graduate, may not initially appear to have much in common with potential middle-aged audience members, but this is not just a series for those around her age. It’s a story about a young woman discovering she has more to offer the world than what you would expect, and it’s a story about discovering what’s important in life. It’s a universal struggle told through the eyes of an aspiring medical student whose life takes turns she never expected.
The pilot does a commendable job of quickly introducing the audience to the characters that will grace their screens week after week. Although Tru comes across as slightly aloof and bossy, not telling anyone what’s truly happening to her and judging her sister and brother for their respective drug and gabling vices, her positive intentions make her attitude less grating. It’s interesting to see how much of her interactions with her siblings Tru changes once her day has rewound. When given the opportunity to live the day over for the sake of saving a stranger, she also finds the time and responsibility to try to help her sister and brother out of their rough situations. As it should be, Tru is the most well-rounded of the characters. Unfortunately, most of the supporting characters appear one-dimensional. Her sister’s married to work. Her brother hangs with the wrong crowd. And her best friend enjoys having a good time. These characters could have easily been caricatures, but they’re given the chance to grow later on in the series. Whether for lack of time in the pilot or course correcting later on, the series makes the right strides.
The charm present in later episodes seems to be lacking in the pilot due to the only brief appearances of Zach Galifianakis as the lovable, awkward, and slightly creepy Davis. Nowadays, Galifianakis is known more for his comedy, but his role as Tru’s supervisor at the morgue proves his more dramatic chops, although the humor still finds its way through. Knowing her for less than a day and having no insight into her gift or the case, Davis has no qualms about helping Tru save the woman. This easily lays the groundwork for their future relationship — one that turns out to be a favorite of mine.
Additional Comments:
– There is an absurd amount of unnecessary shots of Tru running through the streets in this episode. She’s in a hurry. We get it.
– Tru pulled off a nice roundhouse kick that served as a convenient means of disarming a threat and as a potential homage to Faith.
– The biggest question of the series could be why Tru has the gift of reliving days. We’re given a hint of an answer in the pilot with the combination of her witnessing her mom’s murder and her sister indicating that Tru is the most open-minded of the children, but to provide an answer this early would be to miss out on an important development in the series. This way satisfies a desire to know without extinguishing the intrigue.
– The flashes of images that happen when Tru is asked for help by the deceased and when we return from the first commercial break are a good way to visually establish what has happened, but they go on for a little too long.
– Tru had to pick up a newspaper from a street stand and check the date on it because she didn’t catch what day it was on the newscast she was just watching? There’s no way the Internet could have that type of information. Granted this was over ten years ago, but still.
– The bit about Tru sleeping with one of her college professors is perhaps the weakest aspect of the pilot, partly because it’s all-too-common in series with college-aged characters, and partly because it served no real purpose to the story. He was there only for the sake of being there.
– Some of the dialogue is forced and on-the-nose and occasional line deliveries aren’t entirely believable, but these faults are easy to overlook in the grand scheme of things.
– Although it’s an unusual bit to have, ending the episode with Tru staring down the camera is pretty cool and chilling.
