E-Ring

Season 1 Episode 1

Pilot

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EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

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Pilot
AIRED:
Colonel McNulty finds himself at odds with Major Jim Tisnewski. The major must convince his superiors at the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the United States should risk war with China to rescue an American operative.

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • Great!

    10
    By sfviewer, Aug 31, 2006
    The season kicks off with a crisis, jt has to get settled inside his new office at the pentagon while he deals with this problem. the characters are thrown into this episode, something done at the start of every show, it works well in here. jt gets the job done with the help of his colleagues. this is a good show, it's too bad it got cancelled, i like this better than csi, it should get a new season. it's a really entertaining show, it's got action adventure, it's not boring, i really enjoy watching this show better than any other bruckheimer produced tv show.moreless

  • The everyday life of pentagon workers

    10
    By JasonMorgan101, Mar 21, 2006
    I love this show I hae watched every single episode so far, they have an amazing cast! I hope the show stays on the air for a long time. Benjamin Bratt is amazing, Dennis Hopper is hysterical even though all he pretty much does is either sit at his desk or walk around the hallways talking!

  • Good cast, looks like a promising show

    9.2
    By generac, Dec 15, 2005
    This looks like it will be a great show. The characters all have lots of personality, and only one annoyingly so (but intentionaly, i hope). Hopfully the writers will resist the urge to get too silly. This episode held the line well, which is promising. Too bad my knowlege of chinese somewhat ruined the tense ending.

  • Had to stop watching when I realised this isn't supposed to be a comedy.

    2.0
    By spudmachine, Oct 12, 2005
    What can I say. First off let me assure you that I'm a big fan of Tom Clancy, Stephen Coontz and the techno-thriller genre.



    I mention this because at least one forum poster has raised the comparison. Just to give my own view on this...E-Ring is *nothing* like a true Tom Clancy story.



    - The characters are completely 2-dimensional.

    - The plotlines are lame beyond belief. Chinese stealth sub? Who would give a flying fig if they had one? They can barely build cars for goodness sake. Chinese military strategy relies on large numbers of expendable bodies, not on high tech.

    - There is effectively one "joke", which is that the Pentagon is so totally bogged down in red tape that it's a miracle that anything ever takes place. I have no doubt that this is absolutely true, but I find it difficult to believe that there could ever be a super-hero character, Jim Tisnewski, who somehow manages to cut through the BS.



    And the cast...



    Benjamin Bratt should stick to roles playing aliens - he clearly doesn't need makeup.



    Dennis Hopper must have been desperate for the money. Despite being Tisnewski's CO, he manages to appear totally subservient, and essentially adds nothing to the storyline. Best that his character (if one can strain credibility and assign the word "character" to his role) should go back to selling real estate.



    Aunjanue Ellis and Kelly Rutherford are both highly decorative, but again their characters are vacuous, and without any substance. Ellis in particular needs to move her arms more - they appear to be welded to her sides! Rutherford clearly needs to book her character onto a CIA internal security refresher course.



    Overall - what a complete waste of money this show is. Thank goodness there are some great shows in the Fall lineup to compensate:- Lost, Commander in Chief and My Name is Earl to name but three. In fact maybe Jason Lee (Earl) could take over as Tisnewski's CO and replace Hopper. That would transform E-Ring into a true comedy, instead of the pathetic farce it is today.moreless

  • Off to a good start

    7.5
    By impactheat, Oct 07, 2005
    I have to say I did enjoy the Pilot, but it does need some work.



    This episode was mainly to introduce us to the main characters, so there wasn’t a lot of character development that made me jump up and dance.



    I don’t think Hopper fits the role very well, he doesn’t quite strike me as a military officer, but who knows…



    Loved the Aunjanue Ellis as the strait laced Sgt, I’m interested to see if they flesh her character out in future episodes, they didn’t give us a whole lot to go on.



    I love Angela (JT’s girlfriend) played by Kelsey Oldershaw, you may remember her from a guest-starting role on E/R. She is absolutely stunning!



    That brings me to JT (Benjamin Bratt)… Okay I can see him as a military figure, but on his first day of work at a new job he seems to be very quick to buck the system.



    Character development aside, I thought the plot was great. Showing the struggle inside the Pentagon, and way the debate about getting the agent I thought was fantastic.



    They definitely hooked me into watching future episodes, I see this show having a great future.

    moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

Benjamin Bratt

Benjamin Bratt

Jim Tisnewski
Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper

Colonel McNulty
Aunjanue Ellis

Aunjanue Ellis

Jocelyn Pierce
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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

Tony Cheng

Tony Cheng

Chinese Soldier

Guest Star

Steven Schub

Steven Schub

CIA Watch Commander

Guest Star

Kevin Sizemore

Kevin Sizemore

Intelligence Officer Cole

Guest Star

Kelsey Oldershaw

Kelsey Oldershaw

Angie Aronson

Recurring Role

Joe Morton

Joe Morton

Steven Algazi

Recurring Role

John Lafayette

John Lafayette

Three Star General

Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

  • TRIVIA (3)

    • Colonel McNulty was recalled to service at some point (most likely after 9/11 or during Afganistan). He says in the episode that he was selling condo's in Florida before being called back to active duty.

    • Each character was introduced by a back story that was told by another character on the show.

    • Goof: When Tisniewski leaves the Pentagon, the seat had been removed from his bicycle so he rode home without it. When he brings the bike inside the house, the seat is back on the bike, however when he gets back to the Pentagon with the bike it is gone again.

  • QUOTES (4)

    • JT: Does NSA know if Chinese Intelligence has intercepted her signal?
      CIA Officer: Negative.
      JT: Negative what, Al? Negative, the Chinese didn't pick up the signal, or negative, the CIA doesn't have the first damn clue?
      CIA Officer: We don't know.

    • JT: What exactly is your job, Marine? Other than busting my balls and not getting me coffee?
      Pierce: My job, Major, is to keep you and the Colonel out of jail. I set schedules, I anticipate problems, I broker deals, but most of all, I put out the fires that you will no doubt leave behind.
      JT: You get hazard pay for that?

    • JT: (overlooking to the Command Table) I feel like I'm stuck at the kiddie table at Christmas dinner.

    • McNulty: We are America, we can do anything we want!

  • NOTES (6)

  • ALLUSIONS (3)

    • When When Tisniewski signs in at the Pentagon, he asks Sergeant Jocelyn Pierce to get him a cup of coffee. Her response is "I'm not your Stepin Fetchit."

      This is a reference to the actor Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry, known as "Stepin Fetchit" and who was excoriated by civil rights activists for playing servile characters. However, he was later acclaimed for paving the way for African-American actors, was the first Black actor to become a millionaire. Sergent Pierce is obviously reacting to the stereotype - both for blacks and women.

    • Colonel McNulty (as he is going to a briefing): What you're going to see is classic sausage-making bureaucracy.

      This is a reference to a quote often attributed to Otto von Bismarck (April 1, 1815 – July 30, 1898), first chancellor of Germany, "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made." The actual source of the quote is unknown.

    • Get Smart: When Tisniewski enters the high security area of the Pentagon (about ten minutes into the episode) , as the heavy security doors open and close, he whistles the theme from Get Smart, a spy comedy of the 60's that featured the star character, Maxwell Smart passing through a series of increasingly absurd security doors during the opening credits.

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E-Ring Listings

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Forums: E-Ring

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Season 1 Episodes

See All
Ep 22
Acceptable Losses
Ep 21
Isolation
Ep 20
Hard Sell
Ep 19
Brothers in Arms
Ep 18
Two Princes
Ep 17
Friends and Enemies
Ep 16
Fallen Angels
Ep 15
Five Pillars
Ep 14
The General
Ep 13
War Crimes
Ep 12
Breath of Allah
Ep 11
Christmas Story
Ep 10
The Forgotten
Ep 9
Delta Does Detroit
Ep 8
Cemetery Wind (2)
Ep 8
Cemetary Wind (Part 2)
Ep 7
Cemetery Wind (1)
Ep 7
Cemetary Wind (Part 1)
Ep 6
Toy Soldiers
Ep 5
Weekend Pass
Ep 4
Tribes
Ep 3
Escape and Evade
Ep 2
Snatch and Grab
Ep 1
Pilot

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