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The Sentinel Season 1 Episode 1

The Switchman

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 3/20/96

The sole survivor of an Army plane crash in the Peruvian hinterlands, Jim Ellison subsisted for nearly two years on his raw animal instincts. When he returned to America and became a police lieutenant, Jim discovered that the abilities that had kept him alive in the jungle now gave him extraordinary senses of perception. With the help of Captain Simon Banks and a grad student Blair Sandburg, Jim now attempts to use these powers to apprehend a terrorist bomber called the Switchman.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (2)

Funny, cool, and great way of starting a series!

10

By moggiye16, Dec 26, 2006

The Switchman is a bomber with a grudge against Jim, a man with little control over his senses. You know, I never would have guessed the Switchman was a woman until the episode shows it's a woman, if a friend hadn't spoiled it for me. It was a definite twist since most bombers are male.

Blair Sandburg is the fricking greatest neo-hippy in the world. I like how he had guts to pretend to be a doctor to get in to see Jim. Wow, the tension between Caroline Plummer and Jim is so obvious. I bet it would be hard to work with your ex especially after they make a comment about your kissing techniques. Great way to start a series.moreless
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Introduction of The Sentinel-concept and the characters.

8.8

By Starfox500, Aug 26, 2006

In this episode we see how everything started. Jim suppressed his senses after he was rescued and is now totally taken by surprise as they resurface. We see him struggling with spiking senses and not knowing what is going on with him.

As he meets Blair he isn't too impressed with him and labels him as a neo-hippie witch-doctor. As Blair risks his own live to save Jim, Ellison agrees to at least listen to him and try some tests with his senses. Blair proves to be an asset during the search for the Switchman and in the end Jim agrees to let him help him with his senses.

Blair comes across as a bit too hyper in this episode but luckily they toned him down a bit after the first episode. The two guys are total opposites and normally Jim wouldn't have given him the time of the day. It's very interesting to see how their relationship develops over time and how Jim comes to grip with his heightened senses.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Bruce A. Young	Simon Banks
Richard Burgi	Jim Ellison
Kelly Curtis	Carolyn Plummer
Garett Maggart	Blair Sandburg

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Molly Parker	The Switchman	Guest Star
Tim Henry	Col. Winters	Guest Star
Roger R. Cross	Capt. Mathis	Guest Star
Ken Earl	Captain Joel Taggert	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Blair climbs tree here despite his fear of heights revealed later in Black Or White.
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QUOTES (4)
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- Jim: Are you out of your mind?! You dragged me all the way out here to tell me I'm some sort of caveman?
  Blair: Well, maybe I was a little out of line with that caveman-remark but...
  Jim: Listen, you neo-hippie witch-doctor punk!
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- Blair (talking to Jim): Part of your job is to walk into a place and figure out what happened there. So is mine, but just that my places are usually a few thousand years vacant.
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- Blair (talking to Jim): You're a human crime lab with organic surveillance equipment!
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- Blair: I am NOT cutting my hair.
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NOTES (1)
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- The Season One DVD box set refers to this episode simply as "Pilot".
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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