MYSTERIES OF LAURA, THE: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this comedy-drama series about a single mother attempting to juggle her personal life with her career as an NYPD detective. In this episode, Detective Laura Diamond ignores "standard procedure" and puts a speedy end to a car chase-turned-hostage situation. Her captain, Dan Hauser, a recent widower, praises her actions but gives her an unpleasant assignment for the evening, and she is soon summoned to her young sons' school and learns that they have caused mayhem yet again with fingerpaint. Her philandering soon-to-be-ex-husband, Lieutenant Jake Broderick, arrives at her home and seems completely disinterested in disciplining the boys, instead telling Laura that he cannot watch them for the night, as he has "police business" to attend to. Frustrated, Laura hires a babysitter and heads out to West Chester with Hauser, where they inspect the home of Erik Walden, a wealthy entrepreneur who has recently received death threats. Moments after they leave, however, Walden's wife Deedee finds Erik dead from a mysterious injection, and Laura tries to determine which of the several people present in the home had reason to kill him.
Laura then attends a meeting with her sons' principal and is horrified to learn that they have been expelled for their many antics, and she angrily confronts Jake for his lack of interest, demanding to know why he has not yet signed the divorce papers. With no alternative, she takes the boys to work with her, where she learns that Erik's brother Brad has a record and possibly killed Erik in order to steal his cell phone, an expensive new prototype set to be released within days. Laura and her partner Billy Soto track Brad to an elite pool party, where they witness him selling the phone for a high price, though when they capture him he denies killing his brother, instead revealing that Erik was caught in an affair by his wife. Realizing that Deedee had greater motive to kill him, they find her dining with Erik's lawyer Richard and guess that she is attempting to secure her inheritance. After learning that all of the city's kindergartens are full, Laura resorts to blackmail and finds a teacher with an outstanding record, threatening to arrest her unless her sons are granted an interview. Billy finds Richard at tai chi, and Laura, pretending to be his ditzy wife, breaks into his car and finds evidence that the Waldens' prenuptial agreement was altered right around the time of Erik's death. She then learns that Erik was killed with mercury, but Deedee then tells her that she and Erik were working through their problems and did not truly intend to divorce, and Laura begins to doubt that she is the killer.
The interview with the kindergarten teacher goes very badly despite Laura's attempts, though Jake defends her and states that she is an excellent mother. Deedee tests positive for mercury, seemingly confirming that she is the true murderer, but Laura and Billy then visit a hotel where Erik conducted his affair and Laura has an epiphany when she spots a maid wearing the mistress' ring. At Erik's funeral, Laura announces that his mistress was none other than Hauser's late wife and that Hauser himself sent the death threats and murdered Erik and then attempted to frame Deedee. Hauser attempts to flee, but Billy and Laura overpower him and he is arrested. Laura is crushed by her mentor's betrayal and frustrated when Jake appears at the precinct to "gloat," but he instead reveals that he got their kids into a school after all. Laura is relieved, but is then stunned to learn that her new captain is none other than Jake himself. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:11
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 116274
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Police officers; Working mothers
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 2014-2016
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Aaron Kaplan … Executive Producer
- Greg Berlanti … Executive Producer
- Todd Lituchy … Executive Producer
- McG … Executive Producer, Director
- Jeff Rake … Executive Producer, Developed by, Writer
- Sarah Schechter … Executive Producer
- Michael Cedar … Producer
- Jennifer Lence … Co-Producer
- Carl Ogawa … Co-Producer
- Kari Hobson … Associate Producer
- Carlos Vila … Based on the original series created by
- Javier Holgado … Based on the original series created by
- Gregorio Quintana de Uña … Based on the original series created by
- Joey Newman … Music by
- Debra Messing … Cast, Laura Diamond
- Josh Lucas … Cast, Jake Broderick
- Laz Alonso … Cast, Billy Soto
- Janina Gavankar … Cast, Meredith Bose
- Enrico Colantoni … Cast, Dan Hauser
- Max Jenkins … Cast, Max Carnegie
- Patrick Breen … Cast, Erik Walden
- Jenny Powers … Cast, Deedee Walden
- Miriam Shor … Cast, Eleanor Caldecott
- Scott Decker … Cast, Brad Walden
- Nick Wyman … Cast, Principal
- Ilana Becker … Cast, Coach Culp
- Merly Bermudez … Cast, Margarita
- Jene Hernandez … Cast, Hotel Maid
- Bill Hoag … Cast, Police Chief
- Alex Huynh … Cast, Tai Chi Instructor
- Yasha Jackson … Cast, Lisa
- Zac Jaffee … Cast, Shift Buyer
- Markus Kelle … Cast, Bouncer
- Duane Littles … Cast, Rasta Man
- Joseph Mesiano … Cast, Jean-Luc
- Alysia Joy Powell … Cast, Passerby
- Kati Rediger … Cast, Shop Girl
- Charles Reina … Cast, Nicholas Broderick
- Vincent Reina … Cast, Harrison Broderick
- Alexander Stine … Cast, Bell Boy
- David Valcin … Cast, Richard LeDeux
- Patrick Walsh … Cast, Badass Perp
- Marc Webster … Cast, Renaldo West