Pilot

**Pilot** is the First episode in the series. Zelda Sayre is a free-spirited and flamboyant 18-year-old living in Montgomery, Alabama, yearning for a way to break free. Zelda wants a bigger and better life and she's on the look out for an escape route. Zelda's stern father, Anthony, tries to keep her flamboyance suppressed which only makes her challenge his authority. During an evening out at a going-away-dance for soldiers embarking to France to fight in World War I, Zelda meets a young soldier striving to be a novelist named F. Scott Fitzgerald.

## Plot synopsis

The opening of the episode shows a freshly put out fire in a building foreshadowing Zelda's tragic death in 1948 at the Highland Hospital in Ashville, NC.

However the episode starts with the eighteen year old Zelda Sayre who is about to jump into the lake where her two friends Eleanor Browder and Livye Hart, but before she does that she strips off her bathing suit and dives naked into the lake. Later Elanor, Livye and Zelda are seen walking in town talking about Nelly, who had just eloped with a man, but are interupted when a car full of boys drive by hollering at Zelda, when Zelda remarks shes tired of Montgomery boys' foolishness. They talk about the party going on that night, Ellie backs out but Livye plans to go with Zelda, realizing she is late to dinner Zelda takes off home.

At the Sayre house Zelda's father, mother and two sisters Tilde and Tootsie are impatiently waiting for her. Noting that she is not in the mood for roast Zelda ask Katie to make some of her tomato finger sandwiches, to which the Judge replies they have been waiting for 23 minutes and she is going to eat roast like the rest of them. Noting on how much fun she had been having that made her loose track of time her father commands her to her room for her behavior. Getting upset with her father Zelda storms off to her room, then her father storms off in a different direction. On the way to her room she overhears her sisters talking about the rumors they here from other people about Zelda messing around Charlie Bumpass, her mother trying to defend her is interrupted by her sisters talking of more trouble she's been in lately.

Over at the military base we see F. Scott Fitzgerald who has written a love letter for Lt. Hammett to send to his girl. Sure he will be dead within the three months Scott continues to work on his novel, determined to get it finished and published before he dies.

Back at the Sayre house we see an eager young Zelda getting ready for the dance that night. When her mother comes in with a plate of Tomato sandwiches and commenting onto Zelda's wardrobe for the evening insisting she wear stockings with that dress. She also brings up how Professor Wiser, Zelda's dancing instructor, told Minnie Zelda hadn't been to ballet class in a couple weeks. Where Zelda retorts, she'll go back eventually. Minnie as her what she's doing going out to these dances and staying out all night to which Zelda states:

> "I'm doing my Patriotic duty. These boys are facing death in the trenches of France. It is the least I can do."
>
>

About to head out her Minnie stops her not wanting to "rile the judge" anymore that night and helps her sneak out the window.

## Appearances

### Main Cast

* Christina Ricci as Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald
* David Hoflin as F. Scott Fitzgerald
* David Strathairn as Judge Anthony Sayre

### Guest Cast

* Kristine Nielsen as Minnie Sayre
* Holly Curran as 'Tilde' Sayre Palmer
* Jamie Anne Allman as 'Tootsie' Sayre Smith
* Maya Kazan as Livye Hart
* Sarah Schenkkan as Eleanor Browder

### **Co-Starring**

* Scott Rosenfeld as Peyton Mathis
* Sean Bell as Lloyd Harper
* Ian Msther as Harold Stubbs
* Cindy Ralston as Mrs. Milford
* Gay Gribbs MCommons as Mra. Baker
* Jeanmarie ollins as Mrs. Riggs
* Kate Kneeland as Saleswoman
* Christian Higgins as Soldier #1
* Jeffery W. Trent as Solider #2
* George B. McKenzie as Soldier #3
* Adam Klein as Band Leader
* Nick Sacks as College Boy
* Caroline Huey as Girl
* Jonathan Langley as Doughboy
* Chsrity Jordan as Katie
* Lucas Dixon as Lt. Hammett
* Mathan Andreasen as Red Headed Soldier
* John Xarras as Dark Headed Soldier

### **Uncredited**

* Tyler Carden as Soldier at dance
* Clemeen Connolly as Debutante
* Luis Costa Jr. as Soldier
* Tiffany Milam Edwards as Social Elite/Pedestrian/Dance/Attendee
* Marc A. Hermann as Soldier
* Richard Jones as Military Dance Participant
* Daniel Nickels
* as Enlisted Man

## Notes & trivia

* At around 2 minutes in, a car drives around the square and Zelda waves and yells to the occupants. However in the background you can see present day green recycling and garbage bins with yellow lids in the background.