Madison Clark/Season 1/Pilot

## Summary

This article contains details of the events during the episode "Pilot" which were directly contributed to or witnessed by Madison Clark.

## Plot Details

The Clark Home on a week day morning and life seems normal. Madison is hurrying her daughter out of the bathroom. Her daughter (Alicia) is taking her time... Madison's boyfriend/partner Travis is fixing the sink.

Travis, sink fixed, stands up and kisses Madison. The phone on the table next to him rings and they both stop and just look at it. Alicia comes out of the bathroom to check. They all look as if they've been expecting, and dreading, a call.

The call is from the hospital to tell them that Nick is there after a car accident.

In the hospital, Nick is being questioned by two uniformed police men about his injuries who are trying to get information about drug dealers. Madison comes in and throws the police out straight-away. Madison wants Nick to go back to rehab, Nick doesn't. Travis and Alicia leave Madison to talk to Nick.

When Travis comes back in he persuades Madison to go to work and says that he will stay with Nick.

Madison arrives at work, she's a Guidance Counselor at Paul R. Williams High School. One of the students she knows there is Tobias who she and the Principal, Art Costa, see setting off the metal detector as he enters school. Art stops him from disappearing off into the school and Madison quickly goes through his jacket pockets, right and then left. From the left pocket she pulls some change and holds it up - she's saying that the coins set off the detector but we have seen and heard her put the coins into his jacket pocket, to provide a reason why the detector would have gone off. Madison shepherds the resentful looking Tobias into her office. Once safely in the office Madison asks for the knife that she's already found in his right-hand jacket pocket. She has covered for him. He would have been expelled if Art or the security staff had found it.

Madison probes a little, to find out what's happening that's made him want to carry a knife. When Madison warns he could be expelled and risk his future at college Tobias replies “No one’s going to college. No one’s doing anything they think they are.” Madison asks what he’s talking about and Tobias tells about the news reports of a virus (or something) spreading in five other states, of people killing. Madison tells him to spend less time online; he doesn't get his knife back and leaves the change Madison planted in his pocket on the table as he goes.

The next morning, Travis and Alicia walk into the hospital room to discover Madison sleeping next to Nick on his bed. Travis wakes her and, before walking her out to the car, touches Nick on the shoulder and tells him he'll be right back.

Outside, Travis tells Madison what he found at the church, to be met with “Travis, you cannot enable him.” Madison appreciates Travis caring but thinks he's mistaken putting any faith in the things Nick says. Madison leaves for work and Travis goes back inside the hospital.

Madison watches Travis' class for a couple of minutes then goes to see Arty, Arty is listening in on lessons in his office. He's not sorry to be disturbed. He switched to Travis' lesson just in time to hear Travis say "Nature always wins."

Later, Madison and Travis arrive at the hospital and are panicked by Nick's absence. The nurse (the same nurse who undid Nick's restraints and let him get away) says,

    “I’m sorry, he’s gone, you need to call the police.” Madison tells Travis to to take her to the church. She's blaming herself for the mess. “It’s in the genes,” she explains as Travis tries to persuade her otherwise. Madison insists on going in with Travis and breaks down in tears when she finds a heroin needle hidden in a book in Nick's bedding.

    They go to see Nick’s friend Calvin, a very clean cut young man who's cleaning out his parent's car when they arrive; he says he hasn't seen Nick in a while - but looks a bit shifty as he says it.

That night on their way home, Travis and Madison get stuck in traffic on a highway exit ramp and hear helicopters, police sirens, and gunshots. After a while Travis decides that it's too dangerous to stay put and finds a way back onto the highway.

The next morning, incoming school buses are mostly empty because everyone in the city is scared and Art asks one of the drivers if they've missed a few stops. Inside members of the teaching staff gather around watching a video of the problems on the highway the night before. A man, initially apparently dead, is attacking paramedics and police,and one of the staff mentions an air-born toxin/virus.

The school closes early for the day. As Madison files out, she catches Tobias' eye on the bus and gets an “I told you so” look from him.

Travis and Madison arrive at the access tunnel to the LA River, having been called by Nick who'd made Travis promise not to bring Madison. Nick confesses to Travis that he's killed Calvin by accident.

     All three head down the access tunnel in Travis' pickup and stop at the top of the ramp where they can see Calvin's car. They get out and go to the car, there's the gun on the ground but no Calvin. Nick is very distressed that the body isn't there and has to to comforted by Madison.

     They get back in the pickup and Travis starts to reverse through the tunnel to the road. As he looks over his shoulder to steer he can see Calvin shambling towards them down the tunnel and both Travis and Madison get out to help him.

Nick becomes agitated and shouts that Calvin will kill them, climbing into the driver's seat as he does so.

Calvin attacks both Madison and Travis repeatedly, trying to bite them. Nick takes the first opportunity he sees and reverses the pickup at Calvin, knocking him to the ground and running him over. Calvin lies on the tunnel floor in front of the pickup now, very obviously badly injured from the collision.

As Madison and Travis look on from the side of the tunnel Calvin gets up and walks towards the pickup; Nick accelerates the pickup towards him and Calvin is caught on the hood until Nick suddenly stops at the top of the ramp and Calvin flies though the air, about 25 yards. His body lands at the bottom of the ramp on the concrete, twisted and broken now.

The three of them stand at the top of the ramp in shock and stare at Calvin's body - in disbelief as Calvin turns his head towards them. His lower jaw is missing and we can see that his eyes are completely clouded over. The family members stare at Calvin's body as it turns its head towards them. Madison asks "What the hell is happening?" and, after a moment Travis answers and says: "I have no idea."