New Kid

"New Kid"
Season 1, Episode 1 Airdate: October 16, 2010
Credits
Writer(s):	Paul Dini
Director:	Terry McDonough
Episodes
Previous "None"	Next "Monitored"

"New Kid" is the first episode of season one of Tower Prep. Ian Archer is abducted and taken to the mysterious Tower Prep, where he meets and befriends fellow students C.J. Ward, Gabe Forrest, and Suki Sato. Together, they pledge to investigate the mysteries of the school and find a way out.

Summary

Ian Archer, a high school student, intervenes when a bully starts beating on his friend Andrew. Ian evades the bully's punches with ease and then knocks him to the ground. A school administrator intervenes and orders everyone back to their classes.

At home that night, Ian's parents Michael and Lydia complain that he shouldn't have dealt with it on his own. Ian insists that that's the way he is. He goes up to his room and plays an online fantasy game. A female player, Whisper 119, identifies him by name and says that she hopes that they'll meet again. She signs off, leaving Ian none the wiser. A buzzing noise comes over the loudspeakers and Ian passes out.

When Ian wakes up, it's morning and he's in a strange bed in a dorm room. Three boys, Don, Ray, and Zack, say that they're his roommates and admit that their last roommate disappeared after trying to make the "forest run." They don't seem at all surprised that Ian has no idea what's going on, and tell him that he's at Tower Prep, an exclusive school with a reputation for academic excellence. However, they dodge the question of where Tower Prep is and say that Ian has to go to orientation. A warning tone sounds, compliments of a computer named Whisper 119, and the boys go off to class. Before he leaves, Don gives Ian a playing card with a map of the campus showing where the orientation building is located.

Ian tries to call his parents on his cell phone, but the voice of the woman from the online game tells him that he's out of range. Finally, Ian goes to the orientation building and enters a chamber. He discovers several monitors, including one displaying him in the room. He looks up and sees a monitor camera in the ceiling. As Ian runs off into the woods, the Headmaster watches him on the monitor.

In the forest, Ian comes to a huge wall that extends 20' up and as far in either direction as he can see. As Ian examines the wall, he's unaware that a black-clad figure is watching him from the woods.

Ian returns to the campus and follows the directions on the map. He enters a chamber and finds himself in a spot lit circle, as students in sports gear attack him. Ian fights back and manages to hold them off, and grabs one of the players, Cal Rice. Coach interrupts and explains that someone gave him the fake map to haze him, and directs him to the correct building for orientation. As Ian goes, Rice glares at him.

As Ian goes to orientation, he discovers the playing card with the map is a joker. As he approaches the building, he finds his roommates waiting for him. They insist it was a joke, but warn him that he can't go inside once orientation has started. A female student, a Monitor, intervenes, but Ian insists on going inside. The Headmaster, who has watched the entire incident, contacts Monitor via an earpiece and gives her new instructions.

Ian finds himself in an auditorium where the other students are wearing headphones and watching a speech by the Headmaster. The Monitor comes in and takes Ian to the Headmaster's office. As they go, Ian bumps into a girl, CJ Ward, who says she can't stand people who aren't with the Program. She goes inside with her fellow students, Gabe Forrest and Suki Sato.

Once Ian gets a school uniform, he goes to see the Headmaster. The Headmaster has a complete psych file on him and suggests he might be interested in Buffer. Ian says that he has no intention of becoming a team player, and demands to know where he is. The Headmaster responds by asking him why he took on Dex. He figures that Ian wanted to test himself, and Tower Prep is built for students like him who think they are out-of-step with the world. The Headmaster informs Ian that he'll follow the Program to master his unique potential. He then explains that all staff are addressed by their titles, which keeps things simple and respectful. Finally, Headmaster concludes by assuring Ian that his parents know where he is.

The Monitor escorts Ian to class, and he asks her what is going on. He gets her to admit that her name is Monica, and she says she's from a place where people didn't understand her. Ian enters the auditorium where Science is giving a lecture. He calls upon Gabe, who tries to bluff his way through the lesson. The tone rings and Math takes over. Ian finds a note at his desk saying, "I'm scared too."

Ian returns to his room that night and finds his roommates going through his belongings. He goes after Ray when the boy throws it on the floor, but the three boys wonder if he really wants to do it. Ian lets him go and walks outside. He runs into the forest and tries to find a way around the wall, but black-clad figures wearing night goggles close in on him. Ian hides beneath a tree until they pass, and then makes a run for it. He comes to the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean with nowhere left to run.

Back in the woods, Gabe, Suki, and CJ are trying to escape using a GPS unit. They hear a noise and then Ian calls them over, warning the figures are in the direction they're going. They take refuge in the forest and Gabe explains that the figures are Gnomes, because no one knows what they really are. Ian suggests that they go back to campus, and the others introduce themselves. He asks them what Tower Prep is, and they admit that they have no idea and they've decided to fight back and escape

They continue to make their way back to campus, staying one step ahead of the Gnomes. When they stop again for a break, Gabe explains that he was leaving a meeting with his parole officer when he heard the buzzing noise and he passed out. Suki was watching TV and ignoring a fight between her parents when she passed out. Ian notices that the GPS tracker has her family name on it. CJ tells him that she has no memory of her life before Tower Prep, and that she wants to escape so she can remember her former life. Ian notes that she dumped on him that morning, and CJ explains that she did it to avoid giving themselves away before their escape. Gabe explains that everyone there has a special gift. Suki can imitate anyone she's ever heard, and with the right clothes and moves can pass herself off as someone else. CJ has the ability to read body language and interpret emotions and thoughts, and demonstrates her ability on Ian.

The quartet continues through the woods and Ian finally admits that he has the ability to see a few seconds into the future. He tells them to duck as the gnomes attack them. Using his martial arts training and his ability, Ian manages to take a few of them down while the others run. Suki stays behind to provide a distraction, imitating the others' voices. However, more Gnomes arrive and she catches up to the others. However, they're surrounded, and Gabe demonstrates his own ability: a talent for talking anyone into anything if he can talk enough. However, the Gnomes are seemingly immune and generate a high-pitched stunning noise. Ian gets the others to cover their ears and stagger away while he attacks the Gnomes to buy time for the others.

They get to the campus but discover that there's an electrical eye beam grid on the yard. Ian uses his ability to direct the others across, predicting the beam patterns. He prepares to go across but a Gnome attacks him. Ian defeats it and rips off its helmet in a burst of sparks. Taking the helmet with him, Ian makes his way across the yard and they go inside.

Ian's roommates are taking a shower when Suki runs in, impersonates Ian's voice and wears his jacket, and steals their clothing. They run out after her into the yard, and Ian calls down to them from the upstairs window. Gabe tells Math that the boys are outside, naked. They set off the eye beams as everyone laughs. Math sees Ian upstairs, and Ian assures him that everything is fine. As the boys go back inside, CJ analyzes them and figures that Zack is ready to break into tears. Suki returns Ian's jacket, and the trio agree to show Ian their secret.

The group goes to the old observatory, the only place that is private. Ian uses the telescope and discovers that the stars in the sky are unfamiliar. They wonder if they're even in the U.S., and Gabe notes the only flag is the school flag. None of them know why they are there, but Ian says they can worry about it when they get out, and they should pretend to go along for now. Suki wonders what will be waiting for them in the outside world, given their parents permitted them to be taken in the first place. Ian assures her that they'll have each other.

The next day, a properly uniformed Ian is going to class when Headmaster confronts him and asks if he saw anything unusual the previous night. Ian denies knowing anything in particular and says he was inside studying the entire time. He claims that he's going to blend in to understand the Program, and admits that he likes a challenge. As he goes, the students start to gather and Math arrives to point out something on the flagpole. He wonders if he should implement disciplinary measures, but Headmaster says they can let it go and he'll get overconfident. Math wonders if it is him, and Headmaster says he has some ideas. He walks away, as the other students look at the Gnome helmet mounted on the flagpole.

Ian meets with the others, and he thanks CJ for the message from the class. First she and then the others say they didn't leave him the message, and they wonder who else might be on their side.

Characters

• Ian Archer (Drew Van Acker)
• Gabe Forrest (Ryan Pinkston)
• Suki Sato (Dyana Liu)
• CJ Ward (Elise Gatien)

Guest starring

• Headmaster (Ted Whitall)
• Whisper 119 (Peggy Jo Jacobs)
• Science (Jay Brazeau)
• Coach (Dan Payne)
• Math (David Lewis)
• Don Finch (Calum Worthy)
• Ray Snider (Richard Harmon)
• Zack Blonsky (Dejan Loyola)
• Cal Rice (Izaak Smith)
• Monica (Karissa Tynes)
• Gnomes
• Michael Archer (Nels Lennarson)
• Lydia Archer (Patricia Harras)
• Public school teacher (Ron Lea)
• Andrew (Jesse Clements-Currier)

Featured Music

• "This Is Who We Are" by Hawthorne Heights

Trivia

• The MMO Ian is seen playing is identified as Treasure Bandits in the show. The footage used for the game was actually from Cartoon Network's game FusionFall.
• When Ian first enters science class, the lecture is on convergent evolution and Dasyurus maculatus, commonly known as the tiger quoll, a carnivorous Australian marsupial.

Gallery

Ian is suspended from his school.

He is contanted by Whisper while playing an MMO.

He wakes up at Tower Prep.

Ian bumps into CJ.

Ian goes to his first class.

Ian finds CJ, Suki, and Gabe trying to escape.

Don, Ray, and Zack are humiliated by Ian.

Ian is brought to the observatory.

Nobody knows who wrote Ian the note.