The pilot opens with Harper Weil (Abby Ryder Fortson) speaking to an imaginary friend. Her mother, Amanda (Autumn Reeser) approaches and learns that her friend’s name is Drill. They agree that Drill should join them for lunch. Inside, Amanda receives a call from Liz. A weird man stares at the kids from across the street, as they play in the yard. Harper begins throwing tools into her backpack.

Amanda attempts to find Harper, who has run outside into the tree house. Amanda followers her into the tree house. When she gets inside, she is confronted by Harper and her imaginary friend. Harper forces her mother to step on an X on the ground, which causes her to fall though and crash to the ground. Harper seems to think she has won a game, as her mother bleeds out.

Next, Claire Bennigan (Lily Rabe) watches her son play baseball, before she learns about Harper trying to kill her mother. In her generic Nashville Predators cap, Claire insists someone else should take over the case, but eventually relents and agrees to head to work. She tells her son, Henry (Kyle Harrison Breitkeopf), who is deaf, that she has to leave. She heads to the FBI Office in Baltimore, Maryland and meets with Agent Rollins. The couple are told they’re allowed to interview the girl, before Rollins is ridiculed and told to do his job.

Lena (Kristen Connoly) and Callie (Alison Araya) chat at the park. Next, the show shifts to an African desert. Wes Lawrence (Barry Sloane) speaks to General Ousmane Damba (Darien Sills-Evans), but is given the cold shoulder. Claire speaks to Harper about the game she was playing. Harper insists her friend told her grownups wouldn’t understand. She suggests Drill speaks through the lights. He also told Harper there was going to be a domination. Harper says the game isn’t over yet and Drill is searching for a new friend.

At the park, another girl agrees to play the game. Claire and Jessue Rollins (Derek Webster) argue over the case. Claire tells Alex she needs more time, before she rushes in and out, with a piece of paper. She shows Harper her gruesome drawing and Harper insists there was another boy, who couldn’t win the game. Meanwhile, Lena’s daughter, Minx (Kylie Rogers), causes a scene at the park. The weird man, John Doe (Milo Ventimiglia), is shown adding Minx’s name to a list, which contains the names of other kids that have played the game. He passes out and hits the ground.

Wes and Peter Kim (Ki Hong Lee) inspect part of a plane, when the lights begin to flicker. They all suit up and investigate some strange blob or tree. Wes touches the object and it shocks him. When the scene lights up, we see that the plane is stuck in the tree. Wes suggests the plane was snatched from the sky and ripped to shreds. They discover potential footprints, before Rollins and Claire head to a mental hospital. Claire speaks to Ms. Bellings (Melinda Page Hamilton), who was blown up by her son.

John Doe wakes up in the hospital. He mutters something about searching for lights and something being too late. Ms. Bellings tells the story of Jackson trying to kill her. She admits her son told her about Drill. Claire insists someone is behind drill, before Bellings admits seeing a man across from the building. She tells Claire about the man’s tattoos, which match those of John Doe. At the hospital, John doe freaks out, before Dr. Maria Benavidez (Catalina Denis) asks him about his name, but he cannot remember.

Minx tells her mother about the playground incident. She talks about children turning, when they grow a little older. Lena notices Minx is drawing the White House and the symbol that Harper drew. Minx tells her mother that her father, Wes, doesn’t love them. Lena attempts to get ahold of her husband, Wes, to tell him that Minx knows, but fails. Wes and Peter learn about the crash, which supposedly occurred many miles away. After looking at the files, Wes admits he knows the pilot. John Doe speaks to the doctor. He insists he doesn’t know Arabic and doesn’t know what he was saying.

He looks at a numbered tattoo on his arm, before he blanks out. Harper, who is there with her mother, comes walking in and approaches John. She insists John knows where to find her friend. Claire returns home to Henry. Claire speaks about the loss of her husband, before they discuss their days. Lena prepares for a bath, before the lights flicker and go off. Minx is awoken by Drill, who tells her the game never tops. Minx sits down at the computer and accesses her father’s information.

Meanwhile, John Doe attempts to break out of the hospital. Claire freaks out and believes that Harper’s drawing has something to do with the President. Wes calls Claire and tells her about Shawn’s plane. After the phone call, the sketch of John Doe shows up on Claire’s computer and she identifies him as her husband. Wes speaks to the Secretary of Defense (David Andrews) and tells him about the crash. Wes is ordered to come home, so he can learn something important. That night, Henry speaks to Drill and thanks him for fixing him.

Review


The Whispers started out very intriguing. The Harper storyline and attempted murder were great and even better when John Doe the pedophile showed up across the street. Then, we get the deaf kid and the trip to the African desert. Can’t get much more cliche than that. The show quickly turns something potentially creepy into something possibly terroristic or sci-fi. Sadly, the show dropped a few points for me there. The John Doe segments and the kids are worth watching, but the other aspects are like beating a dead horse. A 6 out of 10 is reasonable.