Summary
The first episode introduces our main characters and the season’s first mystery. Detective Avraham Avraham is a deeply spiritual person with a knack for getting people to open up to him.
We recap the Peacock series The Calling season 1, episode 1, “He’s Gone,” which contains spoilers.
The Calling’s first episode introduces our main characters and the season’s first mystery. Detective Avraham ”Avi” Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch) is an Orthodox Jew and a deeply spiritual person with a knack for getting people to open up to him. Even if opening up means they incriminate themselves. His new partner, Janine Harris (Juliana Canfield), is an ambitious young detective who wants to learn from Avi. The two work closely with the precinct’s captain, Kathleen Davies (Karen Robinson), and fellow detective, Earl Malzone (Michael Mosley).
The Calling season 1, episode 1 recap
Detective Avraham has an unusual yet brilliant approach to his job. He’s called to a crime scene where the only witness is a man wearing a hot dog costume. Upon arriving at the scene, Avi takes a moment to say the Mourner’s Kaddish for the victim. The hot dog guy claims he just pushed the victim in self-defense. In the interrogation room, Avi uses his unique and compassionate technique to get the man to confess to punching the victim hard as he was walking away, which eventually led to his death.
Impressed with Avi’s approach to solving crimes, newcomer Janine asks the Captain to be partnered with him. To his dismay, she gets her wish.
When Nora Conte goes to the police station to report her 16-year-old son, Vincent, missing, Avi initially dismisses the case as a potential runaway. However, by the following day, it’s clear something happened to the boy, so Avi and Janine are assigned to the case.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to Zack Miller, a man who lives in the same building as the Conte family. Zack is an aspiring writer and is also Vincen’t tutor. After his writing professor advises him to give up on becoming a novelist because he’s not that good, Zack goes home and forces himself on his wife, Dania, as she’s taking a bath.
The following day, Avi and Janine go to the building where they interview all the neighbors including Zack and Dania. Avi is immediately suspicious of Zack as the man keeps asking strange questions. Both Millers seem to be holding back information.
Detective Avraham seeks out a local homeless man, John Wentworth, thinking he may have seen something on the day of Vincent’s disappearance. John, a former college professor with a history of mental health problems, denies ever speaking to the boy but says he saw him around looking depressed.
In the Contes apartment, Avi sits on Vincent’s bed trying to get a feel of the missing teen. He’s also a bit inappropriate with Nora by holding the grieving mother’s hand. Nora shows Avi her son’s luggage collection and states he has always dreamed of traveling. The mother also explains how Vincent’s relationship with his father, Leonard, is very strained. When the boy’s phone unexpectedly rings, Avi questions why would a teen run away without his phone.
Later that day, Avi shows off his martial arts skills by disarming a robber in a convenience store who was holding customers hostage. This gets him in trouble with The Captain, who’s not keen on his not-always-by-the-book methods.
The Calling season 1, episode 1 ending
At the station, Avi interviews Vincent’s dad, who just got back from a business trip. Leonard admits to having argued with his son. Showing what a terrible father he is, Leonard insults his missing son by calling him weak and reveals how unsupportive he’s been of Vincent’s dreams and aspirations.
After the interview with Leonard, Janine notices Avi likes to draw fish when he works. He asks her why she requested to partner with him, and as she’s explaining why she wants to learn from his methods, Avi gets a call. The two go to a construction site, where the worker leads them to a dumpster implying he found something in it. When they open it, Avi looks inside and states, “We better call the parents.”
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