In the series premiere episode of TRU CALLING, we meet Tru Davies, who suddenly discovers she can save lives. She is a smart and sexy recent college graduate who lands a job on the midnight shift at the city morgue. On her first night, Tru questions reality when she hears a beautiful murder victim asking for her help. But the next morning, Tru wakes up to find that she is back at the beginning of that very same day – twelve hours before the woman's death that only Tru knows about. Tru must use her newfound ability to go back in time so she can try to stop the tragedy before it actually happens, while at the same time rescuing members of her own family from their dangerous and self-destructive lives.
When the corpse of a handsome young man asks for Tru's help, she quickly learns he's a determined firefighter killed trying to save two children trapped in an apartment building fire. As Tru tries to change the man's fate, the day gets even more complicated when she develops feelings for him in the episode.
When five bodies arrive in the morgue and ask for her help, Tru's mission is five times more difficult. After learning that the victims died at a bachelor party, Tru poses as a bartender to gain access. As she tries to systematically determine if one of them is the killer, her curiosity raises their suspicions, putting her in jeopardy.
Jake an overseas hero wounded in battle has been placed in a military hospital while his wounds heal. However he is determined at any cost to leave the hospital to find the girlfriend he left behind before he shipped out. He desperately needs an explanation for the cold letter she sent him while he was overseas.
When a dead bride comes into morgue, her devastated financé comes into the morgue. Tru lets him to have some time alone with his loved one. When Davis comes in, he's mad at Tru for letting the man near the body. He finds him removing the bullet from the body. Davis tries to call the security but the man shoots him. He shoots at Tru, but the dead bride asks for help right before the bullet hits Tru. Tru has to find out who was the man, did he kill the bride and why was she killed, and ultimately she needs to save her life.
When the reporter who has been trying to expose Tru's secret gets shot by a gunman on a crime spree, Tru is torn about saving her. To complicate matters, Tru's attempts to enlist the police in capturing the shooter before he strikes are hampered when his actions don't repeat exactly what he did before her day rewound.
Tru faces a new dilemma when her day fails to restart after a body asks for help. Fearful that her gift has deserted her, Tru is shocked later that day when a different body's plea forces the day to restart. Now, she must race against the clock to save two people on the same day in different parts of the city. Jack reveals a bit about his sinister intentions.
Tamyra Gray, who competed in the first season of AMERICAN IDOL and had a recurring role on BOSTON PUBLIC, plays Carly Anders, an actress who befriends Tru when she visits the morgue to research her next movie role as a forensic attendant. But when Carly's car goes off a bridge and sends her plummeting to her death, Tru's day restarts. As she pries into the private details of Carly's life, Tru makes a shocking discovery about her past. Meanwhile, against Tru's wishes, Jack continues to become fast friends with Harrison.
When a male corpse with the same name as a female neighbor of Tru's comes into the morgue, Tru suspects identity theft. When the day restarts, Tru's investigation takes an unexpected turn that makes it difficult to sort out just who is the victim and who is the criminal. Meanwhile, Tru and Davis piece together some information about Jack, who hasn't been forthcoming about everything in his past.
Tru and Davis remain stunned by the revelation that Jack can relive days like Tru. Excited to have a new partner, Tru teams up with Jack to ensure a doctor's dying wish to help others in his life, but as the day progresses, Tru becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack's intentions. And when Jack attempts to stop Tru from saving an innocent victim, she comes to the startling realization that he isn't her ally but her enemy.
In the first season-finale episode, Tru and Jack--her sworn nemesis--find themselves on a collision course with the stakes as high as they can be after the body of Tru's brother, Harrison, asks for help. Despite his friendship with Harrison, Jack vows to ensure Harrison's death when the day rewinds. Tru struggles to protect her brother, and the game is on as an epic battle of life and death between Tru and Jack is set in motion. But Tru's attempts to save Harrison will lead to the shocking death of someone very close to her.
Jack comes back to town two months after the events of the Season One finale. Tru's dad decides to move to town. Harrison has been at a new job for six weeks. Tru has started med school, thanks to Davis pulling some strings. When a young Harbor Patrol officer dies in a white squall while rescuing some students and asks for help, Tru has to compete against Jack to save her life.
It's Christmas Eve but death does not take time off for the holidays. Dark secrets are revealed but a lot is left unanswered. This episode was not aired during the original run in the United States, and was not broadcast in the US until January of 2008 as part of a "marathon" on the Sci-Fi cable netowork.
A behind the scenes look at Tru Calling with a focus on Eliza Dushku.
Audition tape
This is nearly the same as the aired pilot. The main difference from this episode and the pilot was a character named Cameron, who was removed due to negative reactions from the test audiences.