1x01 Pilot

Episode Quotes

Mistakes/Goofs

• Goof (continuity error): While Michael is clearly seen climbing into a high-wing airplane, the next scene shows a low-wing plane, specifically a Douglas DC-3, taking off, not to mention with a completely different paint job.
• Goof (crew or equipment visible): When Michael gets carried out of the elevator by the warlord's henchmen the film crew and camera are reflected in the mirror in the elevator.
• Goof (continuity error): When Michael is visiting the client the third time in the kitchen you see a client cutting some carrots in half, but in the next shot they are whole again.
• Goof (revealing mistake): The ABA number that Michael Westen gives to his contact begins 021-001-0175 and then what may have been a 6, the final cut off by the notification of his burn notice. ABA numbers have only 9 digits.
• Goof (factual errors): For what it's worth, the correct terminology is "CIA officer," not "agent." To CIA, an agent is a recruited spy, not a full-time, official CIA field employee. Apparently either a CIA officer or a CIA agent could be called a spy. This confusing terminology probably is because the FBI calls its folks "FBI agents".

Trivia

• DirecTV sponsored a commercial-free premiere; future airings ran at 90 minutes with the addition of commercials.
• Gabrielle Anwar improvised kicking Michael awake during her audition. It was later added into the shooting script.
• The producers took issue with Bruce Campbell shaving for the role. Bruce had insisted on it due to Sam's constant romancing of wealthy women, but the producers insisted he remain unshaved in order to provide contrast to Jeffrey Donovan's clean-cut leading man look. Consequently Bruce is only clean-shaven in his introductory scene.
• A hurricane-resistant picture window at the restaurant where Sam is meeting with the FBI agents watching Michael shattered from the heat of all the lights being used for the scene.