Tonight on ABC is the season premiere of their highly anticipated new show called, RESURRECTION. The show is about the people of Arcadia, Missouri whose lives are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to reappear. An 8-year-old American boy (Landon Gimenez) wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there.
Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia, and an Immigration agent, J. Martin Bellamy (Omar Epps), takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by a 60-year-old couple, Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille Langston (Frances Fisher), who lost their son, Jacob, more than 30 years ago.
“Resurrection” stars Omar Epps (“House”) as J. Martin Bellamy, Frances Fisher (“Titanic”) as Lucille Langston, Matt Craven (“Crimson Tide,” “A Few Good Men”) as Fred Langston, Devin Kelley (“Chernobyl Diaries,” “The Chicago Code”) as Maggie Langston, Mark Hildreth (“The Tudors”) as Pastor Tom Hale, Samaire Armstrong (“Entourage,” “The O.C.”) as Elaine Richards, Sam Hazeldine (“The Raven”) as Caleb Richards, Landon Gimenez as Jacob and Kurtwood Smith (“That ’70s Show”) as Henry Langston.
On tonight’s episode called, “The Returned.” an 8-year-old boy who was presumed dead more than 30 years ago is reunited with his now 60-year-old parents in the opener of this series, which follows the residents of the small town of Arcadia, Mo., whose lives are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to reappear.
Tonight’s Resurrection Season 1 episode 1 is going to be exciting, and you won’t want to miss it. So be sure to tune in for our live coverage of the new episode of Resurrection — tonight at 9 PM EST! While you wait for our recap, hit the comments and let us know how know how excited your are about the season première. Check out a sneak peek of Resurrection “The Returned” below! Don’t forget to come back at 9 PM.
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates
A boy lies in a rice paddy and then sits up gasping for air. He looks around and sees a water buffalo. He gets up and walks until he finds a road. He comes upon a busy little village. He walks among the people who are all Asian and speaking another language. He looks around confused and keeps walking. A woman and man speak to him but he doesn’t understand. He asks “is he dead?” and then passes out in the street. The villagers all crowd around him.
Marty sits in his office throwing a ball against the wall. He finally knocks over a picture frame of him and a woman. A woman comes in and tells him there is a kid arriving that needs an escort – it’s a repatriation. The attache tells Bellamy that the kid was found in rural China all alone, no passport or explanation for why he’s there and says he hasn’t spoken a word since he was found. He says he may have been a victim of human trafficking. The shirt he’s wearing is from a team in Missouri and the name Jacob is written there but there are no missing persons reports that match him and no Visa entries into China that match him either.
Jacob is brought to Marty who introduces himself. He asks if he’s hungry. He takes him to get junk food and asks if he’s sick of rice. Marty uses his phone and Jacob stares at it. He asks if he likes games and shows him his phone. He shows him Donkey Kong and hands him his phone. Jacob begins to play it and is transfixed. Marty asks how he ended up in China but gets no answer. The boy spells out Arcadia on a handwriting app and Marty asks if that’s where he’s from. Jacob nods.
The sheriff tells him that there are no missing kids from there called Jacob. The sheriff hangs up on him summarily. Marty looks back at Jacob. Marty calls adoption services to find a place for the boy. He asks if he has a home and Jacob nods. The adoption line finally picks up but Marty hangs up on them. He asks Jacob if he takes him to Arcadia can he take him to his house and the boy nods. He tells him he owes him big time and cranks the car.
They reach the small town and drive through the town square. Jacob looks at the school and smiles. Henry and his wife Lucille sit in their house. They chat amiably as Marty pulls up in the drive. Jacob smiles at the house. Marty tells him to stay in the car and goes to ring the bell. Henry answers the door and Marty asks if he’s Jacob’s father and Henry asks what this is about.
Marty asks if his son has gone missing and he tells him that he’s got him and he’s okay. Henry tells him that’s not possible since his son died 32 years ago. He says it must be a mistake. Jacob comes up and asks Henry what’s red and green and goes a million miles an hour. He laughs and says frog in a blender. Jacob calls him Daddy and runs to hug him. Lucille comes to asks who it is and is shocked – she says Jacob. She looks like she may faint.
Henry tells Marty that his son was eight and was playing by the river and fell in. He says his sister in law went in to save him and they both drowned. Marty tells him he’s sorry to hear that and asks what that has to do with the boy he’s brought to him. Henry says he doesn’t know. They go in and find Jacob playing Donkey Kong on Marty’s phone. Lucille and Henry stare at him in wonder. He laughs at the game.
Lucille reaches out to touch him but then stops herself. She kneels down and looks at him. He stops playing and stares at her. He tells her she looks different. She touches his face and then cradles his head. She cries and smiles and touches his face and then hugs him close, crying.
Marty calls back into the office and talks to Toni. She surprised to hear he’s in Missouri and says he was supposed to take him to HHS. She tells him the kid isn’t the Langston’s but he believes they are. She tells him he could be arrested for kidnapping. He sees a family photo and snaps a pic of it.
The sheriff shows up furious at Marty and Henry tells him to calm down. Jacob comes out and says – hey Uncle Fred – to the sheriff and then Jacob falls to the porch in a seizure. They carry him into the hospital. Henry is in a room and a doctor comes to talk to him – she tells him her name is Maggie. She asks him to lift his shirt to check his heart and he does. She moves the stethoscope around but doesn’t hear anything. Uh-oh. She checks her stethoscope and tries again. This time she hears it beating. She asks if he remembers how he got to China. His heart races while she listens. She asks if he’s okay. He tells her she looks like his Aunt Barbara and asks if she knows her.
Jacob says he tried to help his Aunt after she slipped and fell in. She asks if his Aunt tried to help him but he insists it was the other way. Jacob tells her the man was there too and was holding her arm. She asks if there is someone he’s afraid of. A truck stops for a man and he says he’s headed for Arcadia. He says he’s got a kid there.
Marty calls Toni from the hospital and says the boy is okay. She says he’s a ward of the Federal government. She tells him to get a DNA test and when it shows up not a match, he has to take him away. Tom (a pastor) shows up and Lucille tells him it’s a miracle. Maggie tells her dad the sheriff that there’s no way the boy could have known all that stuff about mom and the drowning. Fred says Jacob fell in and her mom went in after and that’s what happened.
Marty asks Maggie how he is and she says he’s okay. Marty says they’ll do the DNA test on a rush at the FBI lab. He asks Maggie and Fred if they know who the boy is. She says he must have been coached. Fred acts suspicious of Marty who insists he’s also in the dark. He asks to see all of the records on Jacob Langston’s death. Fred says he’ll make sure the DNA samples get to the lab.
Maggie tells Lucille and Henry that they have to keep Jacob. Lucille insists they’re staying with him. Pastor Tom tells her it may be a test of their faith. Jacob wanders into the hall and see Tom who introduces himself. He says he’s Tom Hale and Jacob tells him that’s his best friend’s name. He asks Tom if he died. A nurse comes and chases Jacob back to bed. Tom stares at the boy in shock.
Maggie shows up to Ray’s house looking for Elaine. She tells her they have to talk. Elaine tells her it’s not possible and Maggie says she doesn’t know what’s happening. Maggie says all she can think about is what happened to her mother and that there might be more to it. Elaine tells Maggie that when her dad died she wished there had been more. Maggie reminds her that she doesn’t even remember her mom. She says that she imagined herself in her carriage by the river when Jacob talked about. Maggie says if her mom wasn’t out walking with her she wouldn’t have fallen in. She cries and says that maybe her dad wouldn’t look at her like he blames her.
Marty walks the hospital halls and comes into Jacob’s room. He compares the sleeping boy to the family photo he saw at the Langston’s. They do look alike. Marty leaves and Jacob’s eyes snap open. Jacob moves a chair to the window and stands on it. He looks out through the blinds.
Next day Marty knocks on the door of the courthouse. The receptionist sits and looks at him. Maggie comes up and says she wants to help and the woman finally lets them in. Maggie tells him that Arcadians are a distrustful lot. She helps him pull records and asks what they are looking for and he says records about the accident that would show that someone else was at the scene. She looks at the autopsy report in the stack of files and she says she’s never seen it before.
Tom tells his wife that he believes that the kid is Jacob. He’s having a crisis because he says he tells people to believe in miracles but he’s struggling to believe this one. His wife reassures him.
Maggie asks Marty how he ended up at ICE and he says he was working on a human trafficking case. He looks at the autopsy photos and says he doesn’t like the contusions. They see what looks like fingernail marks on her arm and Maggie says maybe someone did hold her arm. Her neck also looks like it may have been bruised.
Lucille can’t find Jacob. The bathroom door is locked and they find the window open. Jacob has snuck out and gone back to his house. He stands out front and hears a man whistling. The man that was hitchhiking is walking through the yard and giving him the stink eye. Henry pulls up in a police car and Jacob takes off running toward the river. Henry chases after him.
We see a flashback to him chasing Jacob when he was a younger man but has to stop because he’s out of breath. The police officer continues to pursue Jacob calling his name. Henry struggles to keep up. Jacob runs through the woods and they lose him.
Jacob runs to a tree and digs into a hollow at the base of it. They find him there as he’s pulling out his GI Joe doll. We see a flashback to when Henry got it for him years ago. Back at the house, Jacob asks Henry if he wants to play GI Joe. He asks his mom for another grilled cheese. She tells him he can have whatever he likes as long as he doesn’t run away again. She cuts the crust off his sandwich then opens the trash can lid and we see dozens of crusts. The kid is binging!
Henry tells Lucille he has to go for a walk. Lucille stops him at the door and says that boy is ours but Henry insists their son died 32 years ago. Marty shows up and Lucille tells him they want to keep Jacob there. Marty asks to talk to Jacob and Lucille goes to get him. Marty tells Henry that he’s still responsible for Jacob and can take him away if he doesn’t want him there. Henry tells him to do what he has to do.
Maggie and Marty talk to Jacob and ask him about the day at the river. He says he went to the river to look for Indian arrowheads. He says he heard something. We see a baby crying and he says it was his cousin Maggie. He heard his Aunt Barbara in the water screaming for help holding onto a log. He tried to help her but fell into the rushing water himself. He says he tried to get out. We see him struggling He says that’s when he saw the man. We see a man holding his Aunt’s arm. Then he see her body under the water. Then we see his body under there too.
Marty asks what he remembers after that and he says nothing. He says he woke up in the field. Marty asks if he’d ever seen the guy and he says he’s in a picture beside the piano. He asks Marty if he’s going to take him away and if he’s sick. Lucille says he’s fine and he asks why he can’t go outside and see people. The FBI calls with the DNA results.
Marty finds Henry at the cemetery looking at the family vault where Jacob was buried as a boy. Marty tells him the DNA tests show that Jacob is his son. He says it’s more than DNA though and says that Jacob knows things about the day of his death. Marty tells Henry he knows he believes that Jacob is his son and Henry says it’s impossible that Jacob isn’t there in the vault where they placed him 32 years ago. Marty asks if he wants to believe.
Henry stands at the river side. The church bells toll. Tom is giving a sermon about doubt and that Jesus told John’s disciples to go to him and remind him of the miracles he’s seen. Jacob and Lucille come into the church. Tom loses his place in his sermon. People whisper and stare as Lucille and her son take a seat. Tom struggles to find words to continue. He finally stops and says I don’t know. He says that no one knows how long they get to stay and that John was human and didn’t know the answers but had the tools to find them. He tells them that’s what it means to have faith.
Henry waits for Fred at his house. He greets him and tosses in his gun belt before coming to sit with him on the porch. Henry tells him that he needs to tell him something about Barbara. He says there was a man that worked at the company that Jacob identified being at the scene of the accident. He tells Fred that Barbara was sleeping with the man and then tells him he’s sorry. Fred walks inside and shuts the door.
Lucille and her son play piano. Fred is drunk at the cemetery staring at his wife’s gravestone. Tom sits in the dark at the church. Maggie knocks on her dad’s door but then leaves when there’s no answer. Fred bashes a bottle into the headstone.
Marty lies to Toni and tells her that Jacob is at the hospital and that they haven’t received the DNA results yet. Maggie and Elaine toast to Jacob when Elaine gets a call from her brother. He’s yelling and she tells Ray she’ll be right there. She says Ray is talking crazy and has a gun. Maggie goes to leave and Marty stops her but she tells him about the gun.
They show up and Ray’s screaming and says there’s a demon in the shed. They calm him down and open the shed. The hitchhiker comes out and lifts his hood and hat. Elaine stares in shock. The man touches Ray and tells him it’s okay. Elaine stares in shock. The man speaks her name and steps forward. She says Dad… She touches his face and he closes his eyes as she does. She begins to cry then hugs him and calls his name. They stand in the rain holding each other.
THE END!!
