Episode:In His Own Image

In His Own Image
Episode number:	Original Pilot
First aired:	Unaired
Written by:	Tim Kring
Directed by:	David Semel

In His Own Image is an abbreviated version of the 72-minute unaired pilot shown at Comic-Con 2006. It was subsequently re-edited as Genesis, the aired pilot episode. A screener of In His Own Image made its way onto P2P file sharing networks prior to the original airing of Genesis.

Differences from the 72 minute unaired pilot

Two subplots which appeared in the version shown at Comic-Con were removed from In His Own Image:

• All scenes featuring Amid Halebi, Matt Parkman, and the terrorist subplot were removed, except for Claire and Zach's glimpse of the terrorist truck at the train wreck.
• Mohinder does not play the Sylar tape, does not visit Paul E. Sylar's apartment, and does not encounter Paul E. Sylar.

Differences from Genesis

Additional changes were made between In His Own Image and Genesis. In In His Own Image:

• The screen font and songs used throughout are different.
• Mohinder's lecture is slightly shorter.
• Before Linderman's thugs arrive, Niki cautions Micah not to speak to any strangers.
• Claire and Zach's conversation after she falls is expanded. The history of their friendship is explained: while they were childhood friends, Zach claims Claire stopped speaking to him in sixth grade. At the end of their conversation, they are passed by a firetruck headed for the train wreck, and a mysterious truck.
• Ando is shown typing the other side of Niki's IM conversation as huggerz69.
• Nathan has a few more (harsh) words at the police station with Peter and Angela.
• The scene with the Yamagato Industries employees exercising on the roof is split into two separate sequences, one during the eclipse montage and one earlier.
• Isaac and Simone's scene is expanded. She suggests that his painting of the suicide bombing was just a coincidence, and that perhaps he painted it after he saw the newscast and forgot because he was high. He then shows her the painting of her standing in silhouette in his doorway as she just did a few moments earlier. After she leaves, he shackles himself to a pipe to keep himself away from his drugs (and his paints).
• When Simone first arrives at Isaac's studio he is using his hands to black-wash a painting which shows a closeup of hand holding a cylindrical glass or tube with a bubbling clear liquid. In the unaired pilot, Amid Halebi demonstrates his abilities by bringing a glass of water to boil instantly in his grasp.
• While waiting near the investigation scene Matt Parkman walks in Los Angeles' Echo Park, stretching his abilities into the crowd. The first clear voice to be heard is verbatim from the The Sylar tape: "...manifesting itself. That's good.". Parkman's gaze focuses momentarily on a hotdog cart. The cart's umbrella obscures the vendor, dressed in black.
• Matt Parkman attains his dream of being a SWAT officer by pitching to his superior that he can find the terrorist cell using his newfound powers, with a catch. Later he is part of the SWAT team that raids the terrorist hideout. He subdues Amid Halebi and removes his mask after recognizing him. He is likewise recognized by Amid.
• Sandra Bennet explains that the reason her friend Carla says Mr. Muggles isn't breedworthy is that he's not sexy enough.
• When Simone and Peter arrive at Isaac's apartment, they discover he's cut off his hand to escape his shackles.
• At Tina's house, Micah makes a phone call to a bus station and inquires about purchasing a ticket. She leaves to get cigarettes, and Micah eyes the money in her purse. Later, when Niki wakes up to an answering machine message to find Linderman's thugs murdered, it's a message from Tina, telling her that Micah is missing and took $300 from her purse.
• Micah boards a bus showing a destination of Salt Lake City. Later, the bus stops in a desolate street outside a prison at night. The driver asks Micah if he's sure someone is going to meet him before letting him off. Micah is left in the otherwise deserted area, eyeing the walls of the prison.

Memorable Quotes

"Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we’d be better off not looking at all--not delving, not yearning, but that’s not human nature, not the human heart. That is not why we are here."

- Mohinder (voice-over)

"You know what? Leave her alone. She's okay, that's all that matters."

"Thank God mom's fine. She's a criminal, but thank God she's okay. Next thing you know, she's going to be telling us she's a crackwhore"

- Peter, Nathan

"In the quietest places, in the smallest movements, God is within the eyes."

- old bearded man in blue beret's thoughts, perceived by Matt Parkman in Echo Park.

Notes

• In the first draft of the pilot, Sylar was supposed to appear in an Italian prison. According to Greg Beeman's blog, this version of Sylar was supposed to have long claw-like nails and sharp teeth. He was also supposed to be "way weirder and more monstrous, — like [Nosferatu]."
• As Matt Parkman listens to strangers' thoughts in Echo Park a bell is ringing in the distance, and he hears the thoughts of a man complaining to himself about how much he contributes to the church. This implies the first day's action takes place on a Sunday, the day in Genesis that God rests after creation.

Gallery

• 
  Isaac shows Simone a painting of her walking out on him, on the day she leaves because of his drug abuse.
• 
  Isaac cuts off his hand in order to escape from a pair of handcuffs he had used to keep from using drugs again.
• 
  Isaac walks past a painting of Uluru.

See Also

• For other uses of In His Own Image, see In His Own Image (disambig).
• For the 72-minute Tim Kring Cut included in the Season One DVD, see unaired pilot.

External Links

• Photo of the island bridge in Echo Park.
• Photo of Matt Parkman in Echo Park.