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PROFILER: I'LL BE WATCHING YOU
By Kieran Seymour

Created by Cynthia Saunders, Profiler made its debut on the American NBC network on 21 September 1996. Starring Ally Walker as former FBI forensic psychologist Samantha Waters, the series revolved around the investigations of the Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), a specialist unit of the FBI which is set up at the end of the opening episode specifically to utilise Sam's talents.

The series opener, Insight, begins three years after Sam originally left the bureau due to the murder of her husband at the hands of a serial killer who had become known as Jack-of-all-Trades - a reference to the fact that he never killed in the same way twice. Sam was the first person to spot the link between the various murders and soon found herself on the receiving end of Jack's attentions, being sent gifts and flowers. After she leaves the case, Jack ups the ante by making phone calls and finally kills her husband while their daughter, Chloe, was asleep in their house.

Sam goes into hiding with her daughter at a farm belonging to her best friend Angel Brown and the series of murders comes to an end. Three years later and her friend Bailey Malone - an FBI agent - asks her to look into a series of killings in Atlanta. The final scenes of Insight reveal that Jack has re-appeared and it is the dark spectre of his killing spree and stalking of Sam that provides much of the tension during the first two seasons of the show.

The remainder of the VCTF team are recruited by Bailey from the Atlanta Police Department who assist in the investigation into the Saturday Night Stalker. John Grant and Nathan Brubaker are both detectives with the Atlanta PD, while Grace Alvarez is the local medical examiner. George Fraley in the resident computer expert. The remaining show regulars were Angel and Sam's eight-year-old daughter Chloe.

Launched just a month before Chris Carter's Millennium, it was inevitable that the two series would be compared, but where Millennium dabbled in the supernatural, Profiler stayed well and truly on the straight and narrow with only Into the Abyss that could in any way be considered to have the slightest leanings towards telefantasy. While Frank Black was troubled by visions and premonitions, Sam's flashes of insight were purely that - based on her training as a psychologist and from the investigation into the background of the victims and the crime scenes.

In an unprecedented move, the first season of Profiler was shown in Europe on the NBC Europe channel just a week after the episodes were shown in the US. Available to satellite and cable viewers, the screenings occurred on Saturday evenings with a repeat the next day, with the schedule following the US transmission pattern exactly, even including pre-emption's for sporting events and repeats of earlier episodes.

Unfortunately, the slow and drawn-out demise of NBC Europe meant that many viewers in the UK never got to see season two, as the cable companies dropped the channel one by one. It wasn't until Living TV picked up the show in January 2000 that viewers were finally able to see the conclusion to the season one cliffhanger.

While this did at least enable people to finally see seasons two and three, the channel didn't buy season four - rather unfortunate as the opening episodes resolve the previous season's cliffhanger, wrap up the whole Jack storyline and write out Sam…

THE DVD
The first season of the series was released as a R1 DVD boxset in the US during 2003 but unfortunately, of the twenty episodes produced, only nineteen were included.

The fourth episode, titled I'll Be Watching You, features a cover version of Every Breath You Take, the 1983 hit by The Police - performed in the episode by Tuesday Knight as Marissa. Unfortunately, it appears that the company holding the publishing rights to the song either refused outright for the episode to be released or were simply charging too much to allow the DVD release to be profitable.

Either way, it appears that this episode is unlikely to be released in the near future. As luck would have it, the episode doesn't add substantially to the ongoing plotline involving Jack, but for those wishing to view the series now, for the first time, the omission may be somewhat irritating.

For the benefit of those without access to an off-air copy of the episode, there follows an in-depth synopsis of the missing episode…

I'll Be Watching You
26-Oct-96

REGULAR CAST
Dr Samantha Waters Ally Walker
Agent Bailey Malone Robert Davi
John Grant Julian McMahon
Grace Alvarez Roma Maffia
Nathan Brubaker Michael Whaley
George Fraley Peter Frechette
Angel Brown Erica Gimpel
Chloe Waters Caitlin Wachs
Jack Dennis Christopher

GUEST CAST
Marissa Tuesday Knight
Rick Havlovich Scott Williamson
Senator Hunt Casey Biggs
David Trent Jason Rainwater
Brian Joel Sauve
Mark Hicks
Erik Fallin

TEASER
A man puts on a belt and harness, part of which holds an LCD video screen on which a woman is performing a version of Every Breath You Take. He looks through a hole in the wall towards an empty auditorium and raises a gun, which he points towards the stage…

ACT ONE
Miami, Florida. A chain of vehicles pulls up, one of which dispenses Senator Hunt. He is met by Bailey Malone, Sam Waters and John Grant from the VCTF who have been called in after a gun mount was found in a room adjacent to the auditorium in which Hunt is due to make a fund-raising address. The building was being searched because a maintenance worker had failed to arrive for work.

The projectionists booth contains a gun mount, fresh food and a number of toy dolls with the eyes drilled out. The phrase ONLY YOU ONLY ME has been written on the walls and a preliminary investigation has revealed no fingerprints, although hairs and fibres have been discovered. Sam sees the room and starts to put together a profile. The person is obsessive (the tidiness and lack of fingerprints), dedicated. He may have been practising his task. The gun isn't there - something unexpected happened, causing him to leave. He won't be coming back. Bailey suggests to Hunt that the address be re-scheduled, but the need to raise $8 million for an election campaign apparently makes this impossible.

As the search of the building continues, blood spots are found on the floor. Looking upwards, Sam sees the missing maintenance man strapped to a ladder high above the floor. He's dead. Back at the VCTF the information about the case is coming together. The missing maintenance man is one Paul Bilsky. He had been shot. The hair found at the scene has revealed that they are looking for a white male, and background checks are being carried out into Hunt's family, associates and friends. Not to mention the Mayor, the State Party Chairman and the rock performer who will be appearing before the speech takes place. Jack's place. The radio station he's listening to wants dedications. He phones in a message for Sam. Bailey receives a phone call. More dolls have been found, this time on a gravestone…

ACT TWO
The grave belongs to a man called Dean Nash who was killed by a drunk driver. The words ONLY YOU ONLY ME are written across the front of the headstone. Footprints are found at the scene and from the small step size Sam decides that the suspect is short - below average height, which may explain why all the dolls have been found sitting down. He wants to control women. Next day John is sent to the Senator's latest speech which is taking place outdoors at the South Beach Memorial Hospital. As the speech gets underway John sees a man who could fit the profile wearing a hooded top and starts to move through the crowd towards him. Meanwhile, another man is moving forwards through the crowd and on reaching the front puts his hand into his jacket. The other VCTF agents spot him and wrestle him to the ground. He's not armed, and in the confusion John loses sight of his suspect.

Back at the VCTF headquarters, Bailey has received word that a recording of Jack's radio message has been picked up by the Bureau. He plays it to Sam. Soon afterwards he receives another phone call. A psychiatrist named Dr Valentine has been attacked and more of the eyeless dolls have been found. Arriving at the scene, he and Sam discover that Valentine was struck from behind, but he isn't dead. Examining the room he was found in, Sam realises that the ONLY YOU ONLY ME message can't be seen. A computer in the room has an active screensaver and on pressing a button on the keyboard the expected phrase repeats itself over and over again. There must be a connection between Hunt, Nash and Valentine so Bailey orders a check into Valentine's patient list.

After taking a copy of the tape home, Sam has noticed that a bell can be heard in the background - it sounds like that of Christ King Church where she was baptised. Bailey arranges for the local field office to check it out. Meanwhile, a connection has been found between Senator Hunt, Dean Nash and Dr Valentine. One of Valentine's patients is Jill Morrison, aka Marissa, who is due to perform at the Senator's fundraising address and who went out with Nash during high school. The deal for her to perform was only finalised that morning so the killer must have known that negotiations were taking place.

ACT THREE
Bailey and Sam pay a visit to Jill Morrison after discovering from her manager that she has been stalked for the past month. She realised several days ago that someone had been in her house and moved out straight away. She takes them downstairs to her wardrobe room and as she opens the door her recording of Every Breath You Take starts playing. Going into the room they discover that dozens of eyeless dolls have been suspended from the ceiling on string and ONLY YOU ONLY ME has been daubed on the floor.

Bailey recommends she cancel her appearance as she has also received gifts and flowers from the mystery stalker. He also puts out the profile of the suspect to all toy dealers in the area. A VCTF team including Sam and Bailey then travel to Silver Spring in Maryland after confirmation has come through that the bell heard on the Jack tape is indeed that of the local church. At the same time, John has been called to a toy store after the owner realises that the profile matches a relatively new employee called David Trent. He is spotted at the back of the store, but he escapes from the building before John can catch up with him. Back at the church, a photo of Sam as a baby, as well as a tape recording from Jack along the same lines as his radio dedication, have been found. On going into another room Sam walks into a tripwire and the gown she was baptised in falls from the ceiling on wires. She tells Bailey to have it checked for evidence and then to burn it.

ACT FOUR
David Trent's house is raided by the VCTF but they find it empty. After pressing a button on a VCR Sam discovers a recording showing herself and Bailey as they walk through Jill Morison's house. There's now no doubt that Trent is the man they've been looking for and how he knew about the negotiations for her performance. Searching his garage they find surveillance equipment and more of the dolls.

Back at the VCTF and Trent's criminal record has shown that he has previous form for loitering and voyeurism. He also has a history of mental illness that an old psychiatric report suggests stem from the overbearing discipline of his father. He once locked him in the trunk of his car for two hours after finding sexually explicit material in his son's room. Sam is puzzled as to why a photo of Jill found at Trent's house had the eyes present but all the dolls had their eyes drilled out. John then receives a call from the team who have been guarding Hunt - he's gone missing. The senator had received a phone call from a woman and has subsequently given them the slip.

The final pieces of the puzzle finally slip into place. Sam believes that Hunt has gone to meet Jill. Trent's been trying to tell Jill that he's the only man she will ever be close to. He doesn't need anyone but him - boyfriends or therapists. All the local hotels are checked and they finally find a reservation under Jill's name. Jill is tied in a chair while Hunt is lying spread-eagled on a bed. Trent is again wearing his video equipment and is also carrying portable, high voltage welding equipment with which he threatens Hunt. The VCTF team burst into the room. As Trent makes a move towards Jill, John fires once and he goes down. The electrical equipment shorts out as his body hits the floor. Hunt is concerned about what may be said about the situation (particularly as he's married) and tells Bailey they need to discuss it.

Another song plays on the radio. It's dedicated to Sam…