Wild Palms

Episode 1

Everything Must Go

Sun, May 16, 199392 mins

Set in the near-future of 2007, Harry Wyckoff is a successful patent attorney living in Beverly Hills who is on the brink of becoming a partner in the agency he works at. He has two children with his wife Grace, a perfect housewife and the owner of Hiroshima, a retro fashion boutique. Their children are 11-year-old child actor Coty, who has just been cast for a new "Channel 3" series, and the ever-mute 4-year-old Deirdre. Grace's mother is Josie Ito, a vain chic socialite and interior decorator of strong will and numerous shady connections. At night, Harry is plagued by strange dreams of a rhinoceros and a faceless woman who has palm tree tattooed on her body. One day, Harry is visited by a former lover of his college days, the alluring Paige Katz, who asks for his help in tracking down her son Peter, who disappeared five years earlier. Paige is closely associated with the "Wild Palms Group", a shady media organization headed by the charismatic Senator Tony Kreutzer, who is also the leader of the religious sect "Church of Synthiotics". Kreutzer's TV station "Channel 3" is about to start a new television format, "Church Windows", which creates a virtual reality on the basis of popular shows like sitcoms, using a new technique called "Mimecom". Due to conflict of interest, in which Harry's firm is going up against Wild Palms in court, their meetings raise suspicions and cost Harry his promotion. Afterwords, Harry quits and gladly accepts a job offered by Kreutzer as Wild Palms business consultant. Meanwhile, Grace soon becomes alienated by Harry's long hours at his new job and his past association with Paige. Grace visits her father Eli Levitt, a former history professor who is currently imprisoned for terrorism, and who is the founder of the "Friends" sect. In this politically and socially divided early 21st century society, a new right-wing political group, called the "Fathers", dominate large sections in politics and in the media. A libertarian movement, the "Friends", opposes the government, often making use of underground guerrilla tactics. Harry's best friend, Tommy Laszlo, takes him to meet Chickie Levitt, (who is Eli Levitt's son from another relationship), a virtual reality boy genius and technology wizard who warns Harry about the dangers of Wild Palms and it's media control. Also, Tully Woiwode, is an infamous and popular visual artist and toast-of-the-town (and Tommy Laszlo's secret lover) whose sister is abducted by men connected to Josie and her "Fathers" connections.