“The New and Improved Carl Morrissey” is episode three of season one of The 4400.
In a shop, a Carl Morrisey, who disappeared on February 16th 2003, is helping a customer choose some fish; she says she never got a decent piece whilst he was gone. Carl’s boss objects to him dealing with the woman. After work, Carl meets his wife, Grace. Grace tells him the neighbourhood has got worse since he was away. No-one cares about the place any more. No pride, no sense of community. Carl wants to head home across the park; Grace tells him no-one goes in Bradley Park at night. It’s not safe. Lowlifes and junkies. Carl says he proposed to Grace 15 years ago in the park. Grace tells him things change; take the long way around. Someone hits a ball with a hockey stick and Carl snatches it out of the air before it can hit Grace.
That night, Carl is in the park, passing dealers and graffiti until he comes to the bench where he proposed. Then two people demand his wallet. He only has $7. They attack him and, surprisingly, come off distinctly second best.
Tom and Diana are with Ryland talking about Maia, who was brought back in the previous episode, “Pilot: Part 2”. Maia told someone her daughter was going to end up in hospital, but she’d be okay. The next day she was in a car crash. There are other stories like that. Tom wonders why anyone would abduct a girl and bring her back with the ability to predict the future. What were they thinking? Diana says they don’t even know there is a ‘they.’
Maia is drawing as Tom and Diana speak to her. She says the things because they’re true but she doesn’t know how she knows. Tom says the doctors want to check her over again. Maia doesn’t believe him when he says it won’t hurt. Diana says that it may be uncomfortable sometimes, but it will mostly be boring. Maia wants Diana to check up on her.
Lily and Richard are looking for a place for her. Richard says they aren’t a couple to the man showing them around, but Lily says he will be staying if he wants. Richard knows times have changed, but he still has trouble accepting it. Lily looks around, then it seems like she is getting impressions from her baby. She needs to leave.
Carl returns home and tells Grace he got mugged. But he didn’t get hurt. The aliens changed him. He has things to do; make the park like it was before.
Linda is with Kyle when Tom arrives; she mentions the divorce papers. He wants to sign them over dinner with her. Dr Mayhew had called them in; Kyle’s EEG readout was peculiar, a momentary burst of increased brain activity for a few seconds. Is that good? Technically, yes, but they need to look into this. After Mayhew and Linda have gone, Tom asks who else visited Kyle that night. Shawn. Who briefly managed to revive Kyle.
Tom heads to find Shawn at school. Shawn denies anything happened; what could he have done? Tom reminds him that he brought a bird back to life. Tom is not handling this well and Shawn certainly doesn’t want to talk about his new powers. Afterwards, Nikki invites Shawn to a concert; he declines. Danny asks Nikki why she keeps pushing Shawn. Someone has to. Danny is giving his brother some space; Nikki should try it some time. A conversation that also could have gone better; Danny has some, probably at least partially justified, doubts about Nikki when it comes to Shawn.
Tom and Diana head to the Theory Room. Diana had an idea and it seems that at abduction sites visited gravity was weaker. But barely measurable. The question is was it natural or was it artificial manipulation? Tom thinks they have made no progress. On the way out, Adam Kensington, the man Orson killed in “Pilot: Part 1”, is mentioned. He was part of a scheme to defraud tens of thousands of insurance policy holders. His death saved the state of Washington a billion-dollar buyout. Diana thinks this is interesting. Tom asks if she thinks whoever sent Orson back meant to do that to Kensington. It’s a theory.
Carl has decided to use his new physical abilities to start cleaning the park up, which worries Grace. It seems pretty clear that Nikki has an interest in Shawn, and Tom keeps denying to Diana that Shawn has done anything unusual.