Paul Gross has said that they got the Pilot of DS about 65% right. I think they did a good deal better than than. It is hard to disengage from the rest of the series and look at the Pilot with objectivity, but this remains exceptionally good drama in its own right as well as previewing the development of the series.
An object lesson in brilliant dramatisation, the premise and characters are drawn so skilfully and sparingly that not one scene, one line is superfluous to the plot or character development. Consider for example the first scene. Bob Fraser has just one line of dialogue (while alive!):
"You're going to shoot a Mountie? They'll hunt you to the ends of the earth."
This scene tells us everything we need to know about him. He knows what is about to happen but stands his ground, proud and defiant and confident that his RCMP colleagues will seek out his killers. (The central irony of this, of course, is that the only Mountie who does hunt the killers "to the ends of the earth" is his son.) It also provides a dramatic link to the end of the story when Benton finds himself in the same situation.
The other characters are introduced with similar immediacy. From the outset, they are people we can believe in and this is what makes the Pilot so appealling.
The plot does not need repeating, but to mention a few highlights:
The scene played out to Superman's Song, with Benton calling a cab for Leanne and then standing alone on a Chicago street, dwarfed by tower blocks, is an elegant reminder that this is a man out of his element but who, to paraphrase the words of the song "will stay in the city until his work is through".
The stillness of many of the Yukon scenes is stunning. Paul Haggis is not afraid of pausing to give the viewer the chance to take in the vast wilderness and emphasise the contrast between the frenetic pace of the city. It also further counterpoints the differences between Benton and Ray.
The cabin scene when Benton comes across the drawing of his father and makes the decision to risk his father's reputation by confronting the killers.
The only criticism I have of The Pilot is the confrontation scene with Gerrard, in which Benton calls him a "son of a bitch". Out of character (I think I am right in saying that he has not sworn since) but perfectly in keeping with the moment. Yet, when I saw the Pilot in its repeat on the BBC last year, they had edited out the expletive (presumably because of the ridiculous 11.05 am scheduling) and this in fact increased the dramatic intensity of the scene. Benton's utter bewilderment that his father could have been betrayed by Gerrard is fully evident in the line, "He was your friend". Without the expletive, the word "friend" is left hanging in the air, the accusation of betrayal even more poignant.
A less accomplished writer than Paul Haggis would probably have translated his brief for the Pilot into a black-and-white, Canada is wonderful, America is hell, story. He artfully resists this temptation, and instead the contrasts are subtley and beautifully brought to life. As the precursor to all that follows, the Pilot is well worth another viewing. But it also stands brilliantly on its own as a feature film, with an original, imaginative plot, appealling, well-drawn characters and the unique combination of surreal humour and drama that has subsequently made the series a worldwide hit.