Ep 1. Pilot, Pt. 1

In the Heat of the Night is a police procedural drama set in the fictional town of Sparta, Mississippi. Season 1, episode 1, titled "Pilot, Pt. 1" introduces viewers to the show's main characters and sets the stage for the series.

The episode opens with a black man named Virgil Tibbs (played by Howard Rollins) sitting in a train station in Sparta, waiting for his train to arrive. He is dressed in a suit and tie, carrying a small suitcase, and appears to be minding his own business. However, as soon as a wealthy white man named Phil Colbert (played by Michael Learned) arrives and mistakes Virgil for a criminal, things take a turn for the worse.

Phil accuses Virgil of stealing his wallet, and when Virgil protests his innocence, Phil becomes violent and attacks him. The station master and a police officer intervene and take Virgil to the local jail. It is there that we meet the show's other main character, Chief Bill Gillespie (played by Carroll O'Connor).

At the jail, Gillespie is angry that he has to deal with a "smart-assed n-word" like Virgil and is initially dismissive of his claims of innocence. However, when Virgil shows him his identification and proves that he is a police officer from Philadelphia, Gillespie begrudgingly agrees to let him go.

The rest of the episode revolves around a murder investigation. A wealthy white man named Delores Purdy is found dead in her home, and the police suspect that Virgil may have been involved. Despite his protests, Gillespie and his officers treat Virgil like a suspect and subject him to a humiliating strip search.

Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful white residents of Sparta are pressuring Gillespie to solve the case quickly and bring the killer to justice. They are convinced that the killer is a black man, and tensions between the races are running high.

As part of the investigation, Gillespie visits the local diner and meets a young waitress named Harriet DeLong (played by Denise Nicholas). Harriet is one of the few black residents of Sparta and is struggling to make ends meet. Gillespie is initially dismissive of her, but as the episode progresses, it becomes clear that she will play an important role in the ongoing story.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with Virgil discovering a clue that leads him to believe that he knows who the killer is. However, before he can share his theory with Gillespie, he is attacked by two white men and left for dead in a nearby swamp.

Overall, "Pilot, Pt. 1" does an excellent job of introducing viewers to the world of In the Heat of the Night. The racial tensions of the time period are front and center, and the audience is given a clear sense of the power dynamics at play in Sparta. The characters are well-drawn, with Gillespie coming across as a gruff but ultimately decent man and Virgil as a smart and determined detective. The murder mystery is intriguing, and viewers will be left eager to know who the killer is and what will happen to Virgil next.