Murmurations


666 Park Avenue
Season 1, Episode 02
Murmurations
Air date	October 7th
Written by	David Wilcox
Directed by	Robbie Duncan McNeill
Episode Guide
← previous Pilot	next → The Dead Don't Stay Dead

Murmurations is the second episode of the first season of 666 Park Avenue. It aired on October 7, 2012 and attracted 4.99 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Jane makes a terrifying discovery about what lies behind the walls of The Drake as she begins to renovate Mr. Barlow's apartment. Meanwhile, Henry wrestles with whether he should tip Gavin off to inside information he has on one of his big projects, and lonely resident Danielle Vincent gets a much needed assist from Gavin with a romantic tryst with a business associate of his. Finally, Brian struggles with his continuing temptation for Alexis.

Plot[]

Spoilers ahead

Jane has no idea that the reason John Barlow's apartment is suddenly vacant is because the guy got violently sucked into the bedroom wall. She peels back the wallpaper upon hearing some scratching noises. A blackbird darts out of the small opening. Then… Hundreds more burst into the room. Jane hits the deck. The birds crash through the window. They circle the Drake as a steely-eyed Gavin Doran looks on from his window.

Henry forgoes buying an eight hundred dollar bottle of wine to purchase a 20 dollar bottle of merlot. He brings it as a gift to a super-fancy bash at the Doran place. Henry later catches sight of a scale model of a tall skyscraper in the study. Gavin is buying the construction project from a company called the Alpern Development Group for a song. And by a song, we mean a hundred million dollars.

After the party, Jane heads down to the basement to collect some clothes she left in the dryer. She sees a blackbird fluttering across the way. The mysterious door we first saw in the “Pilot” appears again. Jane steps through it to find a man sprawled out on the floor of an apartment in a pool of blood. The dead man's eyes open suddenly. Jane is terrified. Then she wakes suddenly in the comfort of her own bed. It was just a dream. Or was it? Jane looks over to see her laundry basket filled with clothes from the dryer.

Jane asks Tony if there's ever been a murder at the Drake. His answer is no. Later, Jane learns there are hundreds of starling birds living inside a shaft in the apartment building. The exterminator promises to kill them all. Jane also wants the guy to break down the basement wall where the mystery door of her dreams resides. Nona advises the exterminator to leave the birds alone before swiping the guy's lucky rabbit's foot. She then has a vision of the exterminator being attacked by a flock, or murmuration, of starlings. A short time later, the vision comes true and the exterminator ends up dead.

An envelope has been slipped under Jane's door. It holds an article detailing a murder that occurred at the Drake back in 1956. The victim is a dead ringer for the man in Jane's dream. The killer was never caught. Later, Jane preps for the dinner they're having with the Dorans. Henry lets her know that Gavin is about to lose a hundred million dollars on that skyscraper deal. He can't say anything because this is inside information. Guess they’ll just have to stick to awkward small talk come dinnertime.

Danielle is a resident of the Drake who hasn't had much luck when it comes to finding a man. She runs into Gavin at a fancy restaurant after having been stood up for a date. Danielle's disappointing evening takes a positive turn once she has a drink with Gavin's friend. His name is Frank Alpern. The two of them go on a date that ends up in the bedroom. Frank later lets Danielle know that he's married. She's crushed by this revelation.

Gavin and Olivia show up for dinner with the eight hundred dollar bottle of wine Henry didn't buy for their party. The conversation delves into the murder that occurred at the Drake. As it turns out, the man was killed in the apartment that currently belongs to Danielle. Jane has another dream about the murdered man. This time, however, she sees a 1950s version of Danielle holding a bloody knife in the room.

Back in present day, another murder has taken place at Danielle's hand. Gavin steps into the room to say that Frank Alpern is a man who tried to cheat him. He deserved to die along with all the other men who betrayed Danielle in the past. Flashbacks show that there have been many who have perished at the hands of this scorned woman. Danielle doesn't believe it's true until she sees herself in the mirror as a 90-year-old woman. Gavin promises to take care of the mess. As for Danielle, she wakes up the next morning looking young and vibrant and with no clue of who she really is.

Louise is on the mend in the hospital after her freak elevator accident. Brian is caught off guard when he learns his wife gave her beautiful new assistant, Alexis, the keys to their apartment. He recoils as the woman he's been watching from afar tries to caress his arm. He closes the drapes in his apartment to avoid any peeping temptations. Too bad the curtains keep mysteriously opening on their own. Alexis seductively waves to Brian whenever they lock eyes during one of her frequent undressing sessions.

Louise is thinking of suing Gavin for what happened to her. After all, she and Brian are having serious money problems. Back home, Alexis lets herself into Brian's apartment just as he's getting out of the shower. He asks her to leave, but doesn't stop her from kissing him as he stands dripping wet in just a towel. Louise later returns home to find a check for $300,000 from Gavin. Guess she doesn't need to sue now. As for Brian, he can't stop staring across the way at Alexis, who puts her finger to her lips as if to say what happened in the shower is their little secret.

Gavin lets Henry know that he's impressed at the integrity he showed in not disclosing his knowledge of the Alpern deal. Everything worked out. Gavin was able to flip the property to make a monster profit. Olivia lets her hubby know that he was right. Henry passed the test. Gavin believes Henry is going to be a hero. He obviously has a plan in the works. Gavin later lets Jane know that there's no need to worry about the birds. The Drake is their home, too. Jane heads down to the basement to find the wall has been partially demolished to reveal the door from her dream. It's real. She steps inside only to have it slam shut behind her. She's trapped.