The Nine - a primer

And now for the second in a series, let me introduce (or re-introduce) you to the best new show that America isn't watching - The Nine.

The short version of the show's plot is that it's about the survivors of a 52-hour hostage standoff at a bank in L.A. But it's really more than that - an examination of myriad human relationships as seen through the filter of an intense situation. As the show progresses we see more and more about "what happened in there."

And now let's meet your cast of characters:

Nick - the maverick cop, Nick has been trying to overcome a gambling addiction he inherited from his father. He has a pretty clear crush on Kathryn. He's also now taking on Egan as his roommate. In the bank, Nick spent a long time handcuffed to a pole, and trying to help ease the negotiation process.

Kathryn - the tough type-A assistant district attorney, she came to the bank to help her mother with a problem, and ended up desperate to get her mother out alive. Luckily, Kathryn's mom was the first hostage released very early on. Kathryn was having an affair with, and is now engaged to, the D.A. Kathryn was the first outside to learn about Lizzie's pregnancy, and has been a real support ever since.

Lizzie - a hospital social worker, she's pregnant with Jeremy's baby but they're no longer together. She has a soft spot for robber Lucas, because he was kind to her once he learned she was pregnant inside. Lizzie is the most determined to keep the bonds the group has formed by regularly meeting at a diner.

Jeremy - a top surgeon, he is deeply ashamed of his behavior inside, where he tried to save himself and abandon Lizzie. To deal with his grief, he hooked up with Franny at Eva's funeral, and they've dated a couple times since then.

Franny - a loyal teller at the bank, she got her sister Eva a job there recently. She then had to watch her own sister die from wounds received inside the bank. Franny quit working at the bank, and recently learned that Eva has been in contact with their estranged mother. Franny tried to care for Eva's son, Ricky, but has since given that role over to her grandmother.

Egan - a goofy office worker, he became a media sensation when he stopped a stray bullet from hitting one of the captives. He feels like a changed man, so much so that he quit his job and divorced his crabby wife. He's used his notoriety to start a fund to help Ricky.

Malcolm - the bank manager, he didn't know that his daughter had been in the bank for the first few hours. He's very protective of his workers and his family, so much so that he tried to shield Felicia from information she needed to piece together her own experience. He recently forced the bank's higher-ups to give a proper monetary dispensation to the widow of the slain security guard.

Felicia - Malcom's daughter and a good high schooler, she had been in the bathroom when the heist began. As a result she still had her cell phone at one point, but had to pass it to Lizzie to get a signal, who then called 911. The whole standoff was so traumatic, Felicia has a memory block and only remembers the first couple hours of the experience. She's tried visiting Lucas in jail to help jog her memory.

Lucas - one of two brothers to rob the bank, we are led to believe he's "the nice one." He ended up donating a kidney to keep his brother (Randall) alive so that he'd stand trial, at the imploring of Lizzie. He's now back in jail, and doesn't care if he spends his life there.

That's all you need to know! Tune in this Wednesday, as we find out how the security guard was killed, and Kathryn faces another crisis in her work/love relationship.