Episode 1
"Birds of a Feather"
Atlantic City - 1981.
Young Harry hears the closet door squeak and sits upright in his bed. He calls for his father. A frightened Harry complains to his father about the closet. To comfort him, his dad goes to check it out. When he finds nothing in the closet, his dad sits on his bed and gives him his late mother's shield bracelet. His dad promises that it will protect him like it did her. Harry vows that he will find whatever killed his mom and rip its heart out.
Chicago - present
Harry wakes up from a dream and grabs his wrist where his shield bracelet is. A woman named Laura hugs him as she wakes up. Laura realizes she's running late and hurries to work. Harry, now fully dressed, calls for his ghostly roommate, Bob, to help him find his jeep keys. Harry enters his lab to find Bob working on some obscure equation. Harry tells Bob that he had the dream about his dad again and Bob comments that that was the third time that week, and that they probably mean something. Harry finds Bob's formula familiar and Bob responds that the equation was in his first grimoire; the one that Harry's uncle had a copy of, and that Harry burned when he "self-defensed" his uncle to death. Harry gets upset with Bob and storms out of the lab when he finds his keys.
Harry walks to his jeep to find it booted. A kid named Scott approaches him and asks him if he's the wizard. The kid tells him that there are monsters after him and his mother, and that he'll pay Harry $5000 to help him. When the kid pulls the money out, in full view of the entire street, Harry hurriedly tells him to put the wad away.
Harry takes Scott to the diner to discourage him, thinking he's just imagining things. Meanwhile, Harry calls his friend Lieutenant Murphy, hoping she can help him "unboot" his car.
Murphy and her partner Kirmani are at the crime scene. Victim was female and completely skinned. Her credit cards and car are missing. And they don't think she was killed at her house because of the absence of blood.
Bob tries to apologize to Harry for his inappropriate comment about Harry's uncle earlier. Bob is concerned that Harry's judgment is clouded and that's what made him dismiss Scott's case so easily. Bob warns him that if the child were harmed, Harry could never forgive himself. Bob urges him to have someone look into the records of the High Council.
At the diner where Laura works, Harry meets with Melissa, a representative for the High Council. Harry convinces Melissa to look in the records for a status check for Scott and his mother. Melissa's eyes roll in the back of her head as she telepathically searches the records database. Wondering who this woman is, Laura stares at Harry suspiciously. When Melissa is finished, she informs Harry that there's nothing and he leaves.
Scott is at school when his teacher approaches him and asks him to stay after school to tutor some of the other kids. He starts to agree but is distracted by a winged, white-faced man dressed in black, staring at him through the door. Terrified, Scott flees, leaving his bewildered teacher behind.
Harry is telling Bob that Melissa found nothing, when Scott runs into his office rambling about how he "saw them" and that Harry has to help him. THe child is clearly agitated and distraught by what he's faced.
Harry drives him home and his mom admits that this isn't the first time Scott has claimed to see monsters. Scott's mom is raising him alone. She comments to Harry that she has taken Scott to doctors, and no one can tell what's wrong with him. Harry offers to help.
Harry draws a protection symbol on a piece of paper and uses magic to activate it. The door rings and Scott's mom opens it. It is Scott's pretty, blonde teacher who is returning Scott's bag, which he dropped when he ran from school. Scott's mom introduces Harry to the teacher and then Harry leaves. After he goes, the teacher tries to enter the house but is repelled; denied entry by Harry's magical protection symbol. Clearly, the pretty teacher isn't as innocent as she appears.
As Harry sits in a diner, Murphy approaches him to ask him about her skinned victim. Murphy takes him to the crime scene. She explains to Harry how the victim was found. Harry asks Murphy what the victim did for a living. She tells him the victim was a school teacher. Harry notices the picture on the fireplace and realizes that the dead victim is Scott's teacher, Mrs. Timmons.
In the voiceover, Harry says that there's only one thing that can walk around in other people's skins - an appropriately named "skinwalker" whose mild name belies its vicious, demonic nature.
At Scott's house, his mother notices a symbol similar to Harry's carved in the ceiling. Just then the black dressed man that Scott noticed in school comes up behind her. Harry, Murphy and the police come to Scott's house to find him missing.
Atlantic City - 1981
Harry's father was a stage magician without an ounce of real magick flowing in his veins. A young Harry, whose own magickal abilities are quickly growing, sits in the audience, observing his father's not-so-impressive performance. During the ring trick, Harry uses his magick to suspend the ring in the air so that his father will get more adulation. The audience goes wild but Harry's father is far from pleased. Later, Harry's dad confronts him about it and tells him to never do that again. It's too dangerous.
Chicago - present
At Scott's house, Harry notices a black feather on the floor. Harry tells Murphy to put the teacher's face on TV and to warn the public to keep away from her because she's dangerous. When Murphy reminds him that the teacher is dead, Harry responds that the killer looks a lot like her. Harry goes to talk to Cheryl, Scott's mom. He asks her if she or Scott's father possess any special abilities. Harry asks her if she noticed birds hanging around Scott. Cheryl's eyes widen in amazement. She tells Harry that the crows have hung around ever since she brought him home.
Harry and Bob find out that the feather Harry found belongs to the "Raven Clan"; a group of mercenaries. Harry reads that the ravens are the creatures of habit, and that they always return to their nest.
At that moment, Melissa knocks on his door. Harry lets her in. Melissa admits that she's in trouble. She asks Harry if he has the boy hidden somewhere, and kept safe. When he tells her he doesn't, Melissa tells him that the skinwalker approached her before Harry did, and that she wants the boy, because he has the gift: but it hasn't manifested yet.
Melissa reveals to him that Scott was an orphan and that Cheryl adopted him. In a shocking move, Melissa rips Harry's protective wards from beside the door, and tears Harry's shield bracelet from his wrist; enabling the skinwalker to enter. The skinwalker skins Melissa and says to Harry that they should talk.
Atlantic City - 1981.
Young Harry admits to his father that he misses Florida, and his dad apologizes to him. Harry tells him that Uncle Justin called to say he's in town, and he wants to talk to Harry's dad about Harry. Harry's father looks upset by the news.
Chicago - present
Skinwalker ties and gags Harry and hangs him by his arms. Skinwalker mocks Bob, who tells her that she'll regret it if she hurts Harry. She continues to taunt Bob, telling him that he can save Harry if he tells her where Harry hid the boy. When Bob responds that they thought she had him, Skinwalker starts to hit Harry.
At Scott's house Murphy questions Cheryl and finds out that Cheryl adopted Scott illegally.
Skinwalker continues to torture Harry, trying to make Bob talk. When she threatens to skin him, Bob can't take it anymore. He snaps and tells her that the Ravens took him. She takes the feather and tells Harry that he's lucky: if it were up to her, she'd be wearing his skin. Having retrieved the information she came for, the Skinwalker exits, leaving Harry relatively unhurt. Bob and Harry realize that she wasn't ever planning to skin him and that she must work for someone who doesn't want Harry dead.
Bob apologizes, saying that he was suckered, and that now they have no leads. Harry says that they do and calls Murphy. Murphy tells him that Cheryl picked Scott up at some church. She gives him the address, but warns him that the church has been shut down for years.
Bob tells him that Skinwalker could manage a tracking spell within an hour, Harry tells him that he'll need a doom box from Bob; that was the formula he was working on earlier.
Atlantic City - 1981.
Young Harry eavesdrops on the conversation between his father and Uncle Justin. Justin wants to take Harry, but his father refuses. Justin claims that Harry needs to be with others like him, so that he can better understand his place. Harry's father doesn't trust Justin and refuses again. He tells him that nothing will make him give up Harry. Justin tells him that's a mistake. Harry's father threatens him and the Uncle leaves.
Chicago - present
Harry walks into the old church where Scott is comfortably eating a banana split with the Ravens sitting around him. Harry talks to the Raven that took Scott, telling him that the Skinwalker will find him within the hour. Raven says they'll just move, but Harry tells him that's not the way. Scott needs family. Harry realizes that the Ravens' job is to protect Scott, and that they gave him to Cheryl in the first place. Harry tells the Raven that the Skinwalker is his problem and and they need not worry about her. He begs them to just take Scott home because he loves Cheryl, and she loves him. Harry shows the Raven a doom box. and he recognizes it for what it is. Raven says that the doom box is not a permanent solution; that there'll be others after Scott when his powers emerge. Harry says that they'll be ready for them.
Skinwalker enters the church and finds only Harry. Harry tries to instill doubt in her, by suggesting that whoever she's working for double crossed her. In this way, Harry tricks her into confirming what he already suspected: that she's the only one who knows where Scott lives. Harry wants her to setup a meeting for him with her employer, saying he wants to make an offer. She says that he'll have to make it to her. Harry produces the doom box and tells her that it's a powerful device, and that she can probably even sense its power. He'll give it to her if she stops chasing the kid. They strike a deal. Harry gives it to her and leaves. Skinwalker is captivated by the object, and doesn't notice Harry's departure. Too late, she realizes the nature of the device, when the doom box explodes; incinerating her.
In front of the church, we see a man entering the limo that appears to be Harry's uncle.
In the voiceover, Harry states that his uncle insisted that monsters were real, where his father denied their existence, because his uncle was a monster.
Harry explains to Murphy that the kid is safe and that the killer died in the gas explosion. Murphy remarks how convenient it all worked out. Harry tells her that it's over now and that child is safe with his family. Murphy says there's still a problem, because Scott was adopted illegally. Harry convinces Murphy to let it be. What good could come of separating Scott and Cheryl, when the both so clearly love each other?
Scott and Cheryl join Harry for the dinner he's cooking. Harry tell Cheryl that Scott is special, and that if anything strange happens they should call him. Cheryl comments to Harry that he and Scott seem very similar, and he confirms it. They are more alike than Scott even knows. As they prepare to eat, we see ravens watching them through the window.