NYPD detectives Sara Pezzini and Danny Woo are on the trail of a criminal named Gallo who, among other things, is suspected by Pezzini of murdering her father, and, more recently, a childhood friend of hers. In the ensuing chase, Pezzini and Danny are separated, and Pez finds herself in an art gallery at the mercy of a trained killer. The only thing that saves her life is the Witchblade – an armored gauntlet in one of the display cases which seems to somehow make its own way onto her arm in the melee, deflecting bullets and effectively ending the fight by sparking a huge explosion which kills the gunman. Pezzini is understandably confused by what has happened, especially when there is no evidence of the gauntlet later (though she can’t explain the origin of the ancient-looking bracelet which now graces her wrist) – nor is there any evidence of a dark-clothed man who she spotted gazing at the Witchblade in the gallery.
As she recovers from the fierce fight, Pezzini’s dreams are infiltrated by the bracelet, filling them with images of death, battle, and even Joan of Arc. And the man in black from the gallery is watching her and reporting back to an unseen master – a master who owns the Rialto Theatre, a property in which Gallo is interested. Pezzini and Danny act on a tip about Gallo’s interest in the Rialto from rookie cop Jake McCartey – whose somewhat hazy background doesn’t inspire Danny’s trust. Unknown to the two veteran cops, two others tag along when they stake out the Rialto – the man who has been trailing Pez, and McCartey, who seems determined to get a piece of the action. But at the last minute, Pez decides not to make the move – though what she doesn’t tell Danny is that somehow, the Witchblade told her that Danny would die if she tried to take Gallo down now.
Eccentric billionaire Kenneth Irons, owner of the gigantic Vorschlaag Industries and collector of art and artifacts related to the Witchblade, has been watching Sara Pezzini closely. His henchman, Ian Nottingham, has been following her. But Irons wants to control whoever wields the blade, and Sara’s introduction to the weapon didn’t take place under violent enough circumstances to make her impressionable enough to bend to Irons’ will. The billionaire orders Nottingham to kill her and retrieve the Witchblade; he already has someone in mind to wear it, someone who is already in his thrall. But despite Nottingham’s proficiency in close combat, Sara defeats him and, in the process, kills Irons’ candidate for the Witchblade. This only convinces Irons that he will have to resort to other means to achieve ultimate power…and to kill Sara Pezzini.
Season Two Regular Cast: Yancy Butler (Detective Sara Pezzini), David Chokachi (Detective Jake McCartey), Will Yun Lee (Danny Woo), Anthony Cistaro (Kenneth Irons), John Hensley (Gabriel Bowman), Eric Etebari (Ian Nottingham)
written by Ralph Hemecker & Jorge Zamacona
directed by Joe Chappelle
music by Joel GoldsmithGuest Cast: Marika Dominczyk (Christina Wales), Kathryn Winslow (Vicki), Conrad Dunn (Gallo), Joe Butler (Arnold Buck), Leah Coldrige (Debbie Buck), Dov Tiejenbach (Turnville) and Lazar
Note: Guest star Joe Butler is the real-life father of series star Yancy Butler, and a former member of the rock group The Lovin’ Spoonful.
LogBook entry by Earl Green