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We are suggesting that he has something to hide.
Is he their son?
The audience sees Keith ripping those pages out, his parents dont see it.
ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNITShane Mahood/FOX
DEADLINE: How did you work to differentiateAlertfrom the many other law enforcement procedurals that exist on broadcast television?
JOHN EISENDRATH:I think theres probably two answers to that question.
They can be people who have been taken and are desperate to be found.
They can be people whove run away and have no interest in being found.
They can be stories that involve a crime, anything from kidnapping to murder.
They can be stories that have no crime whatsoever involved.
So that I think alone makes it unique.
DEADLINE: As you mentioned, there are so many ways that a person could go missing.
Where did you draw inspiration from for some of these stories well see this season?
EISENDRATH:Some of the stories are ripped from the headlines.
Were always looking for the most relatable and emotional core to the story.
Everyone has their own fear of one.
So the writers, we just imagine putting caring, loving people in that situation.
I was so excited.
I ran after him.
I turn the corner, and he was gone.
I went all the way around the block.
He was nowhere to be found.
and I thought, Oh my god, Im gonna have a child whos been taken.
It turned out that he was in the house the whole time.
Hed gone all the way around the block and gone inside.
I never bothered to look inside because I just thought he was gone.
Can you expand on whats going on there?
So we are suggesting that he has something to hide.
Is he their son?
After the first episode, clearly there is a question about who he is.
What I like is the situation where the audience may be ahead of our heroes.
The audience sees Keith ripping those pages out, his parents dont see it.
Come on, guys.
Look, you gotta know theres something going on.
Why is she standoffish?
What does she know?
DEADLINE: Its also pretty clear that Keith returning is going to test some relationships.
Mike and Nikki are already in a rocky place by the end of the episode.
EISENDRATH:Im a huge soap opera fan, I love a good love triangle.
But I think what is particularly unique about this one is that everyones position is very sympathetic.
Their marriage floundered because their child was taken and their marriage couldnt sustain that tragedy.
And then yes, Keith comes back.
He understands that Nikki and Jason need the time to reconstruct their family.
Jasons in the same position.
Kemi is not a mystic.
Kemi cannot see into the future.
Kemi cannot predict the outcome of a scenario based on her belief.
But the people who come into the MPU are desperate.
As for the non-Christian part of it, I think the belief is universal.
I dont think that any particular culture or any particular religion has a corner on that market.
EISENDRATH:Fingers crossed there will be more than one.
