Pilot, Episode 1 “ Plan A” 1916,1996-2001 Housing Boom starts
Housing Boom starts MANHATTAN, 1996 - WHERE DREAMS AND DEMOLITION COLLIDE
Colin and Samantha Rath stand breathless at the threshold oftheir century-old brownstone—the last sub-million-dollarproperty in Manhattan—fingers intertwined, heartbeatssynchronized with dreams of creating the perfect family home.Their love story has already defied convention: a ConnecticutWASP with sailing ambitions falling for a Kentucky steelmagnolia with fashion design talents. Now they’re bettingeverything on transforming this historic shell into theirsanctuary, unaware of its sinister past: German saboteursmurdered in the basement, unexploded bombs still hidden inthe foundation—a metaphor for the financial explosivesthey’re unwittingly planting in their own future. Theirrenovation journey becomes a crucible when Colin nearly diesin a yacht accident, his body wrapped in burn bandages whileSamantha, pregnant and terrified, watches him signincreasingly predatory loan documents. As their property’svalue skyrockets during the housing boom, they refinance sixtimes, intoxicated by Manhattan’s real estate fever whilejuggling careers, construction chaos, and first-timeparenthood.
Their partnership with Peter Brandini—initiallywarm with shared dreams and vacation photos—sours intosomething toxic when he senses their growing equity. Theepisode culminates on 9/11, their dream home finally perfectbut leveraged to the breaking point, before flash-forwardingto a darkly comic prison tennis match where financial crimelegends debate the mortgage crisis that will eventuallyensnare Colin. Bernie Madoff breaks the fourth wall toexplain predatory lending: “Real estate isn’t about property;it’s about timing. The trick isn’t finding the right house—it’s knowing when to walk away from the table.”
(EST 60 min episode duration)