Ep 1. Episode 1

In When They See Us season 1 episode 1, viewers are introduced to the story of the "Central Park Five," a group of five teenage boys who were wrongfully accused and convicted of the brutal assault and rape of a female jogger in New York City's Central Park in 1989.

The episode opens on a bustling night in Central Park, with multiple groups of young people hanging out and enjoying the warm weather. The camera focuses on a group of five black and Latino boys, ranging in age from 14 to 16, who are goofing around and playing music. As they head home, they stumble across a large group of police officers who are attending to the jogger, who has been found badly beaten and left for dead.

The boys continue on their way, unaware that they will soon be implicated in the crime. The rest of the episode shows the tumultuous aftermath of their arrests, as their families struggle to navigate the complicated legal system and the boys themselves are subjected to intense questioning and coercion by police officers.

We see the boys being interrogated for hours on end, with no legal representation and no knowledge of their rights. The detectives in charge of the investigation are aggressive and intimidating, at times resorting to outright threats and physical violence to get the answers they want. And when the boys finally do make their confessions, it becomes clear that they have been manipulated into saying things that aren't true.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence tying them to the crime, the boys are charged with rape, assault, and attempted murder. They are tried as adults and face the possibility of life in prison. We see their families rallying behind them, attempting to fight the charges and bring attention to the injustice of the situation.

As the episode comes to a close, the boys are convicted and sentenced to prison. But it's clear that their ordeal is far from over, as they must now face the harsh realities of life behind bars and the stigma of being branded as rapists and murderers at such a young age.

Throughout the episode, we also get glimpses into the stories of the jogger and the detectives involved in the case. But it's the experiences of the five boys - Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise - that drive the narrative and make it clear just how unjust their treatment was.

When They See Us is a powerful and gut-wrenching look at one of the most infamous criminal justice cases in recent history. Episode 1 sets the stage for the rest of the series, laying out the details of the boys' arrests and convictions and hinting at the emotional and psychological toll that their ordeal will take on them and their families.