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Yours cruelly… Your Killer.
— The Killer's salutation
High Voltage
Season 1, Episode 1
High Voltage
Air date: June 23, 2013
Written by: Anthony E. Zuiker,
Elizabeth Devine [1]
Directed by: Anthony B. Sacco
Viewers: 4.05 mil [2]
Ratings: 1.3 [2]
Winner: Sasha
Scared: Don and Dontae
Murdered: Sheri and Dontae
Episode Guide
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Fire Starter


High Voltage is the premiere of Season 1 of Whodunnit?. It originally aired on ABC [3] on June 23rd 2013 at 9PM ET/8PM CT. It covers the story happening during the first day and 4:38 AM in the next.

Storyline

Main article: High Voltage

In this episode the former Rams cheerleader Sheri was killed and became the first victim of the competition! She was killed by merely dropping her champagne glass by accident. Her death, on the other hand, was nothing close to an accident. She was killed by a metal musket ball entering through her spine at the back of her neck, severing major arteries and causing instant death. Sheri hit her head on the side of the fish tank, which eventually built its water pressure to the point where the glass shattered and the water poured out. The killer also left one special surprise, a cut lamp cord next to Sheri which electrocuted her (due to the water), guaranteeing that she would be dead, one way or another and also deterred the others from finding out the true COD. Almost all of the players guessed the murder correctly except for a few, like Dontae and Don. They both received scared cards which means that they had the chance of dying next. Giles tells the contestants that pajamas and socks have been provided for them when they go to bed. At 4:38 in the morning the Rue Manor fire alarm system goes off causing everyone to hurry out of the mansion and gather by the pool. Giles begins role call, but when he gets to Don he receives no response. After a short while Don is revealed to have just been late, and is unharmed, much to the contestants' relief. Giles then calls for Dontae, but he does not come. In fact, all we hear in response is a faint scream which is noticed by the contestants. We then see Dontae burning alive as he runs down the stairs, out of the mansion, past his horrified comrades, and into a watery grave.

Investigations

Crime Scene Photos

Down Below Shows The Crime Scene Photos For The Episode High Voltage




Last Known Whereabouts

Message

The message

In Sheri's room, there was clearly signs of forced entry as wood shavings scattered at doorstep. Furthermore, by blowing steam on the mirror, the contestants managed to find a message written on mirror telling Sheri that she'd meet someone at the fish tank for vital info, clearly ironic.

The Morgue

This time, a trip to The Morgue proved to be vital since the most important evidence is there, a musket ball, the side of a marble. Clearly, there was no charred point on her body, completely ruled out electrocution as the COD. Furthermore, there was no sign of self-defense, meaning The Killer didn't attack her directly, strengthen the conclusion that she was shot dead.

The Riddle

To unlock any mystery, you need a key. 
So please accept this gift from me.
Only think twice on what lock you'd turn.
From the passage you find, you'd surely learn.
There are 12 keys, one for each of you,
You might just find the missing clue.
Go run, go twist, unlock the lies,
To find salvation takes several tries.
Solution: The keys each received contain two number separated by colon (13:17), and the other face print symbols of 2 crowns representing a verse from the Bible:

"Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek." (2 Kings 13:17) [4]

By following the verse given, players overlooked the East Window where 3-digit number was carved onto window sill (6-1-3) and found a large trunk just outside the lawn. They hurried out of the mansion, used the keys to unlock the trunk, only to find out that the trunk contained a slingshot with a crowbar (used in the murder of Sheri).

State The Case

The bold italic is where the contestant got it wrong.

  • Adrianna thinks that Sheri was shot and Dontae is The Killer.
  • Cris thinks Adrianna was the true killer.
  • Dana states that the musket shot had severed Sheri's spine and ultimately killed her and The Killer just ran from the crime scene as everyone approached the electrocuted Sheri. She believes Adrianna's the killer.
  • Kam thinks Geno's The Killer.
  • Geno points out The Killer did a masterful shot all the way through the parlor. Geno says that Kam may be hunting him, but he was in turn hunting Kam.
  • Lindsey states that there was a message written on mirror telling Sheri to go to the fish tank and then she was shot dead by a musket ball. She thinks Cris did it.
  • Melina believes Sheri tipped over and crashed into the aquarium but not dead yet. The Killer she chooses is Cris.
  • Ronnie states there was a force entry. He thinks The Killer is Dontae.
  • Sasha states that Sheri was shot and The Killer only cut the cord knowing the water would seep out, tampered the real COD. She believes Adrianna to be the killer.
  • Ulysses knows that Sheri was really shot dead, he thinks Dontae's the killer.
  • Don believes Sheri got hit on the back of her head while showering and that she was electrocuted by a cord dropped to the water. He believes Dana killed Sheri.
  • Dontae states that there was a gunshot and believes she was hit too and then drowned, the last measure to ensure that she's really dead is a cut cord. He thinks Adrianna is the killer.

Solution

The killer severed the wire on the lamp by the fish tank and removed a pane of glass from the main room. The killer then used a crowbar to break into Sheri's room while she was showering and wrote the message on the mirror in the bathroom, and then waited outside for her arrival. Sheri saw the message upon leaving the shower and headed downstairs. Once Sheri reached the fish tank and turned her back, the killer fired a pellet through the open window into the back of Sheri's neck. Sheri was killed on impact, falling forward into the tank, damaging the glass, and then falling back onto the rug. The crack on the tank shortly gave way, but allowed the killer time to hide the tools in the garden bin. The water from the tank splashed over Sheri's body and the nearby carpet, and the spliced lamp cord electrified the area.

Result

In the end:

  • Sasha impressed The Killer, thus passing the test.
  • Adrianna, Cris, Dana, Geno, Lindsey, Kam, Melina, Ronnie, Ulysses were all spared.
  • Don received a "Scared" card for his fault statement, but spared to live another day.
  • Dontae, on the other hand, was "killed" for his overly inaccurate statements.

Trivia

  • This is the first episode of the series.
  • The episode witnessed the first 2 deaths, Sheri and Dontae, and it centers around Sheri's "murder".
  • Sheri is the first victim ever.
  • Dontae is the first contestant to be "killed off".
  • The episode title is a reference to the fact that Sheri's body is electrocuted, which was initially thought to be her COD.
  • The riddle in this episode centered around a bible verse, which reads:

"Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek." (2 Kings 13:17) [4]

  • Interestingly, Dontae's TOD refers to a verse too:

Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.[5]

  • Sheri broke a glass of champagne, she died breaking the glass of the fish tank. Dontae thinks that Sheri's drowned, well ultimately, he drowned after severely burned by benzene.

Postmortem

Here are some trivia given away by the production team via ABC's page: [6]

  1. There were two identically filled tanks for the fish tank explosion scene. But only one containing rubber Koi fish was blown up.
  2. Both the first victim -- Sheri Marsh -- and head maid -- Juanita Adams -- were previously professional NFL cheerleaders. Sheri for the St. Louis Rams and Juanita for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Too bad Sheri didn't have much to cheer for after her demise.)
  3. The stunt double who was set on fire was actually a woman who shaved her head to appear to be Dontae.
  4. Dontae's stunt double was set on fire 4 times in that one day - twice when her arm catches on fire and twice on her run out to the pool.
  5. The scene where Dontae's arm catches on fire in the bedroom was filmed on a set that was constructed in the mansion's driveway.
  6. While on fire and running through the mansion, the stunt person accidentally tripped. While she was not injured, the trip looked great on camera.

External Links/References

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