Caroline is patrolling in the lifeguard truck when a hysterical Hispanic woman, Lucinda Alvarez, and her little girl, Nikki, flag her down. Despite the language barrier they manage to communicate to Caroline that there was a problem in the water. Caroline calls in the emergency to headquarters, asks for backup, and searches for what she presumes to be a missing swimmer. When Mitch and Manny arrive, Manny translates that the family was on the beach having a picnic when Lucinda’s older daughter, Rosanna, went into the water and never came out. During the time of the disappearance, around 4:55, Lucinda had gone to her car and Cody, the lifeguard on duty, had closed his tower early instead of finishing his scheduled shift at 5:00.
Other lifeguards now join the massive search that quickly escalates into a media frenzy as the story unfolds. Cody and Lani return to headquarters and hear of the missing girl near his tower. When Mitch confronts him, he confesses that his watch is five minutes fast and he took off early to meet Lani for a movie. As soon as Lucinda sees him she pinpoints him as the one responsible for her daughter’s disappearance.
Further conversations with Manny and Lucinda reveal that Rosanna was having problems with her boyfriend, Diego. He was supposed to meet them at the beach, but never showed up. When Diego appears at the scene, he tells the lifeguards it was possible that Rosanna was pregnant. The search intensifies as this submersion is now ruled as a possible suicide.
Mitch is frantically pulled between his superiors, the fruitless search and rescue efforts, and the intrusive media. Cody is also wracked with guilt and is feeling helpless in the melee. As the sky darkens Mitch, sadly, with no sign of the victim, orders that the search and rescue operation be called off and replaced with a recovery operation. There’s no longer any hope that the girl will be found alive or in any condition in which she could be revived.
Later that night, back at headquarters, Mitch is told to have Cody’s resignation on the Chief’s desk in the morning. Frustrated, angry, and tired of being pulled in too many directions, Mitch quits as Captain of Baywatch.
Written by…
David Braff
Directed by…
Parker Stevenson
| SERIES REGULARS: | GUEST STARS: |
| DAVID HASSELHOFF as MITCH BUCHANNON | SHERYL WHALEN as INGRID WALTERS |
| JEREMY JACKSON as HOBIE BUCHANON | YOLANDA DELGADO as LUCINDA ALVAREZ |
| DAVID CHOKACHI as CODY MADISON | MEGHAN GUTIERREZ as NIKKI ALVAREZ |
| MICHAEL NEWMAN as NEWMAN | MICHELLE AGUIRRE as ROSANNA ALVAREZ |
| TRACI BINGHAM as JORDAN TATE | WENDY WALSH as SARA DEWINDT |
| DONNA D’ERRICO as DONNA MARTIN | JERRY PENACOLI as HARVEY NORRIS |
| JOSE SOLANO as MANNY GUTIERREZ | |
| CARMEN ELECTRA as LANI MCKENSIE | |
| KELLY PACKARD as APRIL GIMINSKI | |
| MARLIECE ANDRADA as SKYLAR BERGMAN | |
| MICHAEL BERGIN as JACK ‘JD’ DARIUS |
