After watching only the pilot episode of NBC's "The Event", I pretty much think I have the whole thing figured out.  It seems that the United States is "detaining" a group of humanoids with tremendous mental powers.  These people have ventured here from a parallel existence to try to stop an upcoming disaster (the Event of the title) but have instead been rounded up by the military and are being pressured about explaining their origin, powers, and the exact nature of The Event.  There seem to be two factions among these aliens, one that wants The Event to happen because they view humans as a future threat, and those that want to prevent it.  We saw that struggle last night as a plane was taken over in an assassination plot against the President and the way the plane was dealt with by other side to foil the plot.  The multiple scene cuts and past-and-present shifting of the story left a bad taste in my mouth and if sustained throughout the series, will kill it, just like what happened last year with "Flash Forward" and "V".