the pilot, when Arthur is able to keep up with a fighter jet flying above him. The extent of A.C.'s ability to breathe underwater was not elaborated upon, but he is seen swimming near the bottom of the ocean near the start of the pilot. When A.C. is talking to Eva about releasing captive dolphins, he tells her that he felt as though the dolphins were somehow calling to him. In the comics, one of Aquaman's powers is the ability to communicate with sea life. Gough likened A.C.'s not having access to water to Clark's growing weakness around kryptonite in Smallville – if A.C. does not get water, he will dehydrate and weaken. Water gives him a power boost and enables producers to explore stories on land. Release The pilot was considered to have a good chance of being picked up, but ultimately the CW passed on the show. Discussing the excitement surrounding the project, Lou Diamond Phillips said: "The funny thing about the Aquaman project is that there's so much buzz about it already. Which is amazing, I mean you don't usually get that with a pilot, because they're sort of sight unseen". There were reports of two WB pilots in contention for the new CW network, one being Aquaman, which was a frontrunner. When The CW announced its fall lineup in May 2006, Aquaman was not on the list. Dawn Ostroff, The CW's president of entertainment, stated that it was still a midseason contender. Gough and Miller were so passionate about the pilot that they wanted it released in some form so the fans could see it. Gough said in an interview: "The implication when a network doesn't pick up a show is that the pilot sucks and that's not the case. It's not a perfect pilot by any stretch of the imagination. There are other reasons—which are a mystery to us—as to why The CW didn't pick it up". He mentioned a potential release as an extended episode during the sixth season of Smallville. The pilot became one of the first shows offered by Warner Brothers on the iTunes Store (available only to US customers) for $1.99, under the title Aquaman on July 25, 2006. Within a week, it reached the number-one spot on the list of most downloaded TV shows on the digital store's list, and it held that spot for over a week. Gough said: