"Frozen In Time"
Episode 205
(aired the week of 10/27/1997)
Case # 41-7205
Log line: An epidemic leaves its victims in a state of suspended animation.
Synopsis: A strange epidemic, sparked by a bacteria, strikes a Native American reservation: caught in a peculiar kind of suspended animation, the victims inexplicably become stiff and even appear dead. When a park ranger, Benjamin Stokes, and Sister Elizabeth, a local nun, visit the reserve, they are unknowingly infected with the bacteria; returning to the neighboring town, the toxin takes over their bodies and the young ranger is tragically killed when he freezes in front of a speeding truck. Sister Elizabeth is brought in for examination when she suddenly becomes rigid.
Called in to investigate, the Office of Scientific and Investigative Research (O.S.I.R.) forensic pathologist Dr. Claire Davison is intrigued after studying the park ranger's body. She suspects a mutant toxin is affecting the victims' blood. Learning that both victims recently visited the Maum Keshka reservation, Case Manager Matt Praeger and Senior Analyst Lindsay Donner decide to investigate it, enlisting park service driver Carl Pillar to escort them up to the reserve. Upon investigation, they discover an entire dining hall of Native Americans exhibiting the same symptoms as the park ranger and nun. Unprepared for the shocking sight, Pillar panics and tries to flee, but Praeger and Donner force him to stay - realizing that they must quarantine the entire town.
O.S.I.R. Chief Science Analyst Peter Axon, Dr. Anton Hendricks and Dr. Davison quarantine the reserve, hoping to isolate the epidemic. When the doctors complete their examinations, they release Donner and Praeger with clean bills of health - but it is too late for Pillar. While checking out the surroundings, he ate some chicken and became infected. Now realizing that food is the common thread between all of the victims, the team hurries to find a remedy.
A possible key to the cure comes from Praeger's discovery of a young girl named Kaya, frozen in time. She reminds him of his own teenaged daughter, with whom he has a strained relationship. To his surprise, Kaya awakens from her frozen state and describes the legend of the Raven...a powerful spirit said to punish those who commit evil deeds - and that she thinks the Raven cast this epidemic on the villagers because she misbehaved. While Donner tries to reassure Kaya that the widespread sickness is not her fault, she begs to be able to apologize to the Raven. As he accompanies Kaya on the trip, Praeger steps into a bear trap, dangerously severing his femoral artery. The team has to make a difficult choice: rush Praeger to a hospital, with the chance that he bleeds to death en route, or "freeze" him with a dose of the toxin, so they can buy time to get him proper treatment. They choose the unknown path of the bacteria...and then, race against time and death as Dr. Hendricks tries to produce an antidote that will determine the fate of their leader and the entire tribe.
Starring:
Matt Frewer - Case Manager Matt Praeger
Barclay Hope - Peter Axon
Nancy Anne Sakovich - Lindsay Donner
Colin Fox - Dr. Anton Hendricks
Soo Garay - Dr. Claire Davison
Dan Aykroyd - Host
Guest Stars:
Andrew Moodie - Benjamin Stokes
Tita Griffin - Sister Elizabeth
Alana Brascoupe - Kaya
Written by: Tracey Forbes
Directed by: Giles Walker