"The Edge"

Episode 212
(aired the week of 2/2/1998)
Case # 35-0213

Log line: Exotic toads are linked to episodes of psychotic behavior.

Synopsis: After the mysterious murder of a police officer and the abduction of his partner, the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research (O.S.I.R.) arrives on the scene to investigate. Examining the squad car video of the incident, they are horrified to see the longtime officer, during a routine traffic stop, hand his pistol to the driver of the stopped car...and then see the driver shoot the cop, leaving him to die in the street. The officer's partner, Officer Brian Campbell, rushes to help - only to succumb to a strange force and climb calmly into the shooter's car trunk.

Shortly after, Campbell is found naked on the front steps of a local mental hospital, babbling and incoherent. Attempting to question the officer, O.S.I.R. Case Manager Matt Praeger is unable to get a straightforward account of the events surrounding the murder of his partner. When O.S.I.R. Chief of Medicine Anton Hendricks examines Campbell, it's determined that the man is lost in a hallucination...but the cause is a mystery.

To make a complex case even tougher, Praeger's daughter Dana shows up after running away from her mother's home. Due to the dangerous circumstances at hand, Praeger wants Dana to return home - but the girl stubbornly refuses to leave. Having the young girl around makes Praeger uneasy, but the rest of the team enjoys her presence: she even helps the O.S.I.R.'s Peter Axon identify a large, exotic toad that oddly appears in the police video of the murder.

Unbeknownst to the O.S.I.R., Murphy Pomerance, the mentally-challenged janitor of the hospital, keeps a collection of exotic toads as a hobby. As Praeger, Donner and Hendricks prepare to leave the building, Pomerance eagerly offers to help with their investigation. When Praeger dismissively brushes him aside and hospital administrator Robyn Weir chastises him for butting in, the young janitor's fragile psyche is hurt and the impulse for revenge begins to brew within him.

Seeking revenge for her abusive treatment of him, Pomerance kidnaps Weir and uses a chemical compound secreted by his toads to turn her into a hallucinating, psychotic wreck. Oddly, Weir's misfortune is actually the O.S.I.R.'s first break in this case: her mental state is much like that of Officer Campbell the morning after his partner's shooting.

Having exacted his revenge on Weir, Pomerance turns to Praeger. Seeing the Case Manager's daughter Dana walking alone outside the hospital, Pomerance gives her a toad to bring back to the lab. Praeger quickly draws a connection between the hallucinations and the animal...and is anxious to capture Pomerance before his daughter becomes the sick man's next victim.

Overcome with paternal worry, Praeger asks his colleague, Axon, to drive Dana back to her mother's house. Unfortunately, Pomerance gets to her first and - using his hallucinogenic toads - fools the girl into thinking he is the O.S.I.R. investigator.

Coming up with a psychological profile for Pomerance, the O.S.I.R. determines where he is holding Praeger's daughter hostage. There, with Dana's life (and their own) in jeopardy, Praeger and the team must determine what's real and what's a hallucination in an ultimately deadly battle.

Starring:
Matt Frewer - Case Manager Matt Praeger
Barclay Hope - Peter Axon
Nancy Anne Sakovich - Lindsay Donner
Colin Fox - Dr. Anton Hendricks
Dan Aykroyd - Host

Guest Stars:
Heather Bertram - Dana Praeger
Joel Bissonette - Murphy Pomerance
Laura Press - Dr. Robyn Weir
Ted Whittall - Officer Brian Campbell
Ric Reid - Officer Glenn Gibson

Written by: Tracey Forbes
Directed by: Craig Pryce