"Chango"

Episode 312
(aired the week of 1/30/1999)
Case # 50-0208

Log line: The O.S.I.R. team investigates when a colleague, who apparently died of a heart attack comes back to life at his own funeral. The team uncovers voodoo magic and must stop it before one of their own succumbs to the black magic.

Synopsis: Mitchell Kleinman, an OSIR senior data analyst, dies of an apparent heart attack at a Cuban-style neighborhood party. He and his fiancee Kanika are dancing to the infectious beat of the music when Mitchell collapses. Axon and Donner attend their colleague's funeral, where, at Kanika's request, the same music to which she and Mitchell had been dancing is played. The rabbi who's conducting the service suddenly hears scratching sounds coming from Mitchell's coffin. He opens the lid. Mitchell is alive!

Axon consults with Mitchell, who tells his friend that he was not dead, but that he collapsed into a trance-like state while at the dance. He could hear and see everything but couldn't move or speak. Despite a medical examination that indicates he has fully recovered from the bizarre incident, Mitchell remains shaken by the nightmare of nearly being buried alive and decides to quit the OSIR

Praeger and Axon meet with Donner, who informs them that Mitchell had been studying the mysteries of Santeria, a blend of Roman Catholicism and the religion of the Yoruba people that is often confused with voodoo. Donner then visits Kanika to gather more information as to what happened at the street party but the woman is unable, or unwilling, to help. That night, as Mitchell lies dying, Kanika performs a Santerian ceremony to try to save him. It doesn't work. Mitchell is later found dead, a bloody symbol painted on his forehead and a Santerian doll laid across his chest. Despite Axon's efforts to duplicate the events of the funeral service at which Mitchell was resurrected, this time death is final.

Hendricks and Davison perform an autopsy on Mitchell. Cutting into his chest, they are alarmed to see blood bubbling from the incision. They conduct a blood test and find what may be traces of scorpion venom.

Axon goes to the marketplace where the street party had been thrown and finds Kanika. He asks her about the ceremony she performed, specifically about the symbol she had painted on Mitchell's forehead. Kanika tells him that the symbol was the double-headed axe of Chango, the patron spirit of fire, thunder and lightning whose help she was seeking.

Donner tells her colleagues that a background check on Kanika revealed that the woman was previously married but was divorced shortly after meeting Mitchell. Her ex-husband is a musician, a clave player named Olavo Lopez. Axon returns to the marketplace to ask Kanika about her relationship with Olavo. She angrily replies that Olavo is no longer a threat to her, claiming that she has the protection of Chango. She goes home, where Olavo is waiting for her. He begins tapping his clave to the rhythm of her heart! As the tapping slows, so does her heart. She collapses.

The next day, Axon goes to see Kanika at her apartment but she has vanished. He searches the marketplace and finds her in a shed. She is in the same trance-like state that Mitchell had experienced. Hiding in the shadows, Olavo begins tapping his clave, this time to the rhythm of Axon's heart. When Axon finally collapses, Olavo places a live scorpion on his chest. He then puts a bridal veil on Kanika, awakens her from her trance and tells her of his plans to remarry her. He takes Kanika by the arm and leads her out of the warehouse.

As Praeger and Donner search the marketplace for Axon, they see Olavo with Kanika. Olavo flees leaving Kanika behind. She takes Praeger and Donner back to the shed, where they find Axon and the scorpion. Back at the lab, Hendricks asks Cooper to prepare an antivenom, which they inject into the entranced Axon. There is no response.

Meanwhile, Kanika tells Donner how Olavo used the clave to slow the rhythm of her heart. Donner then rushes back to the OSIR lab with an audio cassette of the music that revived Mitchell. The team plays it for Axon but there is still no response. Hendricks suspects Donner's idea may have failed because the rhythm of the music matched that of Mitchell's heart, not Axon's. Based on Axon's resting heart rate, Hendricks and Praeger are able to simulate Axon's heartbeat via computer and, by increasing its rate, manage to revive Axon.

Kanika returns home, where she again performs a Santerian ceremony, this time to avenge Mitchell's death. She is successful. Olavo is making his getaway, hurrying through the marketplace with airplane ticket in hand, when he suddenly feels weak. He falls to the ground dead, a group of scorpions burrowing out of his chest.

Starring:
Matt Frewer - Case Manager Matt Praeger
Barclay Hope - Peter Axon
Nancy Anne Sakovich - Lindsay Donner
Dan Aykroyd - Host

Guest Stars:
Stewart Black - Mitchell Kleinman
Kathryn Winslow - Kanika
Lawrence Bayne - Olavo Lopez

Written by: Sarah Dodd
Directed by: Bruce Pittman