EPI-LOG ARTICLE on Beauty and the Beast
review by Nina Johnson. Click here for contents.

Episode 18 (Season 1, Episode 18)

Fever

Fever  (airdate: Feb. 26, 1988).  Mouse is exploring a tunnel trying to find his way through a wall of stone.  He finds a wooden panel and breaks it.  When he looks inside, he becomes very excited.  Jamie is talking with the wood and metal carver, Cullen.  He is carving a chess set with the different tunnel dwellers as pieces.  He makes Jamie promise not to tell the others and she does if he will carve on of them as her.  Catherine arrives in the library chamber with gifts.  She gives Father a skiing sweater and Mouse a new set of tools.  Mouse is speechless, but manages to thank her.  Vincent walks Catherine to the tunnel entrance while Father talks with Mouse, Winslow and Cullen.  One of the tunnels has a water leak and they must fix it before the city workers decide to investigate.  Mouse then leaves them in a hurry.  Vincent and Catherine are at her apartment building tunnel.  Mouse hurries to them with a gift of his own for Catherine.  She starts to open it but Mouse insists she take it home first.  When Mouse leaves, Catherine asks Vincent if he thinks it is stolen.  Vincent replies that Mouse hasn't stolen anything "for weeks", and they both laugh.  At her apartment Catherine calls Jenny Aronson to tell her she will be ready to attend the party in a little bit.  As she starts getting ready, she remembers Mouse's present and opens it to find an exquisite necklace which she decides she will wear to the party.  Winslow and Cullen are in Mouse's chamber to gather tools to fix the leak.  Cullen finds a platter of solid gold, then Winslow finds a silver pitcher.  All of a sudden they notice that there are several valuable pieces throughout the room.  Mouse comes in and tells him that he has just discovered a place where there are many things such as those.  They make Mouse take them to see it and he swears them to secrecy.  At the spot, Cullen and Winslow go through the opening.  It is a ship hull and inside are sabres and other things.  They find a wooden lid that won't give, so Mouse decides to jump on it.  The wood gives way and Mouse falls to the next level.  There they find a treasure chest filled with gold coins, stones and other valuable objects.  They decide to excavate and send Mouse back to get more tools.

        Catherine and Jenny are at a book-signing party for an author who is a famous archaeologist.  Catherine would like to meet him and Jenny goes to bring him to introduce Catherine.  A man who has been staring at them intently and at Catherine's necklace comes over to introduce himself to Catherine.  He says his name is Jonathan Thorpe.  Just as the author arrives to be introduced to Catherine, Thorpe takes him aside.   Mouse arrives back at the site with the children.  Winslow doesn't seem to be too upset that Mouse broke his promise, but Cullen is perturbed and swears them all to silence.  Winslow makes a comment that the treasure belongs to everyone in the Tunnel World, but Cullen is opposed to that.  Catherine is at work the next day when Thorpe calls and invites her to lunch.  He tells her that her necklace is an ancient relic and wants to know where she got it.  She tells him it was a gift from an anonymous admirer.  He then asks her how much she wants for the necklace, but she tells him it isn't for sale and leaves.  Father and Vincent are discussing the water leak.  Vincent was just there but nothing has been done and there seems to be no one moving around in the tunnels.  The pipes sound.  It is Catherine calling to Vincent.  Catherine tells Vincent about Thorpe and Vincent says he will ask Mouse about the necklace.  At the site, more and more tunnel dwellers appear.  They discuss what they will do with all that money.  Then the greed begins to take over and children fight over coins.  Vincent arrives and stops the arguing.  He states that a council meeting will decide what to do with the treasure.  In the meantime, Catherine arranges for a check of Jonathan Thorpe's background.  The Tunnel Council is trying to come up with a solution to the treasure.  Mary suggests that they give part of it to their helpers above.  Everything is okay until Cullen says that one-third of the treasure is his.  Catherine's background check of Jonathan Thorpe shows that he is wanted in several foreign countries and is accused of embezzlement, smuggling artefacts, and several other crimes.  Father feels quite guilty that he has not been able to instil a proper morality.  Vincent tells Father that greed is the only reason they are acting like they do.  Above, Cullen is at a rare coin dealer who gives $10,000 for a few of the pieces.  He asks Cullen where he got them but Cullen answers the questions with one of his own.  He wants to know if the dealer is interested in more treasure.  The man tells Cullen that he knows of someone who is and arranges a meeting that night.  Back in his chamber, Cullen gets a knife, then goes to Mouse's.  When Mouse tries to stop him from taking part of the treasure, a bag of gold coins, Cullen stabs Mouse with the knife in the chest.  Catherine and Vincent are talking about the predicament.  She tells him all about Thorpe.  They go to take with Mouse and find him near death.  Mouse tells them about Cullen, then they take Mouse to Father for treatment.  Cullen and Thorpe meet that night but the dealer  is nowhere in sight.  Cullen is nervous and Thorpe tells him not to worry, that he has the money.  Thorpe asks Cullen if there is any more treasure to which he replies hesitantly, no.  Thorpe pulls an automatic pistol and forces Cullen to take him to the treasure.  Father is telling everyone that Mouse will be okay when Pascal taps out a message on the pipes.  Cullen and a stranger have been seen in the tunnels near the Abyss.  Vincent takes off after them.  Cullen takes Thorpe through several of the lower levels.  Thorpe  is amazed at this underground world and wants to know where he is.  Cullen tries to push Thorpe down, then run, but he trips on the stairs.  Vincent arrives and pushes Thorpe away.  He picks up Cullen from the edge.  Thorpe aims his gun at them as Cullen throws his knife at Thorpe.  The knife catches in his abdomen and he staggers over the edge into the Abyss.  Cullen then collapses.  Later on at the abyss, the whole community has brought the treasure there to toss it away.  Cullen plans to push the chest over, but Mouse comes to him and they shake hands.  The two of them start pushing the chest when Vincent speaks and tells them to stop.  If they push the treasure away, it will be the victor, and not they.  He says that some good can come of the treasure.  At St. Regina's Aid to the Homeless, the door opens and two nuns stare out into the darkness.  They don't see anyone but before they turn to go in, they look down and see the treasure chest.  Catherine and Vincent are on her balcony locked together in an embrace.  Catherine asks Vincent what the nuns will think.  He replies they'll believe it was a miracle.

Guest Cast: David Clennan as Cullen, Stan Ivar as Jonathan Thorpe, Alan Blumenfeld as the guest, Raye Birk as Edmonton, Terri Hanauer as Jenny Aronson, Kay E. Kuter as Alain Viso, James Avery as Winslow, George R. R. Martin as the man in the diner, Irina Irvine as Jamie.

Writers: Mark Cassutt and Michael Cassutt

Director: Thomas J. Wright.