In Costa Rica, three archaeologists, Arthur Glyndon, his wife, Ann, and associate, Frank Matthews, find a tomb-like structure in a cave. Inside, an almost mummified body sits upright on a stone chair.It disintegrates before their eyes, filling the air with an odd blue/green shimmering material.The three run for the exit, trying to escape as quickly as possible.That night, Ann awakens to find her husband and Matthews unconscious and hemorrhaging from the eyes.She seems to hear noises and, nearly hysterical, runs from the tent and falls from a cliff to her death.Her eyes are bleeding and there is a greenish substance on her mouth.

    The scene switches to Virginia, where a state trooper is chasing a speeding convertible (plates EBOLA) to a gated compound.The trooper pulls a gun and orders the driver out only to have armedguards point M-16s at him:he is on federal property now and out of his jurisdiction. The driver, Dr. Edward Marcase, puts his hand on an electronic scanner plate and gains admission to the compound.He’s scruffy-looking, the result of coming directly from a disease outbreak in Nepal.At the brick mansion in the compound, he meets Dr. Thurman Rhinehart, who wants Marcase to lead an elite team against the emerging diseases of the world.Besides Edward, the team will consist of Michael Hailey, ex- Navy Seal, now defense intelligence and Dr. Kimberly Shiroma, molecular geneticist pathologist. None of them are especially happy at the prospect and the atmosphere is tense.

    Rhinehart distracts them by displaying an image of a frightening new virus, nicknamed the Angel of Death. It renders other diseases immune to antibodies and so makes them virtually unstoppable. It also seems to be very selective in its victims: they have only been able to infect a single lab monkey with the disease. The samples were taken from the body of Anne Glyndon. Arthur, her husband, was captured trying to break into the U. S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and is now being confined at the compound. He is running a high fever, has blood red eyes and a fantastic story to tell. Encased in bio-suits, the team goes to examine him. As they enter, Glyndon correctly summarizes Marcase’s past medical history. Speaking in the plural, he claims to be host to a 'Master Virus' which directs other viruses--the 'Warrior Viruses'--with the objective of killing off the unfit hosts and leaving only the strong. He says they once inhabited almost every living thing until 15,000 years ago when 'the Great Horror' came upon them and most of the hive died. Only colony survived because its host managed to seal himself away, but they felt the deaths of all the other colonies. The virus then remained dormant in the cave until the archaeologists came. Under continued questioning, Glyndon reverts to his own personality to ask about his wife, but only momentarily. Then the virus is back in control.

    Meanwhile, Matthews, his red eyes concealed by sunglasses, is also headed for the area with the intention of freeing the Warrior Viruses to purge the population. He is able to see viruses everywhere--on people, on surfaces, etc. He is offered a ride in a van by a wheel-chair bound, bearded man, but Frank is upset. 'We don’t understand,' sounding like Arthur. The man reveals that he nearly died from spinal meningitis but was saved by prayer. Matthews becomes agitated, demands to be let out and runs off.

    Back in the compound, Rhinehart takes time out from dressing for some formal occasion to explain the bio-security system to Edward. Since they will be working with diseases that could theoretically wipe out the human race if released, the whole place is rigged to blow up in nine minutes if it appears there is any danger. He gives Marcase a numerical code to use to defuse the security system should the need arise, then Rhinehart departs. Edward meets with Kimberly to discuss Glyndon: Marcase is willing to accept his story while Shiroma thinks this is all delusion due to the high fever and ridicules Edward’s approach as mystical instead of scientific. Marcase has finally remembered that he and Kimberly had a mutual acquaintance, Allen Covell, Shiroma’s fiancé, who died of Ebola while in the field with Edward. They had agreed to prepare the bodies of Ebola victims in accordance with tribal beliefs (which included cleaning out the body by hand) in order to examine the victims. Since Marcase had survived Ebola as a child, he was immune but Allen was not. Kimberly blames Edward for his death.

    Outside, Michael is patrolling the grounds when he is overcome by Matthews and knocked unconscious. While he is out, Frank infects him with the virus. Some time later, we see the two go to USAMRIID where Michael, now wearing sunglasses to conceal his eyes, is granted access to the facility.

    Edward takes another blood sample from Glyndon and learns that the Master Virus sees itself as a savior of mankind. Humans have overpopulated the earth and though waste products, misuse of antibiotics, etc. have given rise to disease mutations that will destroy the entire species unless the Master Virus is allowed to protect them. It’s a symbiotic relationship: the virus protects its host from deadly diseases while the host provides a home and a voice. Marcase points out that the host also loses his individuality to become a part of the 'hive.' This seems to annoy Glyndon. 'The individual is nothing,' he tells Marcase, but the human Glyndon breaks through again to ask about his wife.

    Edward goes to Kimberly with a theory: because of the salt deposits outside the mountain cave, he suspects the 'Great Horror' had something to do with the legend of a world-wide flood. Something in the sea water must have killed all the other parts of the virus. Shiroma agrees to have a friend make a model of the components of ancient oceans so they can see if something there might prove fatal to the virus. Since there are hundreds of species, they narrow the field by first selecting the most ancient life forms, then rule out larger creatures to settle on Vibrio as the first to test.

    The infected lab monkey is injected with the Vibrio and reacts violently as do Glyndon, Matthews and Hailey, in their respective locations. Meanwhile, the monkey’s eyes have returned to normal and it appears to be free of the virus. Edward wants to inject Glyndon, though Kimberly objects because it hasn’t been adequately tested. Rhinehart calls to warn them that Michael has apparently been infected and has stolen a vial of Ebola. Marcase suits up and goes to find Glyndon, only to discover the man has somehow escaped. He reports this to Rhinehart, who activates the bio-security system: they have nine minutes.

    Hailey and Matthews are near the compound gates. Michael is going in for Glyndon and to avenge themselves for the death of the colony inhabiting the monkey. Matthews drinks the vial of Ebola and sets off on his mission to spread the disease among the general human population.

    Inside, Glyndon has found Kimberly and infected her with the virus. He is joined by Michael. Enraged over the death of the other colony, they are both ready to destroy Marcase by beating him to death. Edward manages to inject Glyndon with the Vibrio just as he grabs what appears to be a computer monitor and is about to smash it into Marcase. Just when it seems to all be over for Edward, Glyndon’s eyes lose their red tint and he asks again, 'Where is my wife?' The monitor is hurled at Hailey instead, knocking him unconscious. Marcase yells for Shiroma to enter the code to stop the building from blowing itself up. Outside, Rhinehart is informed the countdown is stopped and he wants to know whose code was entered. When he hears it was Shiroma’s, he relaxes. Not far away, soldiers have caught up with Matthews. He is shot with a flame-thrower and burned to death.

    Clean-up operations are going on as Rhinehart and Marcase meet: Shiroma is strapped to a gurney, apparently going to be injected with the Vibrio. Rhinehart says he hopes next time there will be more than seconds to spare.

    Back in Costa Rica, a butterfly alights on a leaf covered with the green slime; then it flutters away with its companions. Deeper in the jungle, we see a monkey with red eyes.

Credits:
Writer: Coleman Luck
Director: Bradford May
Original air date: Sept. 3, 1996
Guest Cast: Paul Guilfoyle (Dr. Arthur Glyndon), Peter Frechette (Frank Matthews), Julie Araskog (Ann Glyndon) and 'Special Guest Star' Denis Arndt
Supporting Cast: Mika Booren (girl), Lucas Dudley (state trooper), Dwayne Foster (technician), Kevin Fry (agent), James Harper (Lt. colonel), David Jackson (news anchor), Todd Kimsey (M.P. guard), Mitchell Longley (Van Driver), Jordan Marder (communication specialist), Heather McPhaul(mother)

Denis Arndt, (Thurman Rhinehart) who was replaced by Michael Harris as Dr. Daniel Cassian, has a long list of credits from films like 'Basic Instinct' to 'Metro,' with guests appearances on TV shows like 'Seaquest DSV' and 'Wiseguy.' He was a semi-regular on 'Picket Fences' and appeared in mini-series such as 'Asteroid,' 'The Beast,' and 'Till We Meet Again.'

Paul Guilfoyle (Dr. Arthur Glyndon) was recently seen in the Harrison Ford film, 'Air Force One.' Peter Frechette has appeared in 'Profiler,' 'Picket Fences' and 'Dream Street.' Julie Araskog was Janet Adams in 'Outbreak' and Reporter #2 in 'Nixon.' Mitchell Longley appeared in the 1997 series 'Port Charles' as Dr. Matt Harmon.

Trivia:
--Edward is driving a ‘54 Cadillac convertible in the opening scenes (or so it says in the script; not knowing beans about cars, I can’t vouch for this!) and playing rock ‘n’ roll on the radio (the script has him also drinking root beer but I couldn’t spot it in repeated viewings-- darn!)
--Michael makes a great margarita and is able to quote from the Decameron about the Black Death
--The compound is located near Reston, Virginia, where an outbreak of simian Ebola occurred a few years back. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be harmful to humans, but it apparently was an airborne transmission which is very, very scary.
--Marcase’s security code is 44492.
--Hailey apparently wears contacts. He says he lost his when he is asked about the dark glasses he is wearing to conceal his red eyes; however, after the retooling of the series, he is seen wearing glasses.
--Marcase had mumps, chicken pox, five varieties of flu, dengue fever and Ebola.

Unanswered questions & observations:
~ Marcase and Rhinehart appeared to have worked together before, but we’re never told where or under what circumstances. There is a lot of tension between team members: Edward appears contemptuous of Michael because he is military and Hailey doesn’t seem thrilled with Marcase either. There is little interaction between Kimberly and Michael. Rhinehart is a low-key, easy going character. Marcase is almost surly to everyone; the car chase is used to establish his rebel credentials.
~ I suspect that the characters are part of the reason for the cast change after the pilot: by introducing the more dangerous and emotionally remote Cassian instead of the approachable Rhinehart, the other three team members can bond against a 'common enemy' so to speak. Edward can remain cocky and disrespectful toward the authority figure without alienating the rest of the team and he becomes more acceptable to the audience. Also, Kimberly’s charge that Marcase’s team members are expendable--referring to Allen’s death--is transferred to Cassian. This is only my theory, but I do think there is a definite change in the dynamics of the relationships after Cassian appears.
~ The reoccurring religious theme is introduced early, when the van driver explains about the power of God and prayer, and the virus flees the vehicle--frightened at something so powerful.
~ The power of love is also introduced, as Glyndon’s love for his wife seems to give him the strength to break through the virus’ control.
~ Rhinehart asks whose code has been entered. The implication seems to be that if it had been Marcase’s, he might have overridden it since Edward had been unhappy about the time constraints. Or is he afraid that it is the virus controlled Hailey’s? In any case, how could he be sure that whoever entered the code wasn’t under the control of the virus, no matter who it was?
~ Why didn’t Marcase do all the ritual cleansing of the bodies since he was immune?
~ With the butterfly, one has to wonder if it was indeed infected since we don’t know how long the virus can survive outside of a host.
~ The names in BZ are interesting and one can have a lot of fun with them. Whether or not some of these things were intentional is debatable. I suspect it’s mostly my warped mind. For example, 'Michael' is the name of the angel called 'the Warrior of God,' the one who wields the sword. 'Hailey' is reminiscent of both the comet (pronunciation was changed just recently to 'HAL-lee') and hail the weather condition, both sky-oriented things. The dictionary of surnames gives its meaning as 'clearing' and Hailey does clear the way. Kimberly, the character, is Japanese. The Japanese name, 'Kimi,' means 'without equal.' Given the hints of her genetic tampering, maybe her parents chose it deliberately. An alternate meaning I found was 'upright' or 'righteous.' She is certainly more rigid in her thinking than Edward and has a righteous anger over Allen’s death. 'Edward' means 'wealthy guardian' and he does carry the Ebola antibodies. (Okay, it’s a stretch. Play along.) I always think of the English king, Edward the Confessor. He was a saint, performed miracles and founded the monastery at Westminster. I was unable to find 'Marcase' in either the surname or given name books, nor did it turn up in The Century Cyclopedia of Names. Thurman Rhinehart also has interesting connotations: Thurman (alternate spelling: Thurmond) is from Middle English and refers to the Norse god Thor, the Thunderer and 'protector.' He was meant to be the team’s political protector. 'Rhinehart' (alternate spellings include Reinhard, Rheinhardt) means 'strong counselor' which again fits in with his assigned role as the advisor and protector of team.

The Ick Factors:
~ Most of the victims are infected with a greenish substance hacked up by an infected person.
~ The POV shot where Matthews sees germs on everything, on counters, smeared across a child’s face, etc. ~ Victims bleed profusely from the eyes.
~ We get a glimpse of the autopsied body of Ann Glyndon.

From Script to Screen:
(My copy is marked 4/01/96)
~ The odd noises we hear during certain scenes with the virus are supposed to be whispers. Glyndon tells them that they may refer to the virus as 'The Lords of the Whispering.'
~ Rhinehart injects Edward with Vibrio even though he protests he wasn’t infected.
~ There is a tag at the end in which the team goes to Costa Rica to look at the tomb itself. The civilization is an unknown one, but they believe it was controlled entirely by the virus. There is a sort of writing but it is 'indecipherable.' The tomb is said to be older than any other ever found in the Western Hemisphere and is now named The Tomb of the Lords of Talamanca. The virus has been named Talamanca Regalis. Glyndon says he still has some of the virus’ memories of sitting in the dark for thousands of years. He says he doesn’t know how he will go on without his wife. (In the script, the virus had said that Glyndon was foolishly concerned about his mate.)

Verdict:
Excellent plot, very suspenseful, good mixture of the elements we came to know and love. The chemistry between the main characters hasn’t appeared, but then this was a basic introduction. Given the amount of ground the episode had to cover, (introducing characters, conflicts, purpose, etc.) it did an admirable job.

Resources I used include the following:
 

The Burning Zone Pilot Script by Coleman Luck

Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. Oxford University Press, 1988.

The Very Best Book of Baby Names by Barbara Kay Turner. Berkley, 1994.

Just the Perfect Name: The Complete Baby Name Book by Yvonne de La Paix. Avery Publishing Group, 1997.

A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Perigee Books, 1996.

From Aaron to Zoe by Daniel Avram Richman. Little, Brown. 1993.

Internet Movie Database
 

And others I’m sure I’ve neglected to mention.