Welcome.
Dr. Atherton, I presume.
Wait. Not so fast.
We're in a hurry, Mr. Manley.
Just bring your equipment.
Miguel Higueras, my assistant.
Muy bien. Sorry I'm late.
I've been held up with a fever. I'm not over it yet.
Be sick on your own time.
I want close-ups of every specimen and the tepuis.
The what?
"T epui" is lndian for "mountain"...
where species have survived in isolation...
for millions of years.
- Any man-eating dinosaurs? - Only Atherton.
You're in luck. We're hitting a new one.
Anybody ever get lost?
Legend says that men...
who climb to the "rain desert" never return,
but we small-game hunters don't climb. We fly.
Is he friendly?
I hope so. He's our guide.
Stick close.
Veinticuatro!
24-hour ant.
They bite?
They kill, Mr. Manley, in sufficient numbers.
So do some of the frogs. Don't touch any.
Great.
[ Atherton ] This is where we're going.
We land here, then walk down here.
This is a sinkhole...
where thousands of years of streaming water...
have torn away the rock.
It's very deep, 2000 feet, and dark at the bottom.
You'll need flash equipment.
Stegolepis...
nutritious enough to survive on for weeks.
Thanks. I'll pass.
Plants your specialty?
Insects and spiders, and identifying new ones.
Great.
Just what the world needs, more bugs.
What's your specialty, Manley?
Football.
Forget that no one mentioned poison ants and frogs,
but a 2,000-foot drop? Come on!
This is for the equipment.
Our guide will show us another way down.
Vamonos.
- Mr. Manley! - Y eah, yeah, yeah.
Que pasa?
Y o no voy. No voy.
What's with him?
This is as far as he'll go.
What?
Here we are.
It's amazing.
The air temp's dropped 10 degrees...
in the last 100 meters.
Not far. Down there.
Ahh, ahhh!
Ahhh!
You all right?
Y eah, I'm fine. I just --
T en cuidado, es demasiado grande para cargarlo.
What'd he say?
He says you should be careful. You're too big to carry out.
Vamonos.
Wait up! Wait up!
What's that thing do?
Did you ever throw a firecracker into a pond?
Maybe when I was a kid. Why?
What happened?
All sorts of stuff floated to the surface.
Exactly.
Everybody ready?
Prepare yourselves, gentlemen.
For what?
For pictures!
What is it?
I think it's a new species of butterfly.
We could call it photius manlii.
[ Heavy Thud ]
Extraordinary.
Higueras, look at these markings.
Don't just sit there.
Are you sure it's dead?
Y es. Quite dead.
Two more.
Unusual to have so many spiders this size in a confined area.
Look at the shape of the abdomen.
You must try to find a live specimen.
Ahhh! Ohhh!
Ahhh, ahhh!
What are you doing?
- It was alive! - Don't be ridiculous.
It's just a spider. What's the big deal?
It isn't just a spider.
It's a new species of spider...
isolated and unchanged for millions of years.
All you could do is squash it.
Profesor, no esta muerto.
Es increible que sobrevives. De donde vienes?
No esta muerto.
That's impossible. They should be dead.
Very aggressive.
We'll take two back alive and preserve two.
Are you sure that'll do it?
This will kill an elephant.
Millions of years, and we come along.
How long 'til we get back to camp?
Still worried about dinosaurs?
This place gives me the creeps.
Incredible.
What is?
These spiders have no reproductive organs,
Iike worker bees or soldier ants.
If these are the soldiers, I'd hate to see the general.
How are you feeling?
Like hell. This fever's killing me.
You don't look so good. T ake a rest.
[ Choking ]
Senor?
Senor!
Profesor!
Esta muerto?
The fever.
Make sure we've got all his film.
Have we notified his family?
I've talked to the American consulate.
Okay, seal him up.
Cierrenlo, muchachos.
I really wish you wouldn't complain about my driving.
You're pushing it. That's all I've got to say.
T ake it easy.
All right.
Can you give me a hand here?
Oh, gee!
Oh, God.
I think I'll go move the hearse.
[ Meow ]
I'm sorry to pester you in this difficult time.
I know we already decided on an open casket,
but we should, maybe, uh, reconsider.
because, well, because...
I'm not sure how they work in South America.
But let me say...
their preservation methods differ from ours.
Well, no, you'd be welcome to come down and decide.
But in this already difficult time,
I'm not sure I'd do that.
Well, you do have the option of, uh...
We could put a photograph on top of the casket.
Y eah. well, yeah.
No, the one that you had in the newspaper would be nice.
Y eah. Okay.
[ Whimpering ]
[ Meow ]
[ Cawing ]
Okay, kids, go stake out your rooms.
- Give me that. - Shelley!
Oh, Ross, smell that air!
[ Sneeze ]
Oh, God.
Before we discover what valuables broke in the move...
and that the breakfront doesn't fit...
Iet's just chant twice...
"We did the right thing."
We did the right thing.
- For the kids. - For us.
Good-bye crime. Good-bye grime.
Good-bye culture. Good-bye friends.
Hey, Dad. There's a dead bird here.
Don't touch it. Go in the house...
and find your sister.
The entire town is yours.
You're the doctor. You couldn't be more respected.
Respect is fine, but I always wanted to be feared.
Easy, easy.
Don't want to agitate the sediments.
Chateau Margaux, $127 a bottle.
T asty, huh?
At that price, who can afford to drink it?
Goes in the basement.
I mean, the cellar.
The wine cellar.
I've got to get a big padlock, protect my investment.
Dad!
What's wrong?
Behind one of the boxes, a spider!
It came at me! It was ugly!
Calm down. You're in the country now.
Let's go find that spider.
Let's find your mom to take care of it.
Honey, we're in the living room.
We need you to kill a spider.
- All right. Where is it? - Over there on the box.
Cool!
It's bad luck to kill a spider in a new house.
You just made that up.
Everything's okay.
Poor thing.
It's more scared of us than we are of it.
- Let's give it a home in the barn. - Good idea.
Mom, how come you're not afraid of bugs like Dad?
I'm not afraid of all bugs, just --
Be careful of rusty nails.
Dad, chill out.
There.
[ Ross ] You won't miss being in the thick of things?
With all those stars winking at us?
And those crickets singing?
I mean work. Strokes from the boss.
Christmas bonuses. Office politics.
Caffeine. Adrenalin.
Steady income.
We'll be fine. Between my severance...
- and all your potential patients, we'll be fine. - Hmm.
When are you meeting with Dr. Metcalf?
Thursday morning.
The old coot passes me the torch at 10:00 sharp.
Wait.
We can unpack in the morning.
I have some Napoleon brandy in the basement.
I'm sorry, cellar.
Ross, I'm exhausted.
It's bad luck not to make love the first night in a new house.
You just made that up, didn't you?
[ Dr. Metcalf ] I have terrific news.
At least I think for my patients it's terrific,
- though my wife is less than thrilled. - What's that?
I've decided to postpone retirement.
I don't know for how long, but --
But?
But when I thought really hard about it,
I realized there's only one thing left when you retire.
I've seen too many friends...
do that just 6 months, a year, after they left.
But...
when we spoke 4 months ago,
you assured me that--
I'm not ready to retire, Doctor.
If my wife can't rush me, you sure can't.
- Excuse me. - Gotta feed the meter, partner.
Y eah, well, I was just leaving.
A little late, though.
I do have medical plates.
Oh, right. You're that new doctor.
- Ross Jennings. - Sheriff Lloyd Parsons.
You're a Y ale grad, I heard.
That's right.
Well, it's just a school.
That's enough.
A young doctor comes to Canaima, and you write him a ticket?
What are you doing, Miz Hollins?
What the town ought to be doing. Your ticker -tape parade.
- Thank you. - That's littering.
Lloyd's been a bully since I held him back in the fifth grade.
Walk me to my automobile.
Thank you for the swift intervention.
- How did you know who I was? - We're neighbors.
I gave you a standing ovation when you arrived.
Between you and me...
Sam Metcalf only recently gave up leeches.
He also recently gave up retirement.
We moved down from San Francisco...
with the understanding I'd inherit his patients.
- Now I have none. - No, Dr. Jennings. you have one.
Honey, look at this light.
On the best day in the city, we didn't get light like this.
Maybe they'll give me a show.
Don't they do that in little towns?
"Molly Jennings: A Retrospective."
Of course I'll need to take some pictures first.
There's good news and there's bad news.
Should we go in reverse alphabetical order?
- Start with the good? - Uh-huh.
I'm seeing my first patient this afternoon.
She's a great old dame who lives just up the road.
T errific. What's the bad news?
She's my only patient.
T oday?
Metcalf changed his mind.
- What? - He panicked.
That's what it is.
He decided that if he retires...
he will lose his zest for life and die within 48 hours.
But he told you. We bought a house.
- You rented an office. - Y eah.
- What are we going to do? - Kill him?
I have my fax. I can work part-time.
A phone and a fax, that's all I need.
I'll call my old clients --
Honey, honey, honey.
We're going to be fine, just like you said.
With one patient?
Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be ravaged by disease...
kind of like having seven patients in one.
Fit as a fiddle!
Not a damn thing wrong with you.
Dr. Jennings, I'm sorry.
What do you mean, "You're sorry"?
You think I was hoping you were ravaged by disease?
What about my high blood pressure?
You have above-normal systolic pressure...
which is far less dangerous than diastolic elevation.
Yours is well below a level that requires treatment.
Do I need these?
No.
There's a difference between the two types of hypertension.
- In my opinion -- - Metcalf can't tell the difference...
between his ass and a hole in the ground...
but Canaima folks are comfortable with him.
They weren't always, though.
When he first hit town after the war,
everyone was standoffish.
How'd he overcome it?
He threw a party and invited the whole town.
If Sam Metcalf were half as good at medicine...
as he is at public relations,
he could run for the next surgeon general.
Next month, when the afternoons are cooler,
we'll throw you a party.
Thanks.
Oh!
Your one patient, is she a walking health hazard?
I couldn't even find a wart on her.
Great. What do we do?
Enjoy the fact that we no longer live in San Francisco,
so we no longer have to refer to this as pasta.
- Skinny spaghetti. - Daddy's not done.
On the bright side, Margaret...
my tragically healthy patient has offered to throw us...
a "get to know Dr. Jennings party."
Daddy's not through.
Thank you.
One cup of punch...
with the handsome new G.P...
and the people will see the light and abandon Dr. Metcalf.
Can we play with Bunny?
I want you both in before dark.
Bunny Beechwood. She popped over this morning.
A neighbor. Seems nice.
What do you bet they're gonna go chase fireflies?
Want to blow up a bullfrog?
Okay.
I got some great shots in the barn today.
Oh, yeah?
If the camera picks up the web with half the detail --
The web?
Our little spider made himself a hell of a home.
Even you would appreciate it.
How can I make this more clear?
- I have a-- - terrible fear of spiders.
I've seen what happens.
Which is why you should come look at the web.
Look at the web?
Y es, and see it...
for the beautiful thing it is.
Therapy, Ross. We live in the country now.
It's time to work through this irrational terror.
It's not irrational.
I know, "the incident."
It's like it happened yesterday.
Nobody remembers anything from when they were two.
It was my first memory.
I can envision the crib around me, clear as day.
I can still feel the feeling of waking up.
Drowsy, peaceful, secure. Then, there it was.
Probably just a daddy-longlegs.
It seemed huge.
It just came relentlessly...
crawling through the bars of the crib.
- As it touched my bare leg... - You were just wearing a diaper.
all my limbs froze, just froze.
You were half asleep.
I was paralyzed. I still get paralyzed.
Just please try to understand how I feel.
I was unable to stop it from crawling along my skin.
I can still feel its hairy little legs.
Then, up to my face.
It's just the feeling of the utter helplessness...
of being explored by an alien thing.
Can you blame me for being a spiderphobe?
Arachnophobe.
Whatever.
See it up there? Behind the ladder.
Impressive, huh?
Therapy, right?
Right.
Y eah.
Oh, God.
You see, you still have full use of all your limbs.
God, have you seen it up here?
I think you spared the eight-legged Frank Lloyd Wright.
Ross!
Ahhh!
- It's okay. - The hell with that!
- Oh! - Ahhh!
Come on.
[ Ross ] Oh, God! Oh, God!
[ Molly - Laughter ]
[ Ross ] Oh, God!
- Hold me! Hold me! - No!
Oh, my God!
[ Meow ]
�� The summer wind ��
�� Came blowin' in ��
�� From across the sea ��
�� It lingered there ��
�� And touched your hair ��
�� And walked with me ��
�� All summer long... �� ��
No, thank you.
How are you finding life here?
After a few initial shocks, we're slowly adjusting.
I've been checking on you, Ross.
When I'm finally ready to throw in the towel...
Dr. Jennings is your man.
Henry Beechwood.
- By all accounts, a fine physician. - I'll remember that.
This brings back memories.
Right after the war, when I moved to Canaima...
the whole town threw me a party.
Sam, you threw yourself a party.
[ Metcalf ] Now, that was a party.
Now, that is a jerk.
- Canaima welcomes you. - Thank you.
I was interested in something.
I was wondering if you could give me a little help.
Do you think I should have this removed?
What's Bunny showing them?
Green Beret hand-to-hand combat.
Becky, what will you major in at college?
Gym.
It's in the genes.
Bobby is the Bronco's star quarterback.
- Hi. - Hi.
T aught him to throw a football before he could walk.
I coach the team.
Nepotism, huh?
Actually, we're Baptists.
Nobody says to a mortician at a party...
"Hey, you think I might be dead?"
Must drive you nuts dipping a chip...
- while somebody shows you his growth. - How do you handle it?
I mention that, until quite recently...
my wife was a successful stockbroker.
Say, uh...
- Why shouldn't I have another? - You've had too much.
No! I'm thirsty.
That's the Manleys.
Their son recently passed away.
- That's awful. How? - I'm not sure.
- He was a scientist. - Photographer.
- He was on an expedition down in Vene-- - Venezuela.
Nobody would tell me how...
-or even let me see him to say good-bye. -Let's go.
Why?
I had to recommend a closed coffin.
His body looked all chewed up.
Drained.
Like some vampire had a go at him.
It was terrible.
- Excuse us. - Oh, yeah.
That's the apple?
I bet you made enough friends to break Metcalf's death grip.
It was wonderful, Margaret.
We can't thank you enough.
Nor I you, for freeing me from those damn pills.
I feel like I could compete in a triathlon.
Based on your checkup, I'd tend to agree.
Bye-bye, Margaret.
Irv, would you like a doggie bag?
We're fine. Great party.
Come on, honey. Party's over.
Happy hunting, Felix. See you in the morning.
You'd have had too much punch, and been the life of the party.
I missed you.
Ahhh!
Ross? Ross!
Molly!
Ross!
I could have killed one of you!
The nails came straight -- Oh, my God!
It's all rotten down there.
My wine cellar is just --
It's probably crawling with termites.
I'm surprised we haven't fallen through the floor.
I'll call the exterminator.
You're rather casual about the death of my dream.
I've been trying to reach Margaret to thank her.
- Her line's been busy all morning. - She's probably gabbing.
Want me to...?
I'll go over and check on her.
[ Meowing ]
[ Meow ]
Here, kitty, kitty.
Margaret?
[ Sheriff ] What do you think, Doc?
Heart attack.
Bound to happen rather sooner than later.
She had a history of high blood pressure.
- Even with the pills -- - I took her off those.
- What right --? - She came to me as a patient.
You didn't notice she was hypertensive?
Her diastolic reading was normal.
Her systolic elevation was below 160.
If you'd stayed current --
This is a very serious matter.
You may well have killed this lovely woman.
I don't think so. She was in fine shape.
- I want an autopsy. - Never!
- She was my patient. - And mine for 40 years.
Margaret wouldn't want to be butchered.
Nobody in this town would want that for her!
Give it to me.
I'm satisfied if you're satisfied.
[ Doc ] You're from a big city where people don't care.
I don't expect you to understand.
A little advice: If you're going to fit in here,
you'd better learn to be sensitive to people's feelings.
I'm more interested in medicine than public relations.
Cardiac victims don't usually bite their tongues off.
It's as though she went into tetanic convulsions.
Until I know why, this case isn't closed.
You're damn right it's not closed!
I believe you may be guilty of medical malpractice.
I intend to pursue the matter to its conclusion.
Ross, I understand she was your patient,
your only patient.
Come by the gym tomorrow at 3:00. It's just up the road.
I'll throw some business your way.
Thank you, Henry.
I appreciate that.
That was nice of him.
He could have said it a little louder, though.
A little young, isn't it?
The wine?
No, Margaret. T o die at 68.
10 years below life expectancy of a Caucasian female.
Did you know that?
Ross, you're a fine doctor.
You knew what you were doing when you stopped those pills.
Like I knew what I was doing when I chose this town...
with the country doctor from hell!
Or this fine house, rotting from the ground up.
I'm going to take care of that in the morning.
Well, Margaret is still going to be dead in the morning.
I still want to know what killed her.
He was nailing in the cellar and the wood disintegrated.
- T ermites, huh? - That's what my husband thought.
He's an expert in these matters?
Well, no.
Didn't think so.
I'm glad you called me.
No room for amateurs in this game.
Oh.
Ah, thank you.
Ah, ha.
- What is it? - It's hard to say.
Would anybody object if I tore this floor out?
- I would. - False alarm, then.
How bad is it?
Shhh!
I didn't find a thing. Go figure.
Then why is all the wood rotting?
I'll tell you why.
Bad wood.
So what do we do?
T ear out bad wood.
Put in good wood.
My husband thought this would make a good wine cellar.
I collect beer cans, myself.
I've got a rare 197 4 Miller Lite with a misprinted label.
Only 100 cans in circulation.
The husband might want to take a gander.
No hard shoes on the court.
Y es, sir.
I know what a blow losing Margaret was for you.
People keep score. You're only as good as your last game.
- I oughta know. - I appreciate your concern.
I want you to enjoy Canaima. Clean water, fresh air.
Got no police sirens wailing all night.
Just crickets.
We have crickets up the wazoo!
Actually, I haven't heard any crickets lately.
Actually, I haven't either.
Broncos, Doc's here.
Get ready to drop 'em.
Doc wants to hear you cough.
Come on! You call yourself Broncos?
You look like a bunch of babies!
Come on! Line it up!
[ Whistle ]
Come on. Another play.
You're moving in slow motion!
[ Whistle ]
Hike!
That's supposed to be a banana out?
- It looked like a banana split! - Shitty pass.
You garbage mouth, McGrath!
Hit the showers! Wash that mouth out.
- Miller! - Y o!
- You know the patterns? - Like the back of my hand.
Get in here! Hurry up.
Let's go! Move it, Miller!
You want to play? Come on, run.
Thanks.
[ Whistle ]
Set! Hut!
Hike!
Up, up. Let's go!
That's up. That's back.
Miller, you all right?
Coach!
What's wrong with Miller?
Back up. What's wrong?
Glve us some air.
Get the helmet off.
Support his head.
Real gentle.
Look out.
From what I hear, it wasn't a hard tackle.
I only wish I knew. You see...
Dr. Jennings examined him last.
Hey, why so gloomy?
Bunny Beechwood said everybody is calling you "Dr. Death."
That's just silly, Shelley.
They say you want to cut people up.
It's called an autopsy.
It's not a very pleasant thing...
but sometimes it's the only way...
to find out what really happened.
Some doctors should know better, and just won't accept it.
Some doctors won't accept that their big-city methods...
don't sit well in a small town.
Both Margaret and that poor boy seemed to be quite healthy.
It's a bit odd, don't you think?
If I autopsied everyone who ever died of a heart attack,
I'd be run out of Canaima so fast.
You still think life is a popularity contest.
You're not jealous of our new, young doctor?
What?
Now you made me lose my timing.
You're yelling, Sam.
Come on to bed.
Come on.
I need a shower.
I'd love to start taking walks around the neighborhood.
It's not the same thing.
I need to know exactly how far I've gone...
and how long it took me.
Floor's cold, Sam.
You're right. You're always right.
Damn!
- What's wrong? - Some damn thing bit me!
It's just a spider.
Spider? It felt like a damn cougar.
Damn.
I'm having a seizure.
What should I do?
Get an ambulance. Call Jennings.
I'll be right there.
- What's going on? - Metcalf's having a seizure.
Thank God you didn't examine him this morning.
What's the coroner doing here?
This isn't necessary.
I'll be the judge of that.
Wait out here.
Guard the house or something.
Guard the house?
Was he alive when you got here?
He'd been dead, maybe five minutes.
Whatever it was, it was abrupt and acute.
What's your guess?
Massive coronary or cerebral hemorrhage?
His wife says he was bitten by a spider just before he seized.
Oh, right. Sam told me about you.
You're the hotshot...
who won't accept anyone else's diagnosis.
I'll accept it if I agree with it.
Good.
Let me show you something.
Down here.
I believe that's a spider bite.
I'll buy that...
but I rather doubt that's what killed him.
In 20 years I've seen only one spider bite fatality.
That involved a black widow and a one-year -old child.
My guess is that Sam overexerted himself.
His wife said he was using the treadmill...
just before he keeled over.
You may be right.
I want a full autopsy; tissue samples, blood toxicology.
The whole 9 yards. Wait just one second.
Shut up, Lloyd. Get Evelyn's permission.
- Of course. - Need a ride?
I'm all right.
T ake care of yourself. You're the town doctor.
Say, "Ah."
Ahhh.
Okay.
I think we'll treat this with antibiotics.
Does this mean I don't get any ice cream?
I'll buy you a double scoop.
Who's next?
I'll take that. Thank you very much.
Step right this way.
Have a seat. I'll be right with you.
Okay, hotshot. Are you sitting down?
According to preliminary data...
Sam Metcalf died from a minute amount...
of an as yet unidentified toxic substance in the blood.
My office isn't ruling out accidental poisoning...
deliberate poisoning, or even killer spiders.
At the moment, it looks like a heart attack to me.
But I'll support whatever you'd like to do.
I've gotta have those bodies exhumed.
I gotta be sure.
Okay.
Whatever you think is necessary.
- Thanks. - Are you out of your mind?
Slowly, and once more.
I want Margaret Hollins' and T odd Miller's bodies exhumed.
Dug up!
Hey, hey!
You start pulling citizens out of the ground...
that should be enjoying their eternal rest...
and that roomful of patients will disappear --
I'll just get a court order.
Milt Briggs is on my side.
This is very bad business...
Mr. Y ale Graduate, big-city doctor!
A very bad business!
No shit!
- Hi, Dad. - Hi, honey.
What's going on?
I promised Shelley she could spend the night with Bunny.
We'll take good care of her, Dr. Jennings.
Wait.
There may be spiders around here that are very dangerous.
I just want you girls to be aware of this.
Don't try to capture it.
Don't try to kill it.
Just run.
Understand?
Run!
We'll do that.
You don't have to worry about anything.
Y o, Dr. Death.
Are you all right?
No.
All clear.
The spider didn't answer. She'd fallen asleep.
It had been a very, very busy day.
Your turn, Bunny.
The itsy-bitsy spider!
[ Scream ]
crawled up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider!
[ Scream ] Out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy-bitsy spider!
[ Scream ] Crawled up the spout again.
[ Shelley ] It's my turn. Little Miss Muffet...
sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
And along came...
a spider!
That sat down beside her,
and frightened --
If you girls don't settle down, Shelly can't stay.
We can't sleep.
[ Shelley ] We're scaring each other.
[ Becky ] Go sleep in my room.
We don't need this.
Oh!
Oh, God!
[ Chirp ]
Son of a bitch.
[ Chirp, Chirp ]
Where are all the other crickets, huh?
Where are all your buddies?
[ Phone Ringing ]
Atherton.
Y es, Dr. Atherton?
I'm Ross Jennings.
I'm a general practitioner...
and I've got a problem that may be spider -related.
You seem to be the foremost authority on the West Coast...
or any coast, for that matter.
Dr. Jennings, let me tell you that...
every so often in a little town, there is a health scare.
Some unexplained outbreak, and spiders are convenient culprits.
Did you know, Doctor, that on every suburban acre...
there are at least fifty to sixty thousand spiders?
Each spider eats about 100 insects per year.
that means that five million insects are consumed per acre.
Think about it, Doctor.
Man might find the planet uninhabitable without spiders.
[ Ross ] I have nothing against spiders.
We've had three deaths in my town and I fear there will be more.
If you could lend me your expertise for an afternoon,
we're not far.
- It's a town called Canaima. - Canaima?
You know it?
It's familiar.
Let me see what I can do. Where are you exactly?
Collins. Collins!
Sorry.
Are you equally busy tomorrow?
Dr. Atherton?
Chris Collins, one of his assistants.
Hi, I'm Chris. Atherton's really busy.
He's recently discovered a new species of spider...
in South America.
T o us it's a big deal.
I hope you'll be able to help us.
We're going to be examining some bodies.
Hey, sounds like a blast.
We're looking for bites.
Like this. That's a spider, isn't it?
I'm not sure. I think so.
But even at several times the potency of latrodectus --
Black widow, right?
Right, but it'd take more than one bite to kill.
You've gotta figure that...
this guy's death and the spider bite are coincidental.
Hey, guys. How's it going?
Poor Margaret.
She was a good wife, good teacher, good neighbor.
Excellent cook.
Anything you want, just shout.
I want some fresh air.
Chris, come here!
Still think it's a coincidence?
That's a spider bite.
The tissue surrounding the bite is macerated.
Found one. There's a mark behind the ear.
[ Ring ]
Atherton.
Chris Collins.
We've got a big problem in Canaima.
They've got three dead.
Cause of death seems to be...
a spider more deadly than I've ever seen.
They want to quarantine the town.
Are you sure?
This is way out of my league.
It's a decision you're gonna have to make.
I can be there tomorrow afternoon.
Collins, try and find me a specimen.
Did you bring the keys?
Great.
Perk up, Lloyd.
If we find the spider, you can arrest him.
Milt, why don't you cover the living room?
Chris, why don't you check out back?
And Lloyd...
take the kitchen...
and I'll oversee -- I'll just coordinate --
I'll just stay right here.
What is all that crap?
Leftovers-- mostly cricket parts.
Wings, legs.
We haven't heard any crickets in Canaima these past few weeks.
Ahhh!
Ross! Here!
Sheriff, don't move!
It's dead!
- Shit! - What killed it?
The shock of seeing Lloyd?
[ Knock At Door ]
There are other people in this house!
Dad, go away.
[ Knocking ]
Dad, go away!
Use the one down here, Henry.
Ahhh!
Never a moment's peace!
[ Screaming ]
Are you all right?
[ Scream ]
Why don't we take the dead spider and get out of here?
You don't get off that easy.
Dead spider's desiccated. It wouldn't be any use.
- You mean macerated? - Desiccated.
Dried up, drained of all its blood.
Macerated is the chewing they do.
Right.
They're like vampires.
Where did Atherton go to find the new spider?
South America.
Venezuela. Why?
Is that one?
I'd say it's a damn fine suspect.
Ross, you're going to have to take a step towards it.
Chris, I'm scared to death.
We all are.
We have a neurotransmitter that enables us to deal with it.
I don't think I have that particular neurotransmitter.
Y es, you do.
Wow.
[ Barking Dog ]
You need an asbestos glove,
the doomsday weapon in the war on creepy-crawlers.
I coat it with denon e.c.,
the insecticide with an environmental conscience.
It's biodegradable, organic.
You ought to see the beasties twitch when they whiff it.
Delbert...
there's a rumor that some kind of spider killed Sam Metcalf.
Maybe Margaret, maybe even my Bronco.
Doubtful, Henry.
In Florida, a colleague bumped into a nest of black widows.
Sustained over a dozen bites and lived.
He probably lost control of all of his bodily functions.
There's no spider here...
but I will hunt down the alleged arachnid...
and spritz him to kingdom come.
[ Barking ]
Y eah, that's right. I'm bad.
[ Knocking ]
Dr. Atherton, Ross Jennings.
Come in.
Did you find me another specimen?
Y es. I also called the town mortician.
Several months ago there was a corpse.
The body was desiccated, totally drained of blood.
Irv agreed that if the spider was big enough,
and it spent enough time working on that body --
I know why you've heard of Canaima.
This was Jerry Manley's hometown.
Manley, the photographer?
One of your Venezuelan spiders hitched a ride in his coffin.
The fangs, the injectors, are disproportionately large.
Three poison sacs.
Let's test the venom.
The nature and the amount of toxin...
are what determine the effect of the bite.
And of course, the place where the subject is bitten.
It can lead to paralysis or death.
I'd guess this toxin is fatal at a fraction of that dose.
I'd agree.
No sex organs.
That would make them drones....
or soldiers.
Typical in organized insect societies...
but we've never seen this in spiders.
I have.
Venezuela?
Right. This is a descendant.
Somehow that South American male has mated with a house spider...
and created a very deadly strain.
Without sex organs, it can't reproduce.
The accelerated growth rate...
combined with the specialization...
- suggests a short life cycle. - We've seen a dead one.
That could be the good news.
The bad?
In their own ecosystem...
the species in South America...
Iive at the top of the food chain.
They spread out from a central nest...
in a weblike pattern,
and dominate the entire area.
They're contained by geography, but that isn't true here.
So the original male is the granddaddy of them all.
He's acting like a general, sending his troops to battle.
Excuse me.
Professor, this is our town exterminator.
Delbert McClintock, infestation management.
Nice to meet a colleague.
He came across one of the offending spiders.
Did you bring it with you?
It's probably still on the bottom of my shoe.
You can't tell what it is anymore.
In this first generation, the male produced a queen.
They will construct a primary nest...
which the queen will guard.
Eventually, she will create reproductive offspring.
When that happens...
this town is dead, and the next town...
and so on.
The infestation started at the mortuary.
If we can destroy the original male --
and the primary nest.
I'll call the agriculture department and see you at the mortuary.
Right.
Sheriff, give me a ride.
I am not a chauffeur!
- Shut up! - It's busy!
Irv takes the phone off during "Wheel of Fortune."
Let's go!
Blaire, real butter or fake butter?
Fake.
Irv, hurry.
Buttery, hot, and delicious!
He needs to buy a vowel.
Buy a vowel.
Delbert!
What's the nest going to look like?
You'd know it if you found it.
The area would be dark, warm, moist.
Be kind of a musty smell. You'd see an egg sac.
Like your basic egg sac.
White, cocooned, pulsating.
About the size of a softball.
No other spiders around.
- What? - Spiders are cannibals.
She wouldn't want any near her offspring.
T ell him exactly what I've told you,
Even if it means interrupting a dinner party.
Sheriff.
Where is this?
It's the old Daniels place.
Jennings bought it.
T ake me there!
Hey, lrv!
Ross.
Canaima welcomes you.
Irv, we have an emergency.
I'll get us into the mortuary.
Ross.
We found it!
Go to the mortuary.
Get my assistant and that exterminator.
All right. I'll do that.
Just stay here. I'm not responsible --
Fine.
The killings have been so arbitrary.
Maybe there's more than one nest.
There's just one.
- Atherton said... - Radiating out from a central nest.
You got a map?
- Thinking about buying here? - Just get it.
The Kendall's house, mark that.
All righty.
The old guy, the doctor.
Metcalf.
- Football kid. - Died on the field behind the school.
That's right here. This is fun.
I found one at Beechwood's.
- The old lady? - Margaret.
- Is that all of them? - That's it.
The center is the mortuary, right?
That's a house.
Who the hell lives there?
I do.
The whole time the nest was in my own goddamn barn!
I doubt that, Doc.
A basic spider would find your barn a tad breezy.
Spiders are a bit like you and me.
I frankly doubt it's in the barn.
I frankly know it is.
I saw a web. There is a web in the barn.
A web would indicate arachnoid presence.
They've got a saying in the Benelux countries--
Just drive, Delbert. Just get us there.
My, you've been busy.
Incredible.
Supper's ready.
Come and get it.
Ahhh!
I've got to get my family. Destroy what's in the barn.
Better uncork my private stock.
Chris, there may be spiders in the house.
Y eah, right.
Give me a minute to look out here...
then we go in nice and easy.
Hello-o.
[ Whistle ]
Hello-o.
Trick or treat.
Hey!
Gotcha! Gotcha!
Let's see what we got up here.
Ahhh!
Ah, ah, ah!
Oh, my God. They got the professor.
[ TV - "Family Ties" ]
Honey?
- In here, Ross. - Hi, Dad.
I expected you home for dinner.
I got worried.
Sorry, I didn't get a chance to call.
[ Gasp ]
Okay...
every--
Everybody just get up very slowly...
and walk towards the door.
Okay, quick and quiet.
We're going to need another way out.
Upstairs. We'll climb out on the roof.
Go!
Quick!
Watch yourself, Ross!
Come on, Shelly.
Ahh, ahh, ahh.
Ross! Come on!
This doesn't make sense. They're swarming.
I've never seen them this aggressive.
They're chasing us.
Hi, I'm Chris.
Spiders!
Oh, God!
Go!
One at a time.
Down the trellis.
Ross!
Get out, Ross!
Ross, get out!
- Where's Ross? - Right behind me.
- Oh, no! - Ross!
Shit!
Spiders! Spiders!
Come here!
Get them away from the house.
Rock 'n roll.
All right, party time.
T ake that!
Ahhh!
Ahhhh!
Oh!
Musty smell, moist, dark.
No spiders.
There's no spiders.
There's dark.
The nest.
The nest. The queen.
Oh, oh!
Shit! I'm in the goddamn nest!
Help!
Chris! I found the nest!
And there's the queen!
Chris!
Shit!
Come on.
Therapy.
That's your basic egg sac.
Be right back.
Oh!
Where is it?
That was the goddamn general.
Help! Help!
Not the chateau.
Ahh.
Ha-ha-ha!
Goddamn it! Where are you?
Damn it!
[ Pipe Rattling ]
[ Chuckle ]
The itsy-bitsy spider...
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain...
and washed the spider out.
Come on, come on!
Ahhh!
[ Spider - Shriek ]
Shit!
[ Shriek ]
[ Shrieking ]
Nice shot.
Thank God.
Ah, oh!
Don't mention it.
The spider, my God!
Ross, Ross?
Oh.
- It's okay. - Oh, Molly.
- Everything's okay. - God, the spiders.
Most of them are dead.
The ones Delbert didn't get are dying.
Where are the kids?
Everybody's okay.
�� �� [ "l Left My Heart In San Francisco" - Performed By T ony Bennett ]
�� I left my heart ��
�� In San Francisco ��
�� High on a hill... �� ��
You know what I'm going to miss most about the country?
What?
I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
At least we got out with our lives.
Y es.
And the Margaux.
T o office politics, to Christmas bonuses...
caffeine, adrenalin.
T o things that we know. T o events we can control.
[ Rumble ]
Okay, that was a minor tremor.
I barely felt it.
It probably wouldn't show up on the Richter scale.
- Just a cable car going by. - Y eah.
We should check the kids.
The kids.
[ Rumble ]
�� �� [ "Don't Bug Me" - Performed By Jimmy Buffett ]
�� Don't bug me ��
�� Don't mug me ��
�� I'm better left alone ��
�� Let me twirl in my world ��
�� Out in the wild unknown ��
�� Night crawlin' free fallin' ��
�� Just don't get in my way ��
�� Don't squish me or death-wish me ��
�� That's all I have to say ��
�� Ooo-ooo ��
�� I can spin a web ��
�� I can spin a tale ��
�� Leave me in the jungle ��
�� T ake me to the town ��
�� Right-side-up or upside-down ��
�� I'm flakey real flakey ��
�� Eight legs and one pea brain ��
�� So don't bug me ��
�� Don't mug me ��
�� Just try and act humane ��
�� Ooo-ooo ��
�� I can cover tracks and never leave a trail ��
�� I don't leave a trail ��
�� Leave me in the jungle ��
�� T ake me to the town ��
�� Right-side-up or upside-down ��
�� Don't bug me ��
�� Don't mug me ��
�� I'm better left alone ��
�� Let me twirl in my world ��
�� Out in the wild unknown ��
�� Don't bug me ��
�� Don't mug me ��
�� That's all I have to say ��
�� Ooo-ooo ��
�� Ooo-ooo �� ��