Collateral Damage

[Guest Sheree Dawn]

Okay here's my thing....

I noticed that Peter's family lived through the viral outbreak in the northwest; everyone lived happily ever after. You (or at least I did) got the impression that perhaps Peter's clan was vaccinated due to his position in the group; that's how they all lived. However, if that had been the case, why did Taylor become sick when exposed to the Marburg Virus?

I originally thought that Catherine was denied a vaccine (and it was intended that Jordan should have been, also) because of her constant conflict with the MM group. She was a hinderance, kept Frank from fully committing to the MM. Had she been the good, dutiful wifey, perhaps MM would have found the vaccine for her & Jordan also. I varied on that theory a bit thinking that Catherine really wasn't targetted, and that it was Frank's punishment for not joining the group.

But I was turned around again after seeing that Taylor was susceptible to the virus. Plot flaw or plot aspect unrealized?

[ethsnafu]

Hi angel,

Collateral Damage does indeed maintain continuity. Season Two establishes that the Group only had enough genetic material to formulate vaccinations for Group members, their families were left without protection. The only reason that Jordan is vaccinated is because Lara provides Frank with hers. Taylor, like much of the world's populace, survived the Marburg Epidemic as it was largely over estimated and because they escaped infection not because they had received the Group's serum.

Hope this clarifies the issue a little,

Best wishes,

Eth

[Guest Laurent.]

And Peter's family, unlike the rest of the population, knew about the incoming infection and were probably able to hide away from Seattle and the main pandemic; obviously with more success than Frank's family.

[Guest Sheree Dawn]

And Peter's family, unlike the rest of the population, knew about the incoming infection and were probably able to hide away from Seattle and the main pandemic; obviously with more success than Frank's family.

That would make more sense and seem more likely than them just miraculously escaping infection through luck of the draw. You know, how could any person, man or woman, who loved their family give allegiance to a group who would do something like that? Makes sense to keep members loyal by keeping families safer.

Wait, I forgot.... It's only TV.

[hippyroo]

Marburg, shmarburg.... it didn't wipe out the world as promised.... everyone lived afterwards because there was suddenly a new season of MLLM to write.....only a few were really killed off and what a shame Cahterine was one of them.. there are so many holes in MLLM at this point..... ugh.

[xgirl30]

Okay here's my thing....

I noticed that Peter's family lived through the viral outbreak in the northwest; everyone lived happily ever after. You (or at least I did) got the impression that perhaps Peter's clan was vaccinated due to his position in the group; that's how they all lived. However, if that had been the case, why did Taylor become sick when exposed to the Marburg Virus?

I originally thought that Catherine was denied a vaccine (and it was intended that Jordan should have been, also) because of her constant conflict with the MM group. She was a hinderance, kept Frank from fully committing to the MM. Had she been the good, dutiful wifey, perhaps MM would have found the vaccine for her & Jordan also. I varied on that theory a bit thinking that Catherine really wasn't targetted, and that it was Frank's punishment for not joining the group.

But I was turned around again after seeing that Taylor was susceptible to the virus. Plot flaw or plot aspect unrealized?

Interesting theories you have. (or had)

I am confused about one thing though. I didn't think it was the Marburg virus that Taylor was injected with in "Collateral damage". I always thought it was the toxin that Eric Swann and his unit had to test during the Gulf war under the orders of the Group. (I may have to watch that episode again now.) That makes sense to me since Swann (I hope I'm remembering the name correctly.) kidnapped Taylor to make Watts pay for what he made them do during the war.

Also, if it was Marburg wouldn't Taylor have died soon after being injected? (Unless it was a much weaker strain.)

[BillQS]

Well the name Eric Swan gave the disease was definitely named differently than the Marburg outbreak, and the symptoms Taylor Watts showed were definitely slower acting than the Marburg plague at the end of the 2nd Season.

However, the syringe with the antidote definitely was inscribed "Marburg Variant" and had the Millennium Group Symbol. It appeared to be the same vaccine that Lara gave Frank in The Time Is Now at the end of Season 2, though I have not gone back to view the shot with the syringe in that episode.

The Season 2 Marburg was explained by Peter to be a Soviet experiment in bioweapons and that the group was able to design a very limited supply of vaccine.

It could be that the group were also working on a Marburg variant itself and that the one they designed was slower acting than the Soviet original. But, Eric does state I believe that he found the troups the next day and they were all dead.

The answer could be many things. I personally like to think that Peter knew more about the Marburg variant and kept his family safe, accordingly. The source of contamination for Catherine and probably Jordan too could have been the parrot Frank bought Jordan as a gift, since we know it succumbed to the virus. If Jordan and Catherine came in close proximity to the parrot after it became contaminated up to and after death (very possible as they both are there when Frank buries the parrot) then this could explain Catherine's exposure to the virus. The antidote was presented to Jordan so she didn't succumb.

If you take the theory I posited above, then Taylor wasn't previously innoculated, the virus was a similar but slower acting version of virus outbreak in the NorthWest at the end of Season 2 and the antidote was able to take care of her virus as well. (If the MG were developing it for the Pentagon they could be playing catch up with the Soviets in its experimentation, or it could actually be an improvement over the Soviet model since it was so virulent that it burnt itself out too quickly to cause a pandemic.

A caveat to this theory is that it appears that Frank alludes in The Sound of Snow that Peter and he could have gotten vaccine for their families had he agreed to join the MG and that was why he was blaming himself for Catherine's death. Of course, none of that was shown in TTIN last season. That's when Catherine reassures him that he made the right choice by choosing her... and their family.