Caught in the Act (The Outer Limits)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Caught in the Act
Series = The Outer Limits


Caption =
Season = 1
Episode = 17
Airdate = 1 July, 1995
Production = 17
Writer = Grant Rosenberg
Director = Mario Azzopardi
Photographer =
Guests = Alyssa Milano as Hannah Valesic
Stephen Fanning as Karl
Jason London as Jay
Saul Rubinek as Professor Hugaro
Sarah Strange as Lisa
Kavan Smith as Quarterback
Larry Musser as Clerk
Tammy Isbell as Judy Hudson
Veena Sood as Dr. Katzman
Episode list = List of "The Outer Limits" episodes
Prev = The Voyage Home
Next = The Message

"Caught in the Act"' is an episode of "The Outer Limits" television show. It first aired on 1 July, 1995 during the first season.

Introduction

A strange object crashes through the roof of a chaste college student and is absorbed into her body.

Opening narration

"Humankind has long tried to tame the forces of nature, to harness their power for our needs. But what if the very needs that drive us are the greatest power of all? Will we be able to control ourselves?"

Plot

Jay (Jason London) and Hannah (Alyssa Milano) are madly in love, so much so that he respects her chaste request to wait until marriage to make love. But one night, a strange object falls into Hannah's room, and emits a mysterious violet glow, enveloping her and embedding itself into her body. Hannah is now possessed. She craves sex, and to feed the alien presence within her, she must prey upon willing males who morph into her body while making love. Hannah first approaches Jay, of course, who cannot believe this was the same girl who steadfastly denied him just the night before. And indeed, she isn't the same girl. When Hannah seduces the star Quarterback, Jay follows them in disbelief. He finds Hannah alone and notices the hole in the ceiling where the alien object entered her room. Realizing that Jay is in danger while in her presence, Hannah forces him to leave, but Jay steals back to her room later and discovers the remains of the object and the Quarterback's jacket. Investigating the disappearance of the Quarterback, the police trace Jay to the scene, and he becomes the prime suspect. Jay turns the object over to his professor, who determines its origin, and researches similar occurrences. As more men vanish, the police pursue Hannah, who is then "caught in the act" devouring a convenience store clerk. A cop shoots Hannah, and to his utter horror, the undevoured top half of the clerk drops to the ground to die. He then watches as the violet light emanates from the bullet hole in her stomach. Hannah is rushed to the hospital and doctors watch in awe as the wound heals itself. The professor is able to substantiate Jay's outrageous claims, and when the police release him, he rushes to the hospital to be with Hannah. Desperate for fresh victims, Hannah attacks her doctor, who refuses to give in to her obsession. Certain that his love is more powerful than the force within her, Jay risks his life to try to cure Hannah. Fearing for Jay's safety, Hannah tries to resist him and the craving within her, and ultimately, the purity and power of their love forces the alien presence from her system.

Closing Narration

"The urge to hunt and kill -- the need to mate and multiply -- these are our most primitive human drives. But they pale in comparison to the most powerful human drive of all... the need for love."

Trivia

* This is the first episode of "The Outer Limits" to address the issue of homosexuality, albeit very briefly. The issue would again be briefly addressed in "Tribunal".
* When "The Outer Limits" was aired in the UK, this episode was used as a pilot.
* A similar storyline is present in episode "Day One" of the sci-fi series "Torchwood", where a gaseous alien possesses a girl to have sex with human males, who are turned to dust during their orgasm and absorbed by the creature.

External links

*
* [http://www.scifi.com/outerlimits/episodes/season1/116caught.html "Caught in the Act (The Outer Limits)"] at Sci Fi
* [http://www.theouterlimits.com/episodes/season1/103.htm Episode at The Outer Limits site]