Numb3rs

Vector

Season 1, Episode 3, Aired 2/4/05

Episode Summary

Various people in the Los Angeles area with seemingly nothing in common become extremely sick and die on the same day, and Don fears bioterrorists may have released a deadly virus into the environment. While he tries to discover whether anyone is behind the outbreak, Charlie tries to locate the point of origin.moreless

8.8

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Cast & Crew

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Judd Hirsch

Alan Eppes
David Krumholtz

Charlie Eppes
Peter MacNicol

Dr. Larry Fleinhardt

Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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More information on the unfortunate life of the Eppes men after the death of their mother/wife.

10

"Perfect"

By numb3rsgirl13, Jun 23, 2009 Report Abuse

The plot of this story is interesting enough; a flu virus that could turn into an epidemic just like it did in the early 20th century. However, the subplot is all about how Charlie is dealing with not spending more time with his mother before her death. In order to sort of make up for what he didn't do with his mother, Charlie helps discover a vaccine for the virus, just in time to save it from being an epidemic. It also shows how close Charlie and his mother really were, enough so that she understood why he spent the last six months of her life working on an unsolvable math problem. A mothers love really goes on forever.moreless

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Review

8.0

"Great"

By cavanagh15, Jan 28, 2007 Report Abuse

This episode was really boring compared to the first two episodes of the season. I didn't think they did anything as far as character devolopment goes and I thought the case this go around was the most boring of the three that we have watched so far. I thought the virus itself was a boring storyline, with only 20 people becoming infected like that. Over the course of a couple of days that virus would have spread out a lot more then simply just 20 people, maybe closer to the upwards of hundreds or even thousands. I really want to get to know these characters well and I dont think this show has begun to do that yet outside of cases to solve.moreless

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"Various people in the L.A. area with seemingly nothing in common start to become extremely sick and die on the same day."

8.5

"Great"

By willie01, Jul 11, 2006 Report Abuse

Okay, I washed my hands after watching this episode. As if my germ phobia was not bad enough.

I have seen only the first four episodes of this series, and I believe this one to be the weakest of the four. The episode is well written and entertaining, but I did not find the arrest of Dr. Clarence Weaver, played by J.K. Simmons, believable. Would a scientist be so religious and release a deadly virus into the environment?

However, "Vector" is a fine example of this television series. I found it entertaining and topical. I kept thinking about the threat of the avian flu becoming a pandemic.

I love this series. I am hooked!
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Bird flu....

8.9

"Great"

By tenaxjoe, Nov 01, 2005 Report Abuse

Brilliant epsiode with relevance to todays agenda. The spanish flu is realeased into the general popluation, this is the same as the human bird flu. The show hits so close to home and reveals scenarios that could occur today in real life and what scientist are sometimes like. Defintely one to watch

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What if a deadly virus were actually released into a major metropolitan area? This tried and true premise takes a turn here, and we find out that once again math saves the day.moreless

8.6

"Great"

By danasdude, Jul 30, 2005 Report Abuse

It all boils down to Patient zero. Who is the first person to catch the disease? Math helps to solve this mystery of course. Forget all that. The shining star in this show is the character interation. The jock brother versus the geek brother is a great device and this episode displays its well.The supporting cast only begs one question: How did they get the guy from Taxi and the guy from Ally McBeal in one show? To top it all off, the guest stint here by the yellow M&M, I mean J.K. Simmons, is outstanding.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Opening numbers: 4 COUNTIES 30 CASES 6 DEATHS 1 UNKNOWN PATHOGEN Edit
- The MATH used in this episode was the application of 'Patient Zero'. This term is used to describe the first known carrier of a disease. The term was first used during the smallpox epidemic. Edit
- Charlie has had top level clearance in National Security for almost five years. He'd earned the position after doing work for NSA years ago and had kept it a secret from Don the entire time. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- The title of the episode is based around the principal used for finding virus origin points. Edit
- This episode was meant to play second, but CBS pushed it down to 3rd in order in favor of Uncertainty Principle. Edit
- This episode is rated: TVPG. Edit
Quotes
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- (About the Spanish Flu) Don: What did they do in 1918? How did they stop it? Terry: Nothing. There is no cure. Edit
- (To Don about Charlie) Terry: You were speaking terrorism, he was speaking math. Edit
- Terry: I find the idea of a medical hero interesting. Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- The Spanish Flu: There is much discussion of the 1918 outbreak of this flu, and they say that 600,000 people were killed in the US, though the actual figure is usually presented as 675,000. It is interesting and horrifying, though, to note that in just 18 months, the virus killed anything from 50 million people to 100 million people, depending on which figures you take, and because it was a worldwide pandemic, right at the end of the war, it's probably impossible to estimate the exact number. It's also interesting to note that this flu killed more people in that time than those killed in World War 1 or those killed in the four years of the bubonic plague. The virus also targeted the young and healthy, whilst most flus go for the young, old or weak. And as a last note, during the 25 or so years that AIDS has been around, 25 million people have died. The same number died in just 25 weeks of the Spanish flu. Edit