Do No Harm (TFD)

"Do No Harm" is the fourth episode of the first season of BrambCrackers' The Frozen Dead. It is the fourth episode of the series overall.

Summary
The scientists adjust to their new location; some are more trusting of their benefactors than others.

Plot Synopsis
The group of scientists arrives at a fenced-off area of Juneau, Alaska. Upon landing, the soldiers confiscate what little weapons they have and escort them to a building where they’ve set up command. Colonel Thomas Gates greets them and welcomes them to Safe-Zone Juneau. Jackson notices the undead Hugo and Nathan being taken away, strapped to stretchers, and asks where they’re going. Gates simply says somewhere to be studied.

Freida asks when they’ll be able to go home, and Gates tells her matter-of-factly that they can’t. He tells them about the outbreak and how nearly every corner of the world has been affected. “Until we get the all-clear, we’re going to have to keep all of you here indefinitely,” he tells them. The group is justifiably upset about this, though Freida most of all, claiming that she doesn’t want to be detained against her will. Gates insists that it’s more protecting than detaining.

The group is separated as they’re put into housing. The houses they’re given are fairly close to each other and are part of a new housing development that was recently built. Jackson, Mitch, and Brun are put in one house, Julia, Edgar, and Freida in another, Spencer and Jess in another, and Charlie and Meredith in the last one.

Outside his house, Jackson asks Gates what other rules there are, and Gates explains that the first one is “do no harm.” He leaves Jackson, Mitch, and Brun to get settled in the house they’ve been assigned to. Mitch goes straight to a room and shuts the door, leaving Jackson concerned. Brun asks how long until they can go home, and Jackson says that he doesn’t know.

Inside the house they share, Spencer stresses about the other scientists knowing about their relationship, given that they requested to share a house, and Jess asks if he’s seriously worrying about that, after all that they’ve gone through. Spencer gives in, apologizing and saying he’s overreacting. He embraces her, telling her that he just wants what’s best for the two of them. Jess tells him that he should start by trying to get on the military’s good side and “not be a prick like you usually are.” Spencer tells her he’ll pretend not to be hurt by that.

In another house, Julia says humorously that they didn’t bring any of their belongings from the base. Edgar, looking out the window at the street outside, says it doesn’t matter. Freida, pacing in the hallway nearby, eventually comes into the room and says they need to discuss with the others about their situation. Julia tells her it won’t harm them if they stay for a while, but Freida shakes her head. “I’m normally very trusting, but right now I don’t feel a lot of that. Something doesn’t feel right,” she tells them. Julia promises her she doesn’t have to worry about it, and that she’s going to head outside and explore the place.

In the streets, she finds medical stations and recreational areas set up, with various people milling around in each. She eventually comes across the gates leading outside and finds multiple soldiers posted at it. Concerned, she starts heading back, and along the way she comes across one of the soldiers that flew with them from the base to the Safe-Zone, and asks him why they don’t let people leave. He’s flustered for a moment, and tells her that they just don’t, before hastily leaving.

Sometime later, Jackson leaves his sons in the house and meets up with the rest of the group in the streets outside. Julia tells them of her question to the soldier, and his vague answer. Freida and Meredith find this particularly unsettling, but Edgar assures them that all they want to do is keep the citizens safe. He also points out that once they leave, they’ll have no way of getting to their families, wherever they may be. Jackson says he’s sure there are working cars out there, but Edgar tells him that Juneau is an isolated city, and that the way south to where they all live is long and cuts through miles of wilderness, something they don’t want to get stuck in should their vehicles break down. Jess, exasperated, says she doesn’t have any family to get home to anyway, so she’s just fine staying. “Well, the rest of us do,” Freida tells her. Julia then interrupts their bickering by pointing out that both Spencer and Charlie are missing.

The two of them are in the command room, speaking with Gates. Spencer explains that the two of them want to help out in any way they can, and Charlie says that he’s a doctor. Gates sends him and Spencer to the medical tents. Spencer protests, saying he isn’t a doctor, but Gates tells him to help anyway. He explains that multiple explosions on the day the outbreak took over the city, just a few days prior, injured many people, and most are still in need of attention. Most of their medics are dead, making any help possible necessary. Spencer reluctantly follows Charlie.

Jackson returns to his temporary home to find Mitch is missing. Brun explains he went out to explore. Jackson goes searching for him to find him talking with a soldier named Cole Lance, a young man who appears to be just a little older than Mitch is. Jackson tries to pull Mitch away, saying he shouldn’t distract the soldiers by talking with them, but Cole shrugs it off, saying he isn’t on duty at the moment. Mitch asks his father what harm there is in exploring the place, and Jackson can’t think of any, so he leaves him be, saying he needs to be back before sunset.

As Jackson leaves, Cole guesses that his dad must be of the overprotective type. Mitch says he doesn’t really know, explaining that he’s been absent for a lot of his life. “But if the past few days have been anything to go by, then yeah, he probably he is.” Cole explains that his parents didn’t care about him, so the first thing he did when he was ready to leave them was turn to the military. “It’s a shit ton more reliable than my parents ever could be.” Cole tells Mitch that parents pretend to care about their children, when they’re really out for themselves. “That’s just how it is. The end of the world doesn't change a thing.”

In the medical tents, Charlie assists Dr. Corina Page with a patient, Spencer watching on and looking rather uncomfortable at the sight of them operating on the man’s arm. Another patient comes in throwing up, and Page sends Charlie to help him out with another doctor, and instead calls Spencer forward to help her. Spencer is reluctant, but Page yells at him so he steps forward. She explains to him that the man she’s operating on sliced his arm pretty bad, nicking an artery. She forces him to assist her in the surgery to clamp the artery and close the wound, and Spencer almost throws up, but manages to hold through until the end. As they do so, they talk, and Spencer reveals that even though he’s had medical experience in his past, mainly through something he calls a “CPR camp,” he’s not much of a fan of blood. Page says she wasn’t either when she first started, and that she still isn’t.

Meanwhile, Edgar sits at a table on the streets when he notices a family of three approaching the gates, bags packed and appearing to be ready to leave. Edgar is too far to hear what they’re saying, but it appears the soldiers are turning them away. The father appears insistent, to the point that one of the soldiers finally hits him with the butt of his rifle, and Edgar can hear him yelling at the man to back off. The family leaves them, and Edgar stares after them in worry.

Gates takes a seat next to him and seems to know exactly what he's worried about. He explains that they don't let people leave for their own good. “We’re trying to build something here,” Gates explains. “There’s no telling how long until we defeat the enemy, but until then our job is to keep civilians safe. Only way for that is a structured community like what we have here. It won’t be that way if people start leaving left and right.” Edgar says he understands, but tries to sympathize by saying they might have family out there. Gates tells him coldly that if they’re anywhere beyond the Alaskan border, they’re probably dead. Gates tells him not to worry, for he’s safe now; they're lucky how removed from civilization Alaska is. As Gates gets up to leave, Edgar eyes him suspiciously.

Later, at night, Spencer finishes his work at the medical tents and washes his hands off, though he still has some blood on his shirt. He roams the streets and comes across a bar. He heads inside and orders a beer, and learns from the bartender that they really aren’t allowed to sell alcohol inside the Safe-Zone, but the rule seems to largely be ignored, as most of her customers are soldiers anyway. Officially, the bar now works as a restaurant. Spencer wonders what happened to “do no harm” being the only rule. The bartender flirtatiously tells him they have many rules that they don’t bother telling and don’t bother enforcing.

A few drinks later, the bartender leaves and tends to another man just down the bar, who appears to be blatantly hitting on the bartender. Spencer watches on quietly, not interfering, until the man starts to get physical. Upset, Spencer approaches and drunkenly tells him to stop. The man confronts him and tells him it doesn’t concern him and to move on if he doesn’t want to get hurt. Spencer tells him arrogantly that he can’t get hurt. The man chuckles before throwing a punch, catching Spencer in the jaw. A bar fight subsequently follows, involving a stool and various glasses on the counter, until a few of the soldiers sitting in the bar get in between the two and break up the fight. As Spencer’s pulled out of the bar by the soldiers, the bartender mouths a thanks to him. He only gives a weak smile in response.

Other Characters

 * Reeves
 * Cruz
 * Hugo Schultz
 * Nathan
 * Patient
 * Doctor 1
 * Mother
 * Father
 * Daughter
 * Drunkard

Deaths

 * None

Ratings
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Trivia

 * First appearance of Thomas Gates.
 * First appearance of Cole Lance.
 * First appearance of Corina Page.
 * First appearance of Mother.
 * First appearance of Father.
 * First appearance of Daughter.
 * First (and last) appearance of Patient.
 * First (and last) appearance of Doctor 1.
 * First (and last) appearance of Bartender.
 * First (and last) appearance of Drunkard.
 * Last appearance of Hugo Schultz
 * Last appearance of Nathan