Episode no. Season 4
Episode 2 Written by Sam Egan Original air date 30 January 1998 | Directed by Mario Azzopardi Production code 64 | |
"The Hunt" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It was first broadcast on 23 January 1998, during the fourth season.
Contents
Introduction
In near future, the hunting of animals has been banned by environmentalists, and black market hunting of obsolete androids takes its place.
Plot
Bowhunters George Nichols, his son Eric, older brother Clute, and their guide Pete, engage in a ritual hunt of a group of obsolete androids. The prey - mining android Kel, a doctor, and two others - attempt to escape from the hunters during the beginning of the hunt. Clute, eager to provide his brother and nephew with an exciting hunt, secretly plants information allowing the androids to remove their inhibitor chips so that they may fight back instead of merely running away. However, the doctor is killed, leading to the kidnapping of Eric and Pete. The androids (two at that point, including Kel) release Eric, as he had refused to hunt with the other hunters. Pete, however, is revealed to be another android and is kept captive, though he almost seems to prefer going with his fellow androids than staying with the hunters. In the meantime, George accidentally kills his own son, having mistaken the boy for one of the androids. Clute then pursues the androids, killing another one of them. Enraged, Kel (who had up until then refused to have his inhibitor removed) kills Clute. Eventually, Kel and Pete make it to the limits of the forest, meeting a ranger. The ranger explains to the androids that, since they survived an illegal hunt, they are allowed to live freely among humans, something Kel had frequently dreamed of. However, Kel is disgusted and weary from his experience, so he refuses this freedom and reveals how he killed Clute. As a result, Kel is reprogrammed and turned into a guide for another android hunt.