Trama

Detective Murdoch investigates the death of Sarah Bosen who apparently threw herself from her hospital room window and breaking her neck in the fall. Sarah was being treated by Julia Ogden for arachnophobia and had been making some progress in overcoming her fears. Murdoch however finds a dead spider in her room. The three remaining members of the treatment group begin to have their doubts about their therapy. Julia's colleague, Dr. Charles Linden, thinks her therapy is a waste of time and as far as he is concerned, Sarah's death proves him correct. He launches a formal complaint to have her research terminated. When her other patients are forced to face their phobias, Murdoch concludes that someone is trying to kill her patients. Meanwhile, Crabtree tries to save his pet spider from Dr. Grace's experiments and Dr. Ogden helps Murdoch overcome his own irrational fear.—garykmcd

As innovative psychiatrist, Julia treats a diverse group affected by several phobias, even one for feathers. Sarah Bosen, who panics about spiders, jumped to her death at night through the closed window, Julia considers suicide unlikely, given her progress and positive attitude. T work out is a dead spider in her bed could have triggered fatal panic, William has Grace estimate if the spider died later, so she has poor Crabtree catch arachnids, even his semi-pet Webster, for fatal experiments. The incident strengthens the case of Dr. Charles Linden, who opposes phobia-therapy, swearing by his conventional physical methods, including pulling teeth. He now can talk over patients or their guardians to leave. William also seeks possible motives among fellow patients, such as Harry Phelps, whose fear for horses is abused by releasing some from the hospital stables. He also reports reviled lesbian intimacy between Sarah and glass manufacturer Jarius Kerr's wife Pauline, who recently refused conjugal intercourse . Another patient is a violinist who can't stand and audience, while Julia insists to search for the Freudian root of William's aversion from butterflies. Working out the optic MO proves key.—KGF Vissers