Ooh,
your niece has some very
dangerous ideas, Denise.
Please, she cannot hurt you.
But she knows disrespect.
Remind her, it is we who make sure that everyone here in Little Haiti is
protected from misfortune.
By the way, have you forgotten what day it is?
No.
- Don't do it, Auntie. - Cherine, please, be quiet!
- Listen to your aunt, girl. - No, you listen!
Our people booted creeps like you out of Haiti and
you're not going to get away with playing your filthy power games here.
If you ever bother us again, I'll call the police.
As you wish.
The next time we meet, Cherine,
I will introduce you to a friend of mine.
Baron Samdi.
Until then.
Hello, MacGyver.
Denise. Cherine.
I'm late for that protest rally. Later, MacGyver.
What can I do for you, MacGyver.
Uh, well I was skating with the boys this morning,
took a little shot to the neck.
Mama Lorraine said you might have a liniment for me?
Oh, I got just the right thing to fix you up.
Grab her! Get her in the car!
- Quickly! - Let me go!
- Put her in the car. - Help me!
Somebody help me!
Let's go.
And I ran outside when I heard Cherine scream...
Did you recognize the driver?
All right, how about the car? You said it was a dark color.
Was it black, blue?
I'm sorry. I saw nothing.
May I please go now?
Yeah, sure. We'll--We'll do what we can.
Darryl, the car was black and there were three guys in it.
Well, thank you.
Did you catch the license number?
No, but Denise was talking to one of the guys just before it happened.
She can identify him.
Yeah, the whole block probably could,
but I can't give everybody the third degree.
Besides, it wouldn't do any good.
This is the third kidnapping in Little Haiti this year.
I mean, we got extortion, drugs, murder,
and every time it's the same thing.
There's no clues and there's no witnesses.
- They're scared. - Oh, yeah.
They're so scared her aunt won't even help.
I mean, if she won't, who will?
This isn't much to go on but we'll do our best.
Thanks for your help, MacGyver.
Okay, Denise. Why?
You would not understand.
Your niece has been kidnapped and you won't help the police find her?
You're right, I don't understand.
The Tonton Macoute have her.
The... The what?
The Tonton Macoute.
They were Papa Doc's secret police in Haiti before the revolution.
If I speak, they will kill Cherine.
I have no choice.
That's not true. You do have a choice.
They left this.
It is a voudon warning to remain silent.
I was afraid to give it to the police.
Let the pain flow from you.
Yes, yes, I can feel the pain is going.
Yes.
Ah, I feel better, Mama.
The pain is gone completely. It's a miracle. A miracle.
Take this.
Carry it with you at all times
and your headache won't come back.
Thank you, Mama Lorraine. Thank you.
She is wonderful.
Wow.
Don't make faces. This is pure datura leaf from Haiti.
It's powerful medicine against poison.
You know, what if something was really wrong with that guy?
I send him to the Free Clinic.
I'm no doctor, MacGyver, I am a spiritual...
"Spiritual advisor." I know, I know.
Did the spirits tell you what happened in Little Haiti today?
Of course.
Poor Cherine.
I pray to Papa Legba.
I think she could use some help a little closer to home.
The people who took her left this behind.
I think it connects to the voodoo religion.
That is not religion.
That is sacrilege!
Well, somebody's using it
to scare the people of Little Haiti into keeping quiet.
There is good and bad in all things, MacGyver,
including religion.
I am a mambo, a priestess of voudon.
I serve the right and the left, good and bad.
Some devote themselves only to the left hand, the evil.
Like that wanga.
It means a curse has been placed on Cherine by the Tonton Macoute.
Any idea how I can find this Tonton Macoute?
I know of one person. Dr. Redemteur.
I first met Cherine when I was lecturing at the university.
I teach a course in Afro-Haitian culture and religion.
When Cherine learned that elements of
the old Duvalier government are trying
to gain power in the United States,
she devoted herself to stopping them.
Making speeches, organizing marches.
Such spirit!
Mama, please,
say a prayer for me asking for her safe return.
Uh, doc... doctor, uh, pardon me but...
how do we locate these elements of the old regime?
Not easily.
The Tonton Macoute move in shadows, like ghosts.
I have heard rumors about secret meetings,
ceremonies, nothing more.
Well, one of the guys who took Cherine mentioned a name,
a Baron Samdi?
Oh, no.
What?
In the voudon belief, Baron Samdi is the keeper of the graveyard,
lord of the dead and the undead.
"Undead"?
Zombies, MacGyver.
"Zombies"?
But they're myths. Are--Aren't they?
I assure you, such things are not only possible,
there is medical proof they actually exist.
A precise dose of the right toxins can induce a coma state,
which is nearly impossible to distinguish from death.
Voudon is ancient, MacGyver.
You can't expect to grasp all in one day.
Uh, doctor, these secret meetings,
any idea where they're held?
No.
But I'm afraid they are gathering new followers every day.
My patients, even some of my students at the university, won't speak to me.
I fear the darkness is winning.
You do not pay your respects to Baron Samdi, girl?
You're no spirit. Your name's Devraux.
You used to be one of Duvalier's puppets.
But now, I am pulling the strings.
You pervert the voudon religion
and you use superstition to frighten people into going along
with your protection racket.
You're just a sick, evil man living in the past.
Ah, but the past can become the future, girl.
We will bring back the old ways,
restore strength and stability to our people.
Yes, perhaps even to our beloved Haiti.
And you will help.
That day will never come.
But you're wrong, Cherine.
Because the future is now.
Hold her.
She's not breathing.
There's no pulse.
Now she will really be of use to us.
This is very evil mojo, MacGyver.
You shouldn't be messing with that doll like that.
I'm just trying to find out where it came from.
It came from someplace very dusty.
Yeah.
That's silt,
like a dry riverbed.
That looks like oil.
Yeah, that's what it is.
It smells burnt.
Maybe it came from a garage.
Yeah, but that doesn't explain the silt.
And besides, this kind of oil is used to run generators and turbines.
"Turbines"? Power station?
The old Liberty Dam?
Haitian drums.
That's the guy who grabbed Cherine.
I'm not surprised. His name is Concasseur.
In Haiti, he was torturer for Colonel Devraux,
the commander of Papa Doc's death squads.
Open the casket.
Close the casket.
- She looked dead. - Not dead. Worse.
Worse?
Do you remember what Dr. Redemteur told you about zombies?
No, I'm not buying into that.
Open your mind, MacGyver.
Magic comes from the heart and the earth.
There are many things in nature that can be used to cure or kill.
So what, she's been poisoned? Drugged? What?
An ancient formula.
It renders the victim lifeless.
Only the mind remains conscious.
Cherine will be aware of everything, until death.
- Well, is there an antidote? - Yes.
Datura leaf, but more than this, and in time.
How long has she got?
It depends on when the poison was administered.
She may only have a few hours.
I can get past the guard, no problem.
But for you, it's a big problem.
I think we can handle it.
- Blessings to you. - And you, Mama.
This is your first time with us.
I heard so much about the ceremonies,
I thought I had to come see them for myself.
It's a good time. Today we make an offering to Baron Samdi.
How exciting!
But you can't meet the Baron like that.
- It'd be an insult. - Why, what's wrong?
Your tie is loose. Let Mama fix it.
Mama.
What are you doing to me? Come on now.
Mama!
Oh, too tight? I'll loosen it.
Stop! You're making it tighter.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Let me try again. Oh, don't move.
That's much better.
Thank you, Mama.
MacGyver?
Here.
It's not nice to scare Mama.
This way.
Maybe it would be wiser if you went back.
What are you, crazy? I'm dying to meet this Samdi myself. Let's go.
Spare him. He doesn't understand.
All right, why don't you go ahead? I'll look for Cherine.
You be careful, MacGyver.
Mama Lorraine! What a pleasant surprise.
I'm so happy that you've decided to join us.
Do I know you?
Oh, no. But of course, I know you,
by your reputation.
All of Little Haiti knows Mama Lorraine.
- Oh, Baron Samdi! - Baron Samdi.
Baron Samdi!
Welcome, children!
In the name of Baron Samdi.
In the name of the old ones.
- Papa Legba! - Papa Legba...
- Shango... - Shango...
- Marassa... - Marassa...
- Ogun... - Ogun...
- DeDe! - DeDe!
Their hearts cry out to their people,
who have seen their homeland torn apart
by anarchy and chaos!
Their hearts cry out for their people cast upon
a cruel, foreign shore.
Lands that persecute our beliefs.
We who hear your pleas, old ones,
feel your anger!
You. We have the power
to conquer all enemies.
All obstacles.
Even death.
This girl was an enemy.
Now she is an enemy no more!
I have sent her to meet Baron Samdi,
in his garden.
But I will bring her back,
and when I do,
she will be my servant.
Now, dance, children.
Rejoice!
I leave you now,
but I will return,
and bring our little sister back.
The power of the people.
Cherine?
Cherine.
Can you imagine what could be done with
this power in the hands of the right leaders?
- Such as yourself? - Not just myself.
For there's enough to share,
especially if you were to join us.
- Join you? - Yes. You are a mambo.
You have great influence on this community.
With your participation, the people will be convinced
that we are the true power in Little Haiti.
I am a high priestess of voudon.
I could not join this circus show.
I think I want to move a little closer to the stage.
You will consider my offer.
Remember, those who are not with us
are our enemies.
You don't want to be our enemy.
I will consult the spirits.
Well, don't take too long.
Even the spirits run out of patience.
Cherine?
Are we too late?
Mama, it's nuts.
She's got no pulse and she's not breathing,
but I think she's alive.
Not for long.
If she doesn't get the antidote soon, she'll never recover.
Don't try to talk, Cherine. We'll get you to a hospital soon, girl.
Unfortunately, hospitals are for the living.
She has departed life.
It would be unwise to move.
I see that you have made your decision, Mama.
Too bad.
Take him!
Sergeant Concasseur, keep an eye on the witch.
Oh, God!
Don't try to fight it.
Now, you are one of the undead.
Stay still, MacGyver.
The more you move, the faster the poison works.
Breathe deep, get lots of oxygen.
That won't help him for long.
Even now he can feel his joints stiffened,
his muscles freezing like ice.
Soon he will hear his own heart beating,
slower and slower,
until it stops.
Or until he is given the antidote.
That choice is yours, Mama.
What do you mean?
I was going to perform the zombie ceremony with Cherine myself.
But if you, a true mambo,
one the people know and trust, were to perform the ceremony,
that would convince them that we truly possess the power of voudon.
I am a priestess, not a showgirl!
You will do as I say,
if you care about your friend.
All you have to do is perform the ceremony and awaken the girl.
Once the people have seen that you are on our side,
you can revive your friend and we will all part ways.
How can you watch him suffer like this?
Stay calm, MacGyver.
Mama will do what she must do.
Mama.
And you will do what you must do.
Eat it. It's datura leaf.
Only enough to prolong you for a short time.
Without more you will die.
Papa Legba protect you.
Well, what is it to be?
I'll do it.
But if you cross me,
I'll show you more than chemistry and acting.
Take her to my chamber.
Place him inside.
You are indeed fortunate, MacGyver.
You are going to witness something few people have ever seen.
Your own burial.
Seal the coffin.
Turn.
MacGyver! I thought you were a burglar.
Oh, I was poisoned, I had to let myself in to get the antidote.
What are you doing here?
I was sent to retrieve this.
But now it seems I have two jobs to do for Colonel Devraux.
Datura stramonium.
A harmful substance,
but a strong remedy for the symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning.
That's the poison in blowfish,
like the ones in your office.
Bravo.
You would have still needed to visit a hospital if you were to fully recover.
Make yourself comfortable.
I'll call Sergeant Concasseur. He and his men can deal with you.
Cherine and the students trusted you.
Of course. It was my job to gain their trust.
So are you on Devraux's payroll,
or is he controlling you with a voodoo doll?
Really, MacGyver,
don't tell me you believe that superstition.
Well, I like to keep an open mind.
Sometimes you just have to have a little faith.
Colonel Devraux says to hurry.
If this is not done properly, it could be deadly.
Just being in this room,
breathing the air, can kill you
So don't tell me to hurry.
Yes, well,
you just make sure you put on a good show, Mama.
Radegonde, Baron Samdi,
guardian of the cemetery.
You who have the power to go into purgatory,
you the Loa must continue.
You must build new temples in this new land,
and you must join us as we build new temples in this new land.
Break my jar!
The mambo repeats the sacred chant.
Sacred Loa, let the powers work for us.
Wake up, Cherine.
Come back to us from the Baron's garden.
I call on Papa Legba.
I call on Damballa.
I call on Erzulie.
Everybody's here for your party, Cherine.
Wake up and join us.
Come back to the living, little sister.
Come on, girl.
Don't let it win.
Welcome back, Cherine.
It's time for the Baron to make his entrance again
and bless the ceremony.
Don't let them leave the stage.
Yes, sir, Colonel Devraux.
Take your position.
Get up, girl, you've got to move.
Get the medicine circulating.
That's it.
You'll be all right now, girl. Keep moving, one step at a time,
keep your blood flowing, don't stop.
That's it, Cherine. Keep walking.
You've got to move those legs.
If you lay down the poison will start to work again.
You've got to work those muscles. Get your blood flowing.
Remember that, girl. This is no time to relax. You've got to fight it.
Don't worry, girl. You'll be all right now.
Just keep moving and stay on your feet.
Force yourself to walk. That's the way, girl.
One step at a time. Good.
You got the idea. Keep walking.
Go see what's keeping the colonel.
Baron!
I come to you in the name of Baron Samdi.
Hear me, children. I must speak.
MacGyver, are you crazy?
That doesn't sound like the colonel.
Listen to me.
You have been deceived and lied to.
These men abuse the gods
and use them for evil.
They possess no magic,
only greed.
They are your enemies!
Listen to the Baron, he is speaking the truth!
That's not the colonel!
Stop him!
After them! Stop them!
That's him.
My foot! I cannot move!
MacGyver.
I'm glad they let you out of the hospital.
You feeling better now?
Good as new, Mama. Thanks.
You know, I talked to Denise.
She told me Cherine will be recovered in time to
testify against Devraux and his people.
They misused the gods badly.
The spirits will be avenged.
Well, with all due respect, Mama, I think the courts will put them away
before the spirits do.
Really, MacGyver?
How can you say that after all you've seen and experienced?
Okay. I admit it.
I have a lot to learn about your religion. Yes.
For Papa Legba, the god of communication and understanding.
You know, after all your luck, you owe the spirits a goat.
A goat?
But don't worry.
I told them you're a vegetarian.
Ah!