“Blame It on Leo” is episode five of season one of Zoo.
In the previous episode, “Pack Mentality”, Jamie came across Evan Lee Hartley’s Bible in the prison, which he had told the widow of a man he had killed contained everything needed. Hartley himself had escaped all pursuit and certainly appeared to be acting like the wolf pack’s alpha. In the Bible was a photograph of Hartley – with Jackson’s father. Showing a connection.
Mitch had examined, using improvised equipment in a hotel room, one of the wolves that had attacked the prison, and discovered a bacteria in its system, which may be responsible (a test performed on one subject is not a suitably large range), given its apparent effect on the wolf’s brain, for the animal’s aberrant behaviour.
In Antarctica, bats had prevented an outpost from getting power from its solar panels – as well as disabling the backup heat – until the two women inside apparently froze to death. Which is rather disturbingly deliberate planning.
In Alabama, Mitch is ‘borrowing’ the use of a school’s lab to examine the bacteria he found in the wolf whilst Jamie stands watch. Chloe and Jackson are in a car outside waiting, with the latter going through Hartley’s Bible, which has been extensively doodled on and repeatedly bears the name Leo Butler.
Mitch discovered that the virus was artificially created and that it was signed by the person who created it, so he asks a contact to see if they can find out who the chemist is. Chloe wants the team to go to Rio where bats have, yet again, been having oddly. Jackson wants to stay and look for Leo Butler, to see what the connection to his father is. At which point Mitch hears back from his contact – the bacteria’s creator, a former employee of Reiden Global, is called Leo Butler. So Jackson and Jamie remain behind to find Butler (the Leo of the title) and the others head to Rio.
Jamie says that Butler went underground after he left Reiden, and has been blackmailing them since, donating the money to people who have been wronged by Reiden. Then they are visited by FBI Agent Ben Shaffer, who they encountered in the previous episode. He wants to know what they are up to and the connection to Reiden Global – he knows the company was hacked and that Jamie received the information.
Consequently, Shaffer ends up accompanying Jackson and Jamie once they find Butler’s location. Although it’s more the other way around. Shaffer wants to arrest Butler, but Jackson wants to speak to Butler first. Shaffer does seem rather more flexible than might be though up to now. Leo is more than a little paranoid, probably for good reason.
Abraham is uncertain about flying into Rio, having been on a plane that was knocked out of the sky by them in “The Silence of the Cicadas”. Mitch points out that they won’t have a problem until they start their descent. At which point it seems they do have a problem.
The locals in Rio have ruled out rabies, and are planning to use an insecticide on the bats, one that is usually banned as it affects everything. The bats are definitely acting really oddly, and people are worried. Mitch wants to examine them, but it looks like the bats have a plan again – going for the power once more.
There is a side plot about an young girl in Boston who has an assistance dog whose relevance doesn’t become clear until later, and which opens up new possibilities, and new things are found out about Reiden.