Documentary naturalist Ian James and his assistant Yuri Lapiniks go out into the swamp to release South American frogs with poison capable of killing an alligator. Yuri complains that Ian is endangering the ecosystem to get a headline, but Ian tells him to release the other frogs. After a moment, Yuri does so.
The next day, Tressa returns from South America and stops by to visit Will at the house. Ian pulls up in a limo and Tressa recognizes him. She changes her clothes and comes back, and Ian explains that he’s filming a new documentary and they told him that he could rent a room there. Tressa immediately agrees and Will goes to help Yuri bring the luggage into the house.
That night, Swamp Thing finds the dead alligator.
Over dinner, Ian describes his travels Yuri suppresses a yawn and excuses himself. Will asks Ian if he had a chauffeured limo in Africa, and Ian excuses himself. Tressa snaps at Will, wondering why he’s rude, and Will figures that Ian is up to something. She and Ian have brandy in the living room, and Tressa explains that she’s been following leads to locate Jim. Ian gives her the name and number of a man he knows in Venezuela who can help her, and Tressa thanks Ian for his help. They kiss, but then Tressa pulls away and says that it’s going too fast. He says that he’s learned not to let special moments slip away, but Tressa leaves.
Swamp Thing finds a necklace in the swamp and says that it can’t be.
The next day, Ian films his documentary as Will looks on. A taxi pulls up and Ian tells Will that it’s his network liaison, Mark Steinman. He sends Will and Yuri to get some pickup shots, and goes back to Houma with Mark. Mark points out that Ian has been running up costs on four continents without providing any footage. Ian refuses to explain what he’s footing, and Mark tells him that they will not put up with any more expenses. The naturalist tells him to go back to his office and go along for the ride.
Later back at the house, Tressa tells Ian that she’s neither desperate, lonely, nor easy prey. Ian offers to take her out to dinner and apologize, and Tressa agrees. He then begins filming talking about predators and prey in the swamp. They find the dead alligator and Swamp Thing watches from the shadows. Ian opens the alligator’s mouth to see what killed it and finds the frog inside. He says that it shouldn’t be there and talks about only exposure to extreme heat can kill the frogs. A locked-down camera captures Swamp Thing on film, while Ian finds more frogs. He tells Yuri to move in closer to get them on camera, and one of the frogs jumps from a leaf onto Yuri’s bare arm. Ian insists that it wasn’t on Yuri long enough to hurt him, but Yuri says that it’s all Ian’s fault and walks off.
Ian tells Will that he’ll teach him how to film. Will wants to know what Yuri meant and why there’s been no evidence of the frogs before. Later back at the house, Ian reviews the locked-down camera’s footage and sees Swamp Thing in the shadows. He vows to milk his new subject for everything he’s worth.
A few days later, Ian asks Will if he’s ever heard of legends of strange creatures. Will claims that there aren’t any. After Ian goes in to check on Tressa, Tressa comes out and assures Will that she’s in control. She leaves, and Will finds the case that Ian put the frogs in hidden in the bushes. There are two frogs inside, and Will realizes that Ian brought them. Swamp Thing steps out and says that the swamp is in danger. He figures that he has to find a way to stop them, even though it may weaken him. Will tells his friend that Ian asked about swamp creatures, and they figure that Ian captured Swamp Thing on film. Will says that he’ll find the video tape and destroy it.
The next day, Will prepares to go out with Ian. Tressa calls Ian over and says that Will found the case with the frogs. Ian claims that he got them for comparison, but Tressa points out that he didn’t have them when he arrived. He tells Tressa that she got what she wanted and walks away.
Swamp Thing uses his powers to raise the temperature and kill the frogs. Soon, Ian finds the frogs dead on the ground. He goes on ahead and Swamp Thing confronts him. Swamp Thing says that Ian has violated the swamp and now Ian answers to him. He destroys Ian’s camera and demands his bag. A storm comes up, and Swamp Thing tells Ian that the swamp won’t let him go. Ian runs back to Will, who figures that he saw Swamp Thing. Will grabs the bag and Ian clubs him unconscious.
As Ian gets to the limo, Tressa comes out and demands an explanation. He says that he got what he wanted and has the chauffeur drive him to the airport. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing finds Will and makes sure that he’s okay.
Back in LA, Ian tells Mark that he’s going to make him eat his insults. Mark points out that Ian’s last few exposes have been nothing, and tells Ian to put up or shut up. Ian calls the president of the bank and tells them to transfer the $500,000 in escrow back to the network. He takes out the video and discovers that it’s been destroyed. Mark smiles and tells Ian to get out.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 29, 2017