The Money Plague begins with a forest ranger finding a skeleton suspended in a skydiving parachute hanging from a tree. He also finds a stack of money as well as a broken test tube nearby. The skeleton is believed to be that of an infamous hijacker who secured a ransom and ejected himself from a 747 five years prior but has not been seen or heard from since. Quincy (Jack Klugman) and Sam (Robert Ito) are called out to the field to conduct the autopsy but are quickly confronted with another problem as the forest ranger dies suddenly. As it turns out, the ransom money has been contaminated with the deadly Anthrax that the hijacker was carrying and they must work quickly to contain the poison and prevent an outbreak.
Although the premise is not very original as the story is based on the unsolved real life hijacking of a Northwest Airlines flight by D.B. Cooper in 1971, it remains pretty interesting and entertaining. If you also enjoy the episodes where Quincy goes out to a remote location to solve the crime, this is definitely one you will appreciate. There are some problems, though, in that it seemed a little far-fetched that the skeleton hung in the tree and nobody noticed for a full five years, also how did the paper money survive being out in the elements all of that time?
These issues aside, this is a pretty enjoyable Season 5 episode which most should find intriguing, especially the unsolved mystery buffs!