"The Offering" is the thirteenth episode of season 2 of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
After helping to negotiate a peace treaty to provide food and other supplies for land between the Cheyenne and the US Government, Dr. Mike and Sully unknowingly aid in giving typhus-infected blankets to the Cheyenne. Everyone is preparing to celebrate George Washington's birthday and Brian is practicing his lines for playing George Washington when he was a boy. After distributing the blankets to the reservation, Dr. Mike is called back because there is an illness spreading which she determines to be typhus. Michaela and Sully go to the reservation to help fight the disease, as many people are already dying. However, they are not able to get back to town because the army has quarantined the reservation and have orders to shoot anyone trying to come out. Meanwhile, Matthew, who also took one of the blankets to give to Ingrid, falls ill with typhus. Dr. Mike sends a note to the children tied to Wolf to let them know that they cannot return to the town and the whole town learns that Matthew has typhus and quarantines him, Colleen, Brian, and Horace in the clinic. Hank decides to plank up the clinic. Ingrid's little sister is sick and she brings her to the clinic and finds out Matthew also has typhus. The townspeople drive her away and Jake and Hank lead a group of men to burn down the immigrant camp and drive the immigrants away. Myra helps Matthew, Horace, Brian, and Colleen break out of the clinic so that they can take Matthew to Dr. Mike. Horace and Myra stay behind because soldiers are less likely to shoot children. Dr. Mike is able to convince the Cheyenne to burn their dead, contrary to their religious customs, so that less disease is able to be spread. The army comes to kick the Cheyenne off of their reservation but allow them to burn their dead. Sully and Dr. Mike take this opportunity to slip away and try to get to town. After being stopped by troops, Brian pretends to have typhus and the soldiers let them through. After convincing the Cheyenne to burn their dead, contrary to their religion and custom, the disease is finally dealt with. Matthew recovers but 45 Cheyenne die from the disease as well as Colonel Egan. George Washington's birthday is celebrated with a play and fireworks. Brian plays George Washington as a boy and Horace plays Abraham Lincoln and reads the Declaration of Independence.
This episode provides examples of:
- Due to the Dead: The Cheyenne struggle with the idea of burning the bodies of those who die of typhus, because it is contrary to their religious customs. Later, the army allows the Cheyenne time to burn their dead before it kicks them off the reservation.
- The Plague: Typhus, caused by the infected blankets given to the Cheyenne.
- Quarantine with Extreme Prejudice: Because of the typhus outbreak, the army has orders to shoot anyone trying to leave the reservation.
