Love Kills, an episode from The Sentinel's third season, reintroduced Jim Ellison to an old lover, Lila Hobson (Musetta Vander), whom he had not seen since a much-needed leave in Bali following his retrieval from his eighteen-month-long ordeal in the jungles of Peru. When joined at his desk by partner Blair Sandburg, Ellison quietly recounts his brief interlude with the exotic brunette. Lila, according to Ellison, "could have been 'the One,'" had she not abruptly departed Bali, leaving him to wonder what had gone wrong.

Their chance meeting on a Chinatown sidewalk is almost immediately followed by the discovery of a murdered Buddhist monk. The unusual triangular stab-wound on his neck does not seem severe enough to account for the rapidity of his demise, which is as puzzling as it is unsettling. Ellison, naturally, is given the case. The discovery of a second dead monk, found clutching a string of prayer beads, sends Ellison to the Emergency Room when the beads turn out to be saturated with opium. The second monk, like his partner, proves to have been killed with a potent neurotoxin and the wound on his neck turns out to have been caused by a similar three-sided blade. Further clues lead Ellison and Sandburg to an undercover stakeout in a dark alley where the mysterious killer strikes again.

As the investigation progresses, Ellison tracks down the elusive Lila and for a time, rekindles their romance. Ellison begins to suffer a series of debilitating "sensory spikes" and eventually he and partner Blair Sandburg realize the spikes are connected to Lila Hobson -- a subconscious warning that the exotic Lila is not all she seems. Lila is a trained Triad assassin sent to Cascade to dispatch the monks, who are actually renegade opium smugglers. When Ellison gets between Lila and her target, she flees, leaving the job unfinished. Her boss, angered by her failure, orders her to kill Ellison to prove her loyalty both to him and to the Triad Syndicate. In the end, Lila refuses to kill Ellison and sacrifices herself instead.

(Love Kills "screen grabs" courtesy of Starfox and Corinna)

** Chinatown Location Shoot -- "Love Kills" -- Feb 13th '98 **

LEFT: Much of the location work for the episode "Love Kills" was done in the Chinatown district of Vancouver. Location work, especially on busy streets and sidewalks, involves lots of "hurry up and wait" time as scenes are prepped for shooting. Garett Maggart, Richard Burgi and Bruce Young are seen here chatting in front of a produce market while waiting for their next scene. (Photo: Sherry Zoeller)

RIGHT: Filmed in mid-February '98, "Love Kills" introduced Sentinel viewers to another of the Ellison femmes fatales -- Lila Hobson, who Ellison met and romanced on R&R after his retrieval from Peru. Lila is somehow linked to the chain of murders which begin in a limousine literally around the corner from the spot where Garett, Richard and Bruce are chatting. (Photo: Sherry Zoeller)

LEFT: The paper in Richard's hands is a reduced-size photocopy of the script pages to be filmed during this particular work day. Referred to as "sides," the pages consist of the day's call sheet and the scenes to be shot. Sharp-eyed Sentinel viewers will recognize the tail end of Capt. Banks' Chrysler LHS. (Photo: Sherry Zoeller)

RIGHT: Meanwhile, a few steps down the road... The crew is almost ready for Garett, Richard and Bruce to begin filming their scenes. Long-time Sentinel Director of Photography, Tony Westman, can be seen at far right. (Photo: Sherry Zoeller)

LEFT: "Love Kills" called for night-time location work in a Vancouver back alley rather colorfully nicknamed "Needle Alley" due to its high content of drug use-related litter. Chuck Robinson, Sentinel Set Dresser and often unofficial fan shepherd, joined Richard and Garett for a quick photo between scenes. (Photo: Sherry Zoeller)