Season 3: Episode 12: "The Sound of Snow"

Written by Patrick Harbinson

Directed by Paul Shapiro

Airdate: February 5, 1999

Guest Stars: Jessica Tuck (Alice Severin); Trevor White (Doug Scaife)

"The Sound of Snow" provides some closure to the end of Season 2, which ended with the apocalyptic Marburg virus taking the life of Catherine Black. The story centers on cassette tapes containing white noise that causes listeners to die suddenly. Of added interest, the episode is a reunion of sorts with Megan Gallagher reprising her role as Catherine and Stephen James Land returns Det. Bob Geibelhouse of the Seattle PD.

A young woman is driving and listens to her tape player playing white noise and has visions of a drowning boy in the ice and then gets hit by a car. A designer listens to a tape as his apartment catches fire spontaneously. Frank also receives tapes and has visions of Catherine. He's eventually led back to his old house in Seattle, now painted blue. Including "Dark End of the Street" performed by James Carr was a nice touch. The current owner has a tape that was sent to Frank, which lead him back into the place where Catherine died.

We learn from Geibelhouse the Marburg outbreak only killed 80 people and there was a media induced panic as it began to spread. Frank still carries survivor's guilt. In the woods he "reunites" with Catherine in a dream state induced by the White Noise, where they confess their love for each other. Frank is found in the woods and revived. The tapes are traced to a recording studio that's connected with the Millennium Group, prompting to Frank to wonder if they sent the tapes to him. 

Themes of healing and hope in the aftermath of trauma punctuate season three Millennium, a throughline in "Omerta" and "Borrowed Time." "The Sound of Snow" allows Frank - and the audience - some belated solace in the aftermath of the previous season. The acting, direction, and pacing are as usual first-rate.