Season 3: Episode 17: "Darwin's Eye"

Written by Patrick Harbinson 

Directed by Ken Fink

Airdate: April 16, 1999

Guest Stars: Tracy Middendorf (Cass Doyle); John Beasley (James Hollis): Peter Simmons (Joe Doherty)

Frank Black and Emma Hollis investigate a young woman, Cass Doyle, who escaped from an asylum and then persuaded a cop to help her go on the run. The episode also introduces Hollis's father, James, who is struggling with Altheimer's Disease. 

Cass was institutionalized for killing her parents and murdered and beheaded an orderly at the asylum. She convinces Deputy Doherty of her innocence and muses on the machinations of Darwin's natural selection, specifically the mysteries of the human eye.

Hollis seems especially intrigued with the case, noticing images of wild palms in Cass's cell, noting they are symbols used by special forces in the military. Hollis's father worked for the defense industry and often creates haunting images connected to his time in the service, specifically palm trees enveloped by mushroom clouds. Evidence leads Frank to conclude Cass was sexually assaulted by father and the orderly at the asylum, who also served in the military. They track Cass down to a motel where she has apparently killed Doherty, found caressing his severed head.

In what appears as a standard case of tracking down a fugitive becomes a story about violence against women by men entrusted with being guardians of national security. Cass took revenge on the men who abused her and suffered for it, her own life was destroyed by the very men she was supposed to trust. The theme of national security and gender and the trauma passed down from generations is powerful one, which the script might've developed just a bit more.

"Darwin's Eye" tells a suspenseful and fast paced story Millennium did so well. Yet I sense a weariness creeping into the series as the third season entered its final stretch, the storylines are starting to feel stale, the series seemed to be struggling to find its identity after two seasons of powerful stories. Should the series simply focus on crime stories each week? Does the mythology of the Millennium group need more backstory? Or is the group now mostly irrelevant? Humor also seems to be lacking, which despite all the dark places Millennium went, seems mostly absent in the third season, the episode featuring Kiss being an exception. 

The streaming era allows TV shows to plot out their seasons and develop mythology. Millennium did not have that luxury, the late 90s was still ruled by the dictates of network television. One wonders if Millennium arrived too soon and whether such an ambitious series was better suited for a streaming format. We'll never know.