Season 3: Episode 18: "Bardo Thodol"

Written by Virginia Stock and Chip Johannessen

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: April 23, 1999

Guest Stars: James Hong (Monk); Tzi Ma (Dr. Takashi)

"Bardo Thodol" continues to explore the nefarious nature of the Millennium Group, while also marking a turning point in Frank's spiritual journey. 

The story follows Japanese scientist Dr. Takashi who worked for the group and is now undergoing a deadly disease decaying his body. On the run, he takes refuge in a Buddhist temple where he's slowly dying. James Hong guest stars as monk seeing to his care. Meanwhile Hollis leads a raid on a merchant ship where they discover frozen hands aboard. Watts also takes an interest in the case, offering guidance to Hollis, while FBI Director McClaren prefers Frank be left out of the loop. 

Frank tracks down Takashi to the temple, while Hollis connects his work to a health care company. While it's never explicitly spelled out, Takashi's work appears to deal with regenerating human tissue. A henchman for the group also finds the temple, but Takashi die before he can be killed. Frank and Hollis attend his burial on a snowy mountain. 

The narrative of the episode is elliptical, almost to a fault. We learn that the group is deeply involved in fringe science, but their motives remain ambiguous. Are they trying to bring on the apocalypse? Survive it? Prevent it? Frank is weary enough to longer care, while Hollis seems both intrigued and frightened at their ultimate goals. 

John Kenneth Muir, scholar of Millennium, sees "Bardo Thodol" as key moment in Frank's character arc through three seasons. During the first season he observed and encountered so much death, suffered many personal losses in the second season, while in the third he continues to seek purpose despite the darkness:

In this episode, Frank's journey finally shifts from one of "seeing" to one, essentially, of "starting over." The lead monk (James Hong) speaks of "listening without distraction" and "setting aside perceptions." He suggests everything you experience is a but a projection of the mind." (411)

Healing and rebirth are major themes in the third season; Frank's weariness has given him a seasoned purpose. He's no longer thinking in terms of good and evil and saving the world from demonic darkness, he's been through it and survived. His purpose is to be there for Jordan, the struggle against evil continues but it's more internal. 

Work Cited:

John Kenneth Muir. "Bardo Thodol: The Third Season and a Unified Theory of Millennium." From Back to Frank Black: A Return to Chris Carter's Millennium. Edited by Adam Chamberlain and Brian A. Dixon.