Season 3: Episode 20: "Nostalgia"

Written by Michael R. Perry

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: May 7, 1999

Guest Stars: David Barerra (Sheriff Tommy Briggs); Ted Marcoux (Jerry Neilson)

On the surface, "Nostalgia" seems like serial killer of the week episode Millennium became known for during its first season. But Michael R. Perry's script experimented with the conventional formula in some compelling ways. The killer is revealed early in the episode, and the focus is more on the cultural climate of the community that allowed a killer to hide in plain sight.

Agent Hollis is nostalgic about returning to South Mill, a town she recalls fondly from her childhood. She and Frank are investigating the murder of a young woman Jan McCall and discover connections to deaths of other young women from the area. The concept of the idyllic Norman Rockwell small town masking an awful darkness is a recurring trope throughout the series, but here it's fleshed out without the usual irony. Agent Hollis and Frank quickly amass evidence pointing to the local park ranger Jerry, but Frank must get a confession.

We learn about the toxic culture among the police officers who seem more interested in bedding all the young women who come their way, especially those women who hang out at the local dive and have a "reputation." These women mean nothing to them, or to people in the community, who attribute the murders to drugs or their immoral lifestyles. But as Jerry confesses to Frank, these women are easy marks for predators like himself. No one misses them. 

As Emma interrogates cops, including a childhood friend, she learns her old hometown was not as wholesome as she remembered. Meanwhile, Frank, through subtle methods, becomes Jerry's confessor, even leading him to the location of one of the murders. By the end, Emma and Frank lament the darkness that seems to follow them but nevertheless accept their lot. 

As a throwback episode, "Nostalgia" allowed Henriksen and Scott to deliver compelling performance and even allow for some charming banter, with subtle and timely social commentary on toxic male culture before the term widely entered the parlance.