Thursday, December 22, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 17 "Siren"


Directed by Allen Coulter

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Air Date: March 20, 1998

Guest Star: Vivian Wu (Tamara Shui Fa Lee)

"Siren" explores some areas the show had not explored up to that point, but the plot takes a turn towards well worn territory in the journey of Frank Black, protagonist of the series.

The cold open is set aboard a cargo ship bound for Seattle that's smuggling people fleeing from China. Customs officials inspect the ship and find a woman chained in the cargo area, a woman the captain blames for several deaths onboard on the ship. Later on at the hospital, Jordan spots the young woman and informs Catherine the woman may help Frank at some point. Once informed, Frank and Lara begin to investigate mysterious occurrences aboard the ship.

In a brief exchange, Lara muses on the sacrifices and risks many take in coming to the United States, Frank observes "humans are drawn towards the light." If the 1990s was the Pax Americana, a period when immigration rates continued to rise, I feel like there was an opportunity explore the idea further. The episode never goes into xenophobic territory, the theme of immigration and changing American identity during the 1990s, gets set aside in favor of Frank's narrative.

Unable to discover any useful leads to the woman's identity, Frank questions her at the hospital. She speaks English and seems to know everything about Frank's past. After leaving, Frank sees her on the highway and stops his car, but notices she's vanished. Then in what turns out to be visions, Frank imagines an alternate life when he's reconciled with Catherine and not associated with the group, a vision that ends with a terrifying image. Many make comparisons to It's a Wonderful Life, but The Last Temptation of Christ also comes to mind. 

Frank's frequent agonizing over whether he's doing what's right for his family has been a sustaining theme, but here it starts to feel a bit repetitive. An uneven entry, but worth watching for Frank's vision of an alternate reality. 

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 16 "Roosters"


Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Air Date: March 13, 1998

Guest Star: R. G. Armstrong (The Old Man); Phillip Baker Hall (Group Elder)

"Roosters" picks up right after "Owls" and while remarkably plot heavy for a one-hour network TV show, it moves with confidence towards a satisfying conclusion. 

Secular vs religious worldviews are a main theme, partly causing the division from within the group. We learn the secularists are convinced an "astronomical event" in the mid-21st Century will destroy the planet. We also learn the group is privy to technological advancement long before the public becomes aware. In addition to the eschatology and secrecy, the Nazi element introduced in "Owls" is revealed to be a "third party" remnant of the Odessa Group, the alleged group of ex-Nazis who gathered after Germany's defeat, who are working to divide the group. There's a lot to process!

Where is Frank Black in all this? Alienated from the group for good reason, he discovers Catherine's new employer is front for the Odessa Group in a gambit to get to him (this felt a little thin). While Nazis always make for an easy villain, the idea that fascism remaining a malignant and dangerous force in the world sadly still resonates. 

Lending even more dramatic weight to the episode are guest stars R.G. Armstrong and Phillip Baker Hall. Both serve as stabilizing figures who suggest the goals of the group aren't necessarily nefarious. In an effective closing scene Baker receives the true cross and tucks it away in his bookcase, no dialogue, just effective non-verbal acting.

The denouement feels like an homage to The Godfather with the group exacting righteous justice on the Odessa Group. Now reunited, not unlike the Allies who came together in WWII to defeat fascism, the fissure within the group appears to be healed - for the moment.  

An intriguing story, "Roosters" steered Millennium into the apocalyptic momentum of the second season. At the same time, the story of Frank and his family gets lost in the shuffle, placing the series at a creative crossroads.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 15: "Owls"


Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Air Date: March 6, 1998

Guest Star: R. G. Armstrong (The Old Man)

"Owls" was the first of a two-part story that would conclude with "Roosters." In full world building mode, the episode brings to light the split within the Millennium Group. The divide goes back to the group's origins, a debate over how the apocalypse will occur. The Owls believe there will be a disaster brought on by the natural world (secularists), while the Roosters believe it will be a theological event, the return of Christ. Fast paced and never boring, "Owls" borders on narrative incoherence at times, yet takes the series mythology to another level. 

The Magoffin of the episode is no less than the actual cross of the crucifixion. In Damascus, there's a shootout over the cross between the Owls and Roosters which inflames the inner turmoil. It's believed that whoever possesses the cross will be invincible - very Raiders of the Lost Ark in concept. In addition, descendants of the Nazis are also involved and seeking the cross, further complicating the group's history with Occultism. Meanwhile, Catherine accepts a counseling job with a company that's apparently a front for Nazis.

Meanwhile, Frank remains suspicious about the group and has another confrontation with Peter, clashing over the Group's increasingly intrusive and secretive methods. Peter expels Lara from the group when he discovers her name on the list of a Rooster. 

Between all the cloak and dagger going on, there's a set piece when a group member is assassinated while driving set to America's "Horse with No Name." A cool sequence, but with a character we're completely unfamiliar with so it lacks any emotional impact. Then a fake cross is left with him, adding to the narrative confusion.

"Owls" exemplifies the strengths and weaknesses of Millennium's second season. All the intrigue involving history and mythology seems to anticipate the potboilers of Dan Brown and more unnervingly the mass proliferation of bad historical analysis on shows like Ancient Aliens. Yet the promise of a truly epic story arc yields a steady fascination even though it feels like the main characters are getting lost in all the intricate plotting. 

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 14: "The Pest House"


Directed by Allen Coulter

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

Air Date: February 27, 1998

Guest Star: Melinda McGraw (Dr. Stoller)

"The Pest House" takes place mostly in a mental institution, taking the familiar horror movie premise of a mad killer on the loose in a hospital and attempts to turn it inside out. The show begins with a play on the lover's lane urban legend of a teenage couple getting murdered by an escaped mental patient. Frank and Peter suspect the crime was connected to a nearby asylum which holds a man who committed similar offenses. Their investigation predictably leads them towards a supernatural resolution. 

Episode director Allen Coulter skillfully used the hospital setting to create a creepy atmosphere with some moments of levity. The meta-horror quality of the episode was also much in vogue with the 1990s, especially Wes Craven's Scream released a few years before. At the same time the episode felt a bit labored and repetitive with an anti-climatic conclusion. Also, "The Pest House" is a stand alone episode existing outside the main arc of the season, somehow making the stakes seem lower. If the episode had leaned a little more into the comical direction of a previous episode like "Jose Chong's Doomsday Defense", the concept may have worked a little better.

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 13: "The Mikado"


Directed by Roderick J. Pridy

Written by Michael R. Perry

Air Date: February 6, 1998

Guest Star: Allan Zinyk (Roedecker)

In 1998 the epochal shockwave of the internet was just starting to enter into television plot lines. People still tweet about Sandra Bullock ordering a pizza online in the 1995 thriller The Net as a landmark moment. "The Mikado" introduced the idea of murders being committed on the web as performance art for an audience of voyeurs to watch. On the DVD commentary track the episode's writer Michael R. Perry talked about wanting to explore the dark side of technology and what form it might take on the web. During the late '90s cultural pundits spoke in Utopian terms about the "information superhighway" ushering a new era of transparency and freedom. The prescience of the episode goes without saying.

"The Mikado" begins with three teenage boys looking for online pornography. They stumble upon a website and instead witness the murder of a young woman tied to a chair. With law enforcement overwhelmed with calls by online witnesses to the supposed murder, Frank Black and Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) are called into to lead the investigation. Frank believes the killings are not only real but possibly the work of the "Avatar" killer who once terrorized San Francisco (inspired by the Zodiac killer). Frank even worked on the case during his time with the FBI and is haunted by his failure to capture the killer.

A curious aspect of the episode is that Frank must work primarily from behind a screen. Frank and Peter go on 1998 style zoom calls with local law enforcement, Frank feels especially constrained by relying on screens and web searches. After many clues point to San Francisco, Frank travels there and comments upon the liberating feeling of back in the field where he can use his gifts. But the "Avatar" killer manages to evade Frank once again.

Henriksen and Quinn are at their methodical and stoical best, using their investigative skills to navigate a case involving technology and the past. Allan Zinyk as Rodecker proved to be an effective third member of the team. Unfortunately, "The Mikado" would be his final appearance. The actor brought a much needed comic relief to Millennium

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 12: "Luminary"


Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Written by Chip Johannessen

Air Date: January 23, 1998

Guest Star: Brion James (Sheriff Bowman)

Partly inspired by the Jon Krakauer book Into the Wild about a privileged young man who decided to explore the Alaska wilderness (also a 2007 film), "Luminary" follows Frank going to Alaska to find a missing young man against the wishes of the Millennium Group.  

The episode opens with a rare view into the inner workings of the group. Peter Watts leads Frank to a room where senior members are seated in a circle and request Frank to sit in the center. They ask him accusatory questions about his methods and the negative effect on his personal life. On an evening outing to a planetarium with Catherine and Jordan, Frank is introduced to the Glasers whose son recently disappeared. Frank takes an interest in the case after visiting their home and decides to search for Alex.

Frank pursues his search and comes into psychic communication with Alex. After some red herrings (a body is found), Frank finds him, after a harrowing journey Frank gets Alex to the hospital only to learn Alex left overnight. Frank connects the young man's quest to the Italian writer Petrarch climbing Mount Ventoux, an event connected to the start of the Renaissance. Peter informs Frank that he passed the first "election."

The first scene exposes the cultish structure of the group and Peter's evolving role from mentor to antagonist with Frank, even though their friendship appears to be repaired by the end of "Luminary." The episode meanders at times, never quite reconciling its disparate plot elements. We never get to know Alex except through some hokey narration, betraying his naivete through some banal observations. The astrology motif suggests a connection to ancient history, but never pays off either. Yet the hopeful tone at the end suggests the possibility of a future.


Saturday, June 18, 2022

Millennium Season 2: Episode 11: "Goodbye Charlie"


Directed by Ken Fink

Written by Richard Whitley

Air Date: January 9, 1998

Guest Star: Tucker Smallwood (Steven Kiley)

Opening Quote: Let us go in; the fog is rising. - Purported last words of Emily Dickinson

"Goodbye Charlie" is an outlier Millennium episode in that it takes a sympathetic approach towards the story's antagonist. Frank and Lara are sent to investigation recent "murders" of people who have one thing in common: they are all terminally ill. 

"Steven Kiley" is well played by Tucker Smallwood, a veteran TV and film actor. We are introduced to him on the prologue. Set in a motel room he's singing "Seasons in the Sun," the unlikely 1974 hit by Terry Jacks about the death of a friend. It's clear he's administering a lethal injection to a man on the bed. Later it's revealed he's helping people end their lives, even creating a peaceful scene, perhaps taking inspiration from the death room in Soylent Green. We later see him working at a crisis hotline and as a hospital nurse. 

The episode is asking, how American society handles death. Steven feels he's doing humane work by providing mercy to those who are suffering. He's also violating many laws. When Frank and Lara finally get him in for questioning, he and Frank engage in a perplexing debate. Tim argues end of life care in America is nothing more than a cash grab for doctors. Frank replies:

What if everything you're saying could be proved, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt. There is still the law. Without the law, there's chaos. The end of order is the end of the world.

Steven replies:

Obeying immoral laws is the end of the world.

While the episode never makes an issue of Steven being a Black man, his response to Frank speaks to how white and Black people view America's system differently. History has shown immoral laws aimed at African Americans continue to plague America from its inception to the present. 

The episode ends with Steven evading any capture, Lara and Frank are left wondering why the group sent them on this case. Frank concludes it was not a question of right and wrong, but whether Steven was from heaven or hell.

Perhaps a trite observation, but it's clear Steven views himself as doing good in defiance of an unjust system. In this case the health care system in America, a political debate of the 1990s that continues to rage today as medical costs continue to skyrocket. There will always be individuals acutely aware of injustice that remains hidden to many, and some will take action. "Goodbye Charlie" asks how far should one go?

As an addendum Bobby Darin is referenced once again. Frank and Steven are both fans of his music, Steven spoke of Darin being ill from a heart condition his entire life and after a series of operations failed to help, he decided to refuse treatment and keep going until it gave out, living a dignified life. 

Anyway, as Frank observed, "Goodbye Charlie is a cool song."