Season 3: Episode 13: "Antipas"

Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: February 12, 1999

Guest Stars: Art Hindle (John Saxum); Sarah-Jane Redmond (Lucy Butler); Rachel Victoria (Divina Saxum)

"Antipas" featured the return of possibly Frank Black's most dangerous enemy - Lucy Butler. A demonic shapeshifter with evil powers; Lucy's infiltrated a wealthy family under the guise of being a nanny. Written by series show runners Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, "Antipas" captures the tone and style of the first season.

The episode begins with John and Una Saxum contemplating a run for Governor. Their daughter Divina appears to have behavioral issues, and she runs off into the woods and gets swallowed by a python but then appears beside her nanny. Lucy begins to bond with Divina and suggests she's her actual mother while trying to seduce her father. Wild dogs and mysterious strangers wander around the property in a visual callback to The Omen.

Meanwhile Hollis is investigating a series of brutal murders that appear unconnected. Frank takes over the case and comes upon the phrase "Antipas" which has connections to Satan and the Book of Revelation. He connects the term to a murder that happened near the Saxum's property (Antipas Gardens). Frank rightly suspects Lucy and advises the Saxum's to stay away from her, but John angrily sends Frank away.

Things get stranger when Frank dreams of Lucy having sex with him and then transforms into a demon, he then wakes up with marks on his wrist. Frank learns Una was murdered, and that Lucy might be shapeshifting as him. Lucy is detained for questioning, but her lawyer gets her freed along with odd accusations of Frank assaulting her. Freed after taking paternity tests, Frank goes back to the Saxum manor to help Hollis, and we discover John is dead from hanging and shapeshifters are chasing Hollis, one of whom takes the guise of Frank. In their escape Lucy gets hit by a car but survives, Frank visits her at the hospital where she threatens Jordan. 

A fast-paced episode, "Antipas" adds to the mythos of Lucy Butler. Did Frank's dream happen? Is she trying to convert Frank to evil? Evil likes to distort the truth, and that's her Lucy's line of attack here, to confuse and get inside Frank's head. Although she fails, the threat against Jordan is not to be taken lightly. As a story the episode works as Frank once again facing pure evil, and coming out with mixed results, a spiritual thriller in the best sense of the term. 

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. 

Season 3: Episode 11: "Collateral Damage"

Written by Michael R. Perry

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: January 22, 1999

Guest Stars: Art Bell (himself); Jacinda Barrett (Taylor Watts) James Marsters (Eric Swan)

Millennium revisits the riff between Frank Black and Peter Watts, when Frank is pulled into a frantic investigation to locate Peter's kidnapped daughter Taylor (Jacinda Barrett). The episode continues to reveal the Millennium Group as secretive and nefarious, tying them to the Gulf War syndrome and use of biological agents on American personnel. 

College students hanging out at the bowling alley are accosted by a group of men and Taylor is taken hostage. She awakes in a terrifying examination room and is put through psychological torment by her abductor Eric Swan (James Marsters). Meanwhile the FBI rushes to investigate the kidnapping, which is given special attention since Watts once worked for the bureau. At the same time, the Group is also doing a parallel investigation of their own. Frank reluctantly agrees to help Peter despite their frayed friendship. 

They connect the abductor to frequent calls he made to Coast to Coast AM then hosted by Art Bell about the government cover-up after the Gulf War. Bell appears as himself, prompting Swan to call in, allowing the call to be traced. Taylor is rescued, just before she broke her restraints and killed Swan with a deadly neck blow. Watts admits the Group was behind the use of biological weapons on American troops. In the final scene, Taylor questions her father at family dinner on whether Swan was correct and gets no answer.

"Collateral Damage" is a fast-paced and suspenseful episode. All the characters are under a time crunch, and bring the right intensity to the performances, especially Barrett and Masters who both went on to long careers in acting. Featuring Art Bell and his late-night radio show suggested the government paid close attention to Coast to Coast, or at least the show was influencing the fringes of pop culture. Bell confesses to Frank his audience will see him as the enemy since he works for the government. There's an irony there since the radio show under Bell's successor George Noory became a MAGA propaganda outlet. 

Which leads to deeper questions about the legacy of TV shows like Millennium and The X-Files. Did they foster a conspiratorial worldview on its audience? Granted, the "paranoid style" has always been a part of the American parlance. Pop Culture of the 1990s leaned into the kitschy side of pop culture with TV Specials like Alien Autopsy, yet the mythos of Millennium suggested secret societies were manipulating history.   

The notion makes for great fiction with world weary protagonists (Frank Black) trying to unravel the mystery. Developing critical thinking skills is a must for unraveling mysteries (and fostering democracy) and making sense of the unknown, a mass populace lacking in these skills will unknowingly fall prey to bad conspiracy thinking. In that sense, Millennium was a smart TV series that never talked down to its audience. It raised great questions and it was never afraid of ambiguity. We need smarter shows like Millennium today! 

Season 3: Episode 10: "Borrowed Time"

Written by Chip Johannessen

Directed by Dwight Little

Airdate: January 15, 1999

Guest Star: Eric Mabius (Samiel)

"Borrowed Time" has a strong emotional core at the center of its story, namely, the bond between Frank and Jordan, but struggles with clarity. The two plot threads involve a young man named Samiel who appears to be an angel of death, tracking down people who survived near death experiences. 

The cold open suggests a link to a train wreck and near-death survivors. Frank and Agent Hollis discover two strange deaths where the victim appeared to drown despite being on dryland. Meanwhile, Jordan becomes seriously ill with a fever similar to one she had before. Frank becomes aware of Samiel's proximity to the recent deaths and spots him spying on Jordan's hospital room. When Samiel's taken in for questioning, Frank reacts violently towards him, certain Samiel is trying to harm Jordan. In a twist of fate, as Jordan is crashing, we go back to the train wreck and witness Samiel drown. Then Jordan is miraculously saved. She tells Frank she spoke to Catherine, and they were happy. 

Henricksen provides some of his most emotional acting in the series to date, pleading with God to save Jordan and the lengths he will go to protect her. As a spiritual thriller, the episode hints at intriguing ideas that simply needed more development, specifically the concepts of cheating death and living on borrowed time. 

These ideas of fate are a major part of Western literature, starting with the Bible all the way to the age of existentialism. Dostoyevsky famously was hours away from execution until his sentence was commuted, how does going from a state of certain death to a future of limitless potential change us? In Star Trek II, to paraphrase Captain Kirk, the way approach death is just as important as how we approach life. Shatner even wrote a song on the theme "You'll Have Time." It's even a throughline in Millennium, expressed through Frank's admiration for Bobby Darin, who lived his life with a heart ailment knowing he would die young. 

If only the episode had tapped more into the existential edges of the script. Placing Jordan in peril made for high drama but also muddled the themes. Taking Jordan away from Frank would be an awful act of cruelty, and that's where the episode directs the audience. More focus on the idea of "borrowed time" would raise even more profound philosophical issues with an emotional core, minus putting Frank through an emotional ringer. 

Season 3: Episode 9: "Omerta"

 

Written by Michael R. Perry

Directed by Paul Shapiro

Airdate: December 18, 1998

Guest Star: Jon Polito (Eddie Scarpino Giannini)

"Omerta" stands as one of the strangest episodes of the series (in a good way). It's like a hybrid of Miller's Crossing and a Hallmark Christmas movie. You read me right.

The episode begins with Mafioso Eddie (Polito) about to be executed by his buddies in the woods playing out like a scene from The Sopranos. There's a hint of mysticism in the scene, which will come into play later. 

Meanwhile, Frank and Jordan are Christmas shopping. Frank notices Jordan eyeing other Moms with their kids and they have a talk about the loss of Catherine - something the season's spent little time addressing. They decide to spend the holiday in Vermont for a change of scenery. As expected, strange things are already afoot when a half-naked man is wandering around muttering to himself. The local authorities reach out to Frank for help. Even on Xmas vacation he cannot escape from work!

The man relates a story of being attacked by a wolf in the woods, believing his wounds to be mortal. Then he woke up in a cave with two beautiful women are nursing him back to health through "feminine energy." Hollis joins Frank to investigate the strange case. In their investigation of the woods, they find Eddie alive despite the fact he was shot several times. Eddie is brought in and confesses to his crimes as a contract killer, but his whereabout for the past nine years are a mystery. 

Two women are also discovered living in the woods, Rose and Lhasa. They cannot speak and appear to have healing powers. Eddie confesses Rose and Lhasa saved his life and he's apparently been living in the cave with them. The women also bond with Jordan and comfort her about losing Catherine. The FBI hopes to use Eddie as a witness, but his old cronies come back to town and end up shooting Lhasa. She survives and the doctors arrange to have her moved to a specialist for surgery. As they are leaving in the ambulance, Eddie is driving and there's an explosion. The episode ends with three of them reunited at a cabin.

There are many urban legends of women with special powers who live apart from society in the forest. The episode never spells out the mystery of Rose and Lhasa, but I suppose it's unnecessary since our collective unconscious will grasp it. I like how the episode focused on Frank and Jordan, adding a theme of healing and understanding the season desperately needed. Polito brought a humanistic dimension to the episode in a memorable guest shot. Also, the Pagan themes intertwined with this Christmas tale gave the episode something unique for television - then and now.  

Season 3: Episode 8: "Human Essence"

Written by Michael Duggan

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: December 11, 1998

"Human Essence" begins with Hollis being asked to clear her desk after testing positive for a drug test. Frank supports her and objects to the bureau not giving her a chance to explain, but he's taken aback when the drug test was for heroin. 

The cold open revealed a flop house hotel in Vancouver where addicts are becoming something inhuman with deformed faces and glowing eyes. Hollis learns her half-sister Tamara, a struggling addict, was at the den and sent her a sample of the tainted drug, accounting for the positive test. Hollis travels to Vancouver to help her sister and find the truth the behind the dangerous drug on the streets. She confronts dealers who physically attack her. 

Frank soon arrives and discovers links pointing to the Asian drug trade. The heroin has been poisoned and Frank finds connections linking the US Army to the experiments. He confronts his supervisor McClaren (Stephen E. Miller) about complicity between drug experimentation and the U.S. government. 

Although subject matter feels more like the X-Files, the pacing and action scenes are all well executed. 

Season 3: Episode 7: "Through a Glass Darkly"

Written by Patrick Harbinson

Directed by Thomas J. Wright

Airdate: November 13, 1998

Guest Star: Tom McCleister (Max Brunelli)

"Through a Glass Darkly" returns to familiar territory for Millennium, a modern variation of a Grimm's Fairy Tale. The story deals with a man being released on parole 20 years after being convicted of murdering a child. When Brunelli, a born again Christian, returns to his hometown outside of Portland it brings fear and confusion. When he's spotted in the woods interacting with a young girl who disappeared, he's once again the prime suspect. 

Frank Black and Agent Hollis begin investigating and question whether Brunelli is responsible. To avoid a direct spoiler, it turns out there's a hidden evil in the town living in plain sight. Like a fairy tale, most of the key action in the episode takes places in the woods or in houses. It's also a tale of how those of status can take advantage of those who lack it, the privileged passing on their sins to low status people. 

As a self contained episode, "Through a Glass Darkly" brings suspense and even hope in the face of bleak subject matter. At the same time, it does feel like an outtake from the first season. Nothing in the episode, except a scene with Jordan having a nightmare, does much to advance the mythos of the series or to develop the characters. But the twist is clever and believable.