MILLENNIUM SEASON THREE ep 11 to 22 plus continuations and wrap up, and X FILES-S7 ep MILLENNIUM

 

MILLENNIUM season three 11-22 plus continuations

 

 

11   "Collateral Damage" Thomas J. Wright        Michael R. Perry      January 22, 1999        3ABC11 5.77[22]

Tensions resurface between Frank Black and former ally Peter Watts in a search for the latter's daughter, abducted by an Army vet with a grudge against the Millennium Group.

 

The rapport I thought the vet had with Watts’ daughter is non existent and so the impact felt less and less, though her being a tough girl was intelligent and a good move, no victim. The ties to the virus and Catherine continue and there’s a number of great moments, most of them shocking. The truth is this was better when it first aired for some reason, not sure what. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I wanted Peter redeemed in some way or to go the total opposite way but it didn’t happen either way really. While I’m coming to the conclusion, despite fans, that this is the best season with some of the best episodes, much of it feels rushed, or not followed through on.

 

 

 

Many of the episodes from here on, including this one and one or two before it, feel as if they could have based a whole season or a half season around these plots. A lot feels unfinished even at the end. The Lucy Butler stuff for instance. The Mabuis assassin for another. They might be one and the same? Who knows?

 

As usual, the acting is top notch. The actor who plays Watts and his the one who plays his daughter are excellent. It’s hard to watch the virus scenes, though.

 

 

 

57   12   "The Sound of Snow" Paul Shapiro        Patrick Harbinson    February 5, 1999 3ABC12 4.67[22]

Mysterious audio tapes trigger deadly hallucinations in the Seattle area, where Frank's investigation induces visions of his deceased wife, Catherine.

 

This could be the best episode and not just for brilliant set pieces (the crack in the ground as a woman experiences a snow storm where there is none; Frank chasing Catherine’s ghost, Frank’s return to the Yellow House again and seeing Catherine walk past him or was it through him; the entire premise) but for the acting, writing, plot, dialog and beautiful cinematography again. The music, too.

 

 

58   13   "Antipas"      Thomas J. Wright        Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz     February 12, 1999      3ABC13 4.57[23]

Frank Black's arch-nemesis Lucy Butler resurfaces as the prime suspect in a murder case that involves the supernatural and the demonic possession of a young girl.

 

 

Love this episode just because Lucy is so ironically sarcastically funny and villainous and dangerous all at once. Not sure they would ever do a villain who is devil/demon, female and male, in a sense a trans but not a trans again, nor should they really but this isn’t trans and this is more scary than anything else on MILL. It’s also very, very grim. Is the girl dead? Is she a part of Lucy? Rob Shearman’s book feels the sub plot about Frank being blamed for raping Lucy and Lucy pregnant is not expanded enough and maybe that is true but it’s shocking all the same.

 

Again, some great set pieces and love Emma’s character. She’s got a sense of humor that most of the others (Bob did so hope Emma doesn’t get killed; Peter sort of does so I sort of hope Emma doesn’t turn evil). The moment Frank runs down Lucy is a high point of the entire series but she lives!

 

We get one more glimpse of her in SATURN but maybe she is Mabus, too? Who knows? As usual, this is never expanded upon and never confronted again, which is why I feel that the episodes for this season (possibly ALL of them) could fill a lot more episodes or even a whole season if expanded upon or followed through upon. The season and the show overall is far too all over the place. Which also gives it its horror in a way. It feels entirely random a lot. And that’s scary. I just wish the continuity made sense. I mean we have Frank later saying or having already said that for the third time someone was trying to drive him mad (13 Years On) with the photographs and that there were two men doing so (or three?) but they’re dead?

 

 

59   14   "Matryoshka"      Arthur Forney      Erin Maher & Kay Reindl    February 19, 1999      3ABC14 4.57[23]

The suicide of an elderly ex-FBI agent leads Frank into a case that uncovers dark secrets and Bureau intrigue at the dawn of the atomic age.

 

This was better than expected and it’s shocking to see Barbara Bain having gotten so old from when she was in past series (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, SPACE:1999) but she does a great job here as a MILL member from long ago. There’s also something about Hoover covering up things (as he did in THE X FILES).

 

I forgot the whole thing with the daughter and that works, though the Group seems totally intent on being controlling and evil, experimenting on others and using even children in their schemes.

 

I also forgot the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing and not sure that was written well or executed well either but it should have been. Not as bad as most seem to think it is though.

 

 

60   15   "Forcing the End"       Thomas J. Wright        Marjorie David     March 19, 1999   3ABC15 4.08[23]

Leads in the abduction of a young pregnant woman from Brooklyn steer Frank and Emma to a mysterious plot hatched by a fanatical cult that is driven by Biblical prophecy.

 

Barbara’s daughter plays the abducted pregnant woman well and I feared she would be killed but wasn’t. The woman who was killed (stoned horribly) was a fool but it was a kind moment when the baby survives as the idiot who led the cult fell off the building.

 

 

So I’m also very confused here, Emma starts to become a believer in the Group’s predictions and Bible verse fears but FRANK (!) tries to convince her not to, there are no conspiracies everywhere!? WHAT?

There's also a neat movie quality (like all MILLENNIUM really) helicopter sequence that's thrilling. 

 

61   16   "Saturn Dreaming of Mercury"       Paul Shapiro        Chip Johannessen & Jordan Hawley     April 9, 1999        3ABC16 4.17[23]

Mystery surrounds Frank's new neighbors, a couple and their preteen son whose arrival coincides with erratic, often violent behavior by Frank's daughter Jordan.

 

This is also a very good episode for horror but again, it’s not fully explained, nor does it seem to follow through to itself or other episodes. Is the boy just Damian from THE OMEN? Was the girl in the previous Lucy episode? Is the boy Lucy’s dead son? Frank and Lucy’s dead baby? Or was that a girl?

 

Why does Jordan’s visions make her so…wild child?

 

What the heck is going on?

 

What was with those eyes?

 

 

 

 

62   17   "Darwin's Eye"    Ken Fink        Patrick Harbinson        April 16, 1999      3ABC18 3.68[24]

An escaped mental patient with a violent past has taken an apparently compliant hostage, and their elusiveness on the run stymies Frank and Emma.

 

Cassie is a moronic killer like the others. It’s not presented that way which is this episode’s shocking strength. She convinces hot bodied deputy Joe of her innocence, that “they” are out to get her. Is she right or wrong? Is MILL group involved? Either way, Joe is a moron, too, for helping her get away and the shocking moment when we see Cassie kissing his severed head… we still can’t believe that he’s been killed by her. It’s perhaps the most shocking moment in the entire three season run of the series. Barry was right about all of this.

 

 

63   18   "Bardo Thodol"   Thomas J. Wright        Chip Johannessen & Virginia Stock April 23, 1999      3ABC17        3.78[24]

Eerie discoveries haunt Frank and Emma on a case involving Asian mysticism, Millennium Group machinations and incredible biotechnological advances.

 

 

WTF?

 

Can someone please explain BARDO THODOL to me from start to finish? WTF? WTF was going on? How did everyone get to where they were? What was McLaren on about? Who sent the message to McLaren? Were the hands alive and growing clones? WHY is Mabius allowed to walk around killing scott free showing his face? Does Mabius ever get a comeupance in the series? Is he even human? What was Peter up to? Who sent the virus to Frank? Is Doug Millennium (apparentl not as the last two episodes see him as a trusted ally of Frank’s)? I'm so confused by this ep. While on this one, what is the deal with Emma's father and the palm trees in last episode and in the last two episodes of the series? How does that fit into the Palm Tree Hotel that killer moron Cassie and her dopey Joe went to?

 

Though Rob hates that Emma called Peter “Hey, bald man!” I loved it.

 

The young harbor patrol cop that questions Emma playfully is seen later with his throat cut by Mabus.

 

 

64   19   "Seven and One"        Peter Markle Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz     April 30, 1999      3ABC19 3.68[24]

Intimidations linked to a childhood trauma prey upon Frank Black, who is also beset by an ominous stalker—and by a hardened FBI agent who thinks he's gone over the edge.

 

Again, I’m totally confused. Frank is “done” with the FBI from his own stand point AND from McClaren’s? Yet, next ep he’s helping Emma (as a friend?) and then in the next he’s back at the FBI? What happened? What is going on?

 

Mabus is the shape changer? Is he Lucy? Is he a MILL monster? He’s also the agent in charge trying to get Frank accused?

 

Rob Shearman is right in that this could explore Frank from another POV but ends up being set pieces. COOL set pieces (the flooding bathroom where Frank is about to drown in is very cool and reminiscent of BORROWED TIME) but nevertheless set pieces.

 

Emma and Frank’s relationship feels solid here and unbreakable.

 

 

 

65   20   "Nostalgia"  Thomas J. Wright        Michael R. Perry        May 7, 1999 3ABC20 4.47[24]

A journey back to the town where she grew up is anything but a sentimental one for Emma Hollis, who is investigating a grisly serial-murder case with Frank and a sheriff she knew as a child.

 

Great episode but very, very disturbing. The whole bathtub scene I could do without. I wasn’t sure the killer was the killer though so that’s a sign of a good script. Again, the acting is top notch. One of the best episodes but hard to watch.

 

In fact, this show is exhausting and tough to get through because it so very dark and almost humorless.

 

 

 

66   21   "Via Dolorosa"    Paul Shapiro        Marjorie David & Patrick Harbinson      May 14, 1999       3ABC21 4.97[25]

On the trail of a copycat killer, Frank Black is haunted by memories of the original fiend, while Emma is distracted by the deterioration of her father, an Alzheimer's patient.

 

Clea Scott felt betrayed when she found out that Emma, after Barry dies in the end of this episode, is replacing Barry who was set to replace McClaren who is retiring, is used by the Group and Peter to take Frank out of the FBI…the Group need him somewhere else and doing for them. In return, the Group will heal Emma’s father of Alzheimers.

 

 

Frank rails against McClaren that he’s been against him the whole time he returned to the FBI here. From the sound of it and from what he says, it sounds like and seems like McClaren was NOT for the Group and didn’t understand any of what was going on at all. Despite Frank telling him in almost every other episode.

 

The way Emma’s predicament is set up, it’s hard to feel anything but sorry for her and to agree with her choices (“What was I supposed to do, he’s my father!”). Having been through something similar makes me feel MORE for her and her choice here but it's so coldly done. Scott felt betrayed that Emma betrays Frank but who knows where that might have gone in a season four. I feel that Emma would have protected Frank and Jordan and almost single handedly brought down that horrid Group.

 

I wish the Group wasn’t made evil. I wish that they made it clear that it was sects of splinter groups. It does not jive or gell well with the first season and maybe the first half of the second season either.

 

The whole murderer stuff here is disturbing but now are we to believe that the serial killers in the show are ALL made by the Group? Huh?

 

Is the first man who died in the chair in the opening the man who first drove Frank mad? Well, according to this, yes. I still don’t know if that jives with the pilot. That he wore goggles also makes me think of the home invasion episode in season one. I’m not sure but I think other killers wore such night vision goggles and also sent Frank pictures.

 

I’m still not sure of the continuity but…does it matter?

 

Frank is genuinely complimenting Barry on nice work so he’s doomed. Barry should have listened to Frank though I’m not sure waiting until daytime would have changed the outcome any? Would they have spotted the explosives sooner?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

67   22   "Goodbye to All That"        Thomas J. Wright        Ken Horton & Chip Johannessen   May 21, 1999       3ABC22        4.47[25]

An ongoing search for a serial killer is marked by bizarre occurrences—and the disclosure of Millennium Group experimentation with radical brain surgery. Frank and Jordan decide to go into hiding, while Watts suffers a gunshot wound to the head that happens offscreen.

 

The man ---the extremely hot man---that killed Barry in the ambulance last episode…he must be a Millennium Group member? Is that Mabus, too?

 

Peter, here, is a moron who doesn’t know the Group at all…or this part of the Group, which is presented as one entity. It must be a slap in the face to the Academy group that the first season based the MILL group on that they are evil and trying to bring about the end on their terms so they can control it.

 

I’m not sure but the implication in this episode (LOVE that Frank storms Peter’s dinner like JASON and MICHEAL in a horror movie as he smashed through the window with a chair and even the music sounds like HALLOWEEN music and not unlike the clip used on the TV set in THIRTEEN YEARS LATER) is that Peter’s wife is a MILLENNIUM spy and maybe SHE killed Peter.

 

We do not see Peter’s face in his “death” scene. We only see the shoes and legs of someone who is laying on the floor behind his desk. Was it him? Someone else? He’s escaped death before from the Group when we thought him dead (end of season two if you dare) so maybe he’s alive? Or maybe it’s someone else? Maybe it’s his wife? Her look to him seems to speak volumes that she’s a MILL member too and watching him. Did anyone else get that?

 

 

The killer being in Jordan’s room (was he or was that one of the MILL group members pretending it was him?) was absolutely terrifying. Our children and teenagers in danger is one of the scariest notions, maybe THE scariest.

 

It’s puzzling we are made to almost feel sorry for Barr as Frank gets him to NOT shoot the blind woman he’s been duping to be his girlfriend (or lover) and boxing her in literally in a house of another victim.

 

How did Frank know to tell Doug to focus on the one name in the yearbook from the names Barr used as an alias? Did I miss something? Frank’s gift (which is inconsistent too)? Or was that the name of a young man that didn’t show up for work from the lists?

 

Okay the last episode, HOW did Frank know which name to point out in Lucas Barr's yearbook to pinpoint the name Lucas was using and is that the dead man we see in the house with Barr at the start of the episode and in the closet at the end with the blind woman? Was there an indication of missing people from work or something?

 

Oh,and BTW, as mad as we might get at Emma (I didn’t get mad at her this time and the first time I didn’t believe it---I kept hoping to find out it was some ploy to get inside MILL group and stop them from within), it is easy to feel for her. She wants to help her ailing father (who seemed too young to have Alzheimers). Peter and the Group for their parts are evil…wanting something in return for the “cure”. AND then, Emma’s father is not grateful either, telling her she never should have agreed to their demands and done this. Nice, not nice.

 

 

For the record, unless anyone missed it (I sure forgot it) Emma seemed to NOT be taking the deal and the offer but found her father already taken out of the hospital. It was almost as if she was not going to betray Frank.

 

But it was too late to change that.

 

Peter’s warning to Frank (the file left in his car) probably saved Frank and Jordan’s life.

 

Peter’s catch phrase on his computer password is MY GOD IT’S FULL OF STARS which is from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Apparently, Rodecker set that up. Emma’s computer does not seem to have a verbal command password. Speaking of Rodecker, for all we know, he’s not a MILL group member now that Peter turned him down. Maybe Peter could have contacted him to get into the files?

 

The last scene as Frank and Jordan drive away in a sunlit road as the sun seems to be going down is lyrical and beautiful.

 

While I don’t agree that we have to put aside our thoughts and feelings and what we want (it’s the exact opposite to attract goodness into our lives), I do believe in some of what else Frank says about caring about others, though if we do not care about ourselves, we can’t truly care about others or the world at large.

 

 

 

There is this part though: (and while Peter says this, too, and so does Barr, the killer, this makes me wonder if Jordan’s been controlled in some way, too---is this the new MILL GROUP catch phrase?):

 

the last lines of the last MILLENNIUM episode, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT:

 

JORDAN: Which side wins, Daddy?

FRANK: That's what I'm saying. It's up to us.

JORDAN: We are all shepherds.

FRANK: Yes, honey. Yes, we are.

 

 

And so it ends.

 

Except…it didn’t. Fan fic made a virtual season four (two different ones, one of which is widely available, the others vanished, there may be THREE). There was also a virtual season five. And a six planned but cancelled. And a seventh nearly being planned.

 

Along the way, we also had an X FILES MILLENNIUM crossover comic book where Jordan joined the group. Not sure WHY she would ever do that.

 

I also wrote fan fic ideas: MILLENNIUM ON THE ROAD is a season four where Emma tries to help Frank and Jordan evade authorities and the Group’s evil version while they encounter supernatural occurrences and crime drama on the road. There was also a series that happened later on with Jordan in either junior or high school, encountering supernatural creatures ala BUFFY and gaining her own friends, one of them maybe the anti Christ who might turn on her. Both of these ideas are posted in my groups.

 

There was also a series about Jordan in the group or facing the group. It’s cheap and it is on You Tube. It might be called MILLENNIUM: APOCALYPSE and IS three short episodes. There is a book called BACK TO FRANK BLACK. It seems mostly factual.

 

 

MILLENNIUM AFTER THE MILLENNIUM is a dvd about the show.

 

Then there’s…THE X FILES episode MILLENNIUM. It’s not a bad  X FILE, sort of but not great either. It’s certainly NOT a good MILLENNIUM wrap up or episode either:

 

Also HOW could the X FILES do a MILL episode and get EVERYTHING so very wrong? Zombies? No real connection to the actual show? WHY do it then? It wasn't even a great zombie X FILE. WTF?

 

Here goes: from Wikipedia:

"Millennium" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 28, 1999. It was written by Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz and directed by Thomas J. Wright. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Millennium" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.1, and was watched by 15.09 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics; some felt that the episode's plot was creepy and engaging, while others felt that it was not a decent conclusion for the Millennium television series.

 

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, an associate of the Millennium Group—a secret society which believes the apocalypse will happen on the new year of 2000—resurrects the dead for use in bringing about the apocalypse. As a result, Mulder and Scully have to ask the help of criminal profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), a man who has former experience with the shadowy group, for assistance.

 

The episode serves as a crossover with the series Millennium, also developed by the creator of The X-Files, Chris Carter, and was meant to bring closure to the recently cancelled series. The writers had a difficult time coming up with a story that would successfully allow Frank Black and Mulder and Scully to cross paths. Lance Henriksen later expressed disappointment with the episode. The idea to use zombies had originally been slated to appear in an aborted project X-Files remake of George A. Romero's cult 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead. In addition, the episode is notable because it features the first romantic kiss between Mulder and Scully, described as "inevitable" by one critic. Thematically, the episode has been analyzed for its use of Biblical quotes from the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.

 

Plot

Background

Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), the protagonist of the series Millennium, is a freelance forensic profiler and former FBI agent who possesses the unique ability to see the world through the eyes of serial killers and murderers.[4] For the first two seasons of the show, Black worked for a mysterious consulting firm known as the Millennium Group.[5][6] He lived in Seattle with his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady).[7] During the first season, Black and the Group largely focused on various criminals.[5] However, during the second and third seasons, Black began coming into conflict with the Group, which appeared to contain demonic elements and was focused on the fulfillment of apocalyptic biblical prophecy at the start of the new millennium.[6][8] During the third season, Frank returned to Washington to work with the FBI following the death of his wife at the hands of the Group. In the third season finale, Black realized that the Group was preparing to come after him, and took Jordan from school as they fled Seattle.[8]

 

Events

In Tallahassee, Florida, on December 21, 1999, a memorial service is held for a former FBI agent named Raymond Crouch. His widow is approached by a mysterious man, Mark Johnson (Holmes Osborne), who claims to have worked with her husband. After the other mourners have left, Johnson returns to the funeral parlor, dons the corpse's clothes and places a cell phone in the coffin. One week later, Johnson is monitoring Crouch's grave when his phone rings; he walks towards the grave with a shovel.

 

Subsequently, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called in to examine Crouch's empty grave. They notice damage done to the interior of the casket; Scully theorizes that the scene was staged. A briefing is held by Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), who notes that Crouch is one of four former agents whose graves have been exhumed; all four men had committed suicide. Because of the presence of goat's blood encircling the grave, Mulder states that the crime was an act of necromancy. After the briefing, Skinner takes the agents aside and asks them to investigate Crouch's possible ties to the Millennium Group, which is now dissolved.

 

Mulder and Scully go to a mental institution in Woodbridge, Virginia, to visit Frank Black. Black is initially reluctant to help them, as he believes that any further involvement with the Group may hinder his custody battle for his daughter Jordan. When he finally agrees to assist, he explains that the four former members of the Group believe they can bring about the end of the world by killing themselves before the dawn of the millennium, acting as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Johnson is changing a tire on his truck when a deputy comes upon him. Discovering Crouch's body in the back, the deputy attempts to arrest Johnson but is attacked and killed by a suddenly reanimated Crouch.

 

Acting upon information from Black, Mulder concentrates on trying to find Johnson while Scully is attacked in the morgue by the dead deputy; Johnson saves her by shooting the deputy before disappearing. The two agents put all their effort in to finding Johnson before it is too late. Mulder breaks into his house but is locked in the basement and attacked by the four corpses of the FBI agents, managing to shoot and kill one of them. Black shows up; after tying up Johnson, Black shoots two of the zombies. As his gun runs out of bullets and death seems imminent, Scully arrives and shoots the final zombie, saving both men. Black returns to the hospital, arranging to have himself discharged. Scully informs Black that he has a visitor and brings in Jordan. Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is on television; Black and his daughter leave just before the countdown begins. As the clock strikes zero and the crowd begins to sing "Auld Lang Syne" on screen, Mulder and Scully kiss to ring in the new year.[3]

 

Production

Background

an older man with black glasses smiles at the camera.

The idea to use zombies had originally been slated to appear in an aborted project X-Files remake of George A. Romero's (pictured) cult 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead.

"Millennium" serves as a crossover with the Fox series Millennium, also created by Chris Carter. Although Millennium, which debuted in 1996, had enjoyed critical acclaim, it suffered from low ratings and was cancelled after its third season.[9] Unfortunately, the final episode of Millennium had been filmed before the cancellation notice, resulting in the series concluding on a cliffhanger.[9][10] This episode features the last appearances of Frank Black and Jordan Black, and for this reason, is often cited as a way to bring closure to the Millennium series and its story arc.[3][10][11] Incidentally, this episode is actually the second crossover between The X-Files and Millennium; the previous crossover involved a minor character—author Jose Chung—from "Jose Chung's From Outer Space",[12] who appeared and was killed in the Millennium episode "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense".[12][13]

 

The idea to use zombies for "Millennium" arose from a separate aborted project. Reportedly, Stephen King, who had co-penned the fifth-season episode "Chinga", wished to write an episode based on George A. Romero's cult zombie film Night of the Living Dead (1968).[14][15] Romero was also slated to direct the episode. According to "Millennium" co-writer and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the staff of The X-Files met with both King and Romero, and the two showed an interest in producing the episode. While the episode was slated for the seventh season, it never came to fruition.[15][16] Zombies as a plot device were then later relegated to what would become "Millennium".[3][15] However, Mulder's line, "Shoot them in the head, it seems to stop them", mirrors a very similar line from Night of the Living Dead: "Shoot them in the head, that's a sure way to kill them."[15][17][18]

 

Writing and filming

The producers of both The X-Files and Millennium had started to mull over the idea of doing a crossover when both shows were still on the air, and after Millennium was cancelled, The X-Files staff realized that a crossover made sense. Nevertheless, writing the story proved difficult, as the writers did not know whether to pen a story that dealt solely with wrapping-up Millennium, or if they should feature elements of Millennium intermixed within an X-Files investigation. The writers eventually went with the latter. With that said, Vince Gilligan, the co-writer of the episode, explained that he and Frank Spotnitz were more interested in "what would happen if Frank Black came into Mulder and Scully's world?"[9] Gilligan also maintains that the episode was written to finally bring zombies into The X-Files universe.[9][19] He explained: "It wasn't about the plot as much as getting [Mulder and Black] down in the basement of this creepy old house with these zombies climbing up out of the ground, and having to [shoot them] in the head."[19] Gilligan also claims that the fear surrounding the perceived Year 2000 problem (that is, an issue for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits) served as an inspiration for the episode. Gilligan later joked that he was "proud to say I never bought into any of that Y2K BS for a minute!"[19]

 

Regarding the episode serving as a de facto series finale for Millennium, John Shiban said: "We realized that the story needed to be an X-File and that any Millennium ending we came up with had to come second. We needed to do what we always do, which is to follow Mulder and Scully through their case."[9] For these reasons, Lance Henriksen, who portrayed Frank Black, was unhappy with the finished product, believing it to be a lackluster ending for the Millennium story.[19] After the cancellation of Millennium, Carter called up Henriksen and asked if he would be interested in appearing in an episode of The X-Files that would wrap up the show's arc. Henriksen was excited about the episode, but when he received the script it was about zombies, much to his dismay. He noted that the episode's story was "a reasonable X-File but it's not Millennium."[20] Spotnitz later admitted that the episode "was not completely successful, I suppose, but still seems worth it for having brought back Lance Henriksen."[21]

 

The episode is notable for featuring the first actual kiss between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.[11][22] The series had featured other brushes with kisses between the two leads: in the fourth season episode "Small Potatoes", a shapeshifter, disguised as Mulder, nearly kissed Scully; in the 1998 film, the two's "lips brushed slightly before Scully got stung by a virus-carrying bee"; and in the sixth season entry "Triangle", Mulder kissed a Scully-lookalike from the 1930s in a reverie. John Shiban developed the idea for a Mulder–Scully kiss, which was described by series creator Chris Carter as a "present for the fans."[22] Shiban noted that the episode's kiss felt like "the logical culmination of their relationship. They had been heading toward the kiss for years".[22] Gillian Anderson later explained that, "David [Duchovny] and I knew the kiss was coming. [...] I felt the editors of that episode milked it in a very effective way."[22] In order to create the atmosphere of the scene, specialized camera angles were used and everything was slowed down to make the scene last longer.[22] The Millennium Ball scene was digitally created because the episode was filmed in October, two months before the event was scheduled to take place. Special effects producer Bill Millar was tasked with digitally adding the number "2000" into archival footage of the 1998 New Year's Eve show, hosted by Dick Clark.[22][23] Clark was later hired to come in and record a voice-over bit announcing the year 2000.[22]

 

Themes

The image is of four humanoids riding horses. The first is a skeleton in a cloth, the second is an older man carrying a scale, the third is a shirtless man yielding a sword, and the final is a man in regal attire wearing a crown and wielding a bow.

The four resurrected zombies are believed to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by the Millennium Group.

The episode makes prominent use of John 11:25–26 from the Christian Bible, which reads "Who soever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".[24] These were the words that were believed to have been said by Jesus when he raised Lazarus of Bethany from the dead; biblical scholars have noted that the verse was also intended as a foreshadow of his resurrection.[24] For this reason, the verse is used in the episode to represent a physical resurrection from the dead. However, Amy Donaldson, in her book We Want to Believe, notes that the verse is used for the wrong reasons in "Millennium"; the necromancer is able to successfully raise the dead by reciting the line, but only their bodies, resulting in mindless zombies. Later, the verse reappears in the eighth season episode "Deadalive" during Mulder's funeral. In this instance, the verse is used to symbolize its true intentions, and Mulder is returned from the dead, both in mind and body.

 

The episode also deals with the Book of Revelation, particularly verse 1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys to Hell and of death".[25] The Millennium Group believes that the four chosen members are the prophesied Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; although the group believes that fate is predetermined, they believe they can help by "making it happen themselves".[26] Thus, they commit suicide in order to be resurrected as the Four Horsemen.[26] Donaldson argues that Johnson and the Millennium Group have taken Jesus' promise of eternal life and resurrection too literally, resulting in "a recreated cycle in this life rather than escape into the next".[25] This is further proved when the four Millennium Group members return as zombies; they have achieved life after death, but only physically—not spiritually—by "abusing Jesus's words to take their fate into their own hands".[25]

 

Reception

The image is of an older man with glasses wearing a black shirt. He is looking past the camera, smirking.

Before its premiere, the episode was promoted with a marathon of Millennium episodes hosted by Lance Henriksen.

Ratings

"Millennium" first aired in the United States on November 28, 1999, on Fox.[1] The night the episode aired, FX showed a nine-hour Millennium marathon, featuring episodes that were closely related to and led up to the crossover. The marathon was hosted by Lance Henriksen leading up to the premiere.[11] The episode was watched by 15.09 million viewers in the United States; it earned a Nielsen rating of 9.1, with a 13 share, meaning that roughly 9.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[27] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 9, 2000, and received 870,000 viewers, making it the sixth most-watched episode of the week.[28]

 

Reviews

"Millennium" received mixed reviews from critics. Ted Cox of the Daily Herald called the entry "creepy" and "visually captivating", particularly praising the installment's "use of light and dark symbolism".[29] Ultimately, he noted that "it's good to once again see Mulder and Scully temporarily set free from the show's overarching conspiracy."[29] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "there were a lot of big, big things going on in this ep [sic], starting with Millennium's ace profiler Frank Black [...] reluctantly helping Mulder and Scully solve the apparent suicides of four FBI agents."[30] Rosell ultimately concluded that the reason the episode was a success was due to Mulder and Scully's kiss, a moment he called "inevitable" although he did note that "many think [it] really signaled the beginning of the end."[30] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files gave the episode a positive review and called it "highly entertaining" and "cause for celebration".[18] He noted that, while he had never seen an episode of Millennium, the series mythology and story-arcs "integrated seamlessly into this episode" in a way that non-Millennium fans could still enjoy it.[18] John Drake of Xposé considered the episode "excellent" and rated it 5 stars out of 5. Drake commended Lance Henriksen's performance, saying that "not only provides continuity with Millennium, but adds a new dimension as Frank tries to leave the wreckage of his professional life behind".[31] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B". He called the entry "tired" and wrote that it was "both too ambitious and not epic enough" to bring closure to Millennium.[32] Furthermore, he felt that the story's basic plot was too confusing and almost laughable. Despite this, he enjoyed Johnson's role as the villain, calling him "interesting", and he wrote that the scene with Mulder and Black in the cellar was "kind of cool" because of the "creepy zombie sequences".[32]

 

Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles referred to the episode as "controversial" in their 2008 book, The Complete X-Files.[19] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, writing that "this episode vividly demonstrates that what Carl Sagan once called 'the burden of skepticism' is no longer being shouldered by anyone in the series. Why else would Mulder's assertion that a necromancer has successfully raised the dead provoke such a languid response in a room full of FBI agents?"[33] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode one-and-a-half stars out of five, noting that the episode's premise felt, "stylistically wrong for Millennium."[34] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson argued the episode was "a terrible X-File" because, instead of featuring Mulder and Scully solving a mystery, the plot revolved around the two saving the world from Armageddon, which caused "the thin credibility upon which hangs the series [to snap]."[34] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[35] Vitaris noted that, despite the teaser and first act being "promising enough", the episode "slides downhill rapidly with a storyline that crosses the border into ludicrous."[35]

 

The kiss between Mulder and Scully caused a furor of opinions. The Complete X-Files noted that many fans were "ecstatic" about Mulder and Scully's "long-awaited" kiss.[19] David Blar from DVD Talk called the episode "shocking" because of Mulder and Scully's kiss, asking, "why they didn't lock lips sooner"?[36] Paula Vitaris noted that the kiss "seems stuck on to the episode by a tack in its complete irrelevance to the storyline or Mulder and Scully in general."[35] Allan Johnson from the Chicago Tribune noted that "in a way, it's too bad Sunday's episode of Fox's The X-Files is getting more attention for what happens near the end than it does for its plot."[11] Kessenich praised the way the show worked in Mulder and Scully's kiss, noting that its lack of a "steamy, rip your clothes off" atmosphere made the sequence work "so well".[18] Handlen wrote that the scene, coupled with Black getting his daughter back, was "the only scene which comes close to justifying the episode’s existence".[32] Furthermore, he enjoyed the ambiguous nature of the kiss, noting that it could be "just a one time thing, or maybe it’s the start of something, or maybe it’s just a continuation of something that’s been going on for a long time now, right under our noses."

 

 

SO: was this all worth it? I think, like Robert Shearman, it is.

 

For one thing, the show is innovative and though LAW AND ORDER started before it did, I don’t believe they had their signature thump thump thump before MILL did that. Also, I do not think they stressed autopsies and serial killers and violence until after MILLENNIUM pushed the boundaries of TV in that area (also some of the sex scenes during season three are among the most racy I’ve ever seen on prime time network television in the 1990s, though check out several BUFFY episodes in seasons three and four).

 

Frank is a unique hero in that he’s not a super hero, he’s flawed from the start, and he may or may not have an ESP like power. Peter Watts. Catherine. Bob. Lucy Butler. Jordan. All memorable characters, though Emma is probably the best character of the entire series.

 

This show informed later shows such as CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI (all of them), NCIS (all of them), COLD CASE, WITHOUT A TRACE, BONES, SUPERNATURAL, and probably dozens more. At the time, in the 1990s, MANY feature movies literally stole from MILLENNIUM including FINAL DESTINATION (though to be fair, a few movies in the 1980s also had this same notion of death after a plane crash).

 

 

No wonder the first FINAL DESTINATION film (and all the others, which are great horror movies) seemed so familiar. Australia had a 1981 slow horror movie called THE SURVIVOR which is about a haunted man who survived a plane crash. THEN, in 1984 a movie called SOLE SURVIVOR came out about a girl who survived a plane crash and is haunted by something that kills or wants to kill her. THEN, a mini series (for TV) had SOLE SURVIVOR in 2000 about a man who survived and is helping a young girl that also survived the plane crash as forces are out to kill her. WTF? ALL of these are very well done. But really?

 

Movies: END OF DAYS. LOST SOULS, THE ORDER aka THE SIN EATER. HALF LIGHT. GHOST. THE NINTH GATE. SEVENTH SON (the earlier version is probably an inspiration and maybe for the whole Jewish cult episode in season three). FROM HELL. (BTW an inspiration on both this and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is possibly a MIAMI VICE episode where Crockett tries to get into the head of a serial killer in order to stop him, possibly SHADOW IN THE DARK but many eps feature serial killers). AND many, many others.

 

MILLENNIUM is scary, not only for the blood and gore but for the ideas. Humans are monsters in this, mostly, though sometimes the show tries to blame greater forces like demons and devils or the devil or group think but human beings are scarier and more gross than any monster. It is, until possibly CRIMINAL MINDS, the scariest show ever made for TV. And movies. To this day many films feature MILL ideas: such as the horrid POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES.

 

But the core values of family, loyalty, and love are what makes MILL such a good show despite the scares, the conspiracies, the inconsistencies (sometimes it feels as if each season takes place in an alternate universe and at times, it feels as if EVERY episode is a new universe or a parallel world), the demons, the angels, the murders, the serial killers, the terrorists, and the freaks and sexual deviants. Jordan, Catherine, and Frank are a solid unit. Even death can’t break them apart as Catherine proves in THE SOUND OF SNOW.

 

There's never been a more lyrical, haunting, soul scary and loyalty inspiring, hopeful horror show that scares and illuminates and even makes you feel there is some hope than MILLENNIUM and THE SOUND OF SNOW episode is a wild ride of sound, sight, snow, rain, and survival, FINALLY answering what really happened to Frank, his wife and that virus outbreak at the end of season two, which tried to end the world. THE SOUND OF SNOW is a tour de force of writing and direction and acting in this over looked, underappreciated well done horror series. It might not have the gore as much as newer shows and movies but there's something scarier about MILLENNIUM and something even more hopeful at its heart, despite the darkness. "We beat them, Frank. We chose each other and Jordan."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a post about season one and two:

 

Okay so, I just watched POWERS, PRINCIPALITIES again and the ones directly before it. Before I ask the main question, there's ONE reference to Martin killing a nurse in POWERS. What was that about? Peter (though at the time of season two and season three, I thought it was a brave move to make him a villain, I think it probably was a bad idea and ruined the show; in fact, I think season one is probably best stayed on that course, which, of course, did not happen; not sure my past self, which really liked season two and season three would agree but I think Morgan and Wong ruined the show; the reason I liked those two seasons was because of their links to the first season and the supernatural stuff but I think it best left less...sensational as it was in season one) says that the witnesses ---two motorists----who saw Martin kill the nurse were unable to identify him in a line up. What motorists? WHAT NURSE? We all saw Martin kill a woman in the park and it was later defined that she was a baby sitter. Is she also a nurse? Was a part cut out? It is said that Martin killed at least two people: the man in the beginning who was a man who worked in the lighting store AND the babysitter. WHO is this nurse? Was something taken out of the script? What the heck?

On another note: I'd seen these now a few times and I still am confused about a few things. Pepper? Lucy? Martin? the demon? the male figure in the Yellow House and in season two? All the same? Is Lucy's dead son the same son we see in the window in season three? Are these all the same entity or is the entity making itself look like them? Is Lucy the main entity? What gives?

On a similar note: the angel of death in season three that deals with victims in water that almost takes Jordan in season three....is this the same angel or boy we see played by the terrific Rodney Eastman? They both seem to be named Sam but are played by two different people. Sammeel and Samueil. Or something. I'm guessing that their names never are said in the episodes and they are two different beings. The Rodney Eastman character never appears again and I seem to recall chat rooms or mail chats calling him an angel? Certainly the Eastman Sam is not an angel of death but kills Pepper? If so, if Pepper "died" how did Lucy come back?

Also I think it was a mistake making the Group or maybe it was just a section of the Group evil? It sure felt like the entire Group was evil in season two and three.

Jack Meredith ---we never see his wife, though Catherine trusted them enough to leave Jordan with them when her baby nephew had to be taken to the ER. Wonder what happened to him and his wife? Morgan and Wong did not seem to care? Also did Tom and his wife survive the plague? AND more importantly I'd like to think Benny was with Catherine's parents but would Jordan be separated from him or maybe she was with them too? Again Morgan and Wong did not seem to care about animals or much continuity.

 

A response to that:

I would have preferred Peter remain pure as well, but it did give him an arc that didn't really get the chance to play out since S4 did not happen. He basically went from interesting deliverer of exposition & intellect, though not always hip to religious predictions (as revealed in "Force Majeure") to true believer who is well versed in religious predictions to vulnerable with skeletons in his closet and to ultimately sacrificing himself for a friend...was that him lying in a pool of blood or another Group assassin? We'll never know.

Is Pepper, Lucy et al. the same entity? I think so. Remember, Pepper was a trial lawyer who after a cardiac arrest (forgive me if I'm wrong on those details) was revived and suddenly changed the nature of his work/caseload. I love the implication here that he made a deal with the Devil. Of course, seeing Pepper transform into Lucy in the supermarket doesn't necessarily have to mean he is her/she is he, and could instead just mean she is evil, and where evil work is being done, she is present and has a hand in it. My interpretation would be Pepper is Legion, as was the Judge, men who are a part of the Devil's army in exchange for something (a return to Earth?). If I remember right, Frank's chat with Pepper alludes to his previous one with the Judge when he attempted to get him on board with his line of work/his side.

It certainly wouldn't have hurt to have Jack Meredith appear at least once in S2. Given where the show landed in S3 and the fact we see Giebelhouse only twice, it made sense not to ("Sound of Snow" might have worked...).

 

Not sure I posted this:

When I finish the second season, I will post this again but I had to post the episode now because I think other fans might have some insights and comments and answers to my questions. MILLENNIUM-MIDNIGHT OF THE CENTURY with the great Darren McGavin as Frank's estranged father whose wife's ghost gets Frank and he to reconcile after a huge family misunderstanding and different way of trying to help each other.

32 10 "Midnight of the Century" Dwight Little Kay Reindl & Erin Maher December 19, 1997 5C11 5.19[27]

Eerie visions that haunt Black at Christmastime hark back to his troubled youth and lead to a fateful reunion with his estranged father.

Stunning, touching, confusing, and wonderful all at once. The first half…well, it’s nice to look at and raises a lot of issues and questions about Frank, his mother, his father, his relationship with his own gift, his daughter and his nasty wife. Yes, nasty. I’ve always liked Frank’s wife Catherine but here she’s just a shrew and should know better. In a way, she’s Frank’s father in the same dynamic he had with Frank’s mother. She’s the one separating him from his family, not his gift. It’s her and she blames the gift and Frank. What is that man she was with? Who is that man she is with? Is that who she is staying with? Who is she staying with? Frank implied that she was in a new home of her own? Is she dating someone?

Either way, I sort of hate her here. She thinks she’s protecting Jordan but she’s really not. She’s running and I guess in a way I can’t blame her.

Who was that incredibly handsome man in the church yard? Simon? Is he connected to Rodney Eastman’s angelic character in season one or the BORROWED TIME angel of death in season three? The web site THIS IS WHO WE ARE would suggest NO. Then, there are the three men who serve Frank in the toy store who all seem to have ancient names of the three Wise Men. What?

Who is the man who is fire lighting a street lamp with real fire, a man that is not really there? What is the significance of that? 1946? Was that even a thing back then? Unless I’m mistaken it was a color shot so it was NOT a flashback. Frank was seeing that now.

Simon tells Frank this: Simon explains that ghosts, or fetches, the souls of those who are destined to die during the following year, make "their way to the church in search of those who will soon be their companions." Does that make sense?

Does that make any sense? The souls of those not yet dead are looking for companions? For what? Is Frank’s father dead? Not yet? In the following year he was supposed to die?

Frank’s brother is mentioned in the episode briefly as “Kids” and his name is in the obit for the mother from 1946 but no other child is seen in the episode as if the episode was written and filmed and this was forgotten about and added in where possible later?

Peter’s visit by strange men is not explained? Millennium Group? Could be about the growing unrest between factions? They’re not seen again this episode (or any other?). Who were they?

Peter waxes on about his daughters (the Taylor we do see later on seems older than the one he talks about here, not wanting to ride her bike any longer but soon wanting a car?) and time. It’s a strange chat, almost a soliloquy. Why does Frank see an ugly angel in the cute toy angel doll?

Peter also discusses Christmas (unlike CURSE OF FRANK BLACK, which presents Frank as almost horrifically almost totally alone, here he has a lot of people WITH him) AND more importantly that no one knows for sure when the real MILLENNIUM starts and/or ends. Lara seems more concerned with how it will end (it will eventually drive her, sadly, insane, which this show might do if you watch it too much!).

Lara Means only gets one, “Here’s my thing,” thank goodness and this might be her best episode, at least so far. I do not like the idea that seeing angels makes your life worse and it’s made her life worse. Frank’s gift and possibly Jordan’s later on, and possibly for her aunt already, saves lives.

When Lara says “He” does she mean her particular angel or does she mean Jesus or God? Or the demon?

Finally, Darren McGavin, the great is playing Frank’s father and he does a great job. WHY didn’t he tell Frank all this earlier? I love the reconciliation that happens between them here and it’s touching. Having my dad transition in 2022 on my cousin’s birthday and my mom in 2023 ten minutes before my birthday day, I can relate and sympathize.

But what are all the clown things behind Frank’s dad in his house? Someone into clowns?

In any case, Frank and his father have a touching reunion.

Here, Rodecker is fun and funny and adds to the scenes he is in. Love him here. He’s kinder and nicer than Catherine and more welcome than she is at this point.

The cast list lists Peter’s wife. Do we really see her in this episode? Was she an extra?

Another reviewer somewhere on line related how he turns a few times to MILLENNIUM but it’s hard to because MILLENIUM is horror of the spirit, a spiritual horror rather than a gross out gore fest (though he and I admit there is gore) or a monster of the week show. It’s a mental horror, too. THIS is one of those. The entire thing feels shrouded in real life horror (the D Day landing that kills Frank’s uncle Joe; getting someone the wrong Christmas gift—the digital pet; seeing someone in church stalking you; the general darkness of a time that is supposed to bring you joy; worry of family members who react out of love but cause pain and rifts because they want you to be “normal”; Christmas stress in the stores, not saving a seat for someone, feeling isolated and more).

The whole idea of Frank’s mother’s ghost drawing with Jordan, making Frank see her as the Mary in the manger display at the store, and more bringing Frank and his father Henry closer is touching, too. It’s also nice. I guess it was she who set off all the gadgets in Frank’s house (alarms, clocks, etc) at the same time?

Jordan gets a Tomagachi (from Catherine’s mother) and Roedecker gets one from Frank, that Frank bought for Jordan. Frank gives it to him as his gift after Jordan reveals she just got one without knowing her father already bought her one but didn’t give it to her yet.

Yet, this episode has a sort of soft horror feel about ALL of it. An unease that only MILLENNIUM seems to have (though the movie DON’T LOOK NOW and maybe BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING, both MILLENIUM like, and both involving young female children, might have that, too).

There’s a beauty about the episode, too, especially during the exterior church scenes. And watching McGavin and Lance do their thing on screen is a treat.

And…did Frank just see a comet?

All in all, I like this episode a lot but perhaps not as much as JOSE CHUNG’s episode. This one was touching, beautiful (the music!), and sort of disturbing but ultimately, unlike most MILLENNIUM episodes, including CHUNG, has a sort of happy ending / resolution, though it seems Frank’s father either dies at 12 or will die very soon and be reunited with Frank’s mother…who he DID love. When I first saw this, I guess I didn’t pay much attention as I thought he didn’t love her but he sure did.

Great episode. That’s two in a row, both 10/10.

Millennium – Midnight of the Century (Review) | the m0vie blog

 

And yes, this is a show worth watching but I will never claim it will be an easy light hearted show to watch!

As for the end, I like to think it’s open ended but one of the producers/writers said that the MILL operatives could be on the other side of that beautiful lyrical valley but I’d like to think they either aren’t or that Frank and Jordan avoid them somehow, maybe with help from an alive Peter and/or Emma themselves. Maybe there’s  a plot to bring down the group or maybe not but I would love to think this was a positive ending.