Millennium (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Millennium | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Drama, Horror |
| Creator(s) | Chris Carter |
| Starring | Lance Henriksen Terry O'Quinn Megan Gallagher Klea Scott Brittany Tiplady |
| Country of origin |  USA |
| No. of episodes | 67 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 42 min without commercials (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | October 25, 1996 – May 21, 1999 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The X-Files |
| Links | |
| TV.com summary | |
Millennium is a grim, suspenseful American television series, produced by Chris Carter (creator of The X-Files), and set during the years leading up to the dawn of the new millennium. The series was produced in Vancouver, Canada and aired from 1996 to 1999 on the Fox Network.
Experienced genre actor Lance Henriksen starred in the series as investigator Frank Black, a freelance forensic profiler and former FBI agent with a unique ability to see the world through the eyes of serial killers and murderers, though he was not psychic. Black investigated the most horrific crimes and dealt with the mysterious Millennium Group, whose power and sinister intentions become more clear throughout the series. Black's character may have been inspired by the stories of real life FBI agents and criminal profilers such as John E. Douglas, the one-time head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. While the series started out as a crime investigation series, it became more and more supernatural, like The X-Files, with which it later had a crossover episode.
The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were set in or around Seattle, Washington.
All three seasons of Millennium are available on DVD.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Chris Carter originally conceived Millennium as a series that would present a more mature view of the world from the perspective of a law enforcement officer than was offered in its companion series, The X-Files. To this end, the character of Frank Black was to be portrayed by an older actor than David Duchovny, who played Agent Mulder, a main character in The X-Files. Carter wrote the role for Lance Henriksen and pushed studio executives at 20th Century Fox to approve Henriksen's casting. Carter also pursued Henriksen personally and finally persuaded the actor to take the role of Frank Black by leaving a copy of the pilot script outside the door of his hotel room. Henriksen signed up based on the strength of the writing.
Carter pitched Millennium to Fox as "Seven in Seattle." The setting of a dark, rain-soaked city and a world-weary detective's hunt for a religiously-inspired serial killer have clear parallels with the pilot episode. The pilot served to introduce the Black family, consisting of Frank, wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady). The family was depicted returning to Seattle where Frank was born and raised because Frank wanted to protect his family from the evil with which his job as a criminal profiler with the FBI brought him in to daily contact. The end of the episode saw Frank receiving a series of Polaroid photographs of his wife and daughter in an envelope with no return address, setting up a stalking thread that would be resolved in the second season. It is often misconstrued that Frank is "psychic", but Chris Carter has reiterated in commentaries on the Millennium Season One DVD that Frank simply had "a gift", which Frank also stated was "a curse." Nonetheless, his daughter Jordan later turned out to have inherited her father's "gift", suggesting that Frank's abilities are not entirely derived from the knowledge and experience he gained from his work as an FBI profiler.
[edit] The Millennium Group
Frank's initial encounter with the Millennium Group came in the person of Peter Watts, played by Terry O'Quinn. The Group was depicted in this and other first-season episodes as being an association of former law-enforcement professionals who were called in to consult on crimes by other law-enforcement agencies. The Group recognised that Frank had a unique gift for profiling, as he was able to see into the minds of the perpetrators and deduce motive and psychological make-up based on crime scene evidence. Frank's gift was presented on-screen as a series of rough-cut cine-film inserts shot from the perpetrator's point-of-view. When Frank began to understand the mind of the perpetrator, he also began to see the world as if through the killer's eyes. The debate about whether Frank was actually seeing these visions or if they were merely a storytelling device used by the show's producers to depict Frank's thought processes was resolved in the second season when Frank confirmed that he does, in fact, see the visions. This was later carried on with a storyline involving Jordan Black, who was also able to see visions, showing that Frank's gift had been inherited by his daughter, and that he himself had actually inherited the ability from his mother.
In contrast, the Group was presented as a complex, multi-faceted entity during the second season. Carter had left day-to-day production of the series in the hands of Glen Morgan and James Wong, a writing/producing team who had previously worked with Carter on The X-Files and co-created the short-lived series Space: Above and Beyond. Morgan and Wong essentially took the underlying religious themes of the first season and made them explicit in the origin and nature of the Group, which was revealed to be divided into two opposing factions, the Owls and the Roosters. The Owls believed in a secular Millennium where mankind could be guided through the potential disasters of the year 2000 and prepared for an astronomical event that was due to occur in the 2060s. Conversely, the Roosters believed in the Biblical "End Times" foretold in the Revelation of St. John the Divine. They believed that mankind could not avoid the destruction that was foretold at the dawn of the new Millennium. Instead, they sought to control the destruction through the release of a modified Marburg virus to which they had an antidote that was given only to select members. The Roosters' plan was to negotiate themselves into a position of control and influence through the status of their members, as well as the acquisition of knowledge and religious artifacts such as a piece of the True Cross and the Hand of Saint Sebastian. The motives of Frank's patron in the organization, Peter Watts, were called into question when it was revealed that Watts had received protection for his family from the viral contagion, but had not moved to protect Catherine and Jordan Black from the plague.
The Millennium Group's symbol is the Ouroboros.
[edit] End of the series
The final season showed Frank returning to Washington and to profiling work at the FBI. Frank is joined by a young, female partner, Emma Hollis. The Millennium Group is shown at a distance as Frank is alienated from Peter Watts. The episode "Skull and Bones" depicted a mass grave in the path of a new freeway that contained the bodies of former members of the Group. Later in the season, in the episode "Seven and One", the demonic entity fans have dubbed Legion assumes the form of one of the Group's security men. The implication is that the Group have become corrupted by the very evil it was intended to fight against. Despite Frank's warnings and the evidence of her own eyes, Emma makes a commitment at a moment of personal weakness that sees her isolated from all non-Group assistance and Frank is last seen escaping from Washington having taken Jordan from school.
Episode 4 of Season 7 of The X-Files, entitled "Millennium", sees Lance Henriksen and Brittany Tiplady (in a cameo appearance) reprise their roles as Frank and Jordan alongside Mulder and Scully in a tale of necromancy and zombification of former Millennium Group members on the cusp of 1999/2000. This episode pulled the "Millennium" saga to a close, though many fans have been critical of it, claiming that it lacked substance due to all the series' plots being brought to an end in just one episode.
[edit] Virtual Continuations
The unofficial virtual season four (VS4) aired from July 2nd through December 24th of 1999. The project consisted of twenty-two professionally formatted television scripts, written by fans of the show and published via the internet, effectively continuing and concluding the series' mythology.
Although not officially endorsed by Chris Carter or Fox, the show was hugely popular on the internet, mostly due to the professionalism of the project. Throughout its five month run VS4 was featured in The New York Post, Salon.com and Details magazine.
During an online chat with fans, star Lance Henriksen said he had been impressed with some VS4 scripts he had read, while Millennium staff writer Kay Reindl lent her support in Salon.com. VS4 is considered instrumental in making "virtual seasons" a popular and respected branch of fan-fiction. Dozens of other virtual seasons were born of its success.
Virtual season five (produced by a different team from the fourth season, who also chose to ignore VS4's storylines) started airing on the internet January 5th 2007.
[edit] Characters
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) -- (seasons 1-3) A criminal profiler with an expert ability to see into the mindset of evildoers. Frank has seen the worst humanity has to offer and has suffered two mental breakdowns because of it.
Catherine Black (Megan Gallagher) -- (seasons 1-2) Frank's wife. As a social worker, Catherine is no stranger to the darker side of humanity. Though she was initially supportive of her husband's work, she eventually came to resent the Millennium Group for their secrecy. She dies after contracting a modified Marburg Virus.
Jordan Black (Brittany Tiplady) -- (seasons 1-3) Frank and Catherine's daughter who has inherited her father's gift.
Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) -- (seasons 1-3) Initially Frank's partner and good friend. A full fledged member of the Millennium Group, Peter realizes too late that the group has spun out of control due to the demonic influence(s) of "Legion". Initially seen as one of Frank's enemies in season 3 - Frank holds the group, and by extension Peter, responsible for the death of his wife in the rather melodramatic last episode of season 2 - it is revealed later in season 3 that he has, in fact, been protecting Frank and Jordan from the group, which now had designs on Frank's daughter as well due to the early maturity of her own "gift".
Agent Emma Hollis (Klea Scott) -- (season 3) Emma is a young FBI agent who becomes Frank's protege after he returns to Washington. She struggles to understand the criminal mind, as her sister was murdered by a man with no motive. Emma had to also deal with her father's bout with Alzheimer's disease which coerced her into cooperating with the Millennium Group.
Lara Means (Kristen Cloke) -- (season 2) A Millennium Group member who shares visions similar to Frank's, but in the forms of angels, which were bringers of warning of imminent danger. She works with Frank on several cases. She is eventually inducted into the Millennium Group but goes insane due to the secrets they reveal to her.
Dr. Cheryl Andrews (C.C.H. Pounder) -- (seasons 1-3) The Group's brilliant medical and forensic advisor in season one. In subsequent seasons she is portrayed as either betraying or betrayed (and killed) by the Group. Her body is placed in a mass grave under a highway construction site.
Lt. Robert Bletcher (Bill Smitrovich) -- (season 1) A homicide detective for the Seattle police. Best friend of Frank's and often enlisted him to consult on cases. He is murdered by Lucy Butler and hung from a rafter in Frank's basement.
Det. Bob Giebelhouse (Stephen J. Lang) -- (seasons 1-3) Seattle detective with a cynical view of humanity and a penchant for gallows humor. Initially Bletcher's partner, he becomes the head of Homicide in Season 2.
Det. Teeple (Brian Markinson) --(season 1) Seattle detective, and Giebelhouse's relatively silent partner.
Assistant Director Andy McClaren (Stephen E. Miller) -- (season 3) An FBI Assistant Director who worked with Frank when he was an agent. He makes contact with Frank during season 3.
Special Agent Barry Baldwin (Peter Outerbridge) -- (season 3) An FBI agent who works on the Critical Incidents Response team. Approaches every case with a smarmy, ex-captain of the football team bravado. He is killed in an ambulance by someone he believes to be a paramedic after surviving an explosion.
Lucy Butler (Sarah-Jane Redmond) -- (seasons 1-3) The first and most dangerous of Frank's supernatural opponents, Lucy is described as "The Devil's liege" by a terrified serial killer. She can change shape, and has superhuman strength. It is unclear whether or not Lucy Butler is just another manifestation of Legion, a question made more complicated by the fact that the writers of the show don't seem to have originally intended to suggest there was a being named Legion behind the evil Frank was confronting each week, and the concept seems to have been spackled into the show's self-contradicting mythology by online fans seeking a pattern. It was only in season three that the writers, probably reacting to online speculation, began to consciously deal with Legion. The demonic and uncatchable Lucy bears little resemblance to earlier human menaces Frank came up against, who have been said to be part of Legion. What is clear is that she is a malevolent supernatural being, quite possibly The Devil, or something even worse. Once she made her appearance, it became impossible to argue that the supernatural was not part of the Millennium universe.
Brian Roedecker (Allan Zinyk) -- (season 2) Computer specialist for the Millennium Group. Roedecker had a quirky sense of humor and was a big fan of classic science fiction (e.g. Soylent Green and 2001: A Space Odyssey). He was fired from the Group when they started to become more cultic.
Doug Scaife (Trevor White) -- (season 3) This character replaces Roedecker. An FBI computer specialist, Scaife appears throughout season 3, becoming especially prominent during the final few episodes.
Mabius (Bob Wilde) -- (season 3) Seen working for the Millennium Group in season three in a variety of evil roles. In his final appearance it is implied that he is a manifestation of Legion.
Polaroid Man (Paul Raskin, Doug Hutchison) -- (season 1-2) Though he only actually appears in a two-part episode, the pilot episode established that this mysterious figure had been stalking Frank for several years, by taking Polaroids of his family. All that was known about the Polaroid Man was that he served in the military, and that he was a former Millennium Group member.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Awards
[edit] Won
- 1996 People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Drama Series
- 1997 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Television Series (Robert McLachlan)
- 1997 Genesis Award for Outstanding Communication of Animal-Rights in Dramatic Television Series ("Broken World")
- 1998 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Television Series (Robert McLachlan)
- 1998 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama Series by a Young Actress (Brittany Tiplady)
- 2000 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Television Series (Robert McLachlan, "Matryoshka")
[edit] Nominated
- 1996 People's Choice Award for Favorite New Male TV Star (Lance Henriksen)
- 1997-1999 Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series (Lance Henriksen)
- 1997 American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Pilot (Pete Wunstorf, "Pilot")
- 1997 Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Actor (Lance Henriksen)
- 1997 Saturn Award for Best Genre Network TV Series
- 1997-2000 Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Television Drama Series by a Young Actress (Brittany Tiplady)
- 1998 American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Regular Series (Robert McLachlan, "The Thin White Line")
- 1998 Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing-Television Episodic-Dialogue & ADR
- 1998 Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing-Television Episodic-Effects & Foley
- 1998 Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Clarence Williams III, "Sense and Antisense")
- 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Charles Nelson Reilly, "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense")
- 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series ("Owls")
- 1998 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama Series by a Guest Starring Young Actress (Lauren Diewold, "Monster")
- 1999 Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing-Television Episodic-Sound Effects & Foley
- 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Screenplay (Darin Morgan, "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me")
- 1999 American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Regular Series (Robert McLachlan, "Skull and Bones")
- 1999 Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Actor (Lance Henriksen)
- 1999 International Horror Guild Award for Best Television
- 2000 American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Regular Series (Robert McLachlan, "Matryoshka")
[edit] Merchandise
[edit] Books
Several books based on some Millennium episodes have been written:
- "The Frenchman", by Elizabeth Hand (1.00 Pilot)
- "Gehenna", by Lewis Gannett (1.01 Gehenna)
- "Force Majeure", by Lewis Gannett (1.12 Force Majeure)
- "Weeds", by Victor Koman (1.10 Weeds)
- "The Wild And the Innocent", by Elizabeth Massie (1.09 The Wild And the Innocent)
Some of them were also released as audio books, read by Bill Smitrovitch.
[edit] VHS / DVD
Some episodes were released on VHS, and all three seasons were released on DVD (each season separately, as well as the set of the all three).
| Season | Nr of episodes |
Extra features | Release date | Cover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (1996-1997) |
22 | Commentary by Chris Carter on The Pilot, Commentary by director David Nutter on Gehenna, "Order in Chaos: Making Millennium Season One" documentary, "Chasing the Dragon: A Conversation with the Academy Group": a look at real-life profilers, Creating the logo and title sequence, Pilot TV spots. |
July 20, 2004 |  |
|
| 2nd (1997-1998) |
23 | Commentary on two episodes by director Thomas J. Wright and writer Michael R. Perry, "The Turn of the Tide: Making of Season Two" featurette, "Academy Group: Victimology" featurette. |
January 4, 2005 |  |
|
| 3rd (1998-1999) |
22 | Commentary by Lance Henriksen and Klea Scott on The Innocents, Commentary by director Thomas J. Wright on Collateral Damage, Bonus episode: The X-Files season 7 episode "Millennium", "End Game: Making Millennium Season 3" documentary, "Between the Lines" featurette. |
September 6, 2005 |  |
[edit] External links
- Millennium at the Internet Movie Database
- Fox's Millennium website
- The Millennial Abyss
- Millennium Virtual Season Four
- Millennium Virtual Season Five
- The Rogue's Eye View
- Morgan & Wong Online
- This Is Who We Are - Millennium Message Board
- MillenniuM Desktop UK
- Sarah-Jane Redmond.com
- Extensive Review of the entire show (German)
- Millennium books at FantasticFiction
- W3CulTV Millennium Message Board
| Television and film works by James Wong and Glen Morgan |
|---|
| The X-Files • Space: Above and Beyond • Millennium • Final Destination series • The One • Willard • Black Christmas |
