This Is Who We Are: A Millennium Season Two Retrospective

Despite the somewhat faltering ratings that plighted Millennium after it sensational premiere night, the Fox Network renewed the series for a second season. After all, Chris Carter was their golden boy and as history showed, The X Files was not a massive success itself until its second year. Fox were patient. A trait they would not show to other series that would follow in later years, which I won't get into listing right now, but I think we all know the shows I'm referring to.

Somewhat taken aback  by the ratings dive and with Chris Carter having to relinquish show running duties in order to overlook post production on The X Files:Fight the Future as well as spearhead that show's fifth season which was set to be the lead in to the feature film, Millennium was in need of someone to show run the series for it second year. The offer was made to Frank Spotnitz, an inspired choice actually, but who turned it down as he didn't want to step away from the world of Mulder and Scully. Instead the job was offered to Glen Morgan and James Wong, two of the Ten Thirteen Universe's most talented writers who had scripted some of the best X Files instalments in it's first, second and fourth seasons as well as three episodes during Millennium's first year, one of which, The Thin White Line, was a masterpiece. The decision was a no brainer. 

Except they had ideas of their own and in the end their stewardship of the series would prove a controversial one. If season one invoked controversy due to its content, season two would invoke controversy due to its story telling. 

First thing was first. Serial killers were out, at least as a focal point for the series. Instead of using the end date of 1st January 2000 as a MacGuffin of sorts to tell stories about the increasing violence and moral downfall of society, season two was going to deal head on with the the oncoming millennium and use the series as a platform for stories of an occult and religious tone. As the Millennium Group were an organisation that dealt with violent crimes, a change was needed here too so the group is revealed to be even more mysterious than thought off previously and one whose methods and motivations are more murky and morally complicated than previously thought.  With this in mind, certain characterisations are more developed. Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts is given more to do than being Frank's right hand man at crime scenes. It was a task the actor did very well, it has to be said, but here his performance becomes a wonderful, Emmy worthy one as Morgan and Wong add dimensions previously never hinted at, an origin tale that Watts himself tells Frank about being an undoubted season highlight.  

Things would change as well at the Black family home. The opening episode would deliver a schism that would see Frank leave the family house and the family become a broken one, the yellow house would change from being a symbol of hope for the family to one they are desperately trying to get back to. New characters are added to the mix. Kristen Cloke appears as Lara Means and nearly steals the season right under everyone's nose, as well as Allan Zinyk as Brain Rodecker, a Lone Gunmen type character. Both these characters added a level of quirky humour that the series previously turned away from. Lara in particular was a wonderful creation, partnering up with Frank for several cases and sharing a fun, laid back chemistry that was incredibly entertaining to watch at times.

The change in tone was admittedly a bit of a shock at first as were the different type of stories. The premiere episode continued from the season one finale pretty well, but Beware of the Dog and Sense and Antisense which followed felt like they had walked in from The X Files. They were very entertaining episodes, but it felt peculiar to see Frank Black walking around investigating dogs which killed and a conspiracy which involved killing African Americans which a deadly pathogen. Things settled down a little with Monster, although A Single Blade of Glass was still a step in the wrong direction and one could be forgiven for thinking during those first five episodes, regardless of Morgan and Wong's undeniable talent, that they had allowed themselves to lose track of where they wanted their take of Millennium to go early in the run.

It was an unfounded fear because what happened next would see season two settle down and deliver a superb run of episodes. Not every episode was a success, but the show's more openness to experimenting with itself and different genres seen the series deliver masterpieces such as The Curse of Frank Black, Goodbye Charlie, Luminary, The Mikado, In Arcadia Ego, two episodes courtesy of Darin Morgan in the shape of Jose Chung's From Doomsday Defense and Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me and, without a doubt two of the greatest hours in the history of American television, The Fourth Horseman and The Time Is Now. Admittedly the season is all over the place in terms of tone and quality, but it's unwieldy direction is what gives the season an edge, an unpredictability that is dangerous and hard to look away from. 

Morgan and Wong pretty much spear headed the season on their own terms and whilst other writers such as Chip Johannessen, Michael R Perry, Erin Maher and Kay Reindl are there, they only delivered a handful of episodes, Morgan and Wong deliver an impressive eleven episodes, pretty much half the season. Word was that the other writers were to work mainly in stand alone episodes, which seen the serial killer format retained for some of the tales, including the incredibly impressive The Mikado, whilst Johannessen once again, despite only three episodes to his credit, was a key star. Whilst his first episode of the season is not one of his best hours, something he credits to rewrites at the last minute, In Arcadia Ego and Luminary in particular saw the season on wonderful form, the latter being one of the all time best ever episodes of the series that saw many of the characterisation and directional issues of the season healed with just about every character getting a key role and some fantastic story telling to boot.

The flaws are obvious at times though. The break down of the Black marriage feels very forced and happens in the space of a single scene and given the way the marriage was portrayed the first year, the break up feels very forced and out of sync with everything else, as does, at times the character of Catherine Black. Megan Gallagher does her very best, and she does get an episode pretty much to herself, but her sudden descent into a bitter wife jars very badly with season one and feels at times like a betrayal of the character in itself. The more experimental nature of the story telling means that not every episode is one hundred per cent successful. Some are noble failures like Siren and Anamnesis, but others like A Single Blade of Grass just don't work in any capacity and the fact they feel like rejected X Files ideas only adds to the failures. Much better portrayed is Peter Watts development from key side kick, to a man of mystery and secrets, a facet that threatens to destroy Frank and Peter's friendship. The character becomes a metaphor for the Millennium group itself, the organisation revealing darker and more mysterious aspects before Frank himself, in the season's most honest moment in The Fourth Horseman, blatantly shouts out that it is nothing but a cult. 

Despite the brilliant unpredictability of the season, high production values and never ending brilliance of Lance Henriksen's portrayal of Frank Black, not to mention the excellent quality of the episodes that do get it right, ratings didn't climb and there appeared to be a feeling that the series was going to end. Whether or not Morgan and Wong crafted the final two episodes as a series finale, thinking the series was over, or as a season cliffhanger for whoever show ran the third season to resolve is a matter of some debate. The truth is The Time Is Now feels like the end of the road, that with their back against the wall and no possibility of renewal in sight, Morgan and Wong opt to go out all guns blazing, ending the world in an onslaught of a viral apocalypse and pretty much killing off not only several lead characters, but the world they inhabit as well. The oppressive, dangerous atmosphere of the episodes, the entire act devoted to Lara Means's descent into hallucinogenic madness and the grim, depressing final scene, feel like a series going out with all guns blazing, a blatant middle finger to the network that failed to promote a series that really should have been the commercial equal of its sister series. Although they have denied it was their intention, the romantic side of me loves the idea that Morgan and Wong opted to end the world rather than be safe just in case the series did come back. The Fourth Horseman and The Time Is Now are incendiary, dangerous pieces of television, right up there with the best of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks, that fires hypnotic visuals at the screen and isn't afraid to scare the hell out of you in the pursuit of genius story telling. Looking back, it is a mixed bag of a season. It feels inconsistent at times and veers off in different directions and yet I think that's the reason it is so good. It's almost as if, with Morgan and Wong at the helm, the series is challenging itself to experiment, to be wild, to not just find a niche, in this case serial killer of the week, and stay on that course. 

Admittedly, anytime I watch season one, I find myself a little annoyed that the change happened. I have to be clear, I adore season one of Millennium, I loved the groove the series was in and I think, had it aired a few years later, it would have been a commercial success. Grisly crime procedurals with a quirky, high concept edge are all the rage and yet my annoyance dissipates when I watch season two. Morgan and Wong are genius writers and filmmakers and they bring their own touches to the series and make them work. They aren't afraid to throw long scenes of actors talking the most wonderful dialogue into their episodes, the use of music is incredible also. The season is filled to the brim with Bobby Darin songs whilst the incredible sequence devoted to Lara Means' psychological disintegration in the season finale is set, in its entirity, to Patti Smith's Horses.

The season, overall, will surely go down as one of the most brilliant, insane, infuriating and downright superlative seasons in the history of television. If season one wasn't afraid to take chances at how far it could stretch its content, then season two of Millennium is the one that dared to go other places in its narratives. It may be different to what came before, but yet again Millennium proved itself as a series that dared to push the envelope, to try and go beyond the scope of television, a medium that almost prides itself on being safe and secure. The funny thing is, if you watch The Time Is Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that was it, the story was over and Millennium allowed itself to blast its way into television history with violent bursts of static. It wasn't. The renewal was a surprise. The story was not over. Millennium had more to tell. 

Classic X Files Scene: Scully Meets Mulder

From: Pilot (1X79)

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by Robert Mandel

Features: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson

Setting: FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C, Mulder's Office

First meetings are important, and so it is with the first time The X Files allows its two lead characters to interact. There has always been a structure to that moment in The X Files where Mulder and Scully discuss a case at the start of an episode and right from the off, the Pilot displays it. We've had a teaser featuring a mysterious death, but since this is the Pilot, we have to establish both the characters of Mulder and Scully and their relationship. The delivery of their first meeting is so wonderfully dealt with that it's no surprise to find that the series would reprise scenes like this, or variations on it, for the next nine seasons, and yet never feel forced or dull, but more often than not be, with regards to the episodes they appear in, to be the best moment in them.

Since this is the first time they meet, the moment where Mulder and Scully deliver their view points on a case, carries a charge that makes it feel somewhat different to those that would come next. They introduce each other to themselves, shake hands, exchange some witty banter, get down to business and then exchange some more witty banter, all while in the process of trying to get to know each other.

It's not what you call an instantly iconic moment or anything, it's very subtle and beautifully downplayed for one thing, yet, that actually only helps to make it feel like the beginning of something truly special, as if Chris Carter was allowing his characters and their world the chance to build up to something iconic and in the end, truly epic. The banter is funny and witty, the chemistry jaunty and fun. Gillian is as stoic and serious as she can be, but then melts the audience with a sly smile that lets you know that Scully is actually having fun. David is energetic yet in a relaxed manner, delivering witty lines with a somewhat slow, laid back style that makes you just love Mulder instantly. The slightly messy hair and equally messy office tell you everything you need to know about him instantly, not to mention the rolled up shirt sleeves. Thanks to this show and it's lead character, I tend to wear my shirts with the sleeves rolled up. Talk about influential. 

"That's why they put the 'I' in FBI."

Ten minutes in and it seems as if we're in for the start of a long, magical journey. What would follow next would not disappoint, even if did repeat this scene, it's easy to see why they would go back to it. He's Mulder. She's Scully. They're great characters. They're great actors and when you've got the writers who worked on this show writing these scenes, there was no other way but for those moments like this to be as brilliant as they were and yet, when you watch this scene, the first time when those eyes first meet and they shake hands, you just know that something magical is happening before your eyes, as if two icons of a medium and a genre have just crossed paths and nothing will ever be the same again.

The X Files-7ABX01:Hungry

Written by Vince Gilligan 

Directed by Kim Manners

The first stand alone of a season of The X Files, to me, always felt like another season premiere, after the mythology tale that officially opened the season. The first stand alone was usually a chance for the series to go to town with something special or different after the mythology heavy openings and as it has been par of the course since season five (technically season four since Unruhe was the second episode filmed that season but left over until the fourth broadcast) the reins are handed to Vince Gilligan. 

Since season five, the first stand alone tales have seen an origin tale for The Lone Gunmen, a car chase tale opening up with a breaking news bulletin, but here, Gilligan goes with a radical notion that in hindsight is amazing that the series never did it before. Taking a leaf out of the television series Colombo, Hungry sees Mulder and Scully track down a monster, but instead of us seeing the intricacies of their investigation, Gilligan opts to tell the tale from the point of view of this week's monster. 

The episode opens with a pretty standard X Files set piece. A drive thru order at a fast food restaurant in the dead of night goes horribly wrong with the customer is attacked by a monster who just happens to work in the place. Cue title sequence, but when the episode resumes, we are not back in the basement office, or Mulder and Scully driving to the crime scene, we're given  the usual morning routine of Rob Roberts, a gorgeously underplayed performance courtesy of Chad E Donnela. He shows up to work, says hello to everyone, appears to be well liked, but its when he gets home that we learn that he is the killer, trying desperately in vain to clean blood of the clothes he wore when he killed the customer from the teaser. 

As the episode continue we get a number of set pieces that one would expect from an episode like this. A private detective whom Rob thinks is following him is next to die, potential suspect Derwood Spinks, played by none other than Mark Pellegrino, is next before the final victim, who turns out to be Rob's landlady Sylvia. What marks all this out as being different is that the scenes around them deal with Rob, his life, his inability to control the hunger that leads him to kill whilst Mulder and Scully are relegated to guest star status on their own show, popping up now and again. Mulder is pretty much the antagonist on this one, who clearly knows what's up with Rob and almost tortures him with hints and clues as to his knowledge. 

There is possibly an entire missing episode of The X Files that deals with Mulder and Scully's investigation in this episode. You can just imagine Mulder and Scully investigating this one, Mulder working his way to telling Scully that he thinks Rob is the killer and what he believes him to be, but as the episode is told from Rob's view point, we never see it. We're never given a clear explanation as to what Rob is, why he is a vampiric monster whose facial and head features are fake and a means to make him more human, but you just know that such an explanation has been delivered by Mulder and Scully, but explaining the monster is not on Gilligan's agenda here. Like so much of his work on this show, there is an attempt to humanise the villain and make him more real and plausible than a set of genre ideas. It's been a hallmark of his work ever since Soft Light and it reaches a natural zenith here. 

The side effect of this is that it then makes one wonder about previous monsters to have appeared on the show. Rob is well liked by everyone, enjoys a friendly relationship with his land lady Sylvia and brings out nothing but hope and affection from his therapist. Did Eugene Tooms have a similar private life? Did he hang out with the other guys he worked with at the Animal Sanctuary? Was he popular? What about Samuel Aboa in Teliko? We see him on the back of a pick up truck at one point in that tale with a bunch of other guys? Did he engage in friendly banter with them? For once, the Monster of the Week isn't just some imaginatively constructed villain that we get to see brought down by our heroes, but a potentially real and viable character who, once is killed off at the end of the episode, actually ensures our sympathies, the final shot of the episode, a POV shot that fades to black, carries heavy emotional weight. 

For the most part, Rob doesn't kill anyone who doesn't deserve it. Although his victims aren't exactly villains themselves, they are usually rude or downright antagonistic towards him. The customer at the start is a pain in the butt. The private detective is obnoxious. Spinks is effectively the villain of the tale and isn't shy about trying to blackmail Rob. The point where our allegiances shift is when Rob kills his landlady Sylvia after laughing and joking with her. Its the point where Rob turns from a likable, tragically inflicted monster to someone who has to be put down by Mulder and Scully and as this is The X Files, the story demands it. 

There will be many who no doubt will not like Hungry because Mulder and Scully are sidelined, but as a one off experiment, it's a joy, a wonderful, dark, comedic, sad and tragic tale that shows the best in Gilligan, who, thanks to episodes like this, deserves his praise as the best writer on The X Files. That he can take something that, within the confines of this series, be unconventional and still work wonders is something to be celebrated. 

The X Files-7ABX04: The Sixth Extinction II:Amor Fati

Written by David Duchovny & Chris Carter

Directed by Michael Watkins

The X Files have been wonderful at three part stories. The Anasazi Trilogy, The Redux Trilogy and in season seven and eight we'll have The Requiem trilogy. Three part affairs on The X Files are a frequently engaging affair taking our beloved characters in emotionally charged arcs that fire the brain and engage the heart. This trio of episodes, which I shall of course call The Biogenesis Trilogy, has had plenty of good ideas and, thanks to its author Chris Carter, who actually was the main architect of those previous trilogies and the one that will start at the end of this seventh season, hasn't been afraid to try new things and go off in different directions, but it hasn't been the story telling success that the others were, instead going off in increasingly convoluted directions. 

For the final third of this story, we are once again going somewhere completely different. With the UFO at the heart of the tale mysteriously disappearing, no surprise there, the story becomes one in which Mulder must be saved, his hyperactive brain activity killing him. Whilst the episode does deal with a medical element, this is not to be The X Files in ER mode, despite spending the last episode in a lot of hospital corridors. Oh no, in fact, for Amor Fati, writers Chris Carter and David Duchovny are tipping their hat to one of Martin Scorsese's most controversial works, The Last Temptation of Christ where Jesus, dying on the cross, imagined life as a man free of his religious and spiritual responsibilities. 

By this point of The X Files, there is no doubt that the series mythology and the characters of Mulder and Scully have become somewhat heightened than they were when it began. The story arc of the show has effectively become a quest, constantly being referred to as such throughout the show, whilst Mulder and Scully are now owned by the world, much as they had become in popular culture, mythological figures fighting the fight against a tyrannical evil, in this case the CSM and his plans to conspire with aliens (the monsters of the show) to colonise Earth, i.e destroy the world. 

Always an all knowing series, with Amor Fati, The X Files addresses Mulder as being a Christ-like figure in his own show. Like Jesus in the Scorsese film, as he is dying, Mulder dreams of a normal life, with a suburban life in the shape of being married to Fowley, his sister living on the same street, not to mention Deep Throat still being alive and an eventual marriage and being a father to children. 

Its a wonderful  narrative and now that the CSM has appeared, things move at full pelt. There's a "Luke, I am your father" moment at the start which appears to put the mystery of Mulder's paternity to bed once and for all, although it is delivered in a dream, so who knows if its meant to be taken as fact. Even though we've taken a detour once again into something different, the script at last gives us scenes we've been waiting to see played out. The CSM being a cold hearted bastard, which he hasn't been in a while, Scully and Fowley finally slugging it out, verbally anyway, and, as far as the mythology goes, Mulder and Scully having a heartfelt and emotionally rounded conversation, since they tended to spend the mythology episodes in season six at each others throats.

If there is any complaint to make, it's that the episode deals with Mulder's normal fantasy life all too quickly. The episode spends seconds on his marriage, his impending and eventual fatherhood and then dealing with Fowley dying before ending up in his own death bed, with a never ageing CSM to keep him council. It's crow barring a lot into this one episode that it almost feels a shame that it the series didn't devote a two parter of its own to it. Having Samantha and Deep Throat pop up for cameos is wonderful and it has the guts to present Fowley seducing Mulder yet again despite the fans more than likely being up in arms over it. You got to love the bravery in that.

The fantasy element is so beautifully handled and promising on its own that its a shame that the rest of the episode can't keep up with the other threads at the heart of the tale. Krycek appears, but for whatever reason, I have no idea what he's up to. He attacks Skinner and it looks as if we're returning to the nanobot story from SR 819 last season, but the episode never goes back to it. Later Krycek murders Kritschgau, but for who and for what is never clear. It's like the episode needs a death scene and there it is. 

It doesn't detract from the brilliance going on around it. David Duchovny is sensational throughout. His writing is exemplary (he may have been making noise about his contract at the time, but there's no doubt, going from how he writes and direct for the series that he is a fan) and is performance is heartfelt. Gillian Anderson is wonderful also, I honestly believe that she cries the most beautiful tears to appear on a television series in that moment towards the end when she tries to wake him up. After spending last season's big two parter as a more sympathetic villain, William B Davis actually appears to be having fun being a more duplicitous, evil CSM once again. Then there's Mimi Rogers. Once again, at a point in the show when a one note character is on the verge of becoming someone very interesting and maybe playing a fascinating part on the show, Chris Carter pulls the trigger. Yes, Diana Fowley may not have been everyones favourite character, but her appearances in the mythology episodes gave the Mulder/Scully dynamic a charge when it had become complacent and the look on her face when she appears to have made a choice and do the right thing is an undoubted highlight of the episode. 

Then there's the final scene. It's important to note that the final scene of Amor Fati is probably the start of something that we're not going to know has been played out until the final scene of the season, or even the final scene of season eight. I'll not say anything more to those who read these reviews whilst watching the show for the first time. Suffice to say, the final scene of Amor Fati is achingly beautiful and gorgeously performed. Staged simply in Mulder's doorway, the friction that has existed in Mulder and Scully's relationship in the mythology episodes is healed as they declare that they are each others touchstones. It could be mawkish, or sentimental, but it's so achingly, beautifully performed that it's hard not to be moved. Mark Snow, as always, works wonders with his scoring and that beautiful, gentle way Scully caresses Mulder's face can't fail to touch the heart and pine for this relationship to develop even further. 

After two very muddled episodes, I can't believe that this trilogy has ended with a series highlight. 

"You were my constant, my touchstone."

"You are mine." 

The X Files-7ABX03:The Sixth Extinction

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by Kim Manners

I would love nothing more but to turn around and say to you in this review that "hey, it's okay, the first episode of season seven of The X Files manages to turn it around and turn this trilogy of episodes into something special, the one thing that I wanted it to be from the get go". Unfortunately I can't because if anything, The Sixth Extinction only managed to muddy the waters further, or bloody the waters as it is prone to do at one point and disappear into a metaphysical black hole where really nothing makes any sense. 

We pretty much appear to pick up where we left of from Biogenesis. Scully is in still in Africa investigating the alien ship that has been discovered and Mulder is still locked up in a psychiatric hospital, although he appears to have been given a hair cut since we last seen him, his thicker hair now shorter. 

Now, I love Chris Carter. I do. I love his writing, I love his feats of imagination and I adore how he's the everything man on his own show. This is a writer who is capable of writing dark foreboding horror like Irresistible one minute, and then something light and fluffy like Triangle the next, but whereas his work frequently is under some semblance of creative control, here he's all over the place. I'm not sure if this is deliberate or not, an attempt to mix in the mystical with the alien mythology, something he did to tremendous effect back in The Blessing Way, but here I can't help but feel that I'm watching a bit of a mess. We get, the somewhat obligatory, running around hospital corridors, the Ivory Coast turning into blood, we get the return of Kritschgau, we get a mysterious, naked figure, appearing before Scully, who only she can see. There is no CSM at all, although there is a wonderfully large supporting role for Skinner whilst Fowley gets to finally break free of the shackles and be the antagonist for the episode, but also in the course of the episode deliver a beautifully written soliloquy to a coma riddled Mulder where she tries to justify her actions.  It will never endear her to a large portion of the fanbase, obviously, but it does at the very least take her away from the femme fatale thing going on and into something more rounded and believable. 

For those good points though, I can't help but feel it's a kitchen sink of an episode and an unruly one at that.  Carter basically throws everything into it, looking to see what sticks and just decides to leave it as it is without making it coherent. On the one hand, I can admire it for its somewhat experimental nature, but I wanted it to make the story more rounded and to allow it to make sense. We also have to wait until the next episode for the CSM to get caught up and by that point, as we'll see, it's going to develop into a completely different direction once again. 

I do have one aspect though I truly love about this season opener and that is "Indiana Scully". For the majority of the episode, Scully is in Africa and as such does not wear her  usual brand of FBI favoured suits, instead wearing a plethora of clothing suitable for exploring UFOs in a beach in Africa. At one point she wears quite a bit of khaki and even has the guts to wear it whilst walking down the FBI corridor. I can't help but feel that John Williams' Indiana Jones theme tune should be playing through this sequence. Yes, I know she isn't wearing a brown leather jacket or  a fedora or carrying a satchel, but still, it has an Indiana Jones vibe that I can't help but love. 

So, it's not all bad, but still, this is a strange opener to the season. It's different, I'll give it that, and sometimes a bit of something new and unusual is good. This is The X Files after all so unusual is part of the course, but once again, like the season six finale this is carrying on from, I can't help but feel that Carter has missed a great direction to go in and as such is just piling on mystery and all manner of strange goings on for the sake of it. By the end of the episode the UFO has disappeared, of course which should be the end of it, but Mulder is still in his medically induced coma, Scully has returned home and we are left in no doubt that that story has still to be continued. We have another shift in direction to go. I should leave this review with a warning that the worst is still to come, but thankfully, David Duchovny is co authoring the next one and the direction we're about to go in is somewhere worth while. 

Who Cares?:A Millennium Season One Retrospective

Second out of the gate, but the first to be cancelled, Millennium would prove to be one of Chris Carter's most intriguing and experimental creations, but also it's more creatively troubled, going through many changes in its three seasons on the air. Nothing on television has been so frustratingly wonderful and provocative as the adventures of Frank Black and his family. 

Beginning on the 25th of October, 1996, Millennium arrived on US television in a blaze of glory. Chris Carter, having scored a major hit with The X Files and lighting a massive fire on the pop cultural landscape, was the golden boy of Fox Television, and was enjoying a creative and commercial success, not to mention becoming a house hold name in the same manner of his X Files stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. The name of Carter was on a level similar to that of George Lucas upon the release of Star Wars, Steven Spielberg when he made Jaws and David Lynch when Twin Peaks aired and much the same way the name of JJ Abrams is nowadays too. No surprise that when it was announced that Millennium was on its way, a new Chris Carter creation, attention was very much focused on it. The casting of Lance Henriksen and Megan Gallagher was widely reported as was the nature of the series. Initially when I first heard of Millennium being in the works, it was in a, now long gone sadly, television magazine called TV Zone who described the work in progress as being about "a psychic hunting serial killers in the future". Not quite correct, but at least they got the serial killer bit right. 

As time went on, word filtered through that the series would have more in common with movies like Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs. Although The X Files had similarities to Lambs, the comparison lay more with the use of the FBI in a genre thriller more than the stories being told and the inspiration of Clarice Starling on Dana Scully. Millennium was going to go all the way, and be a dark trip into the mind of the criminal. We were told to expect something darker, more adult, violent and different to what Mulder and Scully usually went up against.

Hype being what it was, some 18 million viewers tuned in that October night, making it, at the time, the highest ratings ever for a scripted Fox series. The series debuted on a Friday night, taking over from the time slot of The X Files which made a move to Sunday nights at 9pm, a decision that was met with a little bit of controversy from fans who had rather taken to the idea of The X Files being a Friday night series. The X Files itself had rejuvenated the idea of the Friday night slot. 9:00pm on a Friday night was, pre-Mulder and Scully, a dead slot, with any show broadcast then earning poor ratings. The X Files changed that and whilst taking The X Files away from that was seen as a somewhat controversial move, it was generally considered a mark of confidence from Fox over the new Ten Thirteen series that it would be broadcast in the slot.

25 million viewers was even higher than anything The X Files gained in its first three seasons on the air. For at least one week, Millennium was an undeniable, commercial success, one of two mighty peaks for all things Ten Thirteen (the other being the summer of 1998 when The X Files:Fight the Future debuted in cinemas). Reviews were very favourable and there is no denying that the Pilot was one of the most cinematic things to ever be broadcast on television at the time. The X Files was noted for it's high production values and its ability to transcend its television format into something more cinematic, but Millennium went even further. It may only have been forty five minutes long, but the episode could easily have fitted on to a widescreen. The visual style of the episode was gorgeous, David Nutter directed with a wonderful hand, Stephen Mark's editing, as noted by Chris Carter in his audio commentary on the DVD, was a work of art, Mark Snow delivered one of his best scores, the story telling was refreshingly adult and confrontational, but extremely compelling and the performances from Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Brittany Tiplady, Terry O'Quinn, Bill Smitrovich and Paul Dillon were extremely accomplished. Henriksen in particular was Frank Black right from the off.

The standard never dropped. The Pilot may have had a month long production schedule, but that didn't stop the usual eight day schedule from hampering the brilliance of the remaining 21 episodes that year. All season long, Millennium continued to be an extremely well made, punishingly challenging series that dared to go places other series wouldn't think of. Serial killers, cults, child abuse, and satanic evil all featured heavily. Death was around every corner of Millennium. Chris Carter has often been quoted as saying that violent death is something that we as a species are afraid off and it's no surprise to see that violent death marked nearly every corner of Millennium. One episode even featured a serial killer targeting mourners at funerals. It may have been grim and dark, but it was enthralling to watch. Like Irresistible from season two of The X Files (itself cited by Carter as a progenitor to Millennium), the new series offered a type of horror  that disturbing, sometimes hard to stomach but hard to turn away from.

Being grim and dark may have been what put people off Millennium in the end though. Only a small fraction of the 18 million who watched the Pilot came back. Serial killer and a dark oppressive atmosphere may be okay for a two hour feature film or at the very least a single forty five minute episode of a television series, but mainstream audiences were somewhat put off by having to come back to it for another 21 weeks. Reviews were favourable, but many noted the down turn of the audience. Questions were raised about the violent content, many asking whether or not it may in fact have been the most violent series ever broadcast on Network television, but let's be honest, it wasn't violence for the sake of it. Carter's message in Millennium was that we lived in a violent world and that as we approached the date of January 1st 2000 and beyond, things were only going to get worse. In the end the first season of Millennium contains probably not only the most prominent and prophetic of messages, one that even resonates in 2013, but would also become one of the most copied series in television.

The distinct editing style of Frank's visions would be seen again in CSI. The touchingly played bedroom scenes between Frank and Catherine dotted throughout season one and the subtly played philosophical musings between them where they are shown to be equally intelligent partners can be seen in the, admittedly brilliant also, Medium. The washed out look of the show's cinematography could be seen as an inspiration on the look of Supernatural (it should be noted that David Nutter actually directed the Pilot for that show as well) whilst the casting of Lance Henriksen was a novelty at the time. Noted for his movie appearances (notably Aliens, Near Dark and also the original consideration for the lead role of The Terminator which he would end up playing a supporting role ), in 1996 it was somewhat unusual to see a movie star take a leap and be a regular on television. And look what has happened since. Kiefer Sutherland, William Petersen, Gary Sinise, Anthony LaPaglia, Alec Baldwin, Kyra Sedgwick and Holly Hunter have all seen the benefits of television and jumped into iconic roles accordingly, but back then, it was distinctly unusual to see such a thing happen.  It may only be a cult show, but make no mistakes, Millennium season one may very well be one of the most influential series in the history of television. 


For the most part it never falters. There is nothing in the first season of Millennium that matches the creative disappointments of Space or Shapes from season one of its sister series, by 1996, it appeared that Carter knew who to masterly create a premiere season of a television series. Ratings may have have taken a dive, but there is no denying the awesome brilliance of the season's other episodes. Gehenna, 522666, Blood Relatives, The Well Worn Lock, The Wild and the Innocent, The Thin White Line, Lamentation, Powers Principalities, Thrones and Dominions, the list is almost endless. Yes, there are one or two weaker episodes, but they are still well worth a view and have a lot to recommend them. 

By the end of the first season, there was even a wonderful crew capable of doing brilliant things with the series. Morgan and Wong contributed three classics, but the ace in the hole was probably Chip Johannessen who wasn't afraid to experiment with the series' format. Force Majeure, Walkabout and Maranatha were frequently dazzling, sometimes odd and at times oh so brilliant. Thomas J Wright became the regular director on the series, his work well up to the standard set by Nutter and equally comparable to what Kim Manners and Rob Bowman were doing on The X Files. 

As a teenager, Millennium offered to me a different kind of television horror. It was a different type of intensity to that of The X Files, nor offered that series' dreamy, romantic escapism, but something more scary and provocative. Lamentation was an episode that infused its way into my nightmares and has stayed there ever since. Up until that point, Scully's anguished cries as she was abducted by Duane Barry was as frightening as television got for me. When Lamentation came around it has been replaced by Bob Bletcher confronting the satanic Lucy Butler on the staircase of the Black family home.  The episode itself appeared to be taking Millennium into a somewhat different direction and appeared to be offering an even darker road for season two, but a change was on the horizon. 

Fox believed that Millennium had the potential to be a massive hit and thankfully renewed the series for a second season, but with Carter wanting to devote his attention to The X Files and its upcoming feature film release, Millennium needed someone else to take charge for its second season. Fox turned to two of the most talented writers to grace the credits of Ten Thirteen's output, which was really a no brainer, but when it came to Millennium, they had a different direction in mind and ideas of their own. 

The X Files-6ABX22:Biogenesis

Written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz

Directed by Rob Bowman

Season six of The X Files is wonderful. The incredible use of humour, the more quirkier atmosphere, the "take on the world and win" feeling that ran throughout the season, the entire forty five minutes of Tithonus and the satisfying ninety minutes that were Two Fathers and One Son,  the sixth year of The X Files saw it at the top of its game. Even lesser episodes like Agua Mala and Alpha were actually pretty decent and I can safely say I would have no problem watching them again. So it's a disappointment that the one episode that drops the ball a little is the season finale, Biogenesis. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible episode, but it's just that from a mythology point of view, I can't help but feel the entire forty five minutes here is wrong. 

The mythology hasn't featured as highly in season six as it had done seasons two to five, in fact season six saw the smallest number of mythology episodes in the show since season one, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing since the ongoing arc was prominently featured in mid season two parter Two Fathers and One Son and as a result made a high impact given that episode's revelations and plot developments. The mythology and the show felt as if it turned a corner with those two episodes, bringing the Syndicate arc to an end and giving the show a potential new direction go in, maybe even allow the ongoing battle between Mulder and Scully and the CSM to become even more internal and personal since CSM lost everything in those two episodes; his wife, his son and his life's work. There was even the events of SR 819 that hinted at major developments to come, what with Krycek threatening Skinner's life and that episode finishing with the disturbing hint that even that was part of something even more. With all that in that mind, it leaves one feeling excited about what the finale, always a great part of an X Files season, can bring to the table.

In the end Biogenesis brings very little. In fact, it doesn't go very far and in the end ends up opening a whole new can of worms when in fact it shouldn't be considering that at this point in time (May 1999) it was looking increasingly likely that the following season was very going to be The X Files' last. It wasn't of course, but we'll get to that in due time. 

In The Erlenmeyer Flask, there was a hint that maybe human life had descended from extra terrestrial life and in Biogenesis we return to that thread in a big way, even though at this point in the show's life, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz should be thinking about other things, rather than going back to a plot thread that hasn't really been dealt with in about six years and thus opening up too many doors when the series was maturing to a point of closing them. The CSM only appears in one scene and there appears to be another Syndicate, which seems a bit of waste since the last one was killed (don't be worrying about this though folks, we'll never see or hear of this again). He certainly appears to be in a meeting with a bunch of mature men like he always was. One Son displayed the allegiance between himself and Diana Fowley, but it's never really dealt with, bar one scene where they are on the telephone. Hell, the CSM doesn't even say anything, he appears in one scene, says nothing and that's it. Given how personal and deeply fascinating the series made him during the mid season two parter, is it wrong that I want to see even more of that? 

The Skinner/Kryceck dynamic in SR 819 hinted at great things to come, and whilst Mulder discovers this 'allegiance' the two characters only share one scene and it appears that Carter is at a loss at where to go with this now that the Syndicate arc is gone, it's there to serve the story when it needs to do and nothing more (we'll have to wait until season eight to see this part of the arc go to some spectacular places). The only main part of the arc left to resolve is Mulder's sister and yet this is relegated to a single line of dialogue, although credit to David Duchovny who carries it with considerable weight. 

The idea of Mulder becoming like Gibson Praise, someone with alien induced psychic ability and Scully discovering a giant UFO on a beach in Africa are all very exciting ideas admittedly, and the final image does carry a real punch, Rob Bowman's direction and Mark Snow's music add to the drama, but Carter and Spotnitz's script doesn't run with any of it the way that it ought to do, certainly not in the way they did with Two Fathers and One Son. They do have fun with Mimi Rogers who gets to go into full femme fatale mode and I can't help but think that they knew the combustible reaction they would get to that scene in Mulder's apartment, and whilst the episode is all very epic and works as a thriller in its own right, by rights this should have been so much more. The series had the potential to go anywhere it wanted to do and yet we're stuck in a groove it really should have gotten out off.

From the acting side of things, David and Gillian are once again mesmerising. Duchovny portrays Mulder's descent into madness thrillingly well and his final moments of the season, Mulder screaming in a padded cell, are deeply chilling given how fun and light things have been all season, whilst Gillian excels as Scully finds herself alone, surrounded by treacherous characters like Skinner and Fowley and making a world shattering discovery on her own, in another part of the world.

It's great to see the series back in New Mexico and the return of Albert Hosteen, the murder of Doctor Barnes and the screaming monkeys reacting to the violence recalls a similar moment to The Erlenmeyer Flask and whilst the CSM not talking can be seen a return to a season one style, as a fan and an avid viewer, I want more. I  hate to keep comparing it to Two Fathers and One Son, but those two episodes were so incredibly satisfying that it's a disappointment to see the series has taken a two steps forward but three steps back philosophy to its storytelling. It would be okay if the continuation  were to make up for it, but as season seven begins, it'll become clear this is one storyline that has really nowhere to go but down an even bigger metaphysical rabbit hole of no return.