Millennium Reviews
The Judge
Written by Ted Mann / Directed by Randy Zisk
The Case
The Millennium Group is involved in a serial murder
case in Seattle, Washington that has spanned four years. Frank is
called in to consult when a woman receives a package containing a
human tongue. We learn that this is the fourth instance where a body
part was delivered to an unsuspecting person, but the victims and
recipients appear to be unconnected. It has been determined that the
body parts were removed while the victims were alive, but no corpse
or further remains have ever turned up. The latest case, however,
doesn't fit the pattern. The victim was dead when the tongue was
removed and the job was less skillful. In addition, the body for this
victim is eventually found.
During the course of this episode, we learn the connection
between victim and recipient. The man who lost his tongue was a
retired police officer who perjured himself during his testimony
years ago leading to the incarceration of an innocent man. The man
was murdered in prison and his wife is the recipient of the ex-cop's
tongue in a twisted form of justice. A second victim was an apartment
building owner who removed the lighting in a stairwell, causing an
older woman to fall and suffer fatal injuries. His leg was removed
below the knee and he was left to die a slow, painful death fully
aware of his imminent demise. The man dispensing justice refers to
himself as The Judge and wants his victims conscious during their
punishment, aware of the crime they're being punished for, and to
suffer their sentence with that knowledge. The Judge doesn't act
alone which makes the profiling a more complex task. He is directing
recruited killers; others predisposed to an alternative theory of
justice.
When Frank makes the connection between a DOA vagrant in the
morgue and the first victim, Bletch and the other detectives think
the case is wrapped up. Frank cautions that a connection should not
lead them to overlook complexity. With the discovery of the second
body part, he is convinced that the previous pattern has been
re-established, indicating a new surrogate for The Judge and a
continuation of the murders. By tracking down the second killer,
Bardale, they eventually locate The Judge, but even with his journals
and scrapbooks, they will be unable to make a case against him and he
is released. But The Judge hasn't selected his henchmen well and
Bardale, feeling betrayed, carries out his own form of justice and
dispatches his mentor from this life.
The Characters
I think the Millennium Group and the Seattle Police
Department are slowly but surely gaining depth. I would like to see
recurrent characters and have them gain some individuality, setting
them apart from a simple "detective" or "group member"
classification. I think some steps were taken toward this end in "The
Judge". I enjoyed seeing CCH Pounder who has pulled a paycheck from
1013 in the past with a great turn as Agent Kazdan. I thought her
portrayal of Andrews, the medical examiner, was right on mark and I
hope to see her again. My favorite Group member so far has been
Pensyres. He's a toned-down but efficient character who I'm hoping
will be expanded on and used often.
One thing this episode offered was some additional insight into
the killer and his minions. Having some background and motivation for
these villains makes them and their actions more interesting.
Marshall Bell, as The Judge, was a fascinating bad guy and I was more
than a little disappointed when I saw the final scene and realized he
wouldn't be back for a future turn. His meticulous, ritualistic
portrayal of The Judge was great to watch and offset the character of
Frank Black in a way that would have been interesting to expand on. I
thought this might actually happen when he told Frank the job offer
was open and not to make the conventional assumptions if he was hard
to reach. Then when I saw the note he left for Frank (Sorry to have
missed you. Another time?), I thought for sure we were being given a
recurring villain. But the final scene ruled out a reappearances in
any traditional sense. I like the idea of a one on one, Frank and a
symbolic villain. Two intellects on opposite sides of a moral line in
a psychological contest. I've read books from John Sanford's Prey
series and seen movies like "In the Line of Fire" and even "Heat",
where you have two minds and wills pitted against each other. I find
it fascinating and when The Judge mentioned how he wanted to meet the
man who could catch him, I thought we might have that possibility to
explore. I'm a bit disappointed.
The Presentation
So far, Millennium hasn't let me down in the area of
visual and musical craft. Mark Snow's music has been incredible with
poignancy and urgency combined for a great moody backdrop. I'm also
intrigued by the artistic touches the direction has given certain
scenes. In "The Judge", the two I focused on were the sandwich scenes
and the camerawork in the lab with Andrews. In the lab, I enjoyed the
close-ups of the test tubes and the centrifuge. A stylistic view that
I might be partial to since I work in a lab. So sue me. In the
bowling alley, Nearman ordered a sandwich he left uneaten and, as he
watched his victim, he absentmindedly turned the plate on the table
which for some reason caught my eye. Then later, Frank similarly
leaves a sandwich uneaten on a plate. There were a few repeated
scenes tossed in adding a twisted continuity. The same delivery man
brings a package to Mrs. Tisman and to the Black's house which made
me think of fish...red herring in particular. One that made me laugh,
was the similar scenes when Frank and Bletch then The Judge and Frank
were talking. On the front porch, Frank ends a long explanation with,
"I know these men. I've chased them." Bletch's response..."Uh huh."
This was repeated when The Judge finished his job pitch to Frank and
the response is the same as Bletch's...."Uh huh." Both of them think
their subject is teetering on the brink.
This episode seemed to have more humor as relief to the
unmerciful mood than any previous episode. Maybe it's just my twisted
sense of humor, but even if it's black humor, it's welcome in the
face of such a dark subject. For instance, after discussing evidence
on the phone, Frank is offered, "Enjoy your dinner, Frank." And there
was something about the two women and their dog discovering that
body. What'cha got there doggy? Don't be alarmed, it's just a dead
body. That federal building security employee with his muttering
monologue as he attempted to bore his co-worker to death almost made
her miss the foot in the package. For some reason that cracked me
up...very Clavin-esque. But my favorite moment of relief was when The
Judge switched into livestock auctioneer mode causing the one
detective to say, "Shut up...damn!" He was so pissed off he even left
him unmonitored in the interrogation room *with* his belt and shoe
laces. No suicide watch for that guy. I'll admit it's dark but I've
got a sick sense of humor and it worked for me.
The Sentence
"...the visible world seems formed in love, the
invisible spheres were formed in fright." Herman Melville
The Judge was meticulous but ended up escalating his crimes due
to his disdain for the system. He told his hired killers his was not
a court of law but a court of justice. Narrower, deeper, more pure.
Since he was not carrying out his acts alone, he needed to select his
killers carefully and he made two consecutive mistakes. Nearman was a
thief and not the type to commit brutal acts on a conscious victim.
He was a poor choice. Bardale was a seemingly wise choice. He'd
committed murder but The Judge not only betrayed him, he misjudged
him and Bardale handed down his own form of justice. The Judge's
biggest downfall was his pride. He wanted acknowledgment and was
happy to hear that the police knew of his existence and even happier
to get the chance to meet the man who had found him. He says he
"allowed" the Group to get this close so that they could see his
truth and strength. He tried to convince Frank they were two sides of
the same coin...both desiring absolute and unconstrained justice. The
freedom to act without fear. But Frank would not be acting at all if
it wasn't for fear, and Frank doesn't have The Judge's arrogance and
pride; two things that brought about his eventual capture and death.
Millennium is being strengthened, though I wish the pace was a
bit faster. The characters are slowly gaining depth although some
need to make leaps and bounds; Catherine in particular. In this case
she had some insights of her own, but she needs more depth for me to
be truly satisfied. This is true for the supporting cast as well.
Frank would have to be a much bolder and more interesting character
on his own to carry the show single-handedly. I believe he should be
portrayed as a burdened hero, but he'd be much more interesting if we
occasionally saw some cracks in his facade. He is simply too stoic
and bottled-up. Variations in his personality must escape or his
character will become stagnant. And on the subject of Frank, his
speeches, though well written, are simply not believable. If I was
reading the dialogue in a book, I would think it was fantastic and
probably enjoyable in its wording. But people in real life, or TV,
can't talk like this and come across as a real person. "An act of
hubris...a perverse calculus." It's not that I don't understand or
appreciate the scripts, it's just not easy to relate to a character
who uses this as everyday speech. Sometimes Frank seems too cryptic
for his own good.
Between "Dead Letters" and "The Judge", I think Millennium is
holding its own and has promise. I've been interested, if not
riveted, for these last two episodes and if the show can continue to
give us additional character insights and expand on the villainous
motivations, I think the show will remain strong in its Friday night
slot.
Back to Menu
522666
Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong / Directed by David Nutter
The Case
When a bomb goes off at a pub in Washington DC, Frank
Black begins packing his bags before he even gets paged by the Group.
A joint task force is set up including agents from the FBI and ATF,
the DC Metro police, and some members of the Millennium Group.
Several groups take credit for the crime, but after finding evidence
at a parking garage overlooking the crime scene, Frank is convinced
that the bombing is the work of an individual. A 911 call was made
from the pub just before the detonation and the only thing recorded
was a message from the keypad...522666...KABOOM. The obsessive need
of the bomber to watch and experience the chaos convinces Frank that
he will also be using scanners and other listening devices in order
to hear the investigation in progress, so he is manipulated into
contacting Frank. Using the cell phone connections, the task force
tries to track down the location of the bomber but they're
unsuccessful. With his desire to taunt the authorities and brag to
Frank, he reveals that another bomb will detonate in just over three
hours.
By extrapolating back from the traced phone calls, they determine
the most likely area to search. Frank finds a parking garage that was
the bomber's vantage point and calls for evacuation of the target
building as an explosion knocks him to the ground. The bomb has
detonated 15 minutes ahead of schedule, but when Frank receives a
phone call from the bomber, he realizes things are just warming up.
There's another bomb and as Frank runs into the building and spots an
abandoned briefcase, he is knocked to the ground by a man as a second
explosion rocks the building. His savior is the bomber himself,
Raymond Dees, who is heralded as a hero. Frank realizes Dees is the
one. He was at the scene of both events, but this time he needed to
actually place himself into the chaos so designed the bombs to be
survivable if one knew when and how the explosion would dissipate.
When they search Dees' house, he isn't there. Frank leaves to get
some rest but ends up with Dees on the phone and a potential bomb
under the hood of his car. Dees has a transmitter that could detonate
explosives in either car, but it turn out neither car is wired.
Instead, Dees has orchestrated his own execution at the hands of a
sharpshooter as his final act to ensure that people will know and
remember his name.
The Characters
Raymond Dees, was an interesting character who became
more so due to his attempt to connect with Frank. When he sets off
his first bomb, he starts the experience by sitting in the pub and
picturing the explosion. He then views the explosion from a vantage
point across the street that allows him to experience the impact. But
this level of involvement is quickly not enough. He wants to be at
ground zero to see the bomb go off...to see himself in the chaos as
it occurs. The first time he is on site helping the wounded, and this
is magnified in the second explosion when he rescues Frank from the
chaos. Once he zeroed in on Frank, his obsession grew exponentially.
Here was someone who could see the faces of the victims, experience
their terror; a man who had given himself over to chaos. Dees wanted
to be a star and assumed Frank did as well; a transference of his own
feelings and motivations. His contact with Frank was a chance to
taunt his potential captors, to involve himself completely in the
experience by not only committing the acts but listening in to every
aspect of the ensuing investigation. A dialogue with Frank was icing
on the cake. Dees claimed he was an artist whose palette was fire,
glass, and blood. Frank was his audience and an artist himself who
could understand and appreciate his work. He saw himself as powerful
and important, and by his actions he was responsible for eighteen
lives. In death, his name would be known.
The Black family is peripherally involved in this episode when
Jordan has a nightmare involving her father. I wonder if she has an
ability of her own or is just finely attuned to her father's moods
somehow. Catherine tries to contact Frank and ends up overhearing his
conversation with Dees. This scares her and after being informed of
Frank's injuries, she confides to him that she is more concerned
about his spirit healing than his physical injuries. She says, "For
every dark soul you connect with, there's a bright one."
Unfortunately, though this may be true in some instances, it wasn't
the case here since the dark and light souls she imagines are one in
the same. I'm starting to find the family angle in Millennium more of
a distraction than anything. Catherine's job will eventually be
addressed in a future episode, but if it takes a special episode to
do this, I assume it won't be a regular feature of the show. If this
is the case, I'd rather they dropped this angle altogether. I see the
dramatic use for his family attachments, but they're wasted when
depicted as nothing more than window dressing.
Once again, we saw Peter Watts, another member of the Millennium
Group. He's a solid character that provides a stable foil for Frank's
personality. Having his backing seems to help smooth the way and
bolster the belief of the agencies they work with. In this case,
Pierson, the task force leader, seemed to gain some confidence in
Frank's predictions and beliefs about the bomber. But when Franks
fingered the man who was responsible, Pierson's trust faltered. I
understand his reasoning, especially when he brought up Centennial
Park and the Richard Jewel fiasco, but it did seem more than
coincidence that Dees was on site for both of the bombings. He
certainly seemed like a solid suspect to me and luckily there was a
paper trail to indicate his military background as an explosives
specialist.
The Presentation
My main reasons for being attracted to Millennium
were used to good dramatic effect in "522666". I've previously
mentioned my interest in books and movies that explore the psychology
of the criminal's mind and a bonus is when there's a connection made
between hero and villain, fought on a mental landscape. Although this
episode featured a lot of explosive footage, the real battle took
place between the personalities of Frank and Dees. Combine this with
the tech display seen in movies like Sneakers, and you've got a
winning combination for this viewer. I love to see just how the
investigation proceeds, all the technical aspects, all the details. I
want to believe that the criminal's capture was possible. "522666"
offered a combination of both of these, and although it is hard to
cram these elements effectively into an hour TV program, I felt the
effort was successful. If Millennium can offer a compelling criminal
and a plausible investigation, they'll have a successful show.
Unfortunately, I need more than typical TV fare to hold my interest.
I don't watch many shows with regularity and unless Millennium can be
fresh and innovative, it will lose viewers and I'll probably count
myself among them. A typical crime drama is not something that I'll
make an appointment for on a weekly basis.
One point I feel compelled to bring up for discussion is the
subplot of the bomber's sexual transference. When Frank discovers his
vantage point for the first explosion, he finds a napkin in the
trashcan and an inspection of its contents leads Pierson to comment,
"My own preference is to imagine girls who wouldn't date me." In case
we didn't catch that detail, Frank explains that the bomber is
excited by the anticipation and gets his release from these crimes.
We see Dees in his workshop surrounded by his listening devices and
can guess his activity by his heavy breathing. When they attempt to
pin down his location by cell phone and he's in his car, his
conversation with Frank increases his feelings of power and
importance and leads to another release. There were lots of close-ups
of Dees' face and his labored breathing and obviously this is
preferable to any shots down south, but I wonder if continued focus
on this was necessary. It was established that this was an aspect of
his profile, and this has been the case with many criminals so it's
not hard to believe. But once this was stated, it seemed like a bit
of overkill to continue showing his self-actuating acts.
Finally, since this was a Morgan and Wong script, I had my eyes
open for anything that felt like an inside joke regarding
Ten-Thirteen. I'm not great at this but I did catch a 10:13 time
stamp and the opening scene at the pub had the band "X" playing as
Dees sat imagining the bomb blast. That one is weak at best but the
most obvious was when Frank was channel surfing (something he seems
partial to) and an announcer said, "...calls it one of the best new
shows of the season. Sundays after football." Hmmm...
The Sentence
"I am responsible for everything...except my very
responsibility." Jean Paul Sartre
Overall, this episode was the most logical and easy to follow
from an investigative standpoint. There weren't any Frank-psychic
moments...in fact, Jordan seemed the family member that might have
been showing some skill in that arena. Frank's line of reasoning and
explanations were clear and non-cryptic and it probably helped the
episode to flow in a believable manner for the majority of the
audience. What we did get was some insight into the degree of empathy
Frank seems to achieve with the criminal mind. In terms of the
writing, I appreciated the conversations Frank had with Dees more
than any other cryptic explanation or insight Frank has previously
delivered. In particular, when he interprets Dees and his
motivations. His reading of Dees is right on mark and that is what
makes it frightening for both Catherine and the viewer. The opening
quote is interesting when you look at how Dees chose to end his life.
He wants to be recognized first as a hero and then as the actual
bomber, accountable for the crimes and loss of life. Yet in the end,
he relinquishes his life not by his own hand, but by forcing the
actions of his executioners, thus avoiding responsibility. I'm sure
this existential quote had even deeper implications, but since we
never really learned why Dees felt motivated to seek star status,
I'll just leave it at that.
Back to Menu
Kingdom Come
Written by Jorge Zamacona / Directed by Winrich Kolbe
The Case
Frank Black is teamed up with Millennium Group member
and former colleague, Ardis Cohen, on a case that resembles one they
worked on four years ago. In the previous case three men, all
religious figures, were murdered in ritualized burnings. Following
the three deaths, the murders stopped but the current murder
investigation appears to fit the pattern. Frank finds a coin in the
mouth of the current victim; a break in the pattern. He and Ardis
believe they are dealing with the same killer and that this addition
to his ritual could signify an escalation.
The second victim is a man who has retired from the religious
life but this doesn't protect him as his body is found tied to a
stake in a ritual drowning. The ritual of burning at the stake has
been abandoned for other rights in the killing of heretics. While
looking through crime scene photos from the previous murders, Frank
finds two words carved into one of the wooden stakes..."Sermo
Generalis". His research shows that the killing and torture of
heretics took many forms; ritual burning, ordeal by water, and death
by torture. The killer has fashioned himself an inquisitor but the
murders have taken on a personal bent in these latest deaths. The
drowned man had a ring forced down his throat and a search of the
area reveals its companion. These items, the coin and the rings, are
not a message to the authorities; rather, they are placed for the
personal satisfaction of the killer who seems to know the victims.
Frank and Ardis piece together enough clues to identify the
killer as Galen Calloway. The only fingerprints turned up were
partial but not due to an incomplete print. It is concluded the
killer may have been burned leading to scarring on his hands and when
a connection is made to the victims, they determine that Calloway is
their suspect. He lost his wife and daughter in a house fire that
only he survived, and although his work had been religious teaching,
he felt betrayed by his god and his faith and undertook a mission to
destroy and eliminate that faith. When the killings stopped years
ago, it was due to his imprisonment on a drunk driving charge, and
now with his parole, he has resumed his mission with an added fervor.
In the end, Frank's own faith is tested when he enters a church where
Calloway is holding hostages under a threat of blowing up the church
and himself. Frank finds a man suffering such pain and grief that he
wanted to destroy all evidence of his faith, being unable to
eliminate the god that inspired it in the first place. But his faith
remains and his suffering continues. Frank succeeds in forestalling
any further death while simultaneously defining the parameters of his
own beliefs.
The Characters
I felt the characterization of Galen Calloway was one
of the best for the string of murderers we've seen so far on
Millennium. He wasn't a faceless, voiceless killer. We not only saw
his crimes and explanations for them, we received a history of the
man himself and how he reached this point in his life. In "522666",
we were shown a man who wanted to be a star, a hero, but we never
really learned why this was the case. In "Kingdom Come", the ability
to sympathize with the villain was provided for us and was impossible
to dismiss. Many have lost a loved one and had a momentary loss of
faith, and Calloway, being a religious man in his personal and work
life, felt betrayed by his religion. He enacted the sacraments, he
took the vows, and still his god turned his back on him when it came
to saving his family. His pain was real and understandable, and it
made it easy to follow the pattern of the killings when they were
laid out during the investigation. "I am the lamb", Calloway says as
he prepares to sacrifice himself along with the church's unfortunate
occupants. He couldn't kill his god and, in the end, couldn't kill
his own faith.
We were finally introduced to a female member of the Millennium
Group, Ardis Cohen. She and Frank had worked together in the past and
so they easily fell back into a complementary investigative pattern.
As we saw, Frank wasn't the only one effected by the subject matter
of the case. Although I wasn't overwhelmed by the character herself,
the performance and contribution were solid and I hope we see her
again, or at least a few more female members of the Group.
Lance Henriksen had some wonderful moments in this episode. His
interactions with Megan Gallagher and Brittany Tiplady seemed genuine
and made the family feel real, not just a backdrop like the house.
The moments I appreciated the most, however, were the final scenes
with Frank and Calloway in the church. Frank knows how Calloway feels
and what he wants, and he puts his life on the line based on these
beliefs. He feels he can reach Calloway since he can genuinely
empathize with his situation. Frank hasn't lost his family, but he
has a wife and daughter who he wants to protect from the danger that
stalks them so his ability to sympathize with Calloway is real. But
where Frank's faith is hazy, Calloway's has been put to the test and
his god came up short in his estimation. "There is no peace. There is
no forgiveness," he says. He believes that his god has abandoned him,
but despite all attempts to systematically remove all past symbols of
faith in his life, Calloway can't kill his own faith. The interaction
between Frank and Calloway, and the parallels between their
characters, was the most interesting aspect of this episode.
The Presentation
"Kingdom Come" carries a theme of faith being tested
and how we live and deal with that faith in the face of our life
experience. Aside from the obvious events being played out in Frank's
latest case, there is the whole issue of Frank and Catherine's
beliefs and what they will pass on to Jordan in the way of teaching.
We see the Black family on Sunday morning, a day of rest. But the day
is disturbed by two events: a phonecall for Frank and a bird who
flies into the window of their yellow house. The death of the bird
leads to some tough questions from Jordan, some of which are handled
less than honestly by Catherine. I suppose the questions are tougher
when they come from your daughter, but I don't think telling her that
her parents will live forever is the way to prepare her for the
future.
There was also the question of Frank's faith which was questioned
by Calloway and by Frank himself. He admitted fear and this time we
saw that fear. He didn't break down, but there appeared to be some
cracks in his armor as Calloway stepped behind him to possibly end
his life. This confrontation and his thoughts on Calloway lead him to
analyze his ideas of faith and religion and what course he and
Catherine should take in teaching Jordan. This episode brought the
Black family into the story in a way I appreciated. I know that we
are supposed to get a story with Catherine being more involved (next
week?), and I've been thinking that the family angle is a wasted one,
but with this episode I would have to change that assessment. I only
hope they utilize the family in this manner in the future. It felt
like we had some character insight as well as some character
development. Frank's faith has been shaken by all that he's seen over
the past years in law enforcement and he admits an uncertainty in his
belief in a god. But by having him face the issue and discuss it, we
saw some growth in the character and watched him come to a decision
with regard to Jordan.
In addition to the compelling theme, the acting in this episode
was right on mark. The focused imbalance in Calloway was just enough
to make him a character to regard with both horror and sympathy.
Catherine offered additional definition to the case with her comments
this time and also allowed us to see her worry for Frank without
simply being there to react. I'm hoping Megan Gallagher gets a chance
to stretch this character as we reach mid-season. Henriksen did a
marvelous job this time. His dedication to and insight on a case is
nothing compared to his understanding of the victim and the feelings
they suffer. His best scene was in the church as he attempts to
reason with Calloway. I'm also impressed with the feeling of love he
seems capable of instilling in the slightest look at Jordan and
Catherine.
The Sentence
"And there will be such intense darkness That one can
feel it" Exodus 10:21
The killer had a particular pain that Frank could empathize with
quite personally. Calloway's faith was tested when his wife and child
were lost to him. Frank can see himself in this man and understand
his surrender. In fact, his ability to understand scares Catherine
who once again hears a version of her husband when Frank describes
Calloway's pain. It is a window onto the fear and suffering that must
have lead Frank to his breakdown. Frank brought himself back from
that abyss, but it still scares Catherine to see his understanding
and empathy. In dealing with this case and facing his ideas and
beliefs on faith, Frank defines the parameters that he will set when
teaching and passing on his beliefs to Jordan. Yes, there is death
and sadness. But you have to balance the sadness with a sense of hope
and faith. Overall, I think this was an excellent episode. It is the
best example of the incorporation of Frank's family into the story
that I've seen so far. If they can expand on Catherine's role and
continue to involve the family in a positive way, I think their
presence will be an asset to Millennium.
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