Directed by Thomas J. Wright. Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong

EPISODE RATING: (1 to 4) ***1/2

The Millennium Group is on the verge of internal warfare. The Group’s two diversions are the Owls and the Roosters. Owls believe that a secular event in 672 days will be the trigger for the end of the world, while the Roosters claim the apocalypse will occur at the turn of the century. Peter Watts is among the latter. In Damascus, Syria, a piece of what seems to be a piece of the crucifixion cross has been unearthed and taken by force by an unknown unit. Whoever has possession of the wood may be the only ones who’ll come through the oncoming disasters. The Owls and Roosters both blame each other for the cross being taken.

Watts wants to bring both Frank and Lara Means into the group during this dangerous period, though only Lara is willing to work with him. Frank tells him he doesn’t want anything to do with the Group. Tension between the Owls and Roosters is increased when Group member Johnston is murdered. The dead man was a member of the Owls, although he's suspected of being a double agent for the Roosters. His murder sparks a reluctant joint investigation by both factions of the Group. In addition, what may be the stolen piece of the cross is discovered in the burnt remains of Johnston’s car.

Catherine meanwhile has landed a job at a company called Aerotech International, hired by Clare Knight to act as a psychological counsellor for the staff. Catherine’s job and boss seem to be to good to be true. Frank meets Knight and becomes suspicious of her motives, sparked by a painting on her wall and her rather curious cuff links, although doesn’t mention anything about this to Catherine.

Owls kicks off a complex two part story that sheds a lot of light on the true origins and beliefs of the Millennium Group, for better or worse. The actual concept of the two sub-group’s opinions on the up coming apocalypse is very interesting. I can see if some viewers didn’t buy it…some of their ideas are pretty way out, considering the Group was established in the first season as essentially just organization who consulted law enforcement. Morgan and Wong have take Carter’s premise in very far flung directions, but you can accept it, it’s truly fascinating. Hey, it worked on me. I found it refreshing to see the show take such bold steps to move away from the serial killer of the week format. Of course, that feat was one of Morgan and Wong’s intentions from the beginning.

The crucifix piece is a terrific 'McGuffin' for the story to revolve around. Personally, I’m a sucker for religious-based plots for thrillers (when they work, of course), and Millennium did a generous amount of them over those three seasons. This is one of the best.

As was often the case with season two shows, 'Owls' has a couple of dynamite set pieces. There’s a cool opening sequence in which the elite black ops-types uncover the crucifix and then engage in a brief gun battle with several other intruders. But the best moment of the episode also stands out as one of the best moments of the entire season; the sequence where Johnston’s car breaks down in the middle of a lonely road in the middle of the night, and the characters murder by a mysterious enforcer. It’s a powerful scene, as the poor guy has a hose stuck down his throat, pumped with gas and set alight. What makes this scene so powerful is the fact that soundtrack plays America's 'Horse With No Name'. It’s a fantastic piece of filmmaking. I’ll never hear that song again without thinking about that chilling scene.

Directed by Thomas J. Wright. Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong.

EPISODE RATING: (1 to 4) ***1/2

Frank finds himself in armed conflict with a pair of apparent Millennium members outside his house, and manages to scare off his attackers. The Owls and Roosters incidents have resulted in the involvement of 'The Old Man' (R. G. Armstrong), who seeks to bring peace between the two factions. Peter and The Old Man plan on revealing the truth about the piece of the supposed crucifixion cross discovered in the burnt remains of Johnston's car. Lara brings The Old Man to see Frank, who reveals what shocking facts about the Group's beliefs, and what will be the apocalyptic disaster that brings the end of the world.  

Catherine meanwhile begins to uncover truths about her new employers when a co-worker tells her he fears for his life. Soon after, the man turns up dead. Frank finally reveals what he has learnt about Aerotech, which, as it turns out, is directly connected to the missing cross wood and the murder of Johnston. The company is in fact a front for the brutal Nazi organization known as Odessa, who are still frighteningly powerful.

Thrilling sequel to 'Owls' continues the suspense and thrust of the first chapter. And like 'Owls', 'Roosters' pulls back the surface of The Millennium Group to show what really makes them tick. Again, the revelations are fascinating. However, there is at least one element that may go too far: The Old Man's comments on Johnston's findings and the way The Group have already established what is going to occur in the near (or not quite so near) future is boarding on out-and-out science fiction. I'm guessing it's things like this that made Henriksen and Carter wince and therefore change the show's approach following the departure of Morgan and Wong. 

Another interesting thing here is the way the cross wood actually seems to fall by the wayside after establishing it as utterly crucial in the first part. Solving Johnston's murder seems to be the primary plot point for most of this show. Luckily, Wong and Morgan bring it back with a vengeance in the closing minutes.

Armstrong is very good as The Old Man (he also appeared briefly in 'Owls', along with the earlier 'Beware Of The Dog'), with the veteran performer (who's credits range from Dick Tracy to Predator) giving a warm and insightful performance. Also on hand (and seen above) is Philip Baker Hall as one of the Group's "Elders". Hall is a fantastic actor, who's given excellent performances in Paul Thomas Anderson flick's Magnolia and Hard Eight (his best role ever)...but to me will be forever known as the hilarious Jack Webb-ish Bookman on a classic Seinfeld episode.

Nazis (or Neo-Nazis) usually make for cheap latter day villains in thrillers, but here they work just fine. The image of a blood splattered Swastika hanging in a bad guys office is a naturally eerie visual. The Nazi menace also allows for something we've been wanting to see for some time: The Millennium Group take action against their foes, and do so in brutal fashion, which leads to a satisfying resolution.

'Owls' and 'Roosters' aren't the best episodes of the season (those belong to Mr. Darin Morgan), but they're still great examples of what a show can do when firing on all cylinders.