Season 1 - 22 episodes (1996-97)
Season 2 - 23 episodes (1997-98)
Season 3 - 22 episodes (1998-99)
Buy Millennium on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Chris Carter
Starring: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Terry O'Quinn, Klea Scott
Rated: TV-14
Plot
A former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.
Verdict
Despite rave reviews the first season never grabbed my attention. I wanted more on this overarching plot about the end of the world approaching, but in each episode Frank gets a case that exemplifies the worst in humans. He stares off into space and divines the answer. The episodes become routine soon enough, and the depravity of the crimes was never appealing. While I had planned to watch the series, after the first season I had no desire to continue. I decided to give the second season a chance after reading the show was overhauled after the initial season. It's a better season, attempting to add an overarching narrative, but their goals are vague. In many episodes Frank encounters a case with no conclusion. We don't know why the suspect commits the crime and usually they get away. Frank's job is to look at a case but not produce any results. His group has lofty goals that are completely unclear.
Skip it.
Review
Created by Chris Carter during the height of The X-Files (1993), this series was canceled after just three seasons. A seventh-season episode of The X-Files, "Millennium" featured Frank Black as a conclusion to the series.
I watched this when it released, curious to see what Carter would do next. I quit after a few episodes. This time around, I don't like the show any more. Reading other reviews, several people suggest skipping season one and starting with season two as the show was overhauled between seasons. I hadn't planned to continue after season one, but I was curious why this seems so popular. The second season is better, but it doesn't shift my opinion.
Season 1
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) was a cop, then FBI. Now he's consulting for the Millennium Group, and in the first episode he's looking into a stripper's murder.
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| S1E5: Lance Henriksen plays Frank Black |
It's a dark show. Investigating murders, visions, and obsessions takes a toll on Frank and everyone involved with the cases. The show posits the violence is related to the potential end of the world as the millennium ends. I wondered if the group for which Frank works had a grander plan, a mission for the dawning of a new age, but this show is just Frank probing the darkest recesses of the human imagination. It was never as interesting as I hoped. Each episode is Frank involved in a depraved case.
I was going to watch the entire series, but I barely made it through the first season. There's no character development, just sadistic murders. The twisted cases no one can fathom get old quickly. I couldn't subject myself to another season. I have to imagine the only reason this got more than one season was because Chris Carter was riding the success of The X-files and had more leeway than the average show runner. After reading other reviews, curious about this show's popularity, the second season shifted to a serialized story, bringing in The X-files alums Glen Morgan and James Wong as show runners. Due to that, I tentatively gave the second season a chance.
Season 2
I didn't enjoy the first season, but many reviews claim this season is better. I was skeptical but gave it a chance. It's better than the first, but it's not enough to make a difference.
This season starts with a bang when Frank's wife is abducted. I already like this season more than the first after just a few scenes. In the second episode Frank encounters feral dogs. By the end of the episode I'm not sure why anything happened. A new house disrupts the balance with the dogs reacting to that? Episodes are unsatisfying. Episode three reveals human genome testing is occurring, but that's it. There's no implication of what that means or its purpose. It's just these shadowy figures pulling strings.
This series introduces such a weird situations, but it doesn't provide resolutions. It's The X-files without the charm or purpose. While this season is better than the first which reveled in dark and depraved for the sake of it, I still wonder what's the point of the show. The millennium is coming and weird things are happening, but what does it mean? What's the end game? The end of the world is nigh, but that's so vague. If it were true I'd think Frank and Peter (Terry O'Quinn) would be more desperate and frantic. Nothing is ever solved.
Episode 14 is especially depraved with a criminal killing victims online. We don't know why, the suspect isn't caught, and we never find out why. That's typical for this show, attributing these strange crimes to to the approaching end times.
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| S2E15: Terry O'Quinn plays Peter Watts |
This season explores the Millennium group and their focus and schism on religion as rival factions emerge. It's a lot of intrigue but not always something tangible. Even towards the end of the season it feels like the show is still dancing around the plot. What does any of this mean, and why am I watching this?
This season does have a few comedic episodes. In episode 21, demons sit around complaining about how modern times make their jobs pointless. Human are driving themselves to depression without any outside help required.
The final two episode feel like a series finale. I wasn't sure how the show could come back for a third episode, so I had to watch the first episode of the third season. The answer is that season three ignores the events. The Fox network refused to commit to a third season, even as the writing for the finale began. Without confirmation there would be a third season, the show created a finale.
While season two is better than season one, it's not enough to make me like this show. I had said I'd quit after season one. I probably should have. There's no way I'm going to watch season three. Granted, I hear that's easily the worst. This show presents interesting ideas about the end of the world tied to the end of the millennium and how religion fits into that, but it's only ideas and notions. It doesn't develop the narrative. I still can't completely explain what this show is about. Frank is this adept investigator that I don't think ever solved a case. He's brought into assist on cases, finds something incredibly odd, then just leaves for the next one. It's easy to compare this to The X-files because the creators are the same and this one explore similar conspiratorial ideas. Unfortunately it's nowhere near as engaging.
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