Millennium - This is who we are

[Cool kitties club]

What is Millennium?
Millennium was a 1996 horror police procedural created by Chris Carter (the man behind the X-Files). The series follows former fbi forensic profiler Frank Black who has the psychic ability to briefly see through a killers eyes and currently works for a private investigation firm called the Millennium group.

Why watch Millennium?
I wanted to make this thread to encourage people to watch this underrated gem of a show. Each season was headed by a different person which gives each of the three season its own unique feel and strengths. Season one headed by Chris Cater is a police procedural in same vein (although it came out before all these shows) as CSI or Criminal Minds with a heavier focus on religious and supernatural subtext and philosophical musings on good and evil. Season 2 headed by Glen Morgan and James Wong is a mad cap religious conspiracy thriller with the Millennium group becoming more Masonic and sinister along with much more direct theological and supernatural plot lines. Season 3 headed by Chip Johannessen ends up being an odd fusion of the two styles featuring a combination of mad cap conspiracy thrillers, traditional police procedural episodes, and x files style weird science episodes. I also can’t stress how great Lance Henriksen is as Frank Black and Terry O’Quinn as Millennium group member Peter Watts is also a highlight along with some interesting one shot characters like Sarah-Jane Redmond as the mysterious Lucy Butler.

If anyone is a fan of the x files or serial killer procedurals in general then Millennium is a must watch.

 

[Madam Nekromantik]

This had one of my favorite episodes, Somehow, Satan got behind me.

S02E43. Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me - Vídeo Dailymotion

Ver S02E43. Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me - Kevin Chavarria en Dailymotion

www.dailymotion.com

I got to get this on DVD soon.

 

[Cool kitties club]

This had one of my favorite episodes, Somehow, Satan got behind me.

S02E43. Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me - Vídeo Dailymotion

Ver S02E43. Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me - Kevin Chavarria en Dailymotion

www.dailymotion.com

I got to get this on DVD soon.

This is probably my favorite Darin Morgan episode. It expertly combines comedy and tragedy to create a truly fascinating exploration of evil. I also really like the episode the Curse of Frank Black because of its deceptive simplicity.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

I'm in the middle of d/ling a torrent for this now.
I remember liking this show a lot.

 

[UQ 770]

I love Henriksen and saw bits of this on TV when I was younger. But. Does this show have an ending that's going to make me want to punch people and slam my head through a door through like Twin Peaks or, like, The X-Files? I fucking despise TV shows that build up a big myth arc and then have a stupid ending, either because the studio dicked around with it or because the creator had no plan and wasn't willing to own that. If the show just abruptly ends part way through because funding was cut, I'd be perfectly fine with that compared to it having a fucking dumb ending. I gloated constantly to my friends and called them exceptional when they were surprised that LOST and Game of Thrones had shit endings because I'm so bitter about this.

 

[Cool kitties club]

I love Henriksen and saw bits of this on TV when I was younger. But. Does this show have an ending that's going to make me want to punch people and slam my head through a door through like Twin Peaks or, like, The X-Files? I fucking despise TV shows that build up a big myth arc and then have a stupid ending, either because the studio dicked around with it or because the creator had no plan and wasn't willing to own that. If the show just abruptly ends part way through because funding was cut, I'd be perfectly fine with that compared to it having a fucking dumb ending. I gloated constantly to my friends and called them exceptional when they were surprised that LOST and Game of Thrones had shit endings because I'm so bitter about this.

The ending is certainly better then x-files season 9 (The Truth) or 11 ending (My Struggle IV), but then again the with the x files it’s basically impossible to end because all the big questions have been answered and there’s really no way for Mulder to actually stop the whole conspiracy. The X files was also more based on thematic connections then a coherent story. Granted I never minded how the X files as The Truth had a kino conversation between the CSM and Mulder to make up for the shitty clipshow.

Each season of Millennium is radically different so you basically have three endings that each tie off the show in an interesting way. The show had two main storylines: one about the Millennium group and their complex relationship to the apocalypse and the “legion” storyline along with the personal life of Frank Black. The actual ending to season 3 (Goodbye to All That) is pretty weird and borderline nonsensical but works in a cheeky meta way once you realize the main villains plan in the context of a show. I will say that similar to the x files almost all the big questions about the millennium group are answered but there is one plot line referred to as the “legion” plot line that is unresolved. Though it is debatable how much of a plot line “legion” was as it mostly consists of unrelated encounters with supernatural forces, that similar to the x files link better in a thematic way. Also the mytharc in general is much more abstract and decentralized then the x files mythology making it less prevalent. For anyone looking for a little more information

Darren at the M0vieblog did a nice summary of the series here (warning spoilers so read at your own discretion.)

Spoiler: M0vieblog quotes

Even the mythology of Millennium was rather abstract, with fans (and the production team) struggling to find a clear throughline running through the interconnected episodes. The mythology of The X-Files advances in a (relatively) linear and (relatively) clear fashion between The Pilot and The Truth, with layers pulled back and secrets revealed as Mulder and Scully move along. The execution might have been clumsy, but it was a relatively straightforward plot arc. In contrast, the mythology of Millennium is so hazy that it is possible to argue about whether it actually exists.

The show repeatedly suggested that Frank was caught up in the middle of some war in heaven, but in never provided any real explanation or logic for that conflict. Angels and demons seemed to be locked in some heated battle involving mankind, with Frank occasionally drawn into conflicts beyond his understanding. Fans of Millenniumhave great fun tying together the so-called “Legion” arc that is nowhere near as concrete or as rational as the colonisation arc on The X-Files. In many respects, Millennium is a show more about tone or atmosphere than plot or narrative.
...
However, there was one very significant difference between The X-Files and Millennium. In many ways, The X-Files was a show that was fixated on the past. It was frequently a celebration of the quirky little places in America that were being eroded or destroyed by the forces of globalisation. Quite often, The X-Files looked mournfully to the past as it became clear that the eccentric spaces in the American consciousness were being torn down and dismantled to be replaced by strip malls and parking lots.
In contrast, Millennium looked to the future. Millenniumwas a show that was very firmly rooted in fears about what the future represented. In The Pilot, the Frenchman is driven insane by biblical prophecy; in Gehenna, Frank worries about the possibility of a death cult on American soil. These fears were most explicit during the race towards the apocalypse in the second season, or the battle between hope and fear for the future in the third season. The idea that Millennium was a show about the future was reinforced by the fixation on Jordan Black, Frank’s daughter.
...
Then again, this underscores the fact that it is very hard to talk about Millennium as a single holistic entity, because the show constantly reinvented itself over its short three-season run. These were not superficial changes, either. It seemed like the show fundamentally changed its identity during each summer break. The first season was a hard crime procedural with heavy religious undertones; the second season was an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller about the dissolution of a family; the third season was a messy blend of those two facets, never sure what it was doing

Each of the three iterations have a lot to recommend them. The first season starts slowly and painfully, but hits its stride once it reaches Force Majeure and The Thin White Line. The second season is quite possibly the best season of television that Ten Thirteen ever produced, a strong thematic season that builds perfectly from the opening teaser of the first episode to the closing credits of the last. The third season has a bumpy start and never hits the consistent highs of the first two years, but it contains any number of underrated episodes.

 

[UQ 770]

Then again, this underscores the fact that it is very hard to talk about Millennium as a single holistic entity, because the show constantly reinvented itself over its short three-season run.

Informative, I'll download this right away. Things like myth arcs and massive overarching plots that drag on and on really piss me off in TV shows because they never culminate properly. Additionally, they're also just not really that true to life either. I don't think anyone has ever felt like their entire life experience has been more than a series of loosely connected episodes. And if I wanted a very long, thought out story, I'd just pull up a classic 3-4 hour movie instead of sitting through 50 hours of cliffhangers.

 

[Secret Asshole]

I've got to download this ASAP

 

[A man of no consequence]

We’re shepherds, Frank. All of us.

 

[The Bovinian Derivative]

Love this show, probably has the moodiest intro theme. But I have no earthly idea what the fuck was going on in S03.

 

[Cool kitties club]

Love this show, probably has the moodiest intro theme. But I have no earthly idea what the fuck was going on in S03.

Season 3 was an unfortunate case where the crew as told season 2 would be the finale, so they ended with the actual apocalypse, but then season 3 was green lit. It would have been cool to have a season set in a post apocalyptic society, but instead the studio pushed for the ending of season 2 to be rectonned and all sorts of ret cons and plot contrivances had to be pulled out. As bad as the first half of season 3 was I do think Chris and crew ended on a stronger note with a good batch of episodes in the later half of the series.

 

[feral cat #6385]

Loved season one and two. Didn't make it through season 3.

I was good with the season 2 ending.

Spoiler

Frank got to be with his daughter and his annoying wife was dead.

 

[Standardized Profile]

I loved season 1 as urban/surburban horror with occasional supernatural elements. It was mostly terrifying but it had enough moments of beauty to make it all worthwhile. Season 2 got too Morgan-Wongy for me and I never liked Morgan's girlfriend's character. Though it did give us more Jose Chung and they eventually killed Kristen Cloke's character in epic fashion. It's pretty good if taken as its own thing, and the unremitting horror of season 1 was probably unsustainable. You can only watch so many people get raped, dismembered, and buried alive before it becomes tedious.

 

[John Titor]

That episode with the flesh eating virus scared the hell out of me. I mistook it as an X-Files episode because it had a similar plot.

 

[A man of no consequence]

Season 3 was an unfortunate case where the crew as told season 2 would be the finale, so they ended with the actual apocalypse, but then season 3 was green lit. It would have been cool to have a season set in a post apocalyptic society, but instead the studio pushed for the ending of season 2 to be rectonned and all sorts of ret cons and plot contrivances had to be pulled out. As bad as the first half of season 3 was I do think Chris and crew ended on a stronger note with a good batch of episodes in the later half of the series.

The third year seems to be despised by the TIWWA fans, but I actually like it over season 2.
2 had some great episodes, but I HATED Lara Means. I mean, I hated that character. Also, Frank losing his wife and being able to focus on being a mentor figure for Emma was a better plot point than the kind of partnership with nutcase Lara.

Also, if you look back at the second half of season 1, there are some bizarre episodes that have the same feel as some in season 3.

I grew up watching it from when it first aired, along with the X-Files. I used to have a head cannon that the “shadow man” that Terry O’Quinn played in season 9 of the X-Files was ultimately Peter Watts, or what became of him.

 

[Cool kitties club]

I grew up watching it from when it first aired, along with the X-Files. I used to have a head cannon that the “shadow man” that Terry O’Quinn played in season 9 of the X-Files was ultimately Peter Watts, or what became of him.

The season 2 finale actually featured Peter Watts finding cigarettes in the Millenium meeting room. Was always disappointed in the x files millenium crossover episode as it really didnt fit with millenium at all. Frank was acting completely different then he did at the end of season 3, and the millenium group just became dumb zombies. The comic crossover was a bit better but was setting up a Millenium monthly series IDW never actually made as IDW pissed away the X files comics on dumb funko issues and a dumb mulder origin story.

 

[A man of no consequence]

The season 2 finale actually featured Peter Watts finding cigarettes in the Millenium meeting room. Was always disappointed in the x files millenium crossover episode as it really didnt fit with millenium at all. Frank was acting completely different then he did at the end of season 3, and the millenium group just became dumb zombies. The comic crossover was a bit better but was setting up a Millenium monthly series IDW never actually made as IDW pissed away the X files comics on dumb funko issues and a dumb mulder origin story.

I used to be disappointed with the crossover, too. But ultimately it was an X-Files episode that just featured Frank as opposed to a true crossover. I think I remember hearing Sptnitz say him and Carter felt like they owed Frank a little send off with Jordan to tie up the loose ends in regards to if they survived the Goodbye To All That event.

I used to want to see a mini series or a new show with Jordan as the main focus, but after seeing the horrible, HORRIBLE shit they made by bringing back the X-Files, MillenniuM should stay where it is now.

Poor Lance is really looking his age. I saw him in a video from a con in 2019 and he looked horrible. I can’t imagine him having the energy to play Frank again for more than a few scenes, if that.

 

[A man of no consequence]

Also, another reason I love season 3 was the opening title end card.