Review: Millennium (TV Series)

I watched all 67 episodes of Millennium so damn right I'm going to tell you about it.

The Watch All The Episodes Of Millennium Project began a long time ago, only on weekends and holidays. Millennium was X-Files' creator Chris Carter's first side project, the second the very ill-fated The Lone Gunmen. Starring b-movie legend Lance Henriksen, Millennium started as one thing that couldn't last long as is, tentatively became like the X-Files and then settled into a whole new show with another star before the thing was put to rest.

Lance is obsessed with bringing back his Frank Black character, named after the lead singer of The Pixies, but while it was a neat show the character doesn't warrant another life. His "gift" of seeing what the killer sees was a visual gimmick that was cool until it stopped being cool, and aren't there enough profiler shows as it is?

Season One was "Se7en: The Series". Each week featured a serial killer or somesuch while Frank Black saw horrific visions of bloody, screaming mayhem you wouldn't want to watch before bedtime. The season was good but each episode hit the same notes of depressing depravity while Frank's visions were a visual trick you can't base a show on for long. Then again David Banner could slowly turn into The Hulk twice a week for eternity for all I care.

Season Two was the best season. It delved into metaphysical issues, explored the internal workings of The Millennium Group and experimented with humor. "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me" was by far the best episode of the run.

Season Three was The Emma Hollis Show. The first few episodes had Frank as a supporting character. I liked Emma but am reminded of when Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish joined The X-Files while Mulder and Scully fulfilled contractual obligations. The plot-line became highly paranoid, The Millennium Group and the highly nuanced Peter Watt's character switching to pure evil. The Psych 101 dialogue also grated at times. CC Pounder's character turns bad and is arrested in "The Hand of St. Sebastian" but then is recast as an innocent victim of a different set of circumstances in "Skull and Bones". Did they think nobody remembered? They also reused character actors in different roles.

Megan Gallagher played Frank's wife and left after season two because her role didn't go much beyond looks of sympathy, empathy and concern. Brittany Tiplady as Frank's daughter won an award for her work in the harrowing "Borrowed Time". She said of the third season "Millennium is still a lot of fun. My part this season is bigger and more involved. I don't spend a lot of my time sleeping anymore." The Lucy Butler character was great and super creepy while the Barry Baldwin character was just a prick.

The show ran from 96-99 so we never did find out if The Apocalypse took place or not on 1/1/2000. Millennium was a good series with some great episodes. It couldn't sustain what it started to be and never settled into a cohesive franchise. Oh well.