I mean its not that bad but compared to the first it really pales. I know Season 1 was just unrelentingly bleak but Season 2 is pretty much a narrative disaster. I hope it gets better, I'm about halfway through and its turning into some paranoid poor man's X-Files.
Lance Henriksen is beyond awesomet though.
Nope. I loved S2. It's the only one I own. It had humor and a great wacky conspiracy story. But mostly, it had Lara Means. What happens to her in the end was gut-wrenching and the climactic scene was one of the most intensely disturbing things I've ever seen on TV. A lot of people will chime in here and agree with you. But I don't.
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Every. Single. Time.
its not really crappy, (though some episodes are steaming piles of *beep* but compared to the first season it is a letdown. the first season is just brilliant on every single level, I love how it was a crime story tinged with end of the world paranoia. I loved the juxtaposition of Frank's working life to his home life in the yellow house. I loved all the supporting characters and I felt it could have stayed that way. They were establishing Frank Black as one of the greatest noir characters ever, it was totally awesome and for some reason went a little off the rails.
shareI disagree, but you're not alone in your view - opinion is strongly divided over season two, which is no surprise given the change in direction. I agree that some episodes, like "Sense and Anti-Sense" while good, don't really belong in Frank Black's world. But I love Season 2 because it's so experimental and so varied in its depictions of evil (and it has Lara Means). Indeed some of my favourite S2 episodes ("The Mikado", "Goodbye Charlie", "A Room with No View") are a lot like S1 episodes.
I agree with you, S2 was the best, but S1 was also great. S3 sucked because it was just flopping like a dying fish.
shareYeah, I remember watching the first few S2 episodes when they were on TV and really hating them. Many reviewers who talked about S1 said that it was too dark, and it was even parodied on shows like MadTV and Sat Night Live for Frank Black's dark demeanor.
So, S2 tried to lighten things up, essentially ripping the beating heart from the series. My sarcastic opinion at the time was that they might as well make a sitcom out of the series if they were going to change it so much....maybe turn it into Threes Company with a few murders here and there?!?!
I am going to go back and watch S2 and see if my opinion has changed. I didnt even watch S3 all that much because they botched S2 so badly, so I guess I should go back and watch that as well.
S1 was a masterpiece, so I really don't know why they had to go and *beep* with a great idea. I loved the parodies, too!! Yes, it was dark, but that was the whole idea.
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Yes, yes I do think it's kinda crappy.
I love Lance Henriksen as Frank Black and I love the contrast of the darkness he sees in the world compared to the haven he tries to create for his family. This was so good in season 1.
I first watched season 2, knowing it ended with Catherine's death, unable to believe the insane story lines and the break-up of the Black family. I remember screaming at the TV "Catherine's going to die!! Cut the cult crap and get the story moving!!"
I don't know how a consultancy group could suddenly be an age old cult. Needless to say, I hated season 2 when I first watched it. Morgan and Wong - why? Owls?? Roosters??? What?!?
On viewing it again though, it's not so bad. Fast forward through the candles and blood letting and it's got some ok episodes. 'The Mikado' is especially good.
Season 3, the first eps I ever watched, is a return of sorts to the original but still not as good as season 1. I love the episode "Sound of Snow" though. It breaks my heart to see Frank and Catherine together again, especially when he returns to their old house and the Percy Sledge song is playing "you and me at the dark end of the street..."
I love the end of season 3 too. I think it was a great way to finish the show. Peter cut off and murdered by the Group. Frank and Jordan escaping in the red Jeep, driving towards the sunlight. Nice.
I am just now finishing up watching the whole series, over the past few months. I have 2 episodes left.
I went into Millennium expecting a dark show that would have a supernatural mythology with complex conspiracy threads.
I was disappointingly bored throughout most of season 1, because most weeks were basically serial killer stories of a quality on par with today's direct-to-video movies. So Frank can find serial killers, big whoop, we get it. I thought we were getting somewhere right away with "Gehenna", but then with "522666" I just wanted to shoot myself in the face rather than finish the incredibly tedious episode.
Then season 2 came, and with the change to Frank's home life (I was actually happy to see an added dynamic with her rejection of Frank) and increased use/visibility of the supernatural, I really thought we were starting to get somewhere. Still, the conspiring seemed to be a bit messy; a lot of threads didn't really seem like they would go anywhere useful. At any rate I viewed season 2 as a marked improvement.
Then I watched season 3. Knowing that the creative team who "took over" during Season 2 were replaced with the original team for 3, I suspected I was to be disappointed again, and I was right. So many throwaway episodes, wasted opportunities to explore the Millennium Group and the apocalypse, as it returned to seemingly unrelated killer-of-the-week stuff.
Basically, I regret buying and watching this show, with the few memorable moments tending to belong to season 2. The only thing keeping me from listing it all for sale on half.com right now is season 2.
Season 2 is the only one I own. I like to think of it as a self-contained show that ends when the season ends. I felt the same way you did about S1 and I quit S3 after the Kiss episode and never finished it. Talk about jumping the shark!
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It is worth finishing (then watching the X Files special episode to end the story) but yeah S3 is not great.
shareIf you went into Millennium expecting a dark show that would have a supernatural mythology with complex conspiracy threads then you obviously were expecting the wrong thing. If you watch the making of Millennium in the DVD you will see Chris Carter explain that he basically wanted the show to be a TV show version of the movie Se7en. Which was what? a movie about a serial killer.
If you want a show about supernatural mythology with complex conspiracy threads may I suggest a little known TV show called The X Files. I'm sure that will be more to your liking.
Wong and Morgan tried to turn the show into another X Files and it went to sheet.
Chris Carter came back and tried to salvage it but it was too late.
I just finished watching the first two seasons, so they are fresh in my mind.
I'm ambivalent about Season 2. Though I really liked the unrelenting darkness and edge of the first season, I do think it took itself a tad too serious at times (the pretentious quotes at the beginning of episodes, though occasionally appropos, usually left me rolling my eyes). I welcomed the dark humor and cyncially satirical episodes (i.e. "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense", "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me") that showed the series could poke fun at itself. Also, as an earlier poster suggested, the episodic "serial killer of the week" motif became a trifle tedious at times in Season 1, and I don't see how this simplistic formula could have sustained multiple seasons. The series needed something like a darker agenda for the "Millennium group", an entity that was too vaguely delineated in the first season. The problem was the execution. Instead of realistic, Tom Clancyesque intrigue with hints of millennial angst, we get a grandiose omnibus of hyperbolic mysticism that makes the "shadow government" in the X-Files look like a chess club.
While I welcome some of the humor, the overall tone of season 2 was all wrong. (Physically, even the bright lighting and vivid color palette was in stark contrast to Season 1's gritty monochromaticism.)
Then there are the character additions. Roedecker is fun, but his reject-Lone-Gunmen routine is just too schticky for what was supposed to have been a grounded crime-thriller. As for Lara Means--I like her sarcastic wit, but the whole "I see angels" bit was beyond silly. (Not helped any by the extremely cheesy "angel" effects.) The "Old Man" was contrived and ridiculous.
The main problem with Season 2, is the proliferation of hokey mysticism and religious mumbo jumbo. Yes, Season 1 had allusions to end times prophecy and a possible supernatural force at work, but it was more subtle and ambiguous, and, at least the way I interpreted it, mostly symbolic. Season 2 lambastes you with mystical relics, glowing angels, emaculate conceptions, prophetic "visionaries", and played all too often like an X-Files/Touched by an Angel hybrid. (My guess is, the producers felt they needed to give the show a whopping injection of estrogen to attract more female viewers.) This show should have been more like "Touched by a Devil"!
At any rate, I think it is obvious Season 2 was a far cry from what Chris Carter had in mind when he originally conceived the show.
My picks for worst episodes of S2:
Anamnesis (Confused, less epic version of The Da Vinci Code; no Frank!)
In Arcadia Ego (Predictable, politically correct pandering)
Siren (Muddled, nonsensical mess)
Midnight of the Century (Enough with the angels!)
19:19 (Starts off promising, comes apart quickly, and ends dreadfully)
Beware the Dogs (Entertaining episode, but inexcusably stupid)
And the best:
Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense (Brilliant, hilarious jab at Scientology)
Somehow Satan Got Behind Me (Love the sober, cynical humor)
A Room With No View (Creepy and atmospherial, the closest to Season 1 in terms of theme and mood)
The Mikado (Fun, clever caper inspired by the real-life Zodiac case)
The Beginning and the End (Intense season-opener with a powerful and pivotal climax)
To see the only real monster, one must only look in the mirror.
I like religious mumbo jumbo. And your "worst" episodes are some of my favorites. Lara Means was a lot of fun. Which just goes to show you that everyone sees everything through their own prisms. And there's nothing wrong with that.
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In general, I think the season/episode preference may break down along gender lines. Most men will prefer the dark, detached episodes with lots of violence and dead bodies, and most women will prefer the more spirtiually-oriented episodes. (Remember, I'm saying in general.)
My guess is, the first season scored miserably with the female demographic.
I'm in the middle of the third season now, and while it lacks the style of the first season and the creativity of the second, it seems to be the most stable and balanced overall. Also, it seems to have enough elements in each episode to appeal to both the male and female audience. The problem is, it feels too much like just another generic crime drama series (which litter the airwaves these days). And with the exception of the riotous "Thirteen Years Later", it is completely humorous.
The three seasons of Millennium are really like three different series.
To see the only real monster, one must only look in the mirror.
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It really makes me laugh when people say things like this
"I was disappointingly bored throughout most of season 1, because most weeks were basically serial killer stories of a quality on par with today's direct-to-video movies. So Frank can find serial killers, big whoop"
well duh! that's was the purpose of the whole show. The Millennium group was a group of ex law enforcement agents who help police track down serial killers. If you don't like that then don't watch it. It's like saying "I like ER but it's all about doctors helping sick people big deal so you can help sick people"
Never seen a direct to video movie with the class and intelligence of S1 of Millennium anyway.
Season two turned it into a poor mans X Files and we already had an X Files thank you very much. Listening to some of the commentaries on the DVD's it's obvious Carter and others weren't too happy about where S2 went either.
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I think season two is the best structured of the three and the story arc episodes (whether dealing with the Group's true nature or Frank's personal life) are excellent, however there are some rather weak standalone instalments and some of the superficial changes were unnecessary IMO (changing the "look" of the show, introducing overt humour etc) especially as despite an uncertain start, I think the first season had really found it's feet by the mid-way point (from Force Majeure onwards the balance between straight crime episodes and more supernatural ones is good) and so the format didn't need "fixing" anyway.
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Lara was awesome. Not her fault they tried to stick her with a stupid catch phrase. Luckily they eased up on that as the season went on. And her 20-minute-long complete meltdown to Patti's Smith's Horses was one of the most shocking, amazing things I'd ever seen on TV at the time.
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Months from the original post, I must say Season 2 was nowhere near the quality of Season 1. Having only started watching the series after hearing about it from a friend, I was incredibly excited at the culmination of the series. It felt fresh to me. I loved Lances' portrayal of Frank Black; all the elements of the show came together beautifully. The acting, the writing, the "mythos". The chemistry between all the characters was believable. The dark, gritty, neo-Noir atmosphere; I felt like it was a television series based on the same ideas/principles of "Se7en".
I didn't MIND the inclusion of the Millennium Group, and the subtle focus of them as something mysterious, something Frank really didn't quite understand. This was fine to me. Keeping this arc at bay was the best thing the writers did in Season 1. All these elements made for such an amazing viewing experience. You really understood Frank Black.
Season 2 was laughable at best. Not only did the ENTIRE tone of the series change, but some of the writing was ghastly. By the end of the season, I understood less about Frank, his relationships, and the Millennium Groups' "intentions". I'm sorry, but those responsible (I won't name names) really screwed the entire series. Yes, there were a few episodes in Season 2 that stood out, and felt like the Season 1 again. I'm just so incredibly disappointed with Season 2 and how everything came together. Looking back, you can really SEE the chaotic mindset of the entire world during the Y2K hysteria. End of the world prophecies, secret societies; including all of this nonsense was just NOT what I thought the show was trying to portray. In a show about Good and Evil, how does the building climax of a group of individuals whom may or may not be good/evil clarify this intention.
Since starting Season 3, I've put watching the series on hold because I just didn't understand where and how it went so wrong. The first episodes were just garbage, they made no sense and just heightened confusion all around. I'm just really upset about the whole thing, which is silly. Why be so upset over a TV show? Well, because the first season showed how much potential it had. Slowly sabotaging what good the show had was clearly an [almost] amateur decision. Trying to justify it by saying the show needed more substance, the elements clarifying, was clearly where the series went wrong. I'm sorry, but the very few episodes of Season 2 (none so far in 3) that were good do not justify trying to make this X-Files 2, by Wong & Morgan.
While I can't wrap my head around just how harsh your season 2 hate/criticism is, I do agree 100% with this...
"Since starting Season 3, I've put watching the series on hold because I just didn't understand where and how it went so wrong. The first episodes were just garbage, they made no sense and just heightened confusion all around"
If you thought season 2 was bad cuz it never explained the group's intentions and created too many questions, season 3 is far worse. They make it completly clear from this opening 2 parter on that the group is in fact, pure evil(which makes no sense), but they never explain why, or how. It just makes things even more confusing.
That said, if you can make it through the opening 2 parter(which HAD to of been originally meant for an X-Files episode, HAD to be, but got scrapped due to its absurd crappiness), you should enjoy season 3. There are some other duds, but for the most part, outside of the opening two parter, it's fairly decent. They do away with the end of the world stuff almost entirely, do away with the religious/conspiracy aspect of the group entirely. Season 3 couldn't start any worse, but it does end INCREDIBLY well. The finale is just amazing, and there are some quality episodes in the 2nd half of the season.
I thought Season 3 took a lot longer to improve than you did.
The opening two-parter was doubly bad because: 1) the episode just sucked; and 2) it was even more disappointing because they went out of their way to destroy everything that happened in the previous season.
I did enjoy perhaps the second half of Season 3.
I've only seen the first 12 episodes of Season 2, but have so far been enjoying it far more than Season 1. I really loved the X Files and after seeing all the good reviews for Millennium thought I would give it a go. I was quite dissappointed with Season 1, there were a few good episodes, but I also found quite a few of the episodes quite dull. I had to actually force myself to finish the season. I thought I would give the show another go and bought the second season and have found it a lot more enjoyable so far. They seem to have solved some of the pacing issues I had with season 1. I suppose it just depends on what people like in a show.
I love 80's movies
To answer the OP's question, NO! Season Two is my favorite of the three. And like others have posted here, it is the only DVD set I own. The best episode of the entire series is in Season Two, that being Jose Chung! I also like the images in the opening credits in Season Two the best, along with the "this is who we are" (which fits perfectly with the music).
I have 11 more episodes then I have finished the complete series. I don't want it to end.
MillenniuM is a lot creepier/disturbing compared to The X-Files which I equally love!
We need a MillenniuM movie ... and an XF3!
I actually enjoyed S1. It's the reason why I loved watching the show. But eventually, I thought to myself, "how many serial killers are in Portland, - Oregon, etc? Then in S2, they started to mix it up and go deeper into the conspiracies. In some aspects, I thought S2 was good, but I started seeing weird storylines. In S3, most of the stories were pointless. At the end of the show, I would ask, "what whas the point of this episode?" meh. S3 totally blew and I'm on the last episode. This will be the second time watching this series in total since it first aired, and I'd have to say, I'll probably not watch this one again.
One thing I really liked about Millennium was, despite being filmed entirely in Vancouver, the directors always found creative ways to evoke the characters in cities other than Seattle or Quantico. Frank and other members of the Group would go to a rather impressive amount of other places in America and the rest of the world at large in investigating serial killers, so it wasn't just something confined to the 'main cities' like so many other shows do. If I can suggest a couple other cop-related dramas I view on the same level a Millennium at its best, Forever Knight which also ran three seasons, as well as Homicide: Life on the Street (try finding the series set for that) which ran for seven seasons and a movie.
"Just tell the minister, I'm gonna be a few minutes late". *Cue John Williams' Superman theme*
Season 2 is the best season by a long shot, IMO. Season 1 is *too* unrelenting in its bleakness. Season 2 was like The X-Files but Millennium had a more interesting mythology.
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www.after-darkness.com - Discuss V, Supernatural, and more.
I'm so glad it's not just me.
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Hmmm... It's a tough thing to really answer...
See, I started watching this series aaaaaaaaall those years ago because of Lance Henrikson. Yes, I watched the X-Files, but I had no idea there was even a link as I was a kid at that point and directors were to me just random people who existed. (The only one I knew when I was that young was Ridley Scott.)
In the right of Millennium, which was, in essence, about an ex FBI agent who was doing some consulting work with some secret squirrel group which every's heard of but nobody really knows about, who gets into the heads of the killer, sees what they see because he's so in tune, blah blah blah, season 1 was exactly what I wanted and expected from the trailer that hit the screens weeks before that all important first episode. The story build in a way - you never really got much from that group other than 'we exist, we only take on the best, we get the job done, and we're everywhere'.
It was a bit slow, in my opinion, but I'm not holding that against anyone!!
Season 2, in terms of Millennium being Millennium, took a flying leap.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and I can't honestly say there was an episode I hated because there wasn't. I was, ironically, a religious viewer of Millennium, but when someone who has no idea of TV similarities can say during a show that used to be able solving the murder 'Oh my god, this is the X-Files' (I confess, the ONLY reason I enjoy season 2), you know that someone's trying to turn the show into something it's not. It's mysteries and murders, not unsolvable crime and alien invasions.
Saying that though, just as the X-Files is alien invasions, Millennium is 'evil has a face' so in that respect they are identical shows and maybe season 2 is vital to understand that premise? What do I know, I'm a girl, and as one guy said on here, generally us girls don't go in for death and horror and we only like light hearted and funny! ;)
I just think that those who were into the X-Files at the time would have been more drawn to season 2 than 1. I've always been more of a horror and mystery viewer, which is why although I LOVE the X-Files, it's just not season 1 of Millennium!
That all said, LOVE Lara, LOVE the Devils, HATE that for one episode Jordan was turned into a brat, and ... was kinda relieved when season 3 came along. Season 2 was enjoyable, but after watching season 1 each week and having that fresh in your mind when 2 started, 2 was an entire world of 'whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????'
That's pretty much it from me! :)