MovieChat Forums > Millennium (1996) Discussion > Frank totally out of character!!!

Frank totally out of character!!!

posted 16 years ago by t_b1975
9 replies | jump to latest

To all the fans of the show, sorry in advance. I mean no disrespect.

I have to admit, I'm NOT a Millenium fan, far from it. I watched a few episodes back in the late 90's, but I don't really remember much besides Lance. Of the many TV-shows and movies back then dealing with evil, killers, creepiness and main characters with special gifts it never stood out as anything special. To me it was like the show was trying to hard, and failed. And from reading through some of the posts here I see that the writers made all the classic Hollywood mstakes, introducing supernatural events (what, they ran out of serial killers? why can't they ever make a show about evilness without bringing in demons and devils?) lack of continuity and in all going too mauch away from the main plot. But I used to think that, hey, it's probably just me. I never liked the X-files either. But the last episode I ever saw made me think that it's not me, Millennium was really a crappy show(again, sorry) and I finally come to the subject, and I hope that, despite what I've said, that someone plz explain it for me.

I don't remember what the title of the episode was and I have no idea what season it was from either. Frank was working with this lady(who I don't remember the name of). They were at some mental institution because of some grotesque murderes and they suspected a copycat or something.(I clearly remember something about a sewered of hand in a soup bowl) This woman was driving alone at night(of course) withouth knowing that the killer was lurking behind the driver's seat*cough, cough, chliche, cough*. She stopped to fill gas in the middle of nowhere(where else) and the guy niticed the shimmer from the knife blade and told the woman to come in tot he station where he told her what danger she was in. Out of nowhere, Frank miraculously shows up and they both leave in a hurry, leaving the poor gas station worker to himself and his own fatal destiny. Not a sound is heard but a few seconds later we see blood from under the door. Sure it adds to the creepiness but CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY FRANK BLACK, EX-FBI PROFILER WITH A GIFT TO UNDERSTAND EVIL AND SOCIOPATHS JUST LEFT WITHOUTH GIVING THIS YOUNG MAN'S SAFETY AS MUCH AS A THOUGHT???? He, of all people should have known that the killer would whack the gas station worker, even I saw that coming. Or maybe he just didn't care. Doesn't sound like Frank tho. Tsk, tsk, bad writers, bad.

[–] AbbyNormalMM 16 years ago

I really loved Millennium but I agree with you in that it did make no sense when Frank failed to warn the gas station attendant . But if you're looking for things to make sense, this is the WRONG show to watch. Season 2 was considered way too off the beaten track even by many fans of the show as Chris Carter let 2 other guys Wong and Morgan take over and run it and then the whole year went completely Twilight Zone and many episodes were way out there. When I read the beginning of your post I thought you were referring to the episode where Charles Nelson Reilly plays a writer who is writing a book about the upcoming Millennium. The episode is a spoof of Scientology and the show's characters specially Frank. It is a really weird episode....and in my opinion, while it has some funny moments it is way too jarringly unlike every part of the regular show to work (even as a spoof)

[–] sisterdebmac 16 years ago

So, you'd never heard of those "2 other guys Wong and Morgan" before? They only created some of the very best X Files eps ever in the breakout 3rd season when that show really took off. And some of us think that MM S2 was amazing. Morgan & Wong (go Wong TV!) always brought great humor to whatever they did, and some of us really enjoyed the whole Millennial madness plot of that second season.
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[–] AbbyNormalMM 16 years ago

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes I know who Wong and Morgan were/are. Final Destination, writers on Xfiles etc etc. I was, However, answering a guy who didn't like or know alot about the program. I liked all 3 seasons of Millennium , have read the EXTENSIVE debates on these boards re lovers and haters of season 2 etc. and I personally liked the end of season 2 i.e. Lauras freakout SPOILER!!!!!!!!!! SPOILER..................................................................... Catherines demise... but many would agree that season 2s stories were "way out there" as compared to seasons one and three so "bite me" if I didn't bow to the Morgan/Wong alter enough to suit you.

[–] pablo-taylor 16 years ago

I love the way people blame Morgan & Wong for changing/ruining (delete as aplicable) the series; whilst I agree some of the more extreme humour went too far in the second year the supernatural/apocalyptic elements were introduced by Chris Carter from the very beginning and the man then went on to write some of the more overt (not to say illogical) "horror movie" style episodes (Lamentation, Antipas, Seven & One) of the entire series.

[–] simonsayz-1 15 years ago

"So, you'd never heard of those "2 other guys Wong and Morgan" before? They only created some of the very best X Files eps ever in the breakout 3rd season when that show really took off. "

Wow, trying to lecture other people and having to buy a clue. James Wong and Glen Morgan took a hiatus from the X-Files after the second season's "Die Hand Die Verletzt" and only returned for season four. The breakout 3rd season saw only the participation of Darrin Morgan who wrote three scripts. So much for lecturing others on their knowledge.

[–] bfan 15 years ago

I did notice this scene when I saw the episode recently and I agree with you. I've heard of Wong and Morgan before, but don't know enough about which episodes they wrote to judge one way or the other. If this is an example, however, of how they write their leading characters, then I'll have to condemn them, too.

[–] ifaizer 15 years ago

Actually, Morgan and Wong specifically didn't work in Season 3. They did work on Seasons 1 and 2 and returned for Season 4. Personally, I find their work rather superficial -- obsessed with atmosphere but not enough based on dramatic realism. They absolutely ruined Millennium in Season 2 and even Chris Carter hasn't watched all those awful episodes.

Season 1 is absolutely brilliant, though -- as good as any single season of The X-Files. Really.

[–] sisterdebmac 15 years ago

Matter of opinion, not fact. Morgan & Wong rule. I don't care what any of you say. And for the record, I bet the almighty Chris Carter hasn't even watched a few of his own sh!t episodes of all of his shows. He's not perfect, you know. Hell, he's not even Joss Whedon.
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[–] DingusStudley 15 years ago

"I watched a few episodes back in the late 90's, but I don't really remember much besides Lance. "

Then how exactly have your formed any of your opinions on the show?

"Of the many TV-shows and movies back then dealing with evil, killers, creepiness and main characters with special gifts it never stood out as anything special."

Except it was FAR more horrifying then any other serial killer show ever. It was FAR superior to any show that's had evil as a theme(or even crime for that matter, let's be as broad as we can as far as genre/categorization goes, Millenium beats em all). It's the ONLY show I know of other then X-Files that was incredibly creepy. You're WAY off on everything with this comment. And "back then" is pointless too, what show since then has come anywhere close to it? NONE.

Millenium, most episodes at least, feel just as unrelentingly dark and disturbing as great horror classics like Silence of the Lambs and Seven.

"introducing supernatural events (what, they ran out of serial killers? why can't they ever make a show about evilness without bringing in demons and devils?)"

Other then one weird episode where the creators clearly are trying to do something absurdly different, doesn't even feel like its part of the continuity of the show, I don't believe it's ever set in stone that devils/demons are involved. In my book, that's what makes the supernatural aspect work. Even early on there were supernatural elements, with glimpses of devils/demons and Frank's gift. However we NEVER are told if the characters are REALLY seeing demons, we're never told if the devil himself is at work here, or if that is simply how the particular character sees evil. For example, when Frank looks at a killer and for a split second they appear as a demon to him. Is this in Frank's head, he imagining it cuz that's how he perceives evil, or is the devil actually at work here? We're never told either way how to take it, it's left to the viewer. That's what makes it work.

Even with Frank's gift. Is he just a REALLY good profiler, like uncannily good, or does he have some sort of 6th sense? It goes back and forth in many different episodes. Sometimes it seems perfectly explainable, other times it seems like it HAS to be supernatural.

I guess my point here is that save for a few episodes that act as exceptions, none of the supernatural elements are overblown or too absurd or even beyond the realm of what most of us viewers would believe to be MAYBE possible. Lara Means sees angels, LOTS of people believe in angels. Just one example.

It's not hokey, it doesn't require you to fully buy into any particular belief or to suspend your disbelief to any extreme degree. It manages to stay very well grounded in reality, and it works as a result.

"Millennium was really a crappy show(again, sorry)"

Nope. It's one of the greatest ever. Sort of a fact too.

BTW, the episode in question is quite possibly the worst of the entire series(it's definitely in the running, one of the top 3-5 worst for sure). Using it as justification for saying the entire show is crap is idiotic and wrong. This was one of the rare exceptions I mentioned above where the supernatural isn't grounded in reality, where it IS too over the top. And on top of that the plot/writing does suck something awful.

Try watching more episodes before commenting on the show overral though. You're WAY off outside of your critique of this particular episode.