**MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!**
"Millennium" was one of the strongest dramas in the history of television. It went where no show had dared to go before. The acting was superb, the sets were remarkable and the writing was generally well above the norm. So what happened? The producers themselves admit that the show never knew what it wanted to become. Chris Carter's original vision led to the startling Season 1: the grisly crime scene, the etched face of Frank Black as he takes us into the mind of the killer, and the introduction of the mysterious "Millennium Group." It was an amazing first season.
The ratings, however, weren't that great, especially when compared to that pop sensation "X-Files", and Fox put on the pressure. So new people were put in charge of the direction of the show, and led us into Season 2, which many consider the best season, but I consider the season that led to the demise of the show.
I personally love the first half of the second season, with the emergence of Laura Means, the great depth of the Group, the strong contributions of Peter Watts, and the clearer lines between good and evil, heavenly and satanic.
Again, however, the ratings were disappointing, and the second half of the second season is turned on its head. The Millennium group becomes suspect, Laura Means goes insane, major characters are killed, and in the final episode it is suggested that 80% of the worlds population are going to die of plague.
Season 3 tries to bring the show back to where it began, but it was too late. The Black family chemistry is never the same, tho Jordan (Brittany Tipplady) continued to shine, Laura Means left a huge whole in the show when she left, Peter Watts is suddenly the bad guy, and the Millennium Group are now responsible for the worlds great evils. Chris Carter came back on board in Season 3, and in his own words says he didn't really know what to do with the pieces that pieces that were left.
That being said, Season 3 was still a very strong season, and contains some of my personal favorite episodes, in particular "Through a Glass, Darkly". Klea Scott (Emma Hollis) filled some of the vacuum left by those that were killed off in Season 2. The writing was superb, and except for a couple of weak episodes (ie. the notorious "KISS" episode!) the season stands up very well.
But again, it was the wavering of purpose and direction and leadership that finally put the hole in the waterline and sunk the show. If the producers and writers had only stayed true to the original purpose, and not buckled to the pressure being exerted by the network, the show might have seen its core audience grow and developed some longevity. There was certainly enough substance there for at least 6 or 7 seasons.
So many opportunities missed. The relationship of Lance Hendriksen and Peter Watts, the growing character of Laura Means, the unfolding of the "true" purpose of the Group, and even the continuing struggle of the Black family, of Frank and Catherine, to deal with Frank's "gift". Lucy Butler, Frank's nemesis, virtually disappears in Season 3, appearing in only 1 episode.
I own all 3 seasons and they hold a treasured place in my DVD collection, but its easy to get melancholy thinking about what might have been.
"Millennium" was one of the strongest dramas in the history of television. It went where no show had dared to go before. The acting was superb, the sets were remarkable and the writing was generally well above the norm. So what happened? The producers themselves admit that the show never knew what it wanted to become. Chris Carter's original vision led to the startling Season 1: the grisly crime scene, the etched face of Frank Black as he takes us into the mind of the killer, and the introduction of the mysterious "Millennium Group." It was an amazing first season.
The ratings, however, weren't that great, especially when compared to that pop sensation "X-Files", and Fox put on the pressure. So new people were put in charge of the direction of the show, and led us into Season 2, which many consider the best season, but I consider the season that led to the demise of the show.
I personally love the first half of the second season, with the emergence of Laura Means, the great depth of the Group, the strong contributions of Peter Watts, and the clearer lines between good and evil, heavenly and satanic.
Again, however, the ratings were disappointing, and the second half of the second season is turned on its head. The Millennium group becomes suspect, Laura Means goes insane, major characters are killed, and in the final episode it is suggested that 80% of the worlds population are going to die of plague.
Season 3 tries to bring the show back to where it began, but it was too late. The Black family chemistry is never the same, tho Jordan (Brittany Tipplady) continued to shine, Laura Means left a huge whole in the show when she left, Peter Watts is suddenly the bad guy, and the Millennium Group are now responsible for the worlds great evils. Chris Carter came back on board in Season 3, and in his own words says he didn't really know what to do with the pieces that pieces that were left.
That being said, Season 3 was still a very strong season, and contains some of my personal favorite episodes, in particular "Through a Glass, Darkly". Klea Scott (Emma Hollis) filled some of the vacuum left by those that were killed off in Season 2. The writing was superb, and except for a couple of weak episodes (ie. the notorious "KISS" episode!) the season stands up very well.
But again, it was the wavering of purpose and direction and leadership that finally put the hole in the waterline and sunk the show. If the producers and writers had only stayed true to the original purpose, and not buckled to the pressure being exerted by the network, the show might have seen its core audience grow and developed some longevity. There was certainly enough substance there for at least 6 or 7 seasons.
So many opportunities missed. The relationship of Lance Hendriksen and Peter Watts, the growing character of Laura Means, the unfolding of the "true" purpose of the Group, and even the continuing struggle of the Black family, of Frank and Catherine, to deal with Frank's "gift". Lucy Butler, Frank's nemesis, virtually disappears in Season 3, appearing in only 1 episode.
I own all 3 seasons and they hold a treasured place in my DVD collection, but its easy to get melancholy thinking about what might have been.