User Reviews

Patrick Currie ("Fifth", the Human Form Replicator from Stargate SG-1) is a Sammael-type Angel this time. Although he is called "Simon" in the credits. Similar enough name. This time he is there to bring Frank's attention to the "Fetches" that he will see, on this midnight of the century.

Darren McGavin and Mike Dopud both play Frank Blacks father, Mike in the 40's, Darren in the present.

I can think of no other actor that could have possibly been Frank Black's father, but Mike was a good choice to play the younger Mr Black.

Basically, this story starts out as an argument between Catherine and Frank, because Jordan draws an angel and claims that it was Frank's mother who helped her.

Catherine, who is normally one of the best mothers, turned into an instant "_____" about it. As Frank tells her: "it is what it is, there is no "fixing" Jordan". And then of course she goes on a rant against The Millennium group, claiming things about Frank that are just not true. In this one instant she is 100% wrong and not acting as the best parent for Jordan.

Frank of course knows how to speak to her when she is like this, and he gets her to calm down and eventually back off. I have always believed that nothing that Frank ever did caused them to move out of the yellow house, it has always been completely upon Catherine. Frank only acted like a husband and father, any husband and father, protecting his family. But then again Frank himself is also stubborn. In one episode Catherine tells Frank "we have not been racking up the Kodak moments in the yellow house", this is wholly untrue. There were several moments in the yellow house during season one that superseded anything horrible that ever occurred there. So, Catherine is just plain wrong, and Frank is just too stubborn to stand up against it. He finally starts telling Catherine what is going on in the later "owls/roosters" episodes. But she wasn't really around that much in season two.

During this difficult confrontation, Frank has memories of his own childhood when he himself was developing his own gift which was similar to his mothers. And so this episode spans decades and generations of the Black Family, Frank and his mother and father, Jordan and her father and mother.

And in the midst of all of this, Samiel visits Frank to give him some wisdom. We have to wonder if Frank is really seeing this entity, I believe he is. It is the same kind of visitation as we saw in the season one episode, and in the season three episode.

And the dilemma of this episode is basically, "what Christmas gift can Frank get for Jordan this year"... because his previous plans were thwarted by Catherines mother.

It got so bad that Frank had to call in the cavalry of "The eyes of Laura Means", because of course, Laura's vision always includes her "angel".

Which of course leads to a meaningful and informative discussion about angels between Laura and Frank. Which makes this episode even more interesting.

But it's the interaction between Frank Black and his father Darren McGavin that drives this home. And the final scene which is shared by both Frank and Jordan, is very touching.

Really do not understand why this review was declined, can you please explain it to me? I went through it there are no spoilers, there are no bad words. I even edited an expletive to be "_____", because I think people get the picture about how Catherine is acting in this episode.