A show way ahead of its time
The TV series Millennium is a highly intelligent and thought-provoking show about the nature of evil and how it manifests in consensus reality.Spanning over three distinctive Seasons, Millennium dared to shock us with graphic imagery of serial killings, torture, mutilation, supernatural appearances and destruction. Yes, Millennium is dark and brooding from its initial start but the viewer should be aware that there is indeed light and hope embodied in each and every episode. This is often depicted metaphorically as a "yellow house" or simply being close to those that understand. It was this important element that kept Millennium from becoming a total gut-wrenching and depressing show.
Each episode of Millennium feels like a mini-movie thanks to the outstanding production qualities ascribed to the show. The characters in Millennium, especially Frank Black, were people one could really relate to - even so for the perpetrators themselves to some extent since many of them were simply misguided souls that were led astray by negative forces.
Millennium itself is really nothing like the X-Files and any comparison between the two can't really be made. Millennium is a far more realistic and frightening show than the X-Files and doesn't have that "amateurish" feel which made the X-Files a bit tongue-in-cheek at times.
Millennium pioneered the "flashback" technique which showed glimpses of a killers thoughts as the main protagonist comes within the vicinity of a murder scene. Shows like CSI: Name Your City & Cold Case etc completely ripoff ideas such as this but fail in the delivery. These new crime shows are nowhere near as good as Millennium since they are designed to appeal to the bubble-gum and MTV generation. The ones with 5-sec attention spans and an eye for pretty people with no substance.
One final thing to say. The main character in Millennium - Frank Black, as played by Lance Henriksen, would have to be one of the greatest heroes in any TV show. I mean this from a true "hero" perspective - someone that is selfless and believes that the needs of society as a whole should be served first over one's individual agenda. Frank Black was this and more. A man who had been through hell and back yet never gave up despite insurmountable opposition and suffering.
score 10/10
Cherubim1 10 September 2005
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1169005/14652
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