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PLOT: Mulder and Scully investigate former FBI agents who committed suicide and currently missing from their graves.
I was a bit worried that Vince Gilligan might have lost some of his magic that he so often generates with his episodes after last week's "Hungry." However, with co-writing honors from Frank Spotnitz, "Millennium" brought back my faith in Gilligan's talents. This episode had all the elements of a memorable X-Files episode: good story, suspense, good pacing, great dialogue, high drama, plenty of Mulder/Scully interaction, and a notable guest appearance. Of course, there was that memorable 10-second "greeting" for the new millennium at the end by our two leads, but I'll get to that in a moment.
The opening teaser reminded me of classic spooky episodes from the third and fourth seasons. I was amused at seeing Mr. Johnson take off all his clothes with the dead man and then leave his cell phone in the dead man's hand. If that isn't weird, I don't know what is! And then for Mr. Johnson to *receive* a phone call from the dead man a week later is just another shocking tidbit of spookiness! As Mr. Johnson walks towards the gravesite, the phone is still ringing in his car. Seeing that kind of eerie image only makes me want to get rid of my own cell phone!
The next scene with Mulder and Scully in the graveyard investigating the missing body of the former FBI agent was rather interesting. Possibly because it was five days after Christmas, and Mulder and Scully appear to have just acknowledged that to each other! I guess after their last Christmas adventure ( "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"), they wanted to spend this current one apart. Obviously, this particular case was just too bizarre to be left to the local PD. It's just nice to know that the two have some semblance of a normal existence if they actually had not seen each other for almost a week because of the holidays. That's just a little detail that Gilligan is famous for, and I'm certainly glad he even suggested it.
The meeting in Skinner's office was interesting in just noticing the other agents' facial reactions to Mulder's theory regarding the case. Even Skinner looked rather embarrassed! I certainly had no idea what "necromancy" was until Mulder explained that it was "a summoning of the dead." The textbook definition is "Communication with the spirits of the dead in order to predict the future." I must say that Gilligan and Spotnitz certainly used an extreme possibility of that definition! It was like "Return of the Living Dead." Though, these four Millennium group zombies did not seem very interested in eating any human flesh. They appear to just want to kill. "The Four Horsemen of the Armageddon"
Though I admit that I never watched "Millennium" on any regular basis, I must have missed something in regards to the group's secret plans to bring about Armageddon. Since the show appeared to me to struggle between wanting to delve into more paranormal fare ala The X-Files or concentrate on the end of the world through some of the craziest weirdos that exist in the real world, it was not an easily categorized show. Imagine trying to follow it on a weekly basis while not really being a fan? Suffice it to say, I wasn't a big admirer of the show. But I did recognize a certain correlation between Frank Black and Fox Mulder. Both were criminal profilers and highly touted from the Academy. Both have a "sixth sense" regarding the criminal element. Black's is a little bit more extra-sensory while Mulder's is a combination of his psychology training and his openness to extreme possibilities. Both are very focused at the job at hand and many elements of their personal lives appear to fall apart. Black has his daughter to keep him balanced. Mulder has Scully. These two come from very similar molds, but as Mulder believes in the paranormal, Black does not, especially in this particular case.
The episode itself was a good, suspenseful story. The living zombies of the Millennium Group were convincingly frightening. This is some of the best work I've seen with the make-up, the costumes and the direction. The one scene where Mulder is removing that piece of paper from the dead police officer's mouth struck me as rather grisly. The close-up of Mulder removing the paper was highly effective to help evoke that strangeness. I also liked the little trick in the morgue when the coroner was *scooping* out all that salt from the officer's mouth! That seemed both strange and funny to me at the same time.
I liked the fact that even though Mulder and Scully were apart for a short time, they still were equally in danger. Scully's brush with the dead officer at the morgue certainly had my heart racing. And when Mr. Johnson locked Mulder in the basement with the four zombies, I don't think I ever heard him sound so frightened in the entire series. That's a good thing that Gilligan knows how to do well. Keep the audience second-guessing on the outcome. Though Frank Black proved to know much more about the Millennium group's plans than he let on, he also did not want to see them succeed. How his involvement at the end ties up any loose ends from the old series is beyond me. Someone who watched that show regularly must explain that to me. And lest we forget that even though Mulder was not around to help Scully with her zombie, she was definitely around to ensure no more harm came to Mulder. What a woman!
Ah yes, the kiss. What can be said about an innocent New Year's kiss? When it
involves two of the most sexually frustrated and attractive people in prime time TV since David and Maddie from the classic "Moonlighting" series, I would say a lot! This kind of
event does not go unnoticed by this reviewer. I'm just going to state my impressions rather than any underlying meaning. The first thing that struck me is how quickly Scully
responded to Mulder's gesture. She just turned around to face him, and he went straight for the target! And the length of the kiss...a full 10 seconds. Now if it was just going
to be a friendly little peck to wish in the New Year, that seems *way* too long between friends. Don't you think? The reaction after the kiss was unforgettable. They smiled at
each other. It's as if they were thinking that it was unbelieveable they even waited this long! I'm sure the almost kiss in Mulder's hallway probably jumped in their minds as well.
I truly believe that Gilligan was emphasizing the long heated debate between shippers and noromos with Mulder's line: "The world didn't end." It's as if to say: "We kissed. It was
nice but no big deal." That was a clever way to sneak in the moment and also try to downplay the significance. Scully seemed almost reflective at what just happened to her.
While Mulder looked sincerely embarrassed as if he was looking down Scully's blouse. That whole scene was absolutely priceless!
Overall, "Millennium" was a very good, suspenseful episode. Admittedly, it wasn't the best thing that Gilligan has ever wrote or co-wrote, but the memorable moment at the end made this episode very significant in the history of the series and the two leads. No matter what the rest of the episode may have shown about the upcoming millennium, fans all over will remember this one for a long time. For that, I would say Gilligan made his magic once more.
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