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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

In which I ramble on about the greatness of Millennium

14:23 / 17.01.02

Ah, I miss that show. I actually only managed to watch like 6 episodes, but that was enought to get addicted to it.
It was *so* much better than X-Files... I don't think I have ever seen another series that was so good (but then again I didn't watch too much television at the time, and now I don't watch it at all...)

Anyone around that liked it, too?

P.S.:If any of you guys have it on tape (all the episodes), I'd consider buying it from you... just let me know how much would it cost me, and we can have a deal.

[ 17-01-2002: Message edited by: Marquis de Jade ]

14:29 / 17.01.02

I have been waiting ages for someone to post on this show. Easily one of my favourite shows of all time, especially season two. Most people I know never got past the Serial Killer of the Week aspects of season one to get to the good stuff. Lara Means, the Owls and the Roosters, South American Nazis, the Mikado, Scientology. Ceeripes.

Now that I have two vcrs again, I've been planning on consolidating all the eps I have on a smaller amount of tapes. Unfortunately a friend of mine lost the tape that had the end for season two, y'know, the one with the apocalypse. While I'm at it I can put together a sampler for you, Jade. If I can get the damn thing to work, that is.

[ 17-01-2002: Message edited by: moriarty ]

14:34 / 17.01.02

Oohhh, moriarty my friend, this would be really something I would appreciate.
Shit, too bad not everyone got the concept behind it, got cancelled on the 2nd season, wasn't it?

Damn fucking show, "popular" entertainment as it was supposed to be, left me with more questions than I had before watching each ep.
There is a rerun on cable here, I think, at 5 am. , but I don't have cable (shit).

Oh, what about the soundtrack? You know, the theme music? I'm trying to get it right now on Audiogalaxy

If you manage to fix things w/ your VCR, let me know and we'll arrange something so you could send me them. mucho thanx!

[ 17-01-2002: Message edited by: Marquis de Jade ]

14:45 / 17.01.02

Actually, it went to three seasons. But the end of the second season sure seemed like the apocalypse at the time.

Also, there was an X-Files episode with Frank Black that tried to tie everything up. Not sure where that went to either.

14:46 / 17.01.02

YES!

Millenium was way too good for tv at times. The episode with the Nazi's and the beam of the True Cross included the most beautiful murder scene I have ever seen, set to Wagner's Parcival.

The one bit I have on tape is probably the most mind blowing thing I have ever seen on tv, the last episode before the old writers quit where the Angel chick "Awakens" and looses her mind in a fucked up music video shot that was simply brilliant, and then the 4 horsemen ride. It ends with the End of the World. How do you top that? Just thinking about the last scenes makes me teary. Powerful stuff.

I'm still waiting for it to be released in DVD. Its not even out on VHS. Maybe now that X-files is ending in May, they'll release it soon.

14:54 / 17.01.02

Funny... I have seen - and watched 2 tapes (official stuff, not bootlegs) that had each one 2 episodes of the series... actually here in Rio some video stores have it. It's the pilot and the following episode, and the one where that demon kills Frank Black's best friend.

15:03 / 17.01.02

I just moved to a new town, and their video store has the pilot and the second episode, Gehenna (on eof my faves). I haven't had a chance to snag it yet.

Regarding merchandise, some countries have multiple Millennium episodes available, especially Japan. There was talk about a soundtrack release, and there was an official guide that almost made it to print, but both didn't quite make it. Other then that there were two volumes of the unofficial guide, two novelizations (and a third that was solicited but never released), an audio book of the first episode, a calender and a desk calender, and that's about it other then assorted jackets and baseball caps for the cast and crew.

Oh, and I almost forgot the Millemmium phone card.

Yeah, I kinda liked that show...

[ 17-01-2002: Message edited by: moriarty ]

15:24 / 17.01.02

I rather enjoyed the one with the 4 demons in the coffee shop. The pilot was quite chilling too. Sadly, like most things on TV, my fickle mind didn't stick with it. Sounds like I missed out.

Zoom.

19:39 / 17.01.02

That show was soooo much better than the x-files. I loved that show. It was the best thing whats his name ever did..better than that Virtual Reality show; that didnt last long.

It had soo much possibilities and then the way they "wrapped it all up" in the x-files..what crap...Fox sucks when it comes to giving shows the credit they deserve...its no wonder Buffy moved to UPN.

20:00 / 17.01.02

quote:Originally posted by kegboy:
its no wonder Buffy moved to UPN.

And look how sexy Buffy got all of a sudden since the network switch. No coincidence there.

20:53 / 17.01.02

I LOVED Millennium.

Well, specifically, I loved the 2nd season which was fucking amazing. The first was good but didn't really get FUCKING AMAZING until the 2nd season.

Then the damn thing should have ended with the season 2 finale.

Season three SUCKED. BIG. DONKEY. DILDOS.
A sad attempt to make Millennium into a poor formula rip off of the x-files.

first and second seasons are the only ones that should have happened.

Did I mention that the second season was FUCKING AMAZING?

09:27 / 18.01.02

Yeah. Millenium was like, my FAVOURITE series of all time at one point, even topping Twin Peaks. Original, atmosopheric, articulate.

I have to say that on viewing the series a second time around it seems hammy as fuck, tho.

09:27 / 18.01.02

quote:Originally posted by Lothar Tuppan:
Season three SUCKED. BIG. DONKEY. DILDOS.

While for the most part I agree with you on this, I must say that the episodes where Frank goes back to the big yellow house and confronts his past, the one about the Trinity project, the episode where Jordan almost dies and the season finale were all above average.

And still compared to season two, they were nothing.

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:27 / 18.01.02

Could someone summarize season two for me? I don't think they ever showed all of it on terrestrial UK TV... the one I really remember is where Frank meets a young guy who's really an angel and has just killed this demon guy... That seemed to be the set-up for big stuff, but I never saw the big stuff happen...

Didn't Frank's hair turn white at some point?

09:27 / 18.01.02

By cusm: quote:And look how sexy Buffy got all of a sudden since the network switch. No coincidence there.
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Please don't mention Buffy in this thread, you heretic

As for Frank's white hair, it was caused by something terrible he saw at the end of season two, if I remember it correctly(wil say no more cos it may spoil it). In later episodes we saw him dying his hair back to black.

12:53 / 18.01.02

I think he left his hair white for most, if not all, of Season Three.

Season Two? I'll try and summarize it without too many spoilers. But just in case.

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In the season one finale, Frank's wife was kidnapped. While rescuing her, he goes a little mental, and she leaves him. The Millennium Group takes advantage of this situation and starts to put the hooks in him. Seems that they aren't all that they appear to be.

The entire second season dealt with Frank having to choose between his sanity and the cure the Millennium Group was offering, the Millennium group and his family, and the evil forces at work that he was trying to protect his family from.

Which really doesn't do it justice. The Halloween episode alone made that Season.

13:26 / 18.01.02

stop teasing me, moriarty!
(edited to say I'm listening to the theme song right now. Will search for the desktop theme. and perhaps a screen saver. what the hell is happening with me??

[ 18-01-2002: Message edited by: Marquis de Jade ]

13:44 / 18.01.02

I borrowed some tapes from a coworker - all the ones with that woman demon/thing. With the easy-listening music torture episode.

Oh, and there was an unrelated one with Brad Dourif and a guy in an iron lung as a year 2000 Noah, with genetically modified kids as the new inheritors after the coming Earth changes.

Brilliant stuff.

13:44 / 18.01.02

Also, here are sum ups of the three seasons:

Season 1: Serial Killer of the Week needs to be stopped by Frank. Well done but slightly formulaic.

Season 2: Millennium Group is really a secret society that not only hunts serial killers but is also occult, Gnostic, with layers and layers of agendas. Frank's 'visions' really are visions as he sees through the veils of reality. For roleplaying geeks, think a tv version of 'Kult'. With two major factions of the Group. One more 'good' than the other and a power struggle within.

Season 3: Lagging ratings causes Chris Carter to try and form Millennium into a formula rip off of the x-files with a new pair of attractive young FBI agents that Frank is connected to. Oh... and the group turns out to be all bad. Bad. bad. bad.

[ 18-01-2002: Message edited by: Lothar Tuppan ]

14:07 / 18.01.02

quote:Originally posted by grant:
I borrowed some tapes from a coworker - all the ones with that woman demon/thing. With the easy-listening music torture episode.

Oh, and there was an unrelated one with Brad Dourif and a guy in an iron lung as a year 2000 Noah, with genetically modified kids as the new inheritors after the coming Earth changes.

Brilliant stuff.

I love Lucy Butler.

And that second episode, man, I've only ever seen it once, but it was the one that had me hooked. I remember on May 5, 2000, thinking about that episode and how the world was supposed to end. It really surprised me that in the third season opener, after Chris Carter promised that the series would become less continuity driven, that the genetically modified kids were involved. I mean, who remembered that shit from season 1, anyway?

And I just looked over the episodes I have. Season three, despite being the weakest (especially the pathetic Halloween and Christmas episodes), still had a decent ending.

14:14 / 18.01.02

To be fair, season 3 wouldn't have been so bad in my opinion if it wasn't such a disappointing turn from the direction of Season 2.

Shoulda just ended with the plague I tell ya.

I also feel that the reason Carter brought back stuff from season 1 is that season 1 and 3 were run by Carter while Season 2 was the Morgan and Wong show (Carter was busy getting the X-Files movie in the can).

Season 2 IS Morgan and Wong's masterpiece. Carter had almost nothing to do with it.

14:34 / 18.01.02

Oh, I know. It definitely should have left off with the apocalyptic ending. I'm just always ready to defend those elements of season three that were worthwhile, few of them that there were. More Giebelhouse!

Season Two was overwhelming. And did you notice that the second Morgan and Wong (and Morgan) left the X-Files, that's when it turned to shit? It burned me up when there would be hype surrounding "innovations" on the X-Files (like their black and white episode, or the real time one) that paled in comparison to some of the shit Millennium was doing. And it was unfortunate that most people I know who would have loved the second season wouldn't give it a shot because the first wasn't their cup of tea.

15:00 / 18.01.02

Yup I did notice that. I don't love everything Morgan and Wong have done but when they're on they're fucking ON.

I really hope Millennium get's released on either video or DVD sometime.

15:16 / 18.01.02

The Lara Freakout scene at the end of season had me going "I can't believe I'm seeing this on network television."

15:18 / 18.01.02

quote:Originally posted by MJ-12:
The Lara Freakout scene at the end of season had me going "I can't believe I'm seeing this on network television."

Yup. Brilliant, that whole ep. was just brilliant.

15:26 / 18.01.02

Yup. I was lucky enough to grab that bit on tape, and watched it repeatedly.

If you pay close attention, you can tell where the seals are being opened in season 2, a la Revelations.

15:34 / 18.01.02

See? See? Isn't it a pity that, 10 years from now, people will be talking about those obscure tv series and then when they get to talk about Millennium they'll go "this was destined to be a great tv classic, too bad it didn't last long enough..."

A lot of times that show had me with this "can't believe they' talking about/showing this stuff on TV.
This show is never going to be continued, right? Like, NEVER.

P.S.: How do you think they would have managed the thing if it had continued, AFTER we had been through the millennium ourselves? I mean, was that show doomed to short lifespan from the beggining, having started so close to 2001 or there would have been other mystical issues to be addressed (like december 23 2012)??

15:57 / 18.01.02

In complete agreement on the Lara Means psychedelia scene. From one commercial to the next, to the tune of Patti Smith's "Horses." I remember reading that one of the Morgan and Wong boys first heard that song in college and always wanted to make a music video to it. Wish I hadn't lost the tape.

While it was running I also thought of what would happen if it did reach the Millennial mark. And I never heard the end of people telling me "Well, the Millennium doesn't even happen at the year 2000, it's 2001" or "The Millennium was two years ago, dude. They got Jesus' birthdate wrong" or "Man, it's just a date." Never mind that the show dealt with multiple religions and their version of the end of the world (for example, in the second episode they say it could be in 1998). Or that even within the Millennium group there were Christian and Secular splinter groups, both with their own different timelines.

And Jade, Lothar is right. They really should have ended it at season two. I'm glad they didn't go to season four.

16:03 / 18.01.02

NO, but just imagine if it had kept as good as 2nd season was!!! Imagine, imagine, c'mon, just imaaagine...

(ok, I'm scaring myself shitless here. Will go home now. Bye and see you all bastids on MOnday)

17:38 / 18.01.02

One of the best things about season 2 was that it ended with the seeming End Of The World. To do it any justice, season 3 would have to begin with "and then 3/4s of the earth was laid barren, and 3/4s of all men perished". It'd be Mad Max starring Lance Henricson riding around on a dusty bike while the war between heaven and hell raged on in the background...

Yea, I'd watch that.

18:32 / 18.01.02

When I heard they were making a season three, I could hardly believe it. After I got over the shock, I began thinking along the same lines as you. Millennium Group controlling what's left of the population, and Frank "Baby Cart Assassin" Black reluctantly getting involved with the rebels.

Then I realized that there's no way they'd have the budget. Shame.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

04:58 / 19.01.02

Yup, the season 2 ending actually ranks up there with my favourite MOVIES of all time. Especially the Patti Smith part. I was tripping when I saw it, and Mist All Chrucking Fighty did it rock.
Funnily enough, I've been searching and searching online (MusicCity/Morpheus etc) for that very episode for the last fortnight, and I'm fucked if I can find it.