Customer Reviews

Millennium - The Complete Third Season

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well, it's about time that the 3rd season of this show came out! I've been waiting a long time to complete my Chris Carter collection! I'm not going to list a description of every episode, because I don't want to ruin everything for first-time viewers. ;-)
Millennium underwent some drastic changes over its 3-year run; the first season, the Millennium Group seemed to be a legitimate criminal consultant firm, with interesting abilitiesm now employing ex-FBI agent Frank Black, who wants to raise his daughter in a safer world with his wife Catherine. Season 1 also introduced one of the darkest (and most underutilized) villains in the series; Lucy Butler, who could possibly be the devil. In the second season, Frank was smack-dab in the middle of it, seperated from his family as the Group became larger, darker, and more terrifying as its true knowledge and dangerous capabilities became known, leading to a viral outbreak in Seattle, which killed 80 people, including Catherine. Frank also encountered Lucy Butler, though she evaded him once again.

In the 3rd season, Frank had left the Millennium Group and was back at the FBI, after recovering from the mental collapse he suffered from Catherine's death. He unofficially teamed up with Special Agent Emma Hollis, and they began attempting to bring Millennium to justice, which had become a distant, yet still dangerous villain. He also had one (maybe two; see Saturn Dreaming of Mercury and decide for yourself) more encounter with the evil Lucy Butler, who tried to tempt him into ruling the world with her (if that ain't the devil, what is?). We also got to see a lot more of his daughter Jordan in this season than the previous two, played by the gifted Brittany Tiplady, who I haven't seen in anything since a DELL computers commercial a few years back. The series ended with the apparent demise of Frank's onetime friend Peter Watts, and his taking his daughter and disappearing.

Although Millennium's finale was reasonably conclusive, fans of the series, and Chris Carter himself, weren't quite satisfied with it, and made an episode which crossed Millennium with the X-Files, which took place on the Millennium Eve, Dec. 31, 1999 (and for those who say the new Millennium began in 2001, I quote Mulder: No one likes a math geek, Scully.), in which Frank Black teamed up with Mulder and Scully to save the world from ending. It seems they did!

Millennium's 3rd season was the end of a great series, but I'm glad it ended where it did, instead of dragging through a 4th season which in all likelihood would've ruined it. Millennium had its full run, and ended successfully. Buy this season and complete the collection today! You won't be sorry!

Chip Johannessen faced a difficult creative challenge when he became Millennium's Executive Producer at the start of the third season. The show's fictional world had seemingly been brought to an end at the close of the previous year. How could the creative staff continue a series in which most of the major characters and powerful plot threads had apparently been put to rest? The answer to this question, of course, was to reinvent the series once again.

The final season of Millennium began with a shaky start. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the cast and crew to meet and triumph over these challenges, and the results were commendable. Millennium's third season provided some of the show's most intelligent, bizarre, and intriguing stories. As a result, the episodes presented in this collection offer viewers a glimpse at the show's remarkable range. There are tales of police investigation, complex conspiracies, black comedy, scientific threats, and classic horror. Millennium was an artistic drama series unlike any other and it continues to stand apart in the annals of television history.

Sadly, nothing could save the series from the harsh demands of the network television industry. Just months before the dawn of the new millennium, the series was canceled and aired its final episode. Frank Black's journey had come to an end, and this DVD collection presents the thrilling conclusion to the Millennium mythology. It is not to be missed.

Chris Carter wanted to prove he could do it again. Fox TV was hoping for another cash cow. Carter was determined to do something that was *not* the X-Files. Millenium was launched, and from the beginning it was hard to tell what, exactly, the series was about.

Each of the three seasons has a distinct identity. The first season is (mostly) an unremittingly grim serial-killer-of-the-week series, with people being set on fire, having their eyes sewn shut, and other atrocities. The show survived because of the moral center provided by Frank Black, who has journeyed into the heart of evil and was almost consumed by it. Retired from the FBI and recruited into the Millenium group, an association of former law enforcement officers, Frank is forced to protect his wife and daughter from the evil around them.

Carter closely supervised the first season and was careful to avoid explicit references to the supernatural. This was *not*, he repeated, *not* the X-Files. But even in the first season, the producers couldn't refrain from introducing a fantastic element, although in very small doses.

Many of the plots were incoherent and only partly explained; but we were used to this because of the X-Files.

In the second season, Carter turned to series over to producers Morgan and Wong, who took the show in very interesting directions. The Millenium Group is now revealed to be a conspiracy, itself divided by a struggle between religious and scientific camps. Both fear a coming apocalypse in 2000 and are in fact working to bring it about.

Just as the show was really becoming interesting, with a dramatic conclusion to Season 2, Carter returned to the show, unhappy with the direction Morgan and Wong had taken it. Instead of picking up where Season 2 left off, Season 3 tosses out much of the continuity and starts over, with Frank Black now back at the FBI teamed with a female partner. But oh no, it's *not* the X-Files!

Season 3 is easily the worst season of this promising show. My biggest complaint is that many episodes are simply incoherent. Fantastic things happen, but nothing --- and I mean absolutely nothing --- is explained. It's one giant McGuffin after another. The style and flash are still there, but it's become a poor man's X-Files, without the fun and the humor.

It's hard to say where Carter would have taken the show had it survived, but it's clear that he couldn't do what he'd sworn to do: create a show that was completely different from the X-Files.

It's not surprising this show was cancelled; each season has a different identity, it's almost entirely lacking in humor, and it's dark, bloody, brooding, and grim. However its high production values and excellent acting (especially from Lance Henriksen, as Frank Black) earned the show a devoted cult following.

I bought Season 3 when it came out and still haven't watched the last four episodes. With the Season 2 set, I watched the whole thing in one week. That's how disappointing Season 3 is: you're set up for an intriguing mystery in 1 and 2; then Chris Carter comes back and says, "Oh, never mind. Let's just clone the X-Files."

It's a shame. This show could have been so much better, if someone had ever decided once and for all what is was supposed to be about.

Chris Carter's MILLENNIUM (1996-1999) was the greatest show, certainly in the history of the FOX network, if not television itself.

Lance Henriksen played Frank Black for three years and 67 episodes in which this craggy, line-faced ex-FBI criminal profiler faced evil in all its conceivable incarnations to protect his wife and daughter Jordan from its wrath.

The final season (1998-1999) was 22 episodes of decidedly mixed results:

The show started with a two-part season premiere, beginning with "THE INNOCENTS". It was a mildly interesting story of a downed airliner and bizarre blondes, seemingly involving the Millennium Group. That continued with "EXEGESIS", in which Frank and his new FBI partner Emma Hollis tried to determine the Group's involvement. "TEOTWAWKI" (aka The End of the World as We Know It) was a story of school violence and survivalists awaiting Y2K. "CLOSURE" involved Emma's sister's death at a young age and the connection with a seemingly motiveless killer.

"...THIRTEEN YEARS LATER" was an enjoyable Halloween story that somehow mixed murders patterned on 80s and 70s horror films, a performance by the band KISS, and the black comedy that the show tried to use in the second season. "SKULL & BONES" was the unusual story of buried bodies in Maine and the nebbishy young man who tried to escape the clutches of the Millennium Group. It showed what "really" happened to Cheryl Andrews (the great CCH Pounder), in case we weren't to believe last season's "THE HAND OF ST. SEBASTIAN". "THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY" was the disturbing and atmospheric story of an Oregon child molester released after several years to his old hometown, only to have his past and a new set of crimes follow him there. "HUMAN ESSENCE" was a lame attempt at X-Files-esque horror in which Emma's junkie half-sister faced mutation-causing drugs in Vancouver.

"OMERTA" (aka Holiday) was the infinately enjoyable Christmas episode in which a mobster resurfaces (from the dead?) after his healers, a couple of sweet sisters in the woods, are threatened. "BORROWED TIME" was the story of a series of drowning deaths that featured the return (in character, if not performance) of an angel from the first season! "COLLATERAL DAMAGE" was the story of Watts' daughter's kidnapping at the hands of a bitter ex-Gulf War soldier who blamed the Millennium Group. "THE SOUND OF SNOW" was the story of a series of recordings that seemed to cause deaths, leading Frank to face his wife Catherine's own demise.

"ANTIPAS" was the story of Lucy Butler being the nanny for a Wisconsin senator's daughter, leading Frank to try to prove her as the evil woman she is. "MATRYOSHKA" was the intriguing mix of the origins of the Millennium Group, the Atom Bomb and J. Edgar Hoover's creation of both. "FORCING THE END" was the interesting story of a pregnant woman's kidnapping by a Jewish cult. "SATURN DREAMING OF MERCURY" was the story of Jordan's unhealthy fascination with the new kid on the block, a seemingly evil little boy with supernatural powers.

"DARWIN'S EYE" was the great story of a young mental patient kidnapping and falling in love with a highway patrolman after her bloody escape. "BARDO THODOL" was an interesting tale of Millennium Group pseudoscience involving red bowls. "SEVEN AND ONE" introduced a new theme: Frank's fear of water and the haunting pictures of his own drowning! "NOSTALGIA" involved a murder in Emma's hometown.

"VIA DOLOROSA" was part one of what turned out to be a two-part series finale. It was the story of an Ed Cuffle-esque serial killer seemingly engineered by the Millennium Group. Frank investigates as Emma's ties to the Group deepen. "GOODBYE TO ALL THAT" was the bittersweet finale in which Frank and Jordan had to finally escape from the Group as Watts and Emma gave in to their inconceivable futures.

The series continued, sort of, in a seventh season X-FILES episode, fittingly titled "MillenniuM". It was the story of Frank helping FBI agents Scully and Mulder investigate mysterious graverobbings that lead to the discovery of zombies being conjured by the Group's remaining member.

The show is, all in all, a success, if not totally. It had its lame moments and HUMAN ESSENCE is an all-time low. But the show, overall was great!

A-!

(***This contains Season Two SPOILERS!***)

The Good:

I had no idea what to expect with Season Three, I had never seen a single episode. Having been left for 9 months with the conclusion of the Season Two DVD set, my mind wandered about what Season Three would bring; Frank isolated at the cabin, Jordan now missing her mother, a huge infectious outbreak, all to be summed up... finally! I was also anxious to get this set to see who would be "left standing". Sadly it appears that "Lara Means" got the ax though she may reappear, but fortunately everyone else is onboard. It wasn't made wholly clear whether Lara died in the S2 closer, but I can hope she didn't.

I can say that as soon as I opened the box and looked at the art work I was skeptical. Seeing the attractive African American female so proximately displayed instantly made me think of one word; pandering. But maybe I shouldn't have jumped to such a radical conclusion because Klea Scott (as Agent Hollis) has proved to be a tremendous asset! Her humble demeanor is so perfect I'm truly glad she's here. Another new face that is a welcome addition is the "Agent Baldwin" role. His sarcastic and "by the book" no-nonsense way plays off of Scott perfectly, not to mention Frank. Even Frank's new boss is solid and above par. Of course Lance and Terry (Frank Black/Peter Watts) are also well above par and this season promises to be a treat since the main focus seems to be them as adversaries which was always their strong suits.

I loved the Glen Morgan and James Wong vision of Season 2 with its lean towards a fantasy/history hybrid though Chip Johannessen's and Michael Duggan's (Season 3) seems tighter, similar, and actually somewhat more consistent (so far); even the humorous elements in certain episodes have returned (Kiss!). I'm really surprised by the overall quality... shocked actually, because so far this has lived up to Season 2, which out does my expectations there.

The (not so) Good:

There is a rough spot here and there though. The two parter that starts off Season Three has some amazing qualities, particularly in the production and casting areas, though what it lacks is continuity. In the last episode of S2 "The Time Is Now" the infection rates and scope seemed huge; from San Diego to even the Asian coast, however the infection as discussed in "The Innocents" (the S3 opener), describes the outbreak as being confined to the North West and killing 70 people. I'm sorry, but that just doesn't jibe and what was the graying hair on Frank all about? The flickering TV? I think I envisioned Season Three to be almost a post-Apocalyptic siege of sorts, what I got is a solid, well controlled, if confusing review of prior events. Another bit of a niggle I have; as much as I like the Agent Hollis role, the Frank Black role sometimes appears to be a foot-note. Hopefully as the show progresses his presence will too. Lastly, like Season 2, the episodes NOT about the Millennium Group are all over the map and range from; Great: "Closure", Typical: "Through a Glass, Darkly", and Generic: "Teotwawki," it's just too bad every episode couldn't be about "the Group".

The Packaging/Extra's:

Kudos' to Fox for keeping the packaging consistent and not being tempted by the double-sided discs so many of the "evil" companies are embracing. This is probably the only 3 season set I have besides Star Trek that didn't under go some wild alterations or cost cutting measures. The extras are a bit too sparse, though welcome. On the back of the box it says that commentaries are provided for certain episodes, what it doesn't say is that there is only two of them. I have yet to watch the behind the scenes though if previous seasons are a quality barometer, these will surely be instructive and worthwhile. And making an unwelcome return is the ETERNITY it takes to get through the menu start-up screen.

The Aftermath:

In conclusion I do feel pangs of guilt over Millennium. Truly, I do. On network television I never watched beyond the first Season as it seemed the "serial killer of the week" scenario was severely overplayed, but now I feel total regret at not taking the time to watch the re-inventing of each Season (how was I to know?). God only knows where this show could have gone and now I guess we'll never really know. Though I've only watched a handful of this seasons efforts I would like to extend an invitation to Fox, Chris Carter, and of course Lance Henriksen to revive this show via the big screen or whatever vehicle is possible. I think I can speak for many here at Amazon and beyond when I say; build it, and we will come... now.

The unknown and the darker fears which many of us felt or mused on as the millennium milestone approached was captured by Chris Carter and the other producers in this gem of a series. Lance Henriksen was perfect for the role and he never slipped throughout the entire run. Every aspect of the show was well-crafted, and the results resonated with a group of devoted fans such as myself. I still play the "holiday" episodes every Halloween and Christmas. Acting, music, characters, photography, production all wonderfully done. But the bottom line: Lance Henriksen rocks!!

100% agree with the previous review. If imitation is the highest form of flattery etc......then the Millenium TV series is one of the most highly regarded TV shows ever produced.

Sadly, the series ended prematurely....or did it? As a person who has viewed and studied every Millenium episode I make this observation: The three year phenomenon called Millenium gave birth to a number of the most successful TV series ever conceived. Shows about criminal profiling, crime scene investigation, missing persons, strange coincidences, secret societies, and psychic intuition regarding deeply dark deeds.

Am I just an over zealous Millenium fan who sees the shows' influence everywhere I look? In fact,IMO, the prescience of Millenium scripts goes way beyond current TV series and extends to movies as well. You might think me completely over the edge when I also express the opinion that the writers and genius producer of Millenium also presaged a number of important and cataclysmic events in the world-dangers real, potential, and imagined that are on the minds of most of us today who bother to keep up with world events.

The writing was simply inspired. Of course, the acting, directing, locations, etc etc. are of uniformly high quality. If, like me, you love Vancouver BC, then you'll love the locations.

Curious? Then you owe it to yourself to acquire all three seasons, watch them in sequence, and judge for yourself. You be "The Judge".

There is genius in this series. I personally believe that it was just too dead on accurate in hitting the deepest fears and vulnerabilities of most people to be allowed to continue.

It was more than most could take. Can you? I dare you. The time is now.

Season Three of Millennium is the final installment of what I feel is one of the greatest television shows ever made.

In this season Frank Black returns to the FBI and continues his work as a serial profiler. He teams up unofficially with rookie FBI special agent Emma Hollis and together they work diligently in solving many baffling and macabre crimes. The Millennium Group itself is still a lurking threat to Frank and its covert agenda comes to a head near the end of the season.

Many viewers have stated that this season is weaker than the previous two and is simply a watered-down version of the X-Files. I agree in part with this view since many of the episodes were straight crime-solving by teamwork with very little mystical/supernatural references (compared with Season Two).

The production quality was still outstanding and indeed some of the very best episodes of the series were produced this season. Episodes such as "Skull & Bones", "Through a Glass Darkly", "Omerta", "Borrowed Time", "The Sound Of Snow", "Antipas", "Saturn Dreaming Of Mercury", "Bardo Thodol" and "Seven and One" were all brilliant. The other episodes, whilst still very good, seemed to lack direction and were weaker in overall intensity. Episodes such as "Human Essence", "The Innocents", "TEOTWAWKI", "Closure" and "Nostalgia" were a few that didn't quite hit the mark.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this DVD set to Millennium fans or even casual viewers of intelligent, thought-provoking TV.

I've never written a review for any product before, but I feel compelled to for this last season of Millennium. First and foremost, this show was, by far, one of the most influential, well produced, and underrated programs to ever air on television. It is also unique in that it illustrates just how a concept can be interpreted very differently by a few individuals. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, even after a single season, Fox was very brave to stay with it and it just goes to show how progressive a network they've been for the past decade.

Now, Millennium, and those that enjoy the show, can basically be put into two categories, and people have been pouring over them here in a number of reviews. Millennium of the first season, the darker, gritty crime scene, profiling a new killer each week; and Millennium of the second season, somewhat lighter, more `group' centered, and much larger and more involved story arcs. That's the split. And if you like the first season then you'll like the third. That can't be said as much for somebody who responded more to the second season.

I am individual who prefers the second season, and sees that as more of the direction Millennium performed best in. Millennium was a good show its first season, it just lacked something that could have pushed it over into being great. Now usually when the creator of a series becomes less involved the show has a tendency to dwindle in creativity and vision. But Chris Cater leaving Millennium during the second season was the best thing that happened to that production. No disrespect to Chris Carter, who is very creative, and did a wonderful job on the X-Files, it's just that Morgan and Wong took what was a rather undefined concept and created a brilliant and engaging second season. With its secret societies, religious iconography, and a more defined yet still murky mythology, it became the crutch of what Millennium was all about for a number of people. But it was also Morgan and Wong who ultimately killed Millennium, and the third season could have been a lot better, even if they were planning on leaving, if the last two episodes of the second season, `The Fourth Horseman' and `The Time Is Now,' were either completely different, or had a different outcome. Now taken on their own, they are brilliant, and would have provided a unique closure to the series, `The Time Is Now' in particular is very bizarre and wonderful, and still strikes me as odd to have ever been on television. But if there was even a glimmer of the series having a third season, Frank's wife Catherine should have never been killed off, and the Millennium group, as shadowy and potentially dangerous as they had been portrayed, should not have assumed the role of the series' nemesis. This shifted the focus of the show into a constant vendetta for Frank against the Millennium group in the third season, yet ultimately not providing him any base other than his daughter by which to ground himself, and most of the time this wasn't enough.

I'm not certain, maybe Morgan and Wong could have made this concept compelling, Carter and the other producers he brought in couldn't, at least not at the same level as season two. Series rest on the relationships between the characters, regardless of what is going on in the story, and as such the third season starts off on a very low note. Catherine is gone, Frank and Peter Watts' relationship has degenerated, Lara Means is absent, and even Detective Geibelhouse is nowhere to be found, save the episode `The Sound Of Snow.' And I'm sorry, but Special Agent Emma Hollis is no replacement for Lara Means, and her and Frank never have anything close to the chemistry that the other two shared. It also gets rather annoying when after just about any crime is committed Hollis sidles up to Frank and asks, wide-eyed, "Is it the group?" I don't know anything about Klea Scott, or her career after Millennium, but maybe she could use the royalties from these DVD sales and buy some acting lessons. Not to be too harsh, but I never believed she was an FBI agent.

I guess the problem here is expectation. Season three is not bad, and I'd be more inclined to watch any episode of Millennium, even the worst ones, over 95% of anything else on television. And again, if you're more inclined to like the first season over the second, season three will satisfy you. But I feel there was a wasted opportunity here, and that season three both in story and in character development never got close to the brilliance that was season two.

A must have TV series for everyone. Sadly only 3 easons were only made. But an unforgettable series it was. Nothing has so far come even close to the quality of television this show had.
Do yourself a favour & go buy all 3 boxed DVD's now. Of course Amazon is the best place to buy these from, as they provide amazing value & great service