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Summary:
When a psychopathic doctor
imprisoned by Frank Black escapes his hospital bed after requiring an
operation, the famed profiler is called to
Washington D.C. to aid in his recapture. As Frank and Peter Watts
uncover clues regarding the escape they're introduced to Lucy Butler,
a mysterious and dangerous woman who indicates that dark forces have
targets that are close to Frank's home and that evil
itself has plans for Frank's life.
Season One on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Quote:
"Every man before he dies shall see the Devil." —English
Proverb, 1560
Synopsis:
Frank and Bob Bletcher hike across a remote snow-covered mountaintop in the spectacular
North Cascades region of Washington State. Their trip is cut short when
Frank receives an important page from the FBI.
Frank
travels to the Bureau's Behavioral Sciences Unit. There, Agent Babich reviews
the facts behind the disappearance of convicted serial killer Dr. Ephraim
Fabricant, who escaped — or was removed — from a hospital room while recovering
from the affects of anesthesia (Fabricant had donated a kidney to his dying
sister). Years earlier, Fabricant had brutally murdered five nurses in
Cedar Falls. Thanks to Frank's profile, he was eventually convicted of
his crimes. But Frank had argued against sending Fabricant to the gas chamber,
as he felt it was more important for the FBI to study the inner workings
of a serial killer's mind. A judge agreed with Frank and Fabricant's life
was spared.
Peter
Watts discovers that Fabricant had exchanged wedding vows with a female
pen-pal he met during his prison stay. Watts and Frank interview the brunette
woman, Lucy Butler, at her house in Virginia. Butler insists that neither
she nor any of her friends has been in contact with Fabricant since his
escape. She does reveal, however, that she and her husband plan on having
a child. The men notice incoming e-mail on Lucy's computer. Frank realizes
the e-mail message (a quote from the Bible) pertains to his own street
address. He immediately telephones Catherine, and is relieved to hear that
both she and Jordan are safe. Frank asks his wife to search through the
mail. Catherine discovers an envelope containing Polaroid photographs of
an Asian judge. Frank realizes the man, Judge Park, has been murdered.
Meanwhile, inside a featureless room, the mysterious Brunette Nurse who
helped engineer Fabricant's escape from the hospital (whose face we cannot
see) removes the metal staples that bind Fabricant's kidney incision.
Armed
with a search warrant, Watts and Frank return to Lucy Butler's home. Their
research revealed that Lucy had been accused of killing her young son with
strychnine (the same poison used to murder Judge Park). Lucy counters that
she was found innocent of the charges. During the hunt for clues, a detective
discovers that Lucy's home was rented to a tenant named Robert Davies.
He disappeared shortly after allowing Lucy to move in with him. Fabricant
stumbles into an emergency room, his hospital gown drenched in blood.
Doctors
realize that someone removed his second kidney-and did so without anesthesia.
Frank realizes that someone placed his home phone number on Fabricant's
hospital bracelet. As a thunderstorm rages, Catherine discovers a human
kidney inside the kitchen refrigerator. She then encounters a man with
long brown hair, who bears a striking resemblance to Lucy, standing at
the top of the stairs. A terrified Catherine searches for Frank's gun.
Suddenly, Bletcher steps out of the shadows. He tells Catherine that Giebelhouse
is with Jordan outside, then phones Frank with the news that his family
is unharmed. Catherine warns Bletcher that an unidentified man is still
in the house. As Bletcher searches for the intruder, he discovers Lucy
standing at the top of the stairs. A flash of lightning illuminates her
face-but it has transformed into the visage of a beast. Shortly thereafter,
Giebelhouse discovers Bletcher's dead body hanging from a wall stud, his
throat cut.
Fabricant
tells Frank that the "base sum of all evil" removed his second kidney.
He warns that the same unspeakable evil knows who Frank is. Later, Lucy
Butler is arrested on a traffic violation. But without evidence, police
are unable to detain her. Frank takes Jordan to the remote mountain top
where he and Bletcher had gone hiking.
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Photographs:
- The demonic Lucy Butler
- Catherine and Jordan on the telephone
- The strong yet caring Catherine Black
- The hanging corpse of Bob Bletcher
- Frank and Jordan atop snowy Mt. Baker
Abyss Rating:
(5/5)
Media Review:
"Millennium
abruptly redeemed itself with a Carter-penned episode that gave the
series a welcome blast of novelty (Lucy, a Lucifer-ish female
villain), clarity (the dialogue was hard-boiled to a crisp), and
surprise (the killing of a major supporting player, Bill Smitrovich's
Lieutenant Bletcher). More free-for-alls like this, please."
—Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
"Chris Carter is back to script and he
produces one of the scariest, creepiest installments of the entire
first season. He also introduces an incredibly successful adversary
for Frank and the Group —
the heinous bitch witch Lucy Butler. Creating an archetypal villain is
tough, but Carter finds the right combination of pragmatic and
paranormal to turn Lucy into the stuff of nightmares. Dr. Fabricant,
the killer Frank helped catch, is really just a bundle of malevolent
components, never really given a chance to become a real cruel
character. But Lucy is more than the demented doc could ever be.
Practically an equal with Frank and Peter, her presence will be
'explored' in future episodes and seasons. Along with the unexpected
shock ending and a wonderfully suspenseful sequence in the Black home,
this is one of the best episodes of Millennium ever." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
"Lamentation" represents a
dramatic
turning point in the progression of Millennium, its themes, and
its mythology. While previous episodes had hinted at a building
supernatural force of evil, specifically the Chris Carter penned "Gehenna,"
the first season dealt predominantly with violent crime and human
criminals. With "Lamentation" the series began to more
significantly consider the unscientific approach to examining evil
that Carter had intended the series to address.
"Lamentation" marks the departure of
actor
Bill Smitrovich from the cast of
Millennium and the death of his character, Lieutenant Detective
Bob Bletcher. The dramatic and unexpected death of one of the
show's primary support characters took viewers completely by surprise
when the episode first aired.
This episode introduced viewers to actress
Sarah-Jane Redmond as the devilish Lucy Butler. The antagonist
would prove so popular with both viewers and the show's creative staff
that Lucy would go on to become Frank Black's arch-nemesis in the
series, returning to torment him in an episode during each of the
show's three seasons.
"Lamentation" contains one of the more
subtle and amusing Ten-Thirteen sight gags. While Frank and
Peter are discussing matters on the concrete staircase at Quantico, a
strikingly familiar pair walk by them. Appearing from a distance
as if they were Agents Mulder and Scully, the extras in this scene
were actually David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's stand-ins from
The X-Files.
Death Toll:
1
Title:
The episode is named for
Lamentation, a book of the Old Testament attributed to the prophet
Jeremiah. Like the biblical book, the episode takes its name
from the nature of its contents. "Lamentation" and the grim
events therein would prompt great grief and mourning from Frank Black
and the show's other characters.
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black
Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Bill Smitrovich as Lt. Bob Bletcher
Stephen James Lang as Detective Giebelhouse
Guest Starring:
Alex Diakun as Dr. Ephraim Fabricant
Sarah-Jane Redmond as Lucy Butler
Michael David Simms as Agent Tom Babich
Andrew Airlie as Dr. Willmore
David MacKay as Pathologist
Kurt Max Runte as Federal Marshal
Jane Perry as Agent Pierce
Nino Caratozzolo as Agent Cuevas
Lee Van Paassen as Sondra Fabricant
Production
Credits:
Production #4C17
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer Ted Mann
Consulting Producer James Wong
Consulting Producer Glen Morgan
Co-Producer Ken Dennis
Co-Producer Chip Johannessen
Co-Producer Frank Spotnitz
Co-Executive Producer Jorge Zamacona
Co-Executive Producer Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer Chris Carter
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