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Summary:
Despite the fact that Frank feels
he is unable to continue with his work on an emotional level, Peter
Watts insists that he
investigate a series of strange satanic slayings that may hold an
unexpected link to the mysterious death of Bob Bletcher. While working
on the case, the Millennium Group becomes caught in a battle between
the human representations of demons and angels here on earth.
Season One on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Quote:
"Paranoia is just a kind of awareness, and awareness is just
a form of love." —Charles Manson
Synopsis:
Attorney
Al Pepper walks through a supermarket parking lot carrying a bag of groceries.
A teenager, Sam, addresses Pepper and extends an open palm. Frank exits
the supermarket and sees the two men. Suddenly, a bolt of light emanates
from Sam's palm, knocking Pepper to the ground. Frank runs towards the
scene, passing through panicking shoppers. When he arrives at Pepper's
side, he discovers a handgun lying at Sam's feet.
As
the story unfolds in flashback, Peter Watts investigates the death of Eddy
Pressman, whose body was discovered inside a suburban bungalow. The corpse
is surrounded by occult symbolism, but the markings are incoherent and
disorganized. Watts telephones Frank for advice. Frank, still shaken by
the death of Bob Bletcher, is reluctant to continue his work. When the
conversation ends, Watts notices Sam peering into the bungalow's second
story window. When Watts approaches the window, the teenager is nowhere
in sight.
Catherine
convinces Frank that he must return to the Millennium Group. Later, Watts
shows Frank a photograph taken outside the entrance to the building where
the murder occurred. Standing amongst the crowd is Sam, the only face looking
directly into the camera. Meanwhile, police take a man named Martin into
custody after he slashes the throat of a nanny. Frank senses that, somehow,
the suspect is connected to Bletcher's death.
Despite
the overwhelming evidence facing Martin, Frank begins to suspect that police
may have arrested the wrong man. One night, Frank experiences a nightmare
in which Bletcher, his throat slit, attempts to speak to him. When Frank
awakens, he tells Catherine he may have lost faith in his ability to see
into the minds of serial killers.
Mike
Atkins, Frank's mentor, is called into the case by someone impersonating
Frank's voice on the telephone.
All
of the evidence against Martin begins to unravel: witnesses are unable
to pick him out of a police lineup, a murder weapon disappears, and a lab
is unable to detect blood stains on his jacket. Frank is approached by
Martin's attorney, Al Pepper (the man seen in the opening teaser). Pepper
proposes a business partnership — an offer Frank quickly rejects. Later,
as he stands before Judge Myers, Martin claims it was he who killed Bob Bletcher.
Frank
concludes that Eddy Pressman was ritualistically slaughtered to attract
the involvement of the Millennium Group.
Martin's
case is transferred to Seattle. Alone in a jail cell, Martin runs a razor
blade across an artery. A medical examiner determines that the wound is
superficial and that Martin died of an aneurysm. Frank, however, suspects
Pepper's involvement.
Someone
summons Frank and Watts to Atkins' hotel room. Inside, the men discover
Atkins' body, a sacrificial knife protruding from his chest. The perpetrator
runs down a fire escape and makes his way to a nearby supermarket. Frank
gives chase, following the unidentified man into the store. Frank spots
Pepper pushing a cart at the other end of a grocery aisle. As Pepper pushes
the cart, Frank parallels his movement. When Pepper's cart again comes
into view, it is being pushed by Martin. As the cart appears again, it
is being pushed by Lucy Butler (see previous episode).
Pepper
makes his way into the market's parking lot, where he is approached and
killed by Sam (as seen in the teaser). Afterward, Sam tells Frank that
Pepper "suffered the consequence of his own error," and that any benefit
to the Black family was purely incidental. Frank concludes that Sam is
part of a larger mystery.
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Photographs:
- Catherine supports her troubled husband
- Frank and Catherine talk in their kitchen
- Frank Black stands stoically in a morgue
- A grisly crime scene with satanic trappings
- Devilish attorney Alistair Pepper
- Al Pepper defends Martin at trial
- The mysterious and morose
Sammael
- Pepper and Sammael battle
Abyss Rating:
(5/5)
Media Review:
"While
this could be considered a continuation of the previous episode, this
is definitely one of the purest supernatural episodes of the series.
Basically, we are placed in the position of witnessing the opening
salvos in a battle between angels and demons. The title refers to the
hierarchy of angelic choirs, and the Satanic/ancient ritual elements
help to keep the episodes grounded in the suggestive and the
religious. Spooky and somewhat surreal, the entire installment
crackles with possibilities. It will form the basis for much of season
two." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
Rodney Eastman appears here as an angel known
as Sammael. An angel bearing a similar name would become
entangled with Frank Black in the third season episode "Borrowed
Time." Whether or not the two actors were portraying forms of
the same angel is still a matter of speculation.
The only proper names for angels provided
by Scripture are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Other angelic
names can be gleaned from various apocryphal sources, however. With a name literally translating to "poison angel," Sammael is known
primarily as the angel of death, characterized in some instances as a
figure representing
"the severity of God."
Death Toll:
5
Title:
The episode takes its title
from Sammael's powerful invocation, which reference four of the nine
orders of angels identified by Scripture: Seraphims, Cherubims,
Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels, and
Angels.
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:
Richard Cox as Alistair Pepper
Robin Gammell as Mike Atkins
Rodney Eastman as Sammael
Sarah-Jane Redmond as Lucy Butler
Alf Humphreys as Damon Rummer
Guy Fauchon as Martin
Dean P. Gibson as Phil Brice
Robert Moloney as Uniformed Cop Adams
Judith Maxie as Judge Myers
Allan Franz as Medical Examiner Anderson
Bonnie Hay as A.D.A. Mills
Marya Delver as Nanny Annie
Terry King as Mike
Gerry Nairn as Lyon
Production
Credits:
Production #4C18
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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