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Summary:
A series of child abuse cases stemming from a
small day care center is tearing apart the town of Probity, Arkansas. Two of the Millennium Group's most
promising visionaries are sent to uncover the truth yet aren't told a thing
about their counterpart or their case. Frank and his new partner soon
find that they share a great deal in common, and that demons can
come in the most unexpected of forms. Unfortunately, the Group's test
takes a dangerous turn when the townspeople go on a witch hunt for the
child abuser that arrests Frank Black as their monster.
Season Two on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Quote:
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." —Henry IV, part
2, act 4, scene 2
Synopsis:
Peter Watts arranges for Frank to meet with District
Attorney Gordon Roberts, who is investigating Miss Penny
Plott--the longtime owner of a daycare center in Probity,
Arkansas--on charges of child abuse. Before Frank embarks on
his journey, he goes shopping with Jordan at a department
store. As children often do, Jordan grows fidgety and
demands attention. Frank loses his cool and chastises his
daughter for her behavior.
Police deputy Bill
Sherman, who sends his son Bill Jr. to Plott's daycare
center, discovers a bite mark on his son's back. When Bill
Jr. speaks of retribution (should he reveal the source of
the injury), it only adds credence to rumors surrounding
Plott.
Pretending to be a parent,
Frank pays a visit to the daycare center. His investigation is cut
short when he is interrupted by Lara Means, who was hired to
represent Plott's interests. The pair put aside their differences
when one of the children, Jason Wells, stops breathing. Despite
Frank and Lara's best efforts, the boy succumbs. Meanwhile,
Catherine takes Jordan to see a dentist after her daughter spits out
blood while brushing her teeth. The dentist suggests Jordan may have
received a cut lip from being aggressively disciplined. Catherine
dismisses the notion that Frank may be responsible, but later,
Jordan reveals that Frank lost his temper at the department store.
A coroner attributes Jason's
death to an acute asthma attack. Despite a lack of evidence,
District Attorney Roberts remains convinced that Plott must somehow
be at fault. The investigation seemingly hits a dead end until
Frank, Lara and Roberts interview Danielle Barbakow, one of the
children under Plott's supervision. Danielle describes overhearing
an incident in which Plott physically abused Jason. Shortly
thereafter, Plott is placed under arrest. Inside an interrogation
room, an outraged Plott reminds Bill Sherman that he was under her
supervision as a child--and that in thirty-six years of running the
center she has never been accused of any wrongdoing. When Plott wins
release on bail, a guilt-ridden Bill Sherman announces that, even
though his own son has a mark on his body, he refuses to believe
Plott is capable of child abuse.
Frank and Lara both conclude that
Danielle is responsible for Jason's death. They also realize they
were both sent by the Millennium Group to investigate the case...
possibly as some sort of test. The pair travel to the Barbakow
residence, where they meet Danielle's mother, Virginia. As Lara and
Virginia talk, Frank interviews Danielle inside her bedroom.
Suddenly, Danielle begins screaming--and accuses Frank of touching
her. Virginia comforts her daughter, who suffers from a split lip. A
short time later, Frank is arrested for assaulting a minor.
Roberts also reveals that Frank is
under investigation for possibly assaulting his own daughter. Frank
demands that Roberts examine an alternate light imaging photograph
of Danielle's injuries, confident it will prove his innocence. Lara
returns to the Barbakow residence and compares the special
photograph with the wings of an angel on Danielle's dresser. Lara
realizes the patterns are identical, and later, Virginia Barbakow
admits she heard her daughter inflict the injuries upon herself.
Catherine and Jordan meet Frank at the police station upon his
release. Catherine apologizes for the investigation into Jordan's
injuries.
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Photographs:
- Frank is arrested on child abuse charges
- Lara considers her most recent vision
-
The innocent face of Danielle Barbakow
- Millennium Group investigator Lara Means
- Frank and Lara, reluctant partners
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Abyss Rating:
(5/5)
Media Review:
"Frank and a new recurring partner, Lara
Means, meet for the first time, somewhat adversarially, as they
investigate the assault, and later death, of children in a local day
care center. As the town vilifies the operator both the viewer and
Frank and Lara come to the same more insidious conclusion. We then
squirm over the confluence of events that pull Frank into the role of
accused. Truly engaging."
—Michael Patrick Sullivan, Underground
Online
"'Monster' uses a typical hot button issue
—
the 80's/90's obsession with abuse and secret Satanism in America’s
day care centers
— to
signal Millennium’s new path, and to introduce one of its most
amazing character creations. Lara Means is set up as the female
familiar of Frank, a soul both similar and, at times, far more
sensitive than our dark man... Portrayed in replete perfection by
Kristen Cloke, Lara is an amazing addition to the series, an emotional
center that, somehow, Henriksen and all his sensational brooding seems
to suppress. The second aspect that is important about 'Monster' is
that we now see Millennium moving into a more plot-driven
dynamic. Thanks to Morgan and Wong, a complex, completely innovative
mythology is being formulated... As they unspool their deranged dogma
out over the next few episodes, as the Millennium Group grows more and
more impenetrable and dense, we come to realize that Frank is involved
in more than just a quest of crime solving. There is a great deal at
play here, as there was in the daycare under investigation." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
"Monster" introduced viewers to the
recurring character of Millennium Group investigator Lara Means. Actress Kristen Cloke, perhaps best known for her role on Space:
Above and Beyond, would go on to marry writer/producer Glen Morgan
in 1998. Her Millennium character was named for a
personal friend of Cloke's and for football player
Natrone Means, formerly of
the San Diego Chargers. Lara Means would serve a vital role in
the second season's developing mythology, appearing in a total of ten
episodes.
Glen Morgan and James Wong
were rightfully concerned that the new character, like many of their
second season changes, might be regarded as a reaction to the success
of The X-Files. "My biggest worry was that people would think
we were trying to make them like Mulder and Scully," Morgan explained.
Lara's purpose on the series, and the arc concerning her character,
were decided from the start, however. "We wanted somebody with an
incredible gift to counter Frank. Right from the beginning, the idea
was to have Lara see these visions and know what the Millennium Group
was saying was true. Knowing that would drive her crazy because if the
world is ending, what's the point of going on? Coupled with that, we
had the Millennium Group saying, 'We not only have the responsibility
of knowing; we have the responsibility of doing something about
it.' The knowledge overloads her, and she goes insane. By seeing that,
Frank Black will have a person to compare and contrast himself
to: 'This is my potential fate.' And that took him back to the yellow
house. Lara is a possibility of what Frank could be. If you're going
through the forest, you could be eaten by a troll, or you could get
out. Lara did not get out of her dark forest. When the Millennium
Group says to Frank, 'Do you want to become an initiated
member? You're ready to move up a rank,' he can look at Lara and say,
'I don't know.' And yet, he believes in what she sees and that what
the Group is after is right. It's such an extraordinary
responsibility."
Guest star Chris Owens, seen here as
Deputy Bill Sherman,
held a prominent recurring role on
Chris Carter's The X-Files. Fans of Ten-Thirteen
Productions likely know him better as FBI Special Agent Jeffrey
Spender, the son of the villainous Cigarette Smoking Man.
Like
Cloke and Owens, guest stars
Gillian Barber, Robert
Wisden, and Lauren Diewold have all appeared as guest stars on The
X-Files.
Death Toll:
1
Title:
The people of
Probity, Arkansas pursue their witch hunt under the assumption that
only some kind of monster could have perpetrated these abusive attacks
on children, not quite realizing that monstrousness can hide even
behind the face of a child.
Soundtrack:
"Goodbye Charlie" by Bobby Darin
Awards:
Young Artist Award - Lauren
Diewold, Best Performance in a Television Drama Series: Guest Starring
Young Actress (Winner)
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Stephen James Lang as Det. Geibelhouse
Guest Starring:
Kristen Cloke as Lara Means
Mary Gillis as Miss Penny
Robert Wisden as D. A. Gordon Roberts
Lauren Diewold as Danielle Barbakow
Chris Owens as Deputy Bill Sherman
Gillian Barber as Mrs. Barbakow
Fred Keating as Mr. Barbakow
Ken Roberts as Police Chief Jenkins
Judy Norton as the Coroner
J. Douglas Stewart as the Dentist
Kevin Blatch as the Shoe Salesman
Thomas Miller as Billy Sherman Jr.
Production
Credits:
Production #5C04
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer Chip Johannessen
Consulting Producers Darin Morgan
Co-Producer Robert Moresco
Co-Producer Paul Rabwin
Producer Thomas J. Wright
Co-Executive Producer Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer Glen Morgan
Executive Producer James Wong
Executive Producer Chris Carter
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