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Summary:
Frank Black, Peter Watts, and Lara Means race against time to locate a
busload of kidnapped children who have been buried alive in a quarry
by a prophecy dictating madman who believes that World War III has
begun and he is the one destined to carry out the Book of Revelation's
instructions.
Season Two on DVD
Synopsis:
A man living in a trailer park switches on a radio and several
different television sets and listens to several news broadcasts
simultaneously. The man moves to a spot on his white linoleum floor
and, using a marker, begins making brief notations about the news
stories. Every inch of the floor is covered with his writing, all
pointing to the last empty spot. It is here that the man writes the
word, "me." The man steps outside his trailer and, bible in hand,
experiences an apocalyptic vision: nuclear devastation and a field of
ash.
Frank and Peter Watts join the
search for a busload of missing children. Records indicate the
vehicle's missing driver, Vernon Roberts, is more likely a victim than
a suspect. The pair receive word that the bus has been located beneath
a river. They join Sheriff Cayce-whose daughter, Jessica, is amongst
the missing group-as the vehicle is towed from the water. Though the
bus is empty, Frank receives a "hit" when he touches Jessica's
backpack, seeing same apocalyptic vision experienced by the man at the
trailer park.
Frank observes a white paint
mark on the bus's emergency door. He tells Cayce the perpetrator, and
an accomplice, are using a white van to transport their hostages. A
chase ensues when police spot a speeding white van on the highway but
the occupants turn out to be a group of meteorologists-storm
chasers-hoping to link up with a violent weather system. The
meteorologists warn Frank and the others that the storm front is
capable of spawning a destructive tornado.
The man and his accomplice force
Vernon and the children into an underground trailer buried in a field.
The accomplice performs a head count and realizes there were seventeen
children and one adult abducted, one shy of the number nineteen. The
man forces Vernon to identify the one missing child. Meanwhile, a
clue — in the form of a passage from Revelation 19, Verse 19 — airs on a
local radio station. Frank realizes the perpetrator meant to abduct
nineteen hostages. He and Cayce race to the home of the missing
student. There they encounter the man, who had broken into the house
in an attempt to abduct the child. A struggle ensues, and the man is
taken into custody.
Frank tells Watts that the man
is not a criminal. To the man, his mission is "a fight between good
and evil." Watts tells Frank that the Millennium Group possesses a
database of names of anyone who purchased a Bible by mail in the last
ten years — a list which can be narrowed down to specialty items. Using
the list, the pair locate the man's trailer and the markings on the
linoleum floor. Later, the man, now identified as Matthew Prine,
states that World War III is inevitable and that he is protecting the
future. Frank realizes Prine kidnapped all the children because one of
them is a peacemaker.
With the assistance of Lara Means, Frank
and the others determine that Prine scratches his hand whenever he
experiences guilt. By analyzing a soil sample taken from Prine's
clothing, it is determined that the children are entombed in an
aluminum quarry. A deputy drives Prine to the quarry, and as the
others watch via hidden camera, Prine inadvertently reveals the
location of the tomb by scratching his hand. The accomplice spots the
police vehicle and opens fire. Frank and Cayce race to the scene, and
as the accomplice continues firing, a powerful storm suddenly erupts.
A tornado descends from the sky, enveloping Prine — and lifting a huge
cargo container off the tomb. After the winds subside, the children
poke their heads out of the hole, one by one. Cayce rushes to his
daughter and embraces her. Frank realizes that Jessica may be a future
savior.
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Photographs:
- The missing bus is found, but empty
- Frank searches Prine's mobile home
- Prine awaits the
fulfillment of prophecy
- Prine faces an oncoming tornado
- Frank seeks cover from the tornado
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Abyss Rating:
(2/5)
Media Review:
"Week after week this season I've been
tuning in to Millennium, FOX-TV's unworldly mystery series, and
tuning out the rest of the world. It's bizarre, scary, and half the
time I'm watching it through the space my fingers make when I clamp my
hand over my eyes. Who said watching TV's no fun?" —Glenn Waterman,
The Journal Inquirer
"Here is an example
—
the opposite of 'Monster'
—
where the standard crime story and all the
theological mumbo jumbo just never quite gel. It might be because the
Revelation-basis for the crime is so poorly developed in the first
act. Maybe it’s the acting by our protagonist (who can best be
described as a zealous skate rat) that is so underwhelming. Perhaps
it’s because Frank and Lara do very little except apply basic
psychological training to the case and 'BOOM,' the answer is
discovered. With all its standard operating procedure precepts, the
Deux Ex Machina finale becomes that much more far-fetched. While there
are several facets to this episode that are fascinating, including the
interplay between Frank and Lara, the overall narrative is both
elemental, and too ephemeral to comfortably coincide." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
This episode was written primarily by
James Wong. Glen Morgan, meanwhile, focused his attention on the
script for "The Curse of Frank Black."
Guest star Steve Rankin, appearing here
as Sheriff John Cayce, has guest starred on such television shows as
American Gothic, Space: Above and Beyond, Strange
World, and can be seen in The X-Files feature film.
Death Toll:
1
Title:
The
numerical title references the apocalyptic verse that
Matthew Prine airs on a local radio
station,
Revelation 19:19, "And
I saw the beast, and the kings of the Earth and their armies gathered
together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his
army."
Soundtrack:
"Bless the Children and the Beasts" by the Carpenters
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Guest Starring:
Kristen Cloke as Lara Means
Christian Hoff as Matthew Prine
David Abbot as Vernon Roberts
Kurt Evans as Deputy Jack
Steve Rankin as Sheriff John Cayce
Colleen Rennison as Jessica Cayce
Bill Marchant as the Accomplice
Elizabeth McCarthy as Susan
Production
Credits:
Production #5C06
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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