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Summary:
Why would Peter Watts risk his life, credibility, friends, family, and
career in searching for a religious artifact worth little past its
mythical value? More importantly, who are the Millennium Group
dissidents willing to kill to stop him? Frank Black finds himself
troubled by these questions as he and Peter travel to the peat bogs of
Germany to find the answers.
Season Two on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Synopsis:
In the year A.D. 998, a Fugitive who possesses a mummified hand — the
Hand of Saint Sebastian — is betrayed by his ally, the Provider. Two
archers step from the shadows and release their bows, striking the
Fugitive as he attempt to flee. As the Provider searches the
Fugitive's clothing, looking for the holy relic, he exposes the man's
skin, on which is displayed a tattoo of an ouroboros —the symbol of
the Millennium Group.
In the present day, Peter Watts asks Frank to help
him with a case unauthorized by the Millennium Group—but fails to
provide any details. Frank agrees. The pair travel to a laboratory
in Germany, where a Dr. Schlossburg had been murdered three days
before. In the center of the lab sits an autopsy table containing
the remains of a mummified man. Their efforts are interrupted by two
German police detectives, Heim and Betzdorf, who had been staking
out the lab. Frank and Watts are transported to a police station for
further questioning. A Captain apologizes for the misunderstanding
and pledges the department's fullest cooperation. The pair ask
permission to examine Schlossburg's remains, but are informed that
the coroner inadvertently cremated the body. Detective Heim drops
Frank and Watts off at their rental car. As they enter the
automobile, Frank notices an electrical wire on the carpet. The pair
jump from the car moments before it erupts in a huge fireball.
Frank concludes that someone connected to
Schlossburg's murder planted the bomb, and he demands that Watts
brief him about the details of the case. Watts explains that the
mummified body dates back to the beginning of Christianity — when the
Millennium Group first came into being. Their conversation ends when
they realize they are being followed by two men. Frank and Watts
return to their hotel, where they encounter fellow Group member
Cheryl Andrews, who offers her assistance. It is politely declined
by Watts.
With some help from Roedecker, Watts guesses
Schlossburg's computer password (the doctor being an adult film
fan). Meanwhile, it turns out that Schlossburg is still alive. When
he regains consciousness in a hospital, he tells Heim his attacker
was Peter Watts.
Andrews tells Frank she was sent to "reel in" Watts,
who is acting without the Group's authorization. She gives Frank a
phone number where she can be contacted. Later, Frank encounters
Watts inside Schlossburg's lab. Watts describes how, a thousand
years earlier, the Order of the Knights Chroniclers, who warned of
the upcoming millennium, possessed the hand of Saint Sebastian. This
holy relic extended to its possessor the "knowledge to overcome the
evils of the millennium." Watts then tells Frank that Schlossburg
had discovered the site of the Knights Chroniclers' burial ground.
Frank and Watts discover that Schlossburg is, in
fact, very much alive. Watts gains access to Schlossburg's hospital
room. Schlossburg tells him that he was attacked by a man who
identified himself as Peter Watts. He then tells Watts that the
burial ground is located at a peat bog. Frank and Watts leave the
hospital. Shortly thereafter, Schlossburg is murdered. The pair
locate a preserved corpse — and the mummified hand — beneath the peat
bog. Moments later, Heim and his men arrest Watts for Schlossburg's
murder.
Frank instructs Roedecker to find out
who used Schlossburg's account to log onto an adult chat line two
days before. He then rendezvous with Andrews at a storage building
where the mummified corpse is stored. There the pair are pursued by
two assassins. During the chase, Frank reveals the unit number where
the body is hidden. Suddenly, Andrews turns on Frank, and instructs
the assassins to seize him. Frank realizes Andrews set up Watts to
destroy the Group's credibility. A group of German policemen
suddenly spring from their hiding places, taking Andrews and the
assassins into custody. Frank tells Andrews she made a crucial error
by using her phone number to log onto the adult chat line. Later,
Frank and Watts study the mummy. Frank believes that the answers
they seek actually lie within themselves.
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Photographs:
- Frank and Peter escape a car bomb
- Peter and Frank investigate Schlossburg
- Frank notes a curious piece of wiring
- Frank attempts to disarm the situation
- The duo discover the hand of St. Sebastian
Abyss Rating:
(5/5)
Media Review:
"Throughout the course of season two,
Millennium would get very good at these kinds of episodes —
stories where mystical runes foretell of forbidden secrets and
everyone speaks in morbid, cryptic sentences. Managing to work in a
nice double agent plot to the story of the Millennium Group’s founding
and purpose, about the only aspect of this excellent show that doesn’t
work is the overtly odd link to online porn. In the early 90's, when
this series was created, such an idea seemed cutting edge. Today, it
rings rather false, and kind of foolish. With C.C.H. Pounder back as
Cheryl Andrews and Phillip Baker Hall as an enigmatic Group Elder,
there is a quality to the acting in this episode which far surpasses
the thespianism found elsewhere. In many ways, this feels like a
feature film warm-up, a stellar cast knocking about big ideas in
far-off locales. This is one of the better mythology installments in
the entire run of the series." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
This episode was reportedly
scripted primarily by James Wong in an effort to continue exploring
the ancient background of the Millennium Group. Wong explained,
"I felt that by revealing that the
Millennium Group had existed for centuries and setting the episode
overseas, that would give the story greater scope and weight. I
also thought it would be interesting to get Peter excited about
something that wasn't sanctioned by the Group and to show that he'd be
willing to do something like that. Terry is such a great actor, and
we thought he deserved something to do instead of saying 'That's
right, Frank. You're right again, Frank!'"
Wong's research into the subject of secret
societies presented him with a realistic and logical means of
depicting a Millennium Group struggle. "I thought, 'What's a great way
to divide the Group?' I thought about doing a spy kind of show. I was
doing research on the Knights Templar and the Masons, and it seems
like all those groups had other groups who were against them and
betrayed them. There was so much intrigue. I realized that this is how
groups act, and I thought, why shouldn't the Millennium Group have the
same thing?"
This episode marks the return of CCH
Pounder as Cheryl Andrews, the Millennium Group pathologist who
appeared throughout the first season. The character would be
featured one additional time on the series, in flashback sequences
during the third season episode "Skull and Bones," which serves as both
prequel and follow-up to the events seen here.
Dr. John Schlossburg, the episode's German
researcher, was named for Kevin John Schlossburg, one of the more
prominent and active online fans of Glen Morgan and James Wong's
sci-fi drama Space: Above and Beyond.
Detective Heim's
references to television police commissioner Tony Scali, of the
offbeat police drama The Commish, surely aren't coincidental. Morgan and Wong served as staff writers on that series.
Director Thomas J. Wright recorded an
audio commentary regarding "The Hand of St. Sebastian" for Fox Home
Entertainment's DVD release of Millennium: The Complete Second
Season.
Death Toll:
2
Title:
The episode's title reflects the object of Frank and Peter's search, the mummified hand of
St. Sebastian believed to endow its possessor with the
knowledge to overcome the evils of the
millennium.
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Guest Starring:
CCH Pounder as Cheryl Andrews
Allan Zinyk as Brian Roedecker
Gottfried John as Josef Heim
Philip Baker Hall as the Group Elder
Graham Andrews as Dr. Schlossburg
Stephen Dimopoulos as Det. Betzdorf
Stefano Giulianetti as the Fugitive
Noah Heney as the Provider
Damon Johnson as Hospital Security
Christine Lippa as the Police Captain
Production
Credits:
Production #5C08
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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