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Summary:
Frank Black and Lara Means, teamed as partners, are assigned to
investigate the
case of an emotional man who assists terminally ill men and women in
executing well-planned suicides. The two investigators, wondering
whether the evidence speaks more of murder than of compassion, face
ethical considerations while they are pressured with preventing
further death.
Season Two on DVD
Quote:
"Let us go in; the fog is
rising." — Emily Dickinson, her last words, 1886
Synopsis:
Inside a cheap motel room,
Steven Kiley uses a "suicide machine" to end the life of a
terminally-ill middle-aged man, Preston Williams. As Terry Jack's song
"Seasons In The Sun" plays on a boombox, we see that Preston is, in
fact, tied to a bed, his mouth covered with gray duct tape. Steven
takes Preston's hand and forces the man's thumb down on an injection
button, causing a lethal solution to enter his bloodstream.
Both Lara Means and Frank Black
are contacted by the Millennium Group regarding Williams' apparent
suicide, the latest in a series of such deaths. Though a note in the
victim's handwriting suggests the death was self-inflicted, and an
autopsy confirms Williams suffered from a terminal illness, Frank
notices evidence — contusions on the wrist and adhesive particles on
the mouth — indicating Williams was, in fact, murdered.
Meanwhile, Steven, who works as
a volunteer manning the phones at the Seattle Crisis Center, locates
his next victim: an anonymous female caller too afraid to speak freely
about her illness. Steven locates the woman, whose name is Eleanor,
and eventually befriends her. Eleanor is stunned when Steven describes
her condition to the last detail.
Frank and Lara attend the
funeral of another victim. A card attached to a display of flowers
catches their attention. The oddly worded message is signed "Dr.
Steven Kiley." A computer search turns up no physicians by that name,
though Frank and Lara are certain they've heard the name somewhere
before. A police officer staking out the motel where the suicides took
place alerts Giebelhouse about a possible suspect. Frank and Lara rush
to the scene, where they discover an unconscious Eleanor hooked up to
a suicide machine as the song "Goodbye Charlie" plays in the
background. But Steven was tipped off about their arrival, and has
disappeared into the night.
Frank and Lara realize the
suspect has been looting an abandoned hospital for the construction of
his suicide machine. There they discover corpses stored inside slab
drawers. Based on internal visions, Frank realizes the suspect is, or
was, a doctor at the hospital. At some point, the doctor experienced
an epiphany — and began trying to save lives by taking them.
Faking mental illness, Frank and
Lara attempt to flush out their suspect at the crisis center. Through
a process of elimination, the pair zero in on Kiley. They find him at
a hospital, where he is employed as a nurse. Suddenly, Lara realizes
the name "Steven Kiley" was a doctor on the Marcus Welby
television series.
"Kiley," or Ellsworth Beedle, is
taken to a police interrogation room for questioning. Records indicate
Steven graduated from Harvard Medical School. Steven explains he
switched from the role of doctor to nurse because the latter help
people. During the conversation, Steven mentions another plane of
existence that cultures in Tibet, West Africa and Mexico all believe
in. Steven explains that he found the other plane when he assisted a
terminally ill elderly woman end her life. Steven is released from
custody due to lack of evidence.
Steven and several people from the
terminal crisis center gather at the home of Mabel Shiva, the motel
clerk who alerted Steven of the police raid when he was assisting
Eleanor commit suicide. Frank realizes that Steven needs a release
from the anxiety he experienced during the interrogation. He and Lara
ride back to the motel, where they realize Mabel is Steven's assessor.
The pair race to Mabel's home, but they are too late: everyone inside
has taken their own life. Everyone except for Steven, who left behind
a note reading: "It wasn't my choice."
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Photographs:
- Frank observes a note left at the scene
- Frank and Lara search a home
- Kiley prepares
patients for their journey
-
Kiley sings one last karaoke song
- Frank checks a woman for a pulse
- Kiley tears a strip of duct tape
Abyss Rating:
(4/5)
Media Review:
"There is a key line in this episode,
something that signals the direction being taken throughout season
two. Lara and Frank are staking out a funeral when he makes some crack
comment about all the cases the two have worked. Lara argues that they
haven’t been cases but tests, ways for the Millennium Group to measure
their respective gifts. This interesting installment in the show plays
directly into that dichotomy. No matter how you feel about assisted
suicide, the police treat it as a crime, a case that needs to be
solved. But the solution comes early on
— and is rather obvious from the
fact pattern. The more interesting aspect comes when Frank and Lara
question the suspect and begin to learn just what the Millennium Group
is all about. Their suspect seems to be super-human, without a
murderous motivation or immoral fiber in his being. There are even
hints he’s been sent to do this work by some higher power. It
is up to Frank and Lara to determined his Heavenly or damning purpose.
This gives this episode a real resonance that a straightforward hot
button issue exercise would have missed." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
"Even the late,
lamented Bobby Darin fits into Morgan and Wong’s storytelling model,
his music acting as background commentary for the first third of the
season before a sublime sendoff-via-monologue in the tenth episode,
'Goodbye Charlie.'" —Keith
Uhlich, Slant Magazine
Trivia:
Guest star Tucker Smallwood, who
portrays the impassioned Stephen Kiley, is another of those performers
who is considered one of the alumnus connected with writer/producers
Glen Morgan and James Wong. In addition to starring in Space: Above and Beyond, Smallwood has been seen
on
The X-Files, The Others, and in the feature film The One.
Death Toll:
7
Title:
This episode is named for
the Bobby Darin song that Steven Kiley sings for
Eleanor Norris
while preparing her death. The song, which bids farewell to an
ill-fated mobster, was written by
Andre Previn with lyrics Dory
Langdon and was featured in a 1964 comedy of the same name. The Bobby Darin
rendition of the tune was
heard twice on Millennium, in both "Monster" and "Goodbye
Charlie."
Soundtrack:
"Season in the Sun" by Terry
Jacks
"Goodbye Charlie" by Bobby Darin
"The Right Side of Wrong" by Marty Jensen
and Jessie Fanion
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Guest Starring:
Kristen Cloke as Lara Means
Tucker Smallwood as Stephen Kiley
Stefan Arngrim as Delbert
Deanne Henry as Eleanor Norris
David Hurtubise as Russ
David Mackay as Jeff Lubo
Klodyne Rodney as Nurse
Bethoe Shirkoff as Mabel Shiva
Gina Stockdale as Tammy
Dan Weber as Preston
Production
Credits:
Production #5C10
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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