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Summary:
The discovery of a legendary religious artifact — a portion
of the very cross of Christ's crucifixion — and its subsequent theft
force the Millennium Group's two warring factions, the Owls and
the Roosters, into battle. Frank Black and Lara Means, both
potentially valuable to either side, find themselves
caught in the middle of a secret conflict that could very well decide the
fate of the human race.
Season Two on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Synopsis:
In Damascus, Syria, a group
of men using sophisticated radar locate and unearth a piece
of petrified wood — the remains of the cross of the
crucifixion — near a mosque. Their secret mission is
interrupted when two assassins step from the shadows and
open fire. One of the team members, a man named LeFur,
clutches the wood to his chest, as if invincible. Suddenly,
the assassins' guns inexplicably jam. LeFur opens fire,
killing his attackers. Later, LeFur's pager explodes as he
attempts to transport the wood through airport customs. A
chaos erupts, a man named Helmut Gunsche uses an electronic
device to disable the airport surveillance system, allowing
him to make off with the wood undetected. Gunsche then
phones an associate in Paraguay, a man named Axmann, and
informs him his mission was a success. On Axmann's sleeve is
a cuff link, on which is engraved an ancient Germanic rune.
Meanwhile, back in the United
States, Catherine meets with Clear Knight, the Vice President of
Personnel Relations at Aerotech International. Clear offers Catherine
a position as psychological counselor, explaining that many of the
company's employees are new to Seattle and experience problems
adjusting to the area. Catherine accepts the job.
Watts meets fellow Millennium
Group members at an isolated warehouse. The men discuss the theft of
the cross, and how it threatens to split the Group into two parts.
One is known as the Owls, who believe that if a theological event
does not occur in 672 days, a secular Millennium will
result — leaving them in control. The other is known as the Roosters,
which includes Watts and, theoretically, everyone at the meeting.
The Owls stole the cross to weaken the Rooster's faith — and make
themselves invincible.
Lara experiences another
vision of an angel. While researching the psychological effects of
hallucinations, she is approached by Mr. Johnston (who attended the
meeting with Watts and the other Roosters). Identifying himself as
an Owl, Johnston believes that a secular prophecy that will change
the Earth. He urges Lara to work with the Owls.
When Frank arrives home with
Jordan, he finds Watts inside. Watts justifies the intrusion by
explaining that Frank's modem line has been tapped. The two become
embroiled in a heated argument. At the conclusion of the discussion,
Frank tells Watts he wants nothing more to do with the Group.
Later, Watts tells Lara about
Robert LeFur and his effort to transport the cross into the United
States. According to legend, the cross makes its possessor
invincible, and was even sought after by the Nazis during World War
II. Lara tells Watts that she believes the Owls are not responsible
for its disappearance, as the theft would only lead to a civil war
within the Millennium Group.
As Catherine exits Aerotech
one evening, she discovers that her automobile will not start. She
telephones Frank for assistance, but he cannot determine the source
of the problem. Clear Knight, who also wears the Germanic rune cuff
link, approaches the car and, in an overly friendly manner, invites
Frank, Catherine and Jordan to her home for dinner.
As Mr. Johnston drives along a
deserted section of roadway, he is passed by another car driven by
Helmut Gunsche. A few moments later, Johnston's automobile dies (the
result of the electronic device used by Gunsche earlier). Johnston
steers the automobile onto the side of the road. Shortly thereafter,
he is knocked to the ground by Gunsche, who also wears the Germanic
rune cuff links. Gunsche forces a tube into Johnston's mouth — and
the other end is placed inside the car's gas tank. After Johnston
loses consciousness, Gunsche places a board of wood — exactly the
dimensions of the crucifixion cross — inside Johnston's trunk, as if
hiding it. He then sets the car, and Johnston ablaze.
Watts, Lara and Group
pathologists examine Johnston's burned remains. The examination is
interrupted by Owl group members, who insist they be allowed to
observe. Preliminary reports reveal that the wood planted inside
Johnston's trunk cannot be accurately dated due to the fire. While
examining Johnston's partially charred notebook, Watts discovers an
entry about Johnston contacting Lara Means. Watts immediately bans a
stunned Lara from the Group.
Using his computer, Frank
identifies a watercolor hanging in Clear Knight's office as one
having once belonged to Adolph Hitler. His work is interrupted when
he notices two men surveilling his house from a car. As Frank
approaches the men, gun in hand, the driver identifies himself as a
Group member by giving the password. Unbeknownst to Frank, the
passenger readies his handgun.
TO BE CONTINUED
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Photographs:
- Peter logs into a Group computer
- Peter shares information with Lara Means
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Peter and Lara attend an autopsy
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Peter examines an anomalous x-ray
- Gunsche looks upon Axmann's collection
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The computer logo of the Owls faction
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Abyss Rating:
(4/5)
Media Review:
"In
spite of Carter’s absence from season two’s writing roster, his
viewpoint and vision are always apparent, and it clashes with Morgan
and Wong’s reinvention of the Millennium Group from a criminal
consulting firm to an ancient, protective sect who guide the world
through the turbulent times leading up to the year 2000. Morgan and
Wong’s mystical mumbo-jumbo (engrossing and engaging in the moment) is
at odds with Carter’s present-tense form of storytelling — his
narrative metier is a more sober and earthbound exploration of the
working classes and the repetitious, but essential, grunt labor that
defines their existence. Put simply, Carter’s characters are in love
with their jobs, often at the expense of any and all traditional
societal attachments."
—Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine
"This
is a dense, deceptive set of shows, pitting character against
character, philosophies against dogma and the secular vs. the
scientific to create a kind of civil war amongst the members of the
Group. Naturally, this conflict is not fought on battlefields or in
some nameless no man’s land. No, it is waged in private, in secret
enclaves and private moments. This lends both shows a tremendous
amount of intrigue and complexity. It is very easy to get lost in this
divergence between the Owls (who know it’s still ‘night’) and the
Roosters (who crow, sometimes too soon, about the impending ‘dawn’).
If you merely remember that the Group is trying to stave off the end
of the world, and that each side believes they have the tools to do
that very thing, then this 90 minute mindfuck plays out very well." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
Glen Morgan explains that the plot for
this dramatic two-part episode grew naturally out of James Wong's work
on "The Hand of St. Sebastian," one of his favorites from the second
season. Morgan has commented,
"It's nice to be so influenced by
something your partner did. I wanted to break the split we saw in that
episode into a secular one. How can you make people believe that the
end of the world is in sight? I tried to look to a scientific
possibility. In the two-parter at the end of the season, I tried to
tie those together with a plague. I started reading about germ warfare
and thought, 'Here are scientific events occurring in our world, and
they're predicted theologically.'"
The mysterious and sinister company that has
employed Catherine Black in this episode,
Aerotech, shares its name with a
mysterious and sinister corporation from Glen Morgan and James Wong's
science fiction drama series Space: Above & Beyond.
Clear Knight, the devious Aerotech
executive who seems particularly preoccupied with the Black family, is
portrayed by Kimberly Patton. Patton is just
one of various pseudonyms utilized by actress Kim McKamy. The actress,
under the pseudonym Ashlyn Gere, has had an
illustrious career as an adult video star and was
the winner of the adult film industry's FOXE 1991 Fan Favorite, 1992
Vixen of the Year, and 1993 Best Female Performer awards. In
mainstream media, she has worked extensively with Morgan and Wong and
appeared in nearly every one of their television and film productions.
This episode earned the crew of
Millennium's sound department a technical Emmy Award nomination
for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series.
In this episode Peter Watts asks, "Can you
imagine the effect conclusive evidence of doomsday would have on a
world in which millions actually believe they've been abducted and
experimented on by aliens with the knowledge and cooperation of
government officials? A country that obsessed for decades on Elvis
sightings? Roswell?" These comments were clearly written by Morgan and
Wong as playful jibes at the mythology and themes of Chris Carter's
The X-Files.
Death Toll:
9
Title:
Each of the episodes in
this two-part story is named for one of the two opposing personality
types associated with apocalyptic fears.
The owl is often used as a symbol to
represent those who do not believe in an impending apocalypse, the
type of cautious or wary individual who fears the fervor and unrest
potentially created by doomsayers. Within the Millennium Group, Owls
are those who believe in a distant, secular end to the world rather
than an impending religious Armageddon. As the Millennium Group Owl in
this episode explains, "The owl knows it is still late at night, the
foxes are about, the master sleeps. This is who we are."
Soundtrack:
"Horse With No Name" by America
Awards:
Emmy Award - Mark K.
Crookston, Maciek Malish, Gabrielle Reeves, Ken Gladden, Debby
Ruby-Winsberg, Donna Beltz, Michael Kimball, Susan Welsh, Jarmil
Maupin, Jeff Charbonneau, Michael Salvetta, and Gary Murello,
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (Nominee)
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black
Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Guest Starring:
Kristen Cloke as Lara Means
Kim Patton as Clear Knight
R.G. Armstrong as the Old Man
Malcolm Stewart as Mr. Johnston
Bob Dawson as Helmet Gunsche
Michael Tiernan as the Group Driver
Brian Downey as Mr. Dean
Judith Maxie as Finley
John Juliani as Mr. Plunkett
Mark Holden as Francois Amadou
Bruno Verdoni as Robert LeFur
Gardiner Millar as Mr. Otto
Nino Caratozzolo as the Sentry
Production
Credits:
Production #5C14
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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