|
Summary:
It is discovered that Millennium Group dissidents are not those
responsible for taking the cross of Christ's crucifixion. In
actuality a sinister third party — a group of Nazis known as Odessa — are to blame for killing Group members, taking the cross, and
trying to pull the Black family into their midst. Only the Group's
leading Old Man and the two recently expelled candidates, Frank and
Lara, can pull things together
before the Millennium Group is no more.
Season Two on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Synopsis:
As Frank, gun in hand,
approaches the car, he orders the occupants to place their
hands on top of their heads. The driver attempts to reason
with Frank, insisting he is with the Group. Suddenly, the
passenger turns and aims his gun at Frank. Both men fire.
Frank dives behind the vehicle, taking cover. Neighbors
react to the commotion, and shortly thereafter, police
sirens sound in the distance. Frank fires several rounds
into the car, striking the passenger. As the driver engages
the engine and pulls away, Frank shoots out a back tire.
Later, police find the car abandoned.
Meanwhile, while examining
evidence pertaining to the Johnston murder, Lara Means discovers that
Watts hid an infrared photograph. The cover-up also comes to the
attention of the Elder, who demands an explanation. Watts tells the
Elder that Johnston was involved in a plot to pit the Owls and the
Roosters against each other. Watts spotted a possible lead within the
infrared image, and certain it would determine the outcome of the
discord within the Group, hid it from view until he could consult with
the Old Man about its meaning. Later, members from both factions meet
to discuss the crisis. The Elder decides not to reveal the results of
carbon tests that conclusively date the piece of wood — possibly the
crucifixion cross — found in Johnston's burned automobile until after
Group members have settled their differences.
Catherine is approached by Jim
Ford, an Aerotech worker. He reveals that Clear Knight and the
company are part of something called Odessa. Meanwhile, Frank pays
Knight a visit. While examining the watercolor hanging on her wall,
Frank experiences internal visions of Nazi Germany.
That night, Frank receives a
visit from Lara Means and the Old Man. Lara explains that,
throughout history, the Group has had access to scientific
breakthroughs withheld from the public. As a result, Johnston
developed a theory about a tear in the fabric of the universe, one
that would reach Earth in sixty years. Lara admits she believes the
theory, but would not join the Owls because of her persistent
apocalyptic visions (which cannot be explained through science). The
Old Man then joins the discussion, explaining that a third party has
been manipulating the Group in hopes of triggering its demise.
Later, the Old Man tells Lara that in the waning days of World War
II, Nazis began a secret project known as Odessa, in which
high-ranking SS officers fled to countries south of the equator. One
of these men, Rudolph Axmann, helped defeat their greatest enemy,
communism, in the 1980s. Now Odessa has turned its attention towards
the Millennium Group.
Meanwhile, Catherine discovers
that Jim Ford is dead. Fearing for her safety, she runs from the
Aerotech offices and makes her way to the parking lot, where she
encounters Frank. He explains that Odessa had been monitoring his
reluctance to join the Millennium Group, and hired Catherine,
through Aerotech, in an effort to access him.
Gunsche brutally murders the
Old Man in the basement of Frank's yellow house. Devastated by the
loss, Watts tells Frank and Lara he is ashamed at how he has treated
them. He determines that the Group must now destroy Odessa. Later,
as the Elder presides over the Old Man's burial, the operation to
obliterate Odessa is put in motion: Gunsche is killed in a car bomb
explosion; Axmann's house is destroyed in Paraguay; and the Aerotech
company is raided and shut down for good.
The Elder assumes the title of the
new Old Man. Later, he travels to the Old Man's shack, where he
unwraps a package shipped from Amann, Jordan. Inside is the
remaining cross of the crucifixion.
|
Photographs:
- Peter Watts sits alone at an empty table
- Peter has a private meeting with the Elder
-
Lara Means presents the Old Man
- Frank and Catherine
have a discussion
-
The Elder, executive of the Group
-
The Group holds an emergency meeting
-
The Old Man confides in Frank and Lara
Print Advertisement
Abyss Rating:
(5/5)
Media Review:
"'Roosters'
does a devastating job of reconciling and reclaiming the territory
trod upon by unseen forces, rebuilding our faith in the narrative
strength of Morgan and Wong’s vision. The result is a deeply moving,
incredibly satisfying foray into the upper realms of secret society,
where even the most earth-ending events have a basis in the
prototypical power play." —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.'"
R.G. Armstrong appears in this episode
as the Millennium Group's leading Old Man for the final time. His
character, while appearing in only three episodes of the series,
remains one of the more memorable members of the show's superb supporting
cast.
Richard Wagner's "Prelude to Parsifal,"
the operatic piece that plays over multiple pivotal scenes throughout
the episode, provides particularly appropriate accompaniment for the drama
seen here. As the Old Man explains, Parsifal tells the story of a
young man who quests for the Holy Grail. Wagner based the opera on
Wolfram von Eschenbach's medieval epic Parzival, a 13th century
epic poem that tells the story of the titular Arthurian knight and his
quest for the Holy Grail.
Odessa, the
Organization Der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen,
existed in the real world very much as it is depicted in this two-part
episode's story. The well-financed organization was founded in 1946 in
an effort to shelter, aid, and conceal high ranking Nazi officials and
war criminals following World War II.
Death Toll:
4
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 rooster is often used as a symbol to
represent those who believe in a looming apocalypse, the type of fiery
and outspoken individual calling out to warn others of impending doom.
As a Millennium Group Owl explains, "Roosters crow at the dawn, hoping
to arouse the barnyard." Within the Millennium Group, Roosters are
those who believe the year 2000 will bring with it a religious
Armageddon.
Soundtrack:
"Prelude to Parsifal" by Richard Wagner
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
Bob Dawson as Helmet Gunsche
Brian Downey as Mr. Dean
Judith Maxie as Finley
John Juliani as Mr. Plunkett
Charles Andre as the Passenger
Steve Griffith as Jim Ford
Philip Baker Hall as the Group Elder
Ernest Lenart as Rudolph Axmann
Barry W. Levy as the Driver
Gardiner Millar as Mr. Otto
Production
Credits:
Production #5C16
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
|
