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Summary:
The discovery of a cooler full of living hands draws Emma Hollis' attention to
mysterious research conducted by former Millennium Group member Dr. Steven Takashi,
a man now afflicted by a disfiguring and deadly disease. These secrets leave one murderous Millennium Group operative
desperate to kill Takashi as Frank Black holds watch by his bedside. Emma engages in a desperate attempt to lash out at the Group
with the knowledge she's gained, hoping to prove she can do so on her own.
Season Three on DVD
Synopsis:
Peter Watts is called before the Millennium Group
to answer questions regarding recent unauthorized actions.
Later, Mabius and an Enforcer embark on a mission
to find a man named Dr. Steven Takahashi in the Little Tokyo section of
Washington, D.C. Clutching a red lacquer bowl, Takahashi flees his hotel
room and takes refuge inside a Buddhist temple. He collapses on the floor,
his hand disfigured and swollen. He begs a monk to help save him from his
pursuers.
As Jordan observes, Frank inserts a
Japanese anime CD-ROM into the drive of his computer. To his surprise,
the CD displays not only Frank’s name, but a message pertaining to the
apocalypse. Meanwhile, Emma participates in the raid of a Japanese cargo
boat carrying a shipment of bootleg designer handbags. A black metal case
containing five small human hands packed in ice is discovered on board.
Also discovered is a red lacquer bowl.
Frank brings the mysterious CD to an
FBI technician. He discovers a virus on the CD, one "addressed" to Frank.
A short time later, the FBI conducts a briefing on the discovery of the
five human hands. Frank takes a special interest in two Kanji characters
visible on the back of the Japanese cargo boat. A Japanese agent translates
the writing, which reads, "an apocalypse of our own creation."
McClaren informs Emma that the tip
about the cargo boat was originally believed to have originated with an
undercover FBI agent. But it turns out that someone else within the Bureau
sent the information. As a result, McClaren instructs Emma to keep Frank
out of the loop about a crucial piece of information: the cells within
the five small human hands are growing. Meanwhile, back at the Buddhist
temple, an unbound ceremonial book containing sacred text is placed next
to Takahashi’s bed. Printed on the cover are the same kanji characters
seen on the side of the Japanese cargo boat.
Watts stops by Emma’s office, where
he takes note of the red lacquer bowl. Emma give Watts a frosty reception.
Meanwhile, Frank drives back to the ship, where he discovers the bodies
of the captain and crew members. He also discovers a fragment broken from
the rim of a red lacquer bowl. Later, he informs Emma that the killings
are the work of the Millennium Group. Someone from the group boarded the
vessel to search for something, something the FBI missed when it confiscated
the hands.
Fingerprints taken from the severed
hands are run through a computer. One of the prints matches Takahashi.
Later, Emma realizes that Watts stole the red lacquered bowl.
Frank visits a Japanese bowl shop.
He inquires about a plaque containing the same characters seen on the boat.
The shopkeeper tells him the writing came from the Buddhist temple. Frank
travels to the temple, where he encounters Takahashi, whose disfigurement
has grown. Takahashi recognizes Frank, as he was once a member of the Group.
A tip from an FBI technician leads
Emma to Takahashi’s last known place of employment: a company called Emergen.
Emma sneaks inside a restricted area, where she gains access to a black
metal case, identical to the one found aboard the Japanese cargo ship.
Meanwhile, Mabius approaches the owner of the Japanese bowl shop. He inquires
about a specific kind of red lacquer bowl. The question prompts the shopkeeper
to close his hand round a red lacquer chip. Mabius notes this and impales
the man’s hand on a dagger. The shopkeeper howls in pain and slowly opens
his hand, revealing the chip.
Emma opens the black case and discovers
a half a dozen umbilical cords within. She contacts McClaren by phone and
requests a search warrant. McClaren sets off to meet Emma at the facility.
But before he arrives at the scene, a van enters the research facility
and disappears into a cargo bay area. Emma climbs over a fence to investigate
further.
Mabius makes his way to the Buddhist
temple. Finding the doors locked, he accesses the building through a heating
vent. Meanwhile, as Frank listens, the monk reads from the ceremonial book,
preparing Takahashi for death.
While sneaking through the research
facility, Emma encounters several men. She draws her gun and identifies
herself as an FBI agent. At that moment, McClaren approaches. Emma realizes
the men are not assassins, but unarmed security guards.
Mabius climbs out of the heating duct
and makes his way toward Takahashi’s room. But Takahashi dies before Mabius
can reach him. Mabius places a gun to Frank’s head. He then picks up Takahashi’s
chipped bowl and leaves.
Emma tells McClaren that she witnessed
men loading more black cases in the cargo bay. But McClaren informs her
that the company performs medical testing for an HMO. A short time later,
Emma encounters Watts walking through the facility. She states that she
found the facility without Frank’s assistance, something the Group apparently
didn’t think she was capable of doing. Later, Watts smashes the chipped
red lacquer bowl against a wall. He tells Mabius that he retrieved the
wrong one — and believes that Frank has the other.
On a snowy hilltop, Frank holds the
real bowl, which is filled with uncooked grain. He tosses the grain on
Takahashi’s shrouded head. He then watches as a monk burns a casket containing
Takahashi’s body. Later Emma tells Frank that, for one moment, she saw
the Millennium Group for who they are. Frank tells her that so, too, did
Takahashi. |
Photographs:
- Frank's computer offers a cryptic warning
- Millennium Group assassin Mr. Mabius
- Inside the Buddhist temple
- Frank considers an unusual CD
- Frank stands watch by Takahashi's side
- Dr. Steven Takahashi's condition worsens
- The mysterious red lacquer bowl
- Emma confronts security at the facility
- The five living hands in cold storage
- Frank and Emma at Takahashi's funeral
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Abyss Rating:
(3/5)
Media Review:
"I've always found the
character of Frank Black to be intensely watchable, a perversely dark
and tortured lead unlike those of most regular series. Initial
resentment of a new sidekick aside, the Hollis character is handled
adequately by Klea Scott, but she is put in the unenviable position of
being thrust alongside someone who is at his best alone, and she
serves more as a sounding board to bounce the main story arc of the
Millennium Group off of."
—Rich Rosell, Digitally Obsessed
Trivia:
The episode synopsis presented to the
left, based on a synopsis released by Fox Broadcasting, reveals one of
several scenes that were cut from this episode before its airing. When
the description notes that "Watts
smashes the chipped red lacquer bowl against a wall" it is describing
a scene that cannot be seen in the final episode. These details seem
significant considering the mysterious nature of "Bardo Thodol's" red
lacquer bowl, just one of several third season mysteries that remain
somewhat unexplained.
"Bardo Thodol" marks actor
Tzi Ma's second appearance on Millennium. The Hong Kong-born
actor, who appears here as the dying Dr. Steven Takashi, can also be
seen on the series in the second season episode "Siren."
Death Toll:
5
Title:
The Bardo Thodol
—
literally "liberation by
hearing on the after death plane" —
is the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Passed down orally for centuries and
first transcribed by Padma Sambhava in the 8th century A.D., the book
offers guidance and liberation to those in transition between death
and the next rebirth. In Buddhist tradition, the book is read aloud to
those that are dying.
Soundtrack:
"Prayer" by Huun-Huur-Tu
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Klea Scott as Emma Hollis
Stephen E. Miller as Andy McClaren
Guest Starring:
Tzi Ma as Dr. Steven Takashi
James Hong as the Monk
Judith Maxie as Franklin
Trevor White as Doug Scaife
Bob Wilde as Mabius
Daniel Bacon as the Bio Tech
Jefferson Dylan as the Harbor Cop
Hiro Kanagawa as the Shopkeeper
Barry W. Levy as the ND Passenger
Patrick McManus as the Agent
Sean Millington as the Guard
Kevan Ohtsji as the Hotel Clerk
Anees Peterman as the Receptionist
Production
Credits:
Production #6C17
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
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 Chip Johannessen
Executive Producer Chris Carter
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