Millennium marked the second major
television series created by Chris Carter, who'd already made his
name as the brains behind The X-Files.
And, like its predecessor, it shares a lot of the same
themes--it's a crime thriller that gradually unfolds into a grand
conspiracy involving the government and the fate of the entire
world.
Agent Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) is a
former FBI agent who has transplanted his family from Washington,
D.C. to Seattle, after suffering something of a breakdown. He's an
expert criminal profiler--arguably the best, thanks to his ability
to "see" into the minds of killers--and he fears for the safety of
his wife and young daughter. In Seattle, he joins the mysterious
Millennium Group, an agency of freelance crime-busters who
investigate particularly brutal crimes. As a result, Millennium is
downright bleak viewing, as Black jumps from horrific slaying to
horrific slaying. Moreover, there's a growing sense of unease
about the workings of the Millennium Group, so that in typical
Chris Carter fashion, you don't know who to trust. With its
pre-Y2K angst and overwhelming darkness, as well as its general
humorlessness, Millennium hasn't dated as well as The X-Files.
Still, thanks to Carter's vision and Henriksen's compelling take
on the tortured Black, it's difficult not to get hooked.
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