Millennium (pilot episode)

"Pilot"
Millennium episode
A stripper standing in front of a wall covered with blood, as seen in an hallucination by "The Frenchman"
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	David Nutter
Written by	Chris Carter
Production code	4C79
Original air date	October 25, 1996
Guest stars
Bill Smitrovich as Bob Bletcher Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts Paul Dillon as The Frenchman Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black Stephen E. Miller as Roger Kamm Stephen J. Lang as Bob Geibelhouse Kate Luyben as Tuesday April Telek as Calamity Don MacKay as Jack Meredith Mike Puttonen as Curt Massey Jarred Blancard as Young Man at Ruby Tip Jim Thorburn as Coffin Man Kimm Wakefield as Young Woman John Destry as Driver on Bridge Liza Huget as Nurse Jim Filippone as Chopper Pilot Fawnia Mondey as Ruby Tip Stripper
Episode chronology
← Previous — Next → "Gehenna"
List of season 1 episodes List of Millennium episodes

The pilot episode for the crime-thriller television series Millennium which aired between 1996-1999. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on October 25, 1996 on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, and directed by David Nutter.

The pilot episode follows the renowned but now retired FBI profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) retires to Seattle with his family and becomes a member of the Millennium Group, a secretive "criminal investigative consulting firm" of former law enforcement officers. Using his incredible profiling skills, Black helps in an effort to catch a vicious murderer who believes he is fulfilling apocalyptic prophecies. The episode received a high Nielsen household and syndication rating and was generally positively received by fans and critics alike.

Plot summary

In downtown Seattle, an unnamed man is mumbling obscure phrases and hallucinating sheets of blood pouring over a blond stripper, with a wall of fire surrounding her. Later that night, the stripper is murdered. Just arriving in Seattle is Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) and his family. Frank spots a newspaper about the local murder, and immediately contacts his old colleague Bob Bletcher. Frank joins the investigation as an advisor of an unnamed group.

When he views the body, Frank gets various vivid visions of the crime. His knowledge of various details unknown to the others spooks Bletcher. Frank and a fellow member of the Millennium Group named Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) officially join the investigation.

In the meantime, the killer is hunting for his next victim. While unknown to him, the murderer is trapped in a world of grotesque hallucinations. Later that night, local police officers spot his latest victim. Frank visits the crime scene, which gives him a vision of the crime, again startling his colleague Bletcher. Later on, Frank presents his finding to the local homicide department, saying that the murderer is obsessed with apocalyptic prophecies and maddened by twisted sexual guilt.

After Frank presents his finding, Bletcher demands Frank tell his secret. Frank tells him he can see what the killer sees. After telling him, Frank rushes to hospital when his daughter, Jordan Black (Brittany Tiplady) is stricken with a high fever. Getting another vision, Frank leaves the hospital and gathers local law enforcement officers to another victim.

This follows with Frank tracking down the killer to the local police department's own evidence lab. In a mad rage the killer attacks Frank, but Bletcher shows up and shoots the killer, saving Frank's life. After clearing up the case with the local authorities, Frank returns home and opens up a newly-arrived anonymous piece of mail containing pictures of his family.

Production

The episode was shot in Vancouver, Canada in early spring to give it a "gray" and "bleak" look. The decision to film it up in Vancouver, was to give the show the same dark feel as its sister show The X-Files. The strip club, Ruby Tip was inspired by a club in Seattle, Washington named the Lusty Lady which is located on the main street in Seattle. The director David Nutter had been a long-time staff member of The X-Files crew. Carter said the episode was "directed beautifully by David Nutter who added to the project in so many ways, even as it came on, things that he saw visually that were able to actually change and make the script more concise."^[1]

Chris Carter called it a "pleasure" to cast Kate Luyben, because she was "good"-looking. On The X-Files much of the casting was of "character actors", so Carter saw the casting of Luyben as a refreshing change. The same thing applied to Turkish-Canadian actor April Telek. Luyben would later make an appearance on The X-Files and playing a prominent role on Harsh Realm.^[1]

The idea behind the character, "The Frenchman" (played by Paul Dillon) came from a prophecy by Nostradamus. According to Carter: "The idea that there is something approaching at the millennium, this series being produced I think four years before the end of the century, that we were headed toward something grave and foreboding."^[1]

The name of recurring character Bob Bletcher came from an attorney Carter had worked with previously. Another name, Giebelhouse was another name Carter had gotten from his childhood years. Carter said "This idea of the hard-boiled detective is a kind of cliché." But felt that the characters came "very real to life", when compared to real law enforcement personnel.^[1]

Reception

The episode gathered a total viewership of 17.72 million in the United States and in demographics it got a 9.0/27 in adults 18-49,^[2] which was at that time a record holder for being the most watched Fox program.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Carter, Chris (2004). Audio Commentary for "Pilot" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment. 
2. ^ Adalian, Josef (October 11, 1998). "High-profile dramas skid on Fox, ABC". Variety Magazine. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117756490.html?. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 
3. ^ "Millennium". Television Heaven. http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/millennium.htm. Retrieved July 12, 2009. 

External links

• "Pilot" on The X-Files Wiki, an external wiki