This week on Millennium, Frank Black faces his demons, more literally than most people. Find out more after the jump in our recap of "Powers, Principalities, Thrones, and Dominions".
- Ted Mann and Harold Rosenthal share the writing credits this week. This episode is Ted’s third and Harold’s only one for the show.
- Directing is Thomas J. Wright for the third time. He’ll be a regular for seasons two & three & now directs Castle, Supernatural, & NCIS.
- Sammael is played by Rodney Eastman, he played Ronald Purnell in "Invocation".
- By far one of the most unusual cold opens the show has given us. Bletcher's death has shifted everything in Frank's universe.
- A quote from Sam Hodiak's good friend Charles Manson opens this week's episode. The quote is taken from an interview he gave to Rolling Stone in 1970.
- "There's a summoner's circle on the floor. The body is on an altar. Blood drained into a chalice. Ceremonial candles. Signs of Lucifer on the wall. Inverted crosses. There's a grimoire. There's not much that isn't here, Frank."
I’m half expecting Monica Reyes to turn up at this crime scene.
- “I’m not ready to come back to work yet.”
Catherine doesn’t need to say anything, her expression is doing all the talking for her.
- Detective Rummer is played by Alf Humphreys. He appeared in "Space", "The Blessing Way", and was the dad in "Detour".
- Creepy kid is creepy.
- “You can’t deny who you are Frank, to yourself or to me."
The conflict between Frank & Catherine is still there. This incident with Bletcher has driven them apart & this shot emphasizes that.The darkness finds Frank as surely as it finds Mulder & Scully.
- "You have to go back to work. I don't see any other choice for you. If we let things go on this way, it's only a matter of time."
"Until what?"
"Until something gives."
- "They're called canopic jars, used by ancient Egyptian embalmers to store and preserve the organs of their clients."
Detective Rummer is trying to hold himself together all the way through this scene. He needs to try & appear professional & in control but is miles out of his comfort zone.
- "I'm not a doctor, understand. I'm in mortuary science."
Dean Paul Gibson plays the undertaker, this was his very first acting credit. He’s gone on to star in dozens of genre shows.
Way to be creepy dude, and a fantastic almost Lynchian camera angle to really up the discomfort factor.
- "I'm going to take a walk, collect myself."
It’s refreshing to see Frank acting so human in this episode. All too often on TV the remaining characters act like nothing has happened the week after the death of a close on-screen friend or relative. Frank is taking this hard & we’re seeing the impact.
- Remind me not to take my son to the park tomorrow.
- Al Pepper is played by Richard Cox, he appeared as Daniel Brimley in “Brand X”. Frank is weirded out by him & that takes some doing.
- "Are you going to be able to sleep?"
"I'll be up in a bit."
If Frank’s “in a bit” is anything like mine he means he’ll be up sometime before dawn. Maybe.
- It’s Mike (played by Robin Gammel)! We haven’t seen him since way back in episode two, "Gehenna".
- Frank's vision of Bletch reminds me strongly of Scully seeing her father in "Beyond the Sea"?
- Catherine & Frank are trying to come back together. They’re still distant from one another but they’re trying to bridge that gap.
- Phaestos was a city in Ancient Greece. The Phaistos Disc was discovered in 1908 in a Minoan palace and is covered in signs made of hieroglyphic seals. Its message has never been deciphered despite many attempts.
- "Aleister Pepper, representing the accused. Just call me Al, Mr. Black."
"Aleister."
Frank is having none of Alestair’s nonsense. He’s establishing his dominance in this situation from his very first word.
- "The name carries some notoriety in certain circles. Please. I find the association distasteful. I go by 'Al.'"
Al is most likely referring to Alestair Crowley, the noted British occultist who is popularly belived to have been a Satanist.
- "I am offering you a partnership. Name your salary. Name your hours. Design your own benefits package."
Frank is a popular guy amongst the slightly unhinged. - This scene reminds me of "The Judge" who also wanted to recruit Frank. There’s a reason for that...
- Judge Myers (Judith Maxie) played Sheriff Taylor’s wife in “Home” & will return as a different recurring character next season.
- If this were Friends this episode would be called “The One Where Everyone Stares at Frank”.
- "I cut a detective's neck in Seattle. I left him hanging on a basement wall. Bletcher. Bob Bletcher was his name. I don't know why but it's been bothering me."
I think it’s bothering everyone else in the room as well.
- Giebelhouse is disgusted that a “little snotball” like this could be responsible for his friends' death. Bob deserved better.
- A.D.A. Mills is played by Bonnie Hay. She appeared in "Colony", "End Game", "D.P.O.", "Oubliette", and "Talitha Cumi".
- "Hello, Frank. I hope, uh, I hope you don't mind, Frank, but I was in the neighborhood and I just dropped by on the chance that you might be in. And I met your lovely wife."
I’m pretty sure Frank does mind. He minds a whole lot.
- "Gonna take the midnight special out of this wicked place soon. See that big light coming? Hear the steel wheels on the rails?"
The supernatural has been hinted at on the show since the beginning but since last week it has become blatant.
- This guy even looks smug dead.
- The medical examiner is played by Allan Franz, he also appeared in "Unrequited" and "Patient X".
- “What killed this man was anything but natural.”
- "As I've said to you before, you needn't make up your mind now. My offer remains open for as long as is necessary."
"You've come to me before."
If you’ve read Joe Harris’ Millennium comics you may be starting to suspect who this guy is.
- Last week we lost Bletch, this week we lose Mike. The end of season one is turning into a bloodbath.
- How in the hell did Frank get all the way downstairs and out of the building before that kid even made it around the corner?
- The street Frank runs down is the one Suzanne Modeski was kidnapped from in "Unusual Suspects".
- Hello again Lucy…
- "By Uriel, and by Raziel, powers, principalities, thrones and dominions, I bind and command you: Stand!"
Uriel and Raziel are both archangels. If you’re familiar with Biblical lore, or with Supernatural, you probably picked up earlier that Sammael is also an angelic name. Sammael is another archangel, the angel of death. He is described as the “wrath of God” & is said to have been the serpent who tempted Eve. - Powers, Principalities, Thrones, & Dominions are four classes of angel according to Christianity.
- "You must understand - you were not saved. He was not prevented from doing harm to anyone. He suffered the consequence of his own error. Any benefit to you, to your family, was incidental."
- "[Mike] said you should love your family as much as you can and be prepared for the possibility that it may not be enough."...
“It has to be enough."
It’s all Frank has.
Screencaps courtesy of Chris Nu.