In our second Millennium recap we look back at S01xE02 - "Gehenna". Read after the jump to check it out.
- Millennium's second episode "Gehenna" roughly translates as Hell, but the true definition is far more nuanced. This episode is written by Chris Carter and directed by David Nutter who continues from the Pilot.
- Cypress Hill get some love in the cold open with two different songs being played; a bit of a 90s flashback for us all. I'm glad my Saturday nights never looked this this one.
- This is the first of the Millennium quotations, one will feature at the end of the opening titles of each episode. Joe Harris has even continued the tradition in his IDW comic spin-off. The quotation is from W.H. Auden's poem "Blessed Event" - it still feels pretty relevant today.
- Back to Frank's Yellow House; or are we? That's a different building from the one used in the pilot thanks to filming permissions. This new house might well look familiar to you. Mulder & Scully visited the same building back in "Deep Throat" when it was home to Lt. Colonel Budahas. The picture above shows a still from "Gehenna" on the left and one from "Deep Throat" on the right. Looks like the owner had new roofing installed in the years between the two episodes being filmed.
- We get some nice continuity from the end of last episode, and some exposition on Catherine too. Here we see her demonstrating the universal wife expression of disapproval.
- Never trust a gardening club...
- Jim is played by Chris Ellis who was the Sheriff in "Quagmire".
- They've caught some remarkably lucky breaks in this case. That becomes something of an ongoing theme with this show, but I suppose it's the same with most cop shows.
- If anyone used to watch Dark Skies, the X-Files rip off set in the 1960s, Robin Gammel who plays Mike in this episode played Dr Hertzog.
- Honestly, who buys hair care products through tele-sales? The screens that flash up in the call centre give an Orwellian feeling to the room. They remind me of the music video for the Manic Street Preachers single "A Design for Life" which was released seven month prior to the episode being broadcast.
- At this point the Millennium Group appears to be a club for old, white men. Thankfully this will begin to change over future episodes.
- How to scare the living daylights out of your colleague's wife 101 by Lt. Bob Bletcher. Thank goodness Catherine is forgiving, "would you like to come in for some coffee and backstory?"
- Sam Vincent who plays Dylan is now a very popular voice actor. He's had roles in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic & Care Bears!
- "I've always believed that evil is born in a cold heart and a weak mind." This debate about whether or not evil comes from man or is an external force that acts upon us has been repeated in a lot of X-Files alum shows, both Fox Mulder & Dean Winchester in Supernatural have discussed similar themes.
- If you look closely you'll notice that Frank's Bible has been specially spliced together from existing verses to fit the story. It jumps from Ephesians 6:12 to Ephesians 6:18 which is incorrectly noted as verse 16. When the camera cuts to the wide shot Frank is actually somewhere in Matthew. This next verse is wrong too, that's Matthew 24:29-31 with Matthew 25:41.
- Naturally I had to check if my dictionary had an entry for Gehenna - it didn't. However my mother's dictionary which she's had since the 1960s does include an entry. I think I might have worried her when I asked her to look it up for me!
- The Japanese terrorist attack Frank and Mike discuss at this point was fairly recent when this episode aired, the attack happened 18 months prior to the original air date. The trial that resulted from the incident would be very long indeed. Sentencing wouldn't happen for another eight years: 2004.
- Don't go near the big metal thing dude... Seriously, would you get inside that before the backup arrived when you know the killer is still loose somewhere???
- The cult leader is played by Bob Wilde who has appeared in five episodes of The X-Files: "Roland", "Little Green Men", "Anasazi", "Nisei", and "All Souls".
- Hugging in hospital hallways. Chris Carter just cannot resist can he?
Screencaps courtesy of Chris Nu.