Second Sight: “Blood Relatives”

“Blood Relatives” (6 December 1996)

Writer: Chip Johannessen
Director: James Charleston
Editor: George R. Potter

Quote: “I know. I know you had to go in there. Because of who you are. Because you had no choice.” --Catherine Black


Overview: There is a standout moment in “Blood Relatives” when Frank Black, standing on the shore of a glistening lake, his thoughts dominated by the details of a hideous crime, takes a moment to slip off his iconic coat and then tosses it to the waiting Peter Watts. The dedicated viewer knows just what will happen next. Before Bob Bletcher can even cry out a protest, as he did during a similar scene in the pilot, the profiler steps forth and trudges determinedly into the water in search of the case’s next clue. He finds it nearly a dozen feet from the shore, fishing with his arm beneath the surface of the water, fingers combing submerged sand and rocks in search of a reflection. He emerges from the lake soaking wet but grasping the evidence that will lead them onward in their search for a sadistic killer.

Water is often used symbolically in film and fiction. This is especially true in Millennium, a series that used water as a central symbol or metaphor in several episodes, most notably “Seven and One.” Here--as in “Pilot” and “Kingdom Come”--it serves to clearly illustrate a trait that is intrinsic to Frank Black as a character and essential to our ongoing effort to understand the nature of his unique gift. If the meaning of the lakeside scene in “Blood Relatives” is lost on the viewer, it is reiterated just moments later as the investigators storm the halfway house that hides James Dickerson. As Bletcher, Giebelhouse, and Watts follow signs and directions and head for Dickerson’s bedroom on the second floor of the building, Frank Black dashes in an entirely different direction, moving underground, to the house’s darkened basement, where he discovers that the suspect has escaped them via a cellar window. While the Seattle police search obvious or expected terrain, above the surface, Frank Black alone dares venture below.

The very tenacity that Frank demonstrates when he is faced with the barrier of a river, lake, or other body of water is what allows him to dip beneath the murky, seemingly impenetrable surface of the human psyche. In these instances as in others, Lieutenant Bletcher is Inspector Lestrade, representative of a police force possessed of pedestrian thinking and limited imagination; Frank Black is a man of wholly unconventional thinking with the courage to match it. As an investigator, Frank possesses both the ability and willingness to venture beyond the boundaries of the safe or the anticipated, that selfless willingness to immerse himself in darkest depths in search of an answer. When Frank gives himself over to one of his gruesome visions--regardless of whether we believe those visions to be somewhat supernatural or purely intuitive--he is allowing himself to be plunged below the surface of what is known into uncertain territory as uninviting as an icy river, as dark and foreboding as any abandoned basement. From a psychological perspective, his forays into the mind of the killer are no less bold. If Frank Black’s closest friends and colleagues cannot even fathom the nature of his extraordinary gift, it is because they lack that unusual and selfless mindset that shows the hero of Millennium to be so incomparable.

Connections: Cinematically, this episode’s visions are similar to those of “Kingdom Come,” the previous installment, as this is the second episode in a row to feature a death by drowning. Connor, the episode’s jealous serial killer, has been previously profiled in Adam Chamberlain’s What the Killer Sees.

Trances in Total: 3 (0:08)

Gore Score: 6/10

Dreaming of a Black Christmas

Well... the halls are decked, there's an angel perched precariously atop the tree and beneath it are piled presents that hopefully someone hasn't already given to your loved ones, prompting you to have to go out shopping again on Christmas Eve. But something's missing, right? Something to make the season feel truly complete? Something you can't quite put your finger on? Well, we can now reveal just what that is. To whet your appetites, Joselyn Rojas has created this wonderful, moving video for the occasion:

Yes, Back to Frank Black has been working to bring you a very special family reunion for the holidays. Back together for the first time in twelve years, Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher and Brittany Tiplady - Frank, Catherine and Jordan Black - are in conversation exclusively for the Millennium Group Sessions.

So be sure to check back here on Christmas Day for a unique gift to all of you: a really special Black Family reunion.

Millenniun to continue in the virtual world!

As BacktoFrankBlack continues the fight for a Millennium movie, there are still many things out there to satisfy the Millennium faithful. One such thing is the upcoming Millennium Virtual Season 6. As reported on this site by Mark Hayden of TIWWA late last year, several Millennium fans have been hard at work developing virtual season 6.

Millennium is certainly no stranger to the world of virtual seasons. There have been two fantastic seasons to date. Virtual season 4 was headed up by the talented Dan Owens along with 11 other writers. The tremendous work they did was even recognized by Chris Carter and writers Erin Maher & Key Reindl. If you haven't read their work, go here.

After the success of virtual season 4, another group of dedicated Millennium fans got together to produce virtual season 5. Executive produced by Anthony J. Black and James Jordan, the season continued the story of Frank Black and the world of Millennium. Here is where you can go and read the 20 episodes created for Millennium Virtual Season 5.

Jump ahead to 2010 and Millennium is back once again with an all new virtual season. This time show runners Barry Renshaw, Joe McBryer and Harry Smyth will bring you a brand new season of Frank Black and Millennium! They started pre-production last year and the hope is to have the first new episode released in September of this year. To wet the appetites of the Millennium fan community, the show runners were kind enough to share a teaser of the first episode over at the Millennium fan community TIWWA which is run by Graham P. Smith.

I am sure everyone who is a Millennium fan is definitely looking forward to the new season of Millennium and we commend everyone who is behind virtual season 6. So, here at BacktoFrankBlack we ask that you all head over to TIWWA and read the VS6 teaser that the people behind virtual season 6 were kind enough to share. Please take a moment to thank the people behind the new virtual season and prepare yourself for another virtual season of excitement!

EXCLUSIVE! Lance Henriksen thanks BacktoFrankBlack and Millennium fans!

To close out the Lance Henriksen birthday celebration, we give you an EXCLUSIVE message from the man himself. Lance contacted BacktoFrankBlack and wanted to pass on his sincere thanks to all the Millennium fans who helped celebrate his birthday. He also wanted us to pass on to all the Millennium fans that it's you who will help get the Millennium movie made. Keep sending those letters and postcards, buying the DVDs and just continue to spread the word about the Millennium movie.

Lance also thanked the people behind BacktoFrankBlack for their continued diligence and sacrifice as they continue to fight to get the Millennium movie made.

On behalf of BacktoFrankBlack and all the Millennium fans around the world, we will continue the fight for a Millennium movie!! THIS IS WHO WE ARE!

DiRT returns! A special birthday tribute video. Top 5 Frank Black moments

I know, I know. You have all been wondering where our fantastic episode review guru DiRT has been these past months. I thought to myself, has he been compromised by the Millennium Group? Off somewhere in Millennium land with Lara Means?? No my Millennium friends, DiRT is alive and well and back with a very special video treat. In honor of Lance's birthday, DiRT shares a video with us that he put together for the fine folks over at TIWWA.

He takes a look at his top 5 favorite Frank Black moments throughout the run of Millennium. Also take note of the new set! I am sure after watching the video, you will have your idea of what the top 5 moments should be. Well, let your voice be heard. Leave a comment on the blog and let us know your list! As always, we thank DiRT for such fantastic work and the fine folks over at TIWWA for letting him share this with us.

Don't forget to head over to the site where DiRT and the rest of his pop culture friends hangout and discuss toys, video games, comic books and much much more. They have revamped the site and it looks fantastic. Just follow this link

BACKTOFRANKBLACK.COM WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well today heralds an a whole new era for Millennium Fans and supporters of this campaign as we look forward to 2010 and all that is in store for us, hopefully a Millennium Movie for one. This is the second new year that BackToFrankBlack.com has celebrated and no one was more surprised to celebrate our first than I was and it is the support of you good people that has kept this campaign alive, and so vibrant, for so long. To mark the new year, Josef has created a video to celebrate, well, what else, Frank Black and we hope you enjoy this little celebration of the character we all love.

To each and every one of you, a happy new year and please continue to support this campaign throughout 2010 as those involved have lost in store that we are sure you will enjoy. Never give up the fight, always keep believing and let's make this year the year that we bring Frank Black back!

MIDNIGHT OF THE CENTURY WEEK DAY THREE: CHERYL MCNAMARA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!

Midnight of The Century was a welcome opportunity for viewers to take a look back to Frank Black's childhood and to introduce his mother and father to the audience for the first time. The touching story of a woman struggling beneath the weight of her failing health and her growing visionary facility and the man who loved her, but could not cope with the profundity of her experiences, is one of the most touching aspects of the story and one which certainly resonates strongly with viewer's emotions. BackToFrankBlack was delighted when Cheryl McNamara (Linda Black) agreed to take time from her busy schedule to share her recollections of being part of that story. We hope you will join with all of us in showing your gratitude to her and wishing her a very Merry Christmas in the process.

MARK HAYDEN: I wondered if we could begin by asking you how you came to play the role of Linda Black in Millennium's "Midnight of The Century"?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: Coreen Mayrs was the casting director of Millennium and X-Files. She was, and continues to be one, of Vancouver’s top casting directors. I had graduated from my acting training at the University of British Columbia two years prior to playing Linda Black in Millennium. Coreen was absolutely terrific. She was very supportive of actors new to film and TV.

I remember the audition process quite well. The breakdown for Linda Black told the story of a woman in the 1940s dying from cancer. In preparation, I delved into my closet for clothes that fit the era the most (long tapered skirt, etc.). I also hauled out my Halloween makeup to give my skin a grey and sickly hue. This was counter intuitive, of course, as one always wanted to look their very best for auditions. When I arrived at the audition space at Lions Gate Studios in North Vancouver, I panicked. The waiting hall was full of bouncy healthy looking women. I remember sitting there telling myself over and over that I made the right choice. I had no choice. I was made up and ready to go. The audition went well.

When I was called back it immediately dawned on me that I made the right choice because there were very few in the waiting hall and none there suited the role. It became apparent that I got the role when Coreen’s assistant was asking me for specific measurements for the wardrobe department.

MARK HAYDEN: Do you remember what your first impressions of the story when you received the script?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: The only impressions that I recall was that the story was intriguing – I was very interested in the supernatural - and that it was a great episode to be part of. I was amused by the notion that I was going to be part of the 'Millennium Christmas Special'.

MARK HAYDEN: Could you describe for us the experience of being part of that particular shoot, for example, how many hours your were on the set, how long you had for rehearsal time and what your experience was of working with the cast and crew of Millennium? Did you have the opportunity to spend time with individuals like Lance Henriksen, Kristen Cloke and the late Darren McGavin?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: My memory of the shoot is quite vivid. Millennium had a reputation of having a fantastic crew – everyone from the DOP to makeup and hair. They did not disappoint. The atmosphere on set was very positive, supportive and fun. I got along very well with makeup and hair, despite having my eyebrows aggressively plucked for that 1940s look. I also remember having to remind makeup that my character was quite sick. She had to confirm this with the director.

Making anyone look sick on TV seemed an unholy act. I was fully prepared to look awful. My background was in stage. I had plenty of experience making myself look old and even dead and decaying. If Linda was dying of cancer, she should look like it. I think I was also inspired by the realistic-looking makeup in a Movie of the Week I has seen about a cancer patient on death’s door. Personally I don’t think they went far enough with the makeup.

The shoot was the week of American Thanksgiving – end of November. As a Canadian I didn’t realize it was Thanksgiving until they served turkey and the like at dinner break. It was a lovely surprise and I think made everyone feel a bit closer. It was of course important to the Americans on set.

That night may have been the time we shot all the scenes in the house. All my shots were on location in Vancouver, not in studio. We waited for some time into the evening. Darren McGavin was shooting his big scene. I had hoped to meet him, but didn’t even have a chance to see him.

I do recall an Australian family – parents and their young adult daughter - hanging about the honey wagons that night. I learned that they were diehard fans of the show and had flown all the way from their country just to be on set. I thought that was simply quite extraordinary. I passed by them en route to the house when our call came. I remember wanting to stop to chat about their passion for the show.

I met Lance Henricksen briefly. The only moment our characters connect is when he sees his mother in the nativity window display. He seemed nice – a bit taciturn.

The crew rigged me into the angel wings for the nativity window. The window display was full of hay. I was sitting on it. We shot the scene. That went well. Then the crew forgot about me. I don’t know why. They did. I called out but no one came. I couldn’t take the wings off myself and they needed to be removed before I could exit the window. I don’t normally have allergies, but I’d never been around that much hay. I started to develop a full blown reaction. My eyes watered and I was having trouble breathing. I started yelling and finally someone came to the rescue. Really, the crew were nice...just preoccupied and forgetful.

In terms of rehearsal time, they are are very brief. They usually afford us just one pass before tapping. That was the case on Millennium.

MARK HAYDEN: Linda's story is particularly melancholy but no doubt beautifully written. What were your own feelings about the role you played and the episode itself? It's actually something of a tradition to watch this episode at Christmas time amongst Millennium fans, do ever revisit this episode and watch your own performance in it?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: It’s a touching story of the deep connection between a mother and son, and his loss. I always felt it odd that Linda went up to the top room to die, alone. Of course it served to emphasize the solitude of having her gift.

I worked on specifying the cancer she had. It was never suggested in the script (although cancer was mentioned in the audition breakdown). I decided she had ovarian cancer and worked with that.

I believe I have a tape of that episode somewhere. I haven’t seen it since it aired.

MARK HAYDEN: You shared the bulk of your scenes in that episode with a gentleman who portrayed the young Henry Black. I have been unable to discover who portrayed that role and I wondered if you recalled who he was? You also had screen time with A.J. Adamson as the young Frank Black, does the old adage of "...never work with animals or children.." have a grain of truth about it?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: I can’t remember the name of the actor who played Henry Black. A.J. was adorable. He had some challenges remembering his cues, but he was a little boy and of course everyone cut him considerable slack. The scene with Linda and young Frank looking at the train set in the window took numerous takes because of this issue. He couldn’t remember when to say his lines. It was tricky because of the timing with the train going around. Eventually I had to squeeze his arm to let him know to say his line then. Even that took a number of takes.

When A.J. was wrapped – had shot his final scene – the Assistant Director announced this with a flourish and everyone gave him a big round of applause. I remember him walking away beaming.

“Never work with animals or children” is particularly relevant to stage. They are so unaffected and, let’s face it, cute, that the audience member’s eye is immediately drawn to them. They are the quintessential clowns. TV and film is a little different as the camera dictates what you see. On set, part of my focus was ensuring that A.J. was hitting his marks.

MARK HAYDEN: I notice that you went on to star in the X-Files in "Zero Sum" and "Folie a Deux", did you secure these parts through your involvement with Millennium and what was the experience like of working on our sister show?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: You are too kind. I played what is referred to ‘day player’ roles on the X-File episodes. Coreen Mayrs cast both Millennium and X-Files, and she called me in regularly for auditions.

MARK HAYDEN: If I'm correct, it seems that you left the acting profession shortly after your appearances in the X-Files could you tell us what prompted that decision and if there have ever been any regrets on that score?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: I moved to Toronto a few years later and worked primarily in developing my own stage shows. I was also engaged in local arts activism. Then, after a painful process, I realized that I wasn’t really in love with acting – certainly not so much that I was willing to barely get by. So I left the business.

MARK HAYDEN: Could you tell us what you have been involved with post Millennium and do you have anything you would like to bring to the attention of the Millennium fans who are reading this interview?

CHERYL MCNAMARA: I’ve been working in the charitable sector and writing. I’m getting back to playwriting and realize that I really do love it.

I’ve also very active in raising awareness on climate change and solutions. That has kept me very busy of late. I write a blog called Carbon Slim (www.carbonslim.blogspot.com) which chronicles my efforts in cutting back on my personal carbon emissions. I am also currently developing an online community with the objective of elevating the public conversation on climate change.

MARK HAYDEN: Thank you, Cheryl, for taking the time to talk us and on behalf of all of us at BackToFrankBlack, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

If you enjoyed Cheryl's recollections, and I know you guys will have, please do leave some comments for her attention and don't forget the real reason behind this week of events. Please send your letters and postcards to 20th Century Fox, we are all writing Christmas Cards, why not write one more!

Midnight of The Century Week Day One: Midnight Of A Merry Little Christmas!

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse although Josef was securely locked in the basement working on the video you are about to watch. It's time for BackToFrankBlack to plunge itself into the festive season with a week long celebration of the Kay Reindl and Erin Maher penned festive episode, Midnight of the Century! I am delighted to say that all the hard work that has gone in to this week has been supported by Frank Spotnitz and to all who made it possible, and to Frank, I am very grateful.

We have a week of events to help you good folk celebrate the festive season, Millennium style and we hope that you will all be duly inspired to do you bit for the cause and post your letters and postcards to 20th Century Fox before Christmas. To launch the week, Josef has created a beautiful little video celebrating the episode so without further ado, switch on the fairy lights, grab a glass of eggnog and two types of bread and join with me in wishing all Millennium fans out there, A Merry Little Christmas!

I think you will agree with me that that is inspired and as Josef has continually beavered away, week in, week out, in order to increase our presence at Youtube and bring new supporters in our direction (he is well on his way to his videos receiving a hundred views with each new release) please share you thoughts with him on this wonderful festive outing and wish him Merry Christmas in the process.


As promised, each music new release from Josef will be accompanied by a postcard that we urge you to send to Steve Asbell at 20th Century Fox. Making 20th Century Fox aware that we are here to stay and active in our support of a Millennium Movie is a vital way you can help this campaign achieve its ends. We are regularly asked what is the best way to help this campaign and there is no finer way than sending this postcard. The only way we can bring this show back is to make some noise and continue making that noise. Give Frank black the best Christmas present you could possibly give him by helping to bring him back to our screens in 2010.

Send your letters and postcards to FOX:

STEVE ASBELL
Twentieth Century Fox
10201 West Pico Blvd.,
Bldg. 88, Room 132
Los Angeles, CA 90035#

Mark

As a little extra treat for you good folks (well it is Christmas after all) you can now download a behind the scenes account of the creative process that goes into the creation of the above music video. Simply click on Frank's Christmas tree below to be taken to the download link.

Avatar Vision Proudly Presents: It's still Midnight - a tribute to owls and roosters.

Time once again for another Millennium music video courtesy of our video guru Josef. Each and every week Josef locks himself away in The Spotnitz Sanitarium and creates another musical montage in the hope that we can reach another potential campaigner via the power of Youtube and I know you guys have come to enjoy his work and look forward to it. You can help this campaign by joining Josef and making a video of your own. It needn't be something as complex as a music video, a simple recording of yourself talking about support for this campaign is all we need. Give it some thought.

This week turn our attention to Season Two's episode two part extravaganza, Owls and Roosters. Civil unrest is abound at the very heart of the episode as two of the factions of The Millennium Group, the theological Owls and the secular Roosters, fight for supremacy in the midst of the discovery of the The True Cross. Millennium group members, Frank Black and Lara Means find themselves caught in a struggle as the very existence of The Millennium Group is threatened by the nefarious Odessa.

An epic two-parter needs an epic musical treatment right? Well it has one. Sit back and enjoy these seven minutes and more dedicated to one of the darkest eras The Millennium Group was to face.

So don't be shy. Let Josef know what you think of his latest creation and tell us what you think about the episodes in questions. Are they really as epic as I have made them out to be or did all the civil unrest leave you, well, a little restless. We want to know your thoughts so please do leave us a few comments as we really enjoy hearing from all you good people.


As promised, each music new release from Josef will be accompanied by a postcard that we urge you to send to Steve Asbell at 20th Century Fox. Making 20th Century Fox aware that we are here to stay and active in our support of a Millennium Movie is a vital way you can help this campaign achieve its ends. We are regularly asked what is the best way to help this campaign and there is no finer way than sending this postcard. The only way we can bring this show back is to make some noise and continue making that noise. That's how we will bring Frank Black back.

Mark

To see the address you need to send this to as well as a range of others you might like to send, click here!

• To visit Josef's Youtube page and ch eck out his own collection of videos, click here!

• To check out his myspace page and listen to some of his original compositions, click here

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: don't delay, write today!

As you are all aware, a letter/postcard writing drive is at the very heart of our efforts and the team at BackToFrankBlack cannot emphasize how much Frank Black's future depends on a simple contribution from you, our supporters. The cast and creative team are united with the fans in wishing to make a movie a reality, it is 20th Century Fox that we need to direct our attention to.
With the festive season fast approaching we have listened and we understand that not all have time to print and sent postcards, like the sterling efforts of Richard, so here's how you can help. In an homage to 'Midnight of the Century' we urge you all, strongly, to give five minutes of your time to 'Frank Black' during the festive season.

Whilst you are writing your Christmas cards this year, write an extra one for Fox Executive Steve Asbell. If you can find a card depicting an angel all the better. Simply mirror the card Frank received in that very episode, write, 'It's the Midnight of the Century', sign it and add the website's address, BackToFrankBlack.com and pop it in the mail. Better still get your friends and family to do the same or send multiple cards yourself. Such a simple gesture will make more difference than we give credit for.

Make your voices heard this Christmas and give 'Frank Black' the best Christmas present anyone could give, a movie in 2010!

Send you Christmas cards to:

STEVE ASBELL
Twentieth Century Fox
10201 West Pico Blvd.,
Bldg. 88, Room 132
Los Angeles, CA 90

Keep your eyes peeled folks for BackToFrankBlack's Christmas celebrations which are fast approaching us. Monday 14th December sees a whole week of events dedicated to "Midnight of Century" including plenty of exclusives, and I do mean exclusives, for you guys to enjoy. We hope you will join us for the fun.

Mark

AVATAR VISION PROUDLY PRESENTS: AMBER SKULL AND BONES!

Time once again for another Millennium music video courtesy of our video guru Josef. This week is something of an additional treat, as Josef has turned to fellow musician and friend Cindi to provide the music for this weeks montage. BackToFrankBlack is particularly proud to support talented individuals such as Cindi and we are indebted to her for allowing Josef to use her wonderful composition in this weeks video.

This week, Josef has turned his attention to the season three episode, Skull and Bones, that dark foray into executions Millennium Group style. There are so many notable things about this episode it's hard to know where to start but the fate of Cheryl Andrews and Peter Watts' horrifying confrontation of Emma Hollis in the charnel house must rank high on the list. Coupled with a stellar performance from Ayre Gross and you have an episode that's as controversial as it is good. So, sit back, enjoy the show and let us know what you think of the episode, the music and the video...

So don't be shy. Let Josef know what you think of his latest creation and tell us what you think about the episode. We want to know your thoughts so please do leave us a few comments as we really enjoy hearing from all you good people.

As promised, each music new release from Josef will be accompanied by a postcard that we urge you to send to Steve Asbell at 20th Century Fox. Making 20th Century Fox aware that we are here to stay and active in our support of a Millennium Movie is a vital way you can help this campaign achieve its ends. We are regularly asked what is the best way to help this campaign and there is no finer way than sending this postcard. The only way we can bring this show back is to make some noise and continue making that noise. That's how we will bring Frank Black back.

Mark

To see the address you need to send this to as well as a range of others you might like to send, click here!

• To visit Josef's Youtube page and ch eck out his own collection of videos, click here!

• To check out his myspace page and listen to some of his original compositions, click here!

BACKTOFRANKBLACK EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JAMES JORDAN LOOKS BACK ON VIRTUAL SEASON FIVE OF MILLENNIUM!

With news that the Virtual Sixth Season of Millennium has now gone into production, coupled with the stellar response we received to our previous retrospective on Virtual Season Four, James Jordan kindly agreed to talk to BackToFrankBlack about his time working on twenty new episodes of Millennium. Millennium Virtual Season 5 was created by a dedicated group of Millennium fans eager to continue the journeys of retired FBI Agent and Criminal Profiler Frank Black. Each professionally written weekly episode aired online from January to June 2007. This is a behind the scenes look at their journey.

MARK HAYDEN: Could you tell us a little about yourself in terms of any writing projects you were involved with prior to Virtual Season Five? Was this a steep learning curve for yourself or something you had dabbled in to some degree previously?

JAMES JORDAN: I’d written a few odd scripts and I was honing the craft, so the mechanics of screenwriting weren’t new to me but I’d never undertaken such a huge, collaborative project before. I don’t think you can truly be prepared for how much hard work it is until you’re caught up in everything.

MH: At the time the Virtual Fourth Season was created the team involved were fuelled by the very recent cancellation of the show and a desire to see it reach the millennium and tie up the loose ends of the televised series. Considering that they felt they had achieved their mandate what inspired the Virtual Fifth Season and what story did you believe there was left to tell?

JJ: That’s a very good question! It was Tony Black, my fellow executive producer, who first proposed it. At first I wasn’t sure if it was viable or something I’d be interested in for those exact reasons, but the more we talked about the storytelling possibilities and the enduring character of Frank Black, the more tempting it became.

When we hit upon the idea of tying together all the post-millennial catastrophes and how that could be interpreted as an apocalypse unfolding in very real terms, that seemed to be the key to making the series relevant and interesting to our present times. Plus of course, Frank and Jordan hadn’t stopped living in the intervening years and there would always be lots of opportunities for standalone episodes, so the chance to expand on this compelling world that Chris Carter created proved irresistible.

MH: I am fascinated by the mechanics that went in to the creation of any virtual season. From working on BackToFrankBlack I am all too aware of the sheer hard work that goes into a fan product of any kind, work that remains undetected by those who enjoy the results. Could you describe the experience of working on that season and offer a brief synopsis of the highs and lows of it?

JJ: We approached it as much like a television production as possible over the internet, which I suppose is the main difference between a virtual season and fan fiction, if you will. We worked out of a private forum where the staff would gather together to plan and structure the skeleton of the season, break individual episodes and organize deadlines and such. I’d take a pass on each script in the tradition in which US shows are run, then the final versions would go up on the website every Friday.

The highs were seeing all these people doing great work and getting some very gratifying feedback from readers. But of course we had our hits and misses and it could be both tiring and stressful. I think the hardest it got was when I got a draft in very late that was basically half finished, and I was up all night feverishly rewriting to get it out on schedule that Friday. Thankfully it only went down to the wire that once, and most of the time we were having fun with these characters and telling their stories.

MH: Could you tell us a little about the Virtual Five crew? From where did you draw supporters and contributors, how were roles assigned and so on and whether the team has continued to communicate and contribute to further projects of this kind?

JJ: At first there was an open call at the well-known fan site This Is Who We Are, which is where Tony and I first started working together and assembling a staff of volunteers. As we realized we needed confident scriptwriters as much as we needed dedicated Millennium fans, we moved over to a network that Tony had set up with ties to an existing writing community which is where we teamed up with Angelo Shrine who wrote some of our most popular episodes.

We also got Ian Austin to step in fairly late on and pick up some of the slack, and one of the unsung heroes of the project, JT Vaughn, who did all of the graphics and images for all our promos as well as our variant of the main title sequence. One or two of the other writers have lost touch, but Tony and Angelo have written episodes of a Night Stalker continuation that I’ve been running, and all those guys have got projects of their own on the go at MZP too. I would never have imagined how much I’ve been sucked into this world back when we first started VS5.

MH: Once you'd established a creative team what ground rules, or guidance, was implemented to ensure that the final product felt like a Millennium project rather than an original work with the Millennium characters inserted into it. Are there any particular televised episodes that you allowed to flavour the tone of the season you were writing?

JJ: To start off, I put together a bible that established the basic points that Tony and I had agreed on, along with where we saw characters like Frank Black at this point in time and the overall tone and direction we were aiming for. So all the writers had that to keep us on the same page, plus we’d break all the episodes together to make sure things stayed consistent, or sometimes I’d write the outline and hand it to a writer to do their script from, because some people prefer to work that way. We’d try and pick out as many little details as we could to evoke the visual sensibilities of the show, the opening epigrams and the legends for example, just to add to that authentic Millennium experience. I don’t think there were any specific episodes we picked out for reference, but broadly speaking we always said we’d try to hearken back to the tone of the first season while bringing our own flavour to it all.

MH: You introduced a number of original characters in the Virtual Fifth Season. Were you aware of any differences between writing for characters you had created as opposed to those you had enjoyed as on screen creations. Is it harder to ensure a consistent personality and voice for an original creation than one who was already very established?

JJ: Absolutely, yes. When it comes to Frank Black, you’ve got the benefit of 67 TV episodes and everything an actor brings to the character, all Lance Henriksen’s brilliant facial reactions and mannerisms, not to mention that fantastic voice. There’s so much to draw on and replicate with points of reference an audience would recognize. With an original character you have none of that. A reader will never hear an actor reading the lines, never see them bring it to life, so you have to try and compensate for that on the page as best you can.

We had our young detective Brad Locke as our second lead, and to try and get him to stand up to Frank Black and not feel overly similar to any other past characters could be very difficult. The same could be said for Miranda Graff, the romantic interest for Frank who couldn’t just be another Catherine but at the same time had to be carefully written so as not to disrespect her memory either. I think most people would agree that it’s generally easier to write for Frank, and I know that I certainly found the same to be true for the likes of Lucy Butler.

MH: For the fans, a virtual season allows them to enjoy another slice of the characters and the show they support but wherein lies the enjoyment for those behind the scenes? Given the amount of sheer hard slog involved with creating something like this how does all that hard work reap its dividends?

JJ: The writing is its own reward, in many respects. As much as it is hard work, the enjoyment is just as you say in revisiting these characters and having fun with them in their world. We did it for the love of it and nothing more, after all. But I suppose the greatest reward is when someone reads our work, or I should say when someone tells us they’ve read it and what they thought, be it good or bad. Otherwise it’s like a tree falling in the forest. As enjoyable as it is to do, the scripts are written to be read, of course, and when someone spends their free time reading 60-odd pages of fan-written stuff and maybe even sending us a little feedback, it’s the most gratifying thing in the world.

MH: Virtual Season Four was heavily inspired by the mythology of Season Two of Millennium. What particular mythology drove your own season and can you give us a brief, spoiler free version, of what the particular arc for your season was if any.

JJ: We agreed fairly early on that we wanted to go in a different direction to the season two style mythology. Just as all three seasons of Millennium had their own unique identity by virtue of three different sets of showrunners, we decided we’d follow that pattern and establish our own identity compared to VS4 since, true to history, we were yet another different creative team. But we were always very firm on respecting the great work of our predecessors and treating it as canon, or “fanon” if you will. Our mythology episodes are basically about the idea that the apocalypse is in progress having only just got started in 2001.

We sort of follow the concept of “an apocalypse of our own creation” posited towards the end of season three. We look at things that are happening all around us like H5N1, missile defense platforms, natural disasters and terrorism with an eye for how they might be interpreted as symptomatic of the end times. There’s also quite a lot of what fans would call “Legion” throughout the season and how this force of evil may be turning its eye from Frank to Jordan.

MH: The virtual Fourth season was able to bring itself to the attention of Chris Carter who, almost, appeared to endorse it. We know Lance was particularly impressed with the project as was Kay Reindl who passed comment and offered praise regarding the project. Were you able to bring your own season to the attention of any of the cast and crew?

JJ: Not that I’m aware. We got a brief mention in Sci Fi Now magazine once, but that’s about it. The internet is such a different beast now to what it was in the 90s, there’s no novelty value to this kind of thing now, and of course the show had been off the air for a long time before we got started. I’d be very surprised if anyone outside our little corner of the internet knew VS5 existed.

MH: With hindsight and experience what advice can you give those who are currently in the process of working on Virtual Season Six of the show?

JJ: Give yourself plenty of time! You really don’t get a sense of how much work it is until you’re in the thick of it all. And focus on making the scripts the best they can be. As much fun as it is to come up with new ideas and play with promos and extras, if you haven’t got the scripts you haven’t really got anything. Best of luck!

Please join with me in thanking James for taking the time to answer our questions and if you have not had the chance to enjoy the Virtual Season Five of Millennium then may I urge you, as one who has enjoyed it many times, to do just that. You won't regret it.

HERE'S DIRT'S THING: BEWARE OF THE DOG!

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. This time it's time for a wander down to Bucksnort for season two's Beware of The Dog.

Beware Of The Dog sees Frank travel to Bucksnort, a small town where residents fear for their lives outdoors after the sun goes down, when packs of blood-thirsty dogs roam the streets. Here he discovers that the Millennium Group and its members may be far stranger than is common knowledge and that there may be truth to legends of demons who took on the form of canines. Whatever you think of this episode, kudos has to be given for introducing R.G. Armstrong as The Old Man, a character who was to become beloved of fans and rightly so. So grab some coffee with half-fat cream (and don't forget the cinnamon this time) let's see what DiRT thought shall we?

So did he get it right or do we we have to send a pack of baying hounds after his blood? Here's where you tell us what you thought of his thoughts. Rest assured, DiRT does check out your comments so please do share them. And whilst I'm here, I hope you will join me in wishing all our US friends, including DiRT, a truly wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

Mark

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!