Second Sight: "The Judge"

“The Judge” (15 November 1996)

Writer: Ted Mann
Director: Randy Zisk
Editor: Stephen Mark

Quote: “Five hundred years ago, you would have been burned as a witch.” --Bob Bletcher to Frank Black


Overview: In “The Judge,” Bob Bletcher teasingly calls attention to the seemingly miraculous nature of Frank Black’s gift by associating his talents with witchcraft. Frank, of course, rejects the comparison. “Nothing I do is magic,” the profiler insists with a straight face and, for perhaps the first time since the series was launched, the casework that follows fully supports his position. This episode dutifully presents the usual stylized flashes of insight as imaginative extrapolations of the evidence at hand. Each and every one of the visions is clearly prompted by clue or cue seen, heard, or felt by Frank Black--and, by extension, the audience. Blood and tissue samples found under the fingernails of a corpse prompt our hero to reconsider the events of an early killing; the expert analysis voiced by a pathologist induces a visualization of precisely how a new victim was subdued.

Slowed down, taken frame-by-frame, the lurid visions seen here reveal details of the crimes never otherwise shown or discussed on screen and thus act as a compelling representation of the complexities of Frank Black’s investigative thought process. This is one of many Millennium installments in which the visionary sequences contain far more detail than could ever be properly absorbed by the audience during a traditional viewing--a veritable visual overload, especially for a collective total of eleven seconds of screen time. They reveal just how much artistic effort was put into crafting these fleeting displays on film.

While it may not be directly tied to the subject matter of Frank Black’s visions, mention must also be made of the portentous tête-à-tête that takes place between our hero and his unique opponent. When Frank asks for the eponymous Judge to provide his name, the livestock auctioneer turned vigilante insists that his true name is Legion. He explains that the chosen moniker is adopted from the story related in Mark 5:1-19--appropriately enough, a tale involving Jesus, a demon, and a herd of hogs. The grim meaning invested in that name was at once seized upon by Millennium’s fan base as an apt identification for the ominous force that was first seen in “Gehenna” and would come to make its presence felt more and more strongly as the series progressed. Mark my words: that evocative name, first cited in our review of the visions seen in the show’s second installment, will certainly mark future columns.

Connections: The Judge relates the parable of Mark 5:1-19, the story of Legion, and thereby provides both Frank Black and the audience with a moniker for the demonic presence previously glimpsed in “Gehenna.”

Trances in Total: 4 (0:11)

Gore Score: 10/10

Lance Henriksen Guest Stars on ABC's "Castle" Tonight!

In a must-see episode for any Lance or Ten Thirteen fan, Lance Henriksen guest stars in tonight's brand new episode of Castle on ABC.


The episode, entitled "Close Enounters of the Murderous Kind", also features Lyle Lovett as a federal agent, whilst Lance's character is a "super nerd" and expert on alien abduction! In an interview with TV Guide, creator and executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe explains how the episode is quite explicitly a nod to The X-Files. This, coupled with the inclusion of Lance Henriksen as a guest star, makes this a highly significant televisual event for Ten Thirteen fans and followers of Back to Frank Black, exemplifying the enduring appeal of both Chris Carter's creations and Lance Henriksen himself.

You can watch a sneak peek preview of the episode at ABC's website, and it airs tonight at 10/9C plus will thereafter be available to view online. Don't miss it!

Back To Frank Black goes independent!

BacktoFrankBlack.com is moving! Well, for you guys it isn't, but the site is spreading its wings somewhat behind the scenes!

How does this affect you? Well, on the short term, the site may be down while the migration takes place -- maybe some teething problems -- but hopefully nothing we can't sort out in the next 48 hours from this post.

Email works as always -- send us email to info@backtofrankblack.com if you have something to say!

Again, this is short term -- one night at most, I hope. Monday will hopefully bring a new independent era to Back to Frank Black!

What this post is really about is saying thank you to Graham Smith, who has let us use his server space for the past two years. Graham has always been generous with us, and indeed always been there to offer technical advice or very candid feedback on the campaign itself. I'm still in contact with Graham and through him and his network of This Is Who We Are, but on behalf of myself, Troy, Brian, Adam, Joselyn, Christina and, of course, Lance, thank you for looking after us. In particular, thanks for suffering many technical e-mails on the migration! You were a great help.

So, Back to Frank Black is now sitting independent. Money from the t-shirts we've sold has enabled us to run the hosting for the campaign -- an indicator that money spent on the campaign does help the campaign and not our pockets. We're here independently because of you guys, so I guess that alone requires a big thank you from us all!

Watch out for more news! The date for the charity auction is finally set! A post on that tomorrow -- plus an extension on the deadline for the Worldwide Fan Campaign! Eyes peeled my friends! Eyes peeled!

Worldwide Fan Project Update!

Thank for those who are sending in the videos. We've seen more coming in these past few days and I'd like to thank those who have sent.

An apology for those in the past 12 hours who have tried and had a mailbox exceeded message -- this is from video files overloading our mailbox!

The mailbox is clear, so please try sending again to info@backtofrankblack.com

If this happens again, please send to jim@backtofrankblack.com as an alternative!

These fan messages are vital to the campaign. It is a way of showing FOX the diversity of fans from across the world who support the return of Frank Black. If we can, we'll be seeing if Lance will do one for us, too. So, if you want your face in a video along with the man himself, you're a ten minute job away from doing just that!

Just use a cellphone to record a five second message of yourself saying "This Is Who We Are", then send it to your computer (unless your cell is brilliant enough to send a video file to an email address) and email to the above addresses!

This is a way for you guys to get really involved in this campaign. This is your voice and your face speaking for what you want! Don't miss this opportunity!

Future Back to Frank Black Staffer?

One of the amazing things about working on this campaign to bring Frank Black back to the big screen is that we get to meet fans of Lance Henriksen from all over the world. At last count, there have been people coming to the site from over 30 countries! This definitely shows that Millennium and Lance Henriksen have a worldwide appeal. FOX, are you reading this?

Right now, Back to Frank Black has a complete staff for the first time and we are running like a well-oiled machine, but let's not forget that we all have lives outside of the campaign. That's why it is with great pleasure that we present a future staff member. In the video clip you will see below is the lovely Juliet Balmean. She is the daughter of Back to Frank Black staff members Max and Christina. At just 17 months she sits in front of the TV and, although some very creepy images of the Pumpkinhead monster appear on screen, she just takes it in stride. One of the cutest things we have ever seen! Please join us in thanking Max and Christina in letting us share this great clip with all of you!

What the Killer Sees: Connor

Killer: Connor (John Fleck)

Episode: “Blood Relatives” (6 December 1996)

Writer: Chip Johannessen

Director: James Charleston

Quote: “How could anyone abandon a child? But millions of people do it. Millions. God, it’s scary. We have home after home filled with kids like James. And we know they'll turn violent. How do I tell the survivors that no one saw it coming? They're out there, Frank... People full of holes.” --Catherine Black

Profile: The narrative twists of this episode remind us of the shades of grey involved in profiling and the investigative process as a whole. It is for this reason that James Dickerson finds himself under suspicion for so much of the investigation. In addition to insinuating himself into families during their grief at the funerals of men comparable in age to him, he is noted to have been collecting souvenirs from the personal effects of the deceased.

As we have seen before, killers will sometimes collect souvenirs from a kill to remind themselves of the experience, and in a different way Dickerson does the same thing here to remind himself of the personal connection he has made with the families he has encountered. As Catherine Black’s analysis of his history notes, “He's a classic lost child. And there's an army of them just like him. Put up for adoption at one-and-a-half, never placed, in and out of foster care, reform school, abuse. He essentially raised himself... No-one showed him how to connect with the world. Odd as this may sound, going to funerals is his attempt.”

Dickerson’s resulting absence of self-worth and self-concern is so acute that when his mother rejects him again to his face once he is in custody, he even admits to two murders that he never committed. This is the tragedy at the heart of this story, of the psychological damage wrought on him as a child from his experiences. Frank notes to Peter Watts that he fits the profile and that he is capable of committing murder. But, as it turns out, he is not guilty. Capability coupled with behavioural similarities to those exhibited by killers does not imply that someone necessarily has made or ever will make that leap to murderous violence.

We actually know much less about the killer himself: Connor, trustee of the halfway house at which Dickerson resides. From his attitude towards Dickerson and his reaction to the sight of his mother we know that he takes a great interest in him, even to the extent of concealing him from the police. Quite what his motives are we can only guess at, but it seems likely that his own background mirrors Dickerson’s in some way and that he is seeking to compensate for this, to create a family of sorts. They may well also be a sexual component in his apparent special interest in Dickerson, but there is no overt evidence to support this. We can, however, be almost certain that his previous record would have been unblemished in order for him to be able to hold such a position as trustee of the halfway house in the first instance.

We do learn a little more about Connor from his modus operandi, though, and in particular the mutilation of his victims. The nature and physical origin of a wound pattern can often inform an assessment of the motivation behind a murder and the character of the killer. This is true for injuries that represent overkill, control-oriented, defensive or precautionary force, or how or where on the body that force was administered, plus whether it was inflicted before or after death.
Frank is able to discern that the words “STOP LOOKING” that were carved into Tina’s abdomen were done with care and consideration. This mutilation and the same words traced in pollen on the clothing of Jeffrey Cort as discovered by Peter Watts, were both inflicted after death and therefore directed at someone other than the victim. With the style of the “S” copied from the style of the Skorpion Salvage yard where Connor concealed Dickerson and the wording itself copied from the motivational message on a board in the halfway house, there are strong indications that the messages were intended for Dickerson.

This was a warning from Connor to Dickerson to stop looking for a sense of family elsewhere, an attempt to retain control, power and ownership over him, whether or not there is an implied sexual aspect underlying these motivations. It is this same motivation that leads Connor to attack Mrs Dechant, seeking to strike at the heart of Dickerson’s estranged and fractured family. James Dickerson’s entire life has been devoid of any real sense of familial love, and Connor’s unnatural interest in him represents yet another failing of the system to support his welfare in its absence.

Kills: 2

Investigation: James Dickerson remains the prime suspect throughout much of the investigation, with his personal and criminal past plus his stalking of bereaved families all seeming to provide additional evidence of his guilt. Catherine Black also provides good insights into the social care system and the effects of its failings upon those caught up in it. It is only when tracking Dickerson to the halfway house that things begin take a turn, with Connor being obviously obstructive to the police. Discussing the case with Catherine, Frank makes the leap that the message “STOP LOOKING” is not a message from Dickerson but to him, and it is this realisation that leads Frank to visit Dickerson’s mother, narrowly rescuing her from becoming Connor’s next victim.

Re-release: Sarah Jane Redmond Interview!

Back To Frank Black are proud to re-release one of their personal favourites - the Sarah Jane Redmond interview! This interview brings you Lucy Butler herself in a frank (pardon the pun) and relaxed interview session.

We have a bonus snippet of Sarah and the Back To Frank Black campaign PDF included for those who have purchased the iPhone App! Purchasing the app for your iPhone helps fund the campaign. No money taken by the campaign goes anywhere but back into the project.

For those who haven't heard this interview, enjoy! For those who have - take a wander down memory lane with Lucy!

Download directly here!

Or..





Available on iTunes: search for "BacktoFrankBlack" or "Millennium Group Sessions" and click subscribe!