Millennium - Series 1 [DVD] [1996]

Although no longer an agent, Frank hasn't completely severed his ties with the world in which he once worked. He has joined a team of ex-law enforcement agents known as the "Millennium Group". Little of the Group's history or structure is given away during the first season, though it does appear to be well connected and has access to a great deal of information. However, only very few members other than Frank are introduced - his main contact is Peter Watts, played by Terry O'Quinn. Nevertheless, those who work for the group appear to be happy to lend their expertise to whatever investigation requires their help. A cop in Seattle before he joined the Bureau, Frank occasionally works with Bob Bletcher - a friend and former colleague at the Seattle PD's homicide department. Given Frank's experience, the bulk of his work continues to focus on suspected serial killers. He also has a very useful gift that helps with investigations. When, for example, he visits a crime scene or views a body, Frank can see what the killer saw - something he describes as both a gift and a curse. However, he is not supposed to be a psychic, nor is his ability supposed to be a form of telepathy : he was simply a very gifted individual who could 'put himself' in the killer's head.

In addition to the pilot and the twenty-one episodes of season one, there are some special features on the sixth disc. It's always nice when the extras aren't just out-takes, and the team behind Millennium have clearly put some effort in. There are commentaries on the pilot and another episode ("Gehenna"), though two of the documentaries (one on the making of season one and another on the creating the logo and the title sequence) were what I found most interesting.

Given that Chris Carter also created "The X-Files", it's perhaps a little unusual that - for this season at least - there isn't anything unusual about the show ! Carter wanted to create a murder-mystery show with a cohesive idea, but without a paranormal thread. Unlike its more famous sibling, "Millennium" didn't feature alien autopsies, werewolves, liver-eating mutants or 'black oil' : with only occasional exceptions, the villains are human serial killers. (Although there simply isn't a bad episode, one of the strongest and saddest - "The Well-Worn Lock" is one of these exceptions. It sees the action largely driven by Catherine and features a criminal who isn't a killer). Carter has created a show that is dark, can be disturbing and has a real sense of evil. Highly recommended for fans of murders, mysteries and thrillers who aren't squeamish.

Anyway, I'll stop my reverential babbling and cover a few technical points. The image and sound are superb. The extras are very informative and, although I usually don't care for them as they often seem a convenient excuse to boost the price of the item, they are very welcome relative to this great series and its superb value.

This leads to my final comment in the review. I am still at a loss to understand why Millennium, with 22 episodes and extras to boot, retails for under £30 while a series of the x-files with 22-24 episodes often retails at twice that price. Another great mystery . . . well not really.

WAIT . . . WORRY . . . WHO CARES . . ?