The original post: /r/television by /u/Stars_Upon_Thars on 2025-01-06 16:28:28.
My partner and I, elder millennials and big xfiles fans decided to do a very thorough job on our 3rd watch through the entire xfiles series by including the related shows, as well as the movies, at their proper points within the long run of the xfiles. So after we watched the first episode of season 8, we took a 66ish episode diversion into the world of Frank Black and the millennium group so we could have all the context to the session 8 episode of the xfiles that was a sort of a crossover\finale for millennium.
I have to say, this show grew on me and by the time season 3 ended (unexpectedly?) I was mildly annoyed they didn’t get a season 4 because they were clearly setting up some closure storylines! It was certainly uneven, and the first season to me was a bit of a slog. There were some fascinating story kernels in season 1 but they mostly didn’t get fleshed out to my satisfaction in the episode, and it was feeling very csi\detective procedural (much credit for being ahead of it’s time, for sure, but not exactly compelling TV in 2024).
BUT! as the first season went on and franks wife wasn’t doing the usual tv wife “why are you always answering work calls during family time” and was instead super supportive, and had her own career that became a part of the plot with it’s own season 1 episodes, I was pleasantly surprised! As the story started to unfold by the end of season 1 I was intrigued enough to be mildly excited to see where it went (out of duty, we were always going to finish the series because we go down with ships in this household).
The overall arc of the three season run was fascinating. Each season was kind of a different show, and I loved where they were going with the millennium group. At first I found Frank or very flat and boring to watch but as his character grew out became charming, and he’s just such a good egg. Like so ethically correct in the story context but on a way that’s not obnoxious.The fact that the Peter character was introduced as an ally and the viewer likes him, and then basically is a low key villain, but you still like him? Kind of? Was really kind of brave for the time period.
The are-they-preventing-the-apocalypse-or-bringing-it thing was neat. There were some wild xfiles\lost\from style episodes, the town with the dogs and the old millennium group guy, I think has to have inspired From. The school shooting episode was actually heartbreaking (and pre columbine to boot) knowing what we know about Y2K. They ways in which biblical prophecy is treated myth and symbolism (OR IS IT) explicitly by characters is something that I’m not sure could fly nowadays. The virus storyline set up was really interested (though the conclusion of it was kind of bungled because I really wanted some more at least exposition about that in season 3). I can see a lot of things that could have played out in a season 4 and I’m sad that it didn’t happen.
Anyway that’s it! I searched this sub and this show hasn’t been posted about in like 6 months so I figured it was overdue. I wish it was streaming somewhere, and there were good quality versions of the first season (its really hard to find, and the video quality is not great, under those circumstances, season 1 being the worst).