Grim scenes give 'Millennium' hope

Chris Carter, producer of "The X-Files," has come up with a new idea for a show. And if "The X-Files" needed a warning before it, "Millennium" deserves a subliminal message in it saying "all children leave the room." "Millennium" is about Frank Black, played by Lance Henrikson (the "artificial person" Bishop in "Aliens" and "Alien 3"). Black works for The Millennium Group, an organization dedicated to applying the "special abilities" of people toward hunting down criminals. "I see what the killer sees," Black says in the pilot. He has flashes of the murders after they have occurred and tries to understand what the killer thinks. This show is GRAPHIC. If you are at all squeamish, you should NOT be watching it. Network television has never let stuff like this on the air before. The pilot alone included: one decapitated head in a plastic bag, one man burned alive, one scene with a stripper covered with blood and fire, a man buried alive with his eyes and lips sewn shut and his arms sewn to his chest, a scene with a dozen or so men walking around with their eyes and lips sewn shut, one psychotic killer and a shadowy government agent. And people say television is getting too violent. The main theme of the show, however, is the fact that Black has a wife and a daughter whom he is trying to protect from this violent world. From what was shown of Black's character, "Millennium" has a fascinating protagonist. Black is a man who hunts down the most evil, vile things possible, and yet he has to be a caring father as well. In the darkness of the world, every bit of light has to be savored, Black seems to imply. The gothic element was a bit too much at some points. While the rain is a standard gothic set piece, the Nine Inch Nails/White Zombie background music seemed out of place. Mark Snow, the composer for "The X-Files" music, needs to come work his magic over on "Millennium." Henrikson's acting was perfect for the character of Frank Black. He not only looks weathered, but sounds like someone who has endured everything the world can throw at him, and still plows on. "Millennium" is filled with dozens of possibilities. Not only are there hints that Black's family is being toyed with by a serial killer, Black works for a government organization that isn't very open about what they do and how they meet. Carter, who's no slouch at conspiracy theory, may tackle the other side of "The X-Files" from here, but on a less otherworldly scale. While "The X-Files" is about two people who are trying to fight government secrecy, "Millennium" is about a man who is very much tied to it. "Millennium" has a lot of potential: a good lead actor, a solid premise and a feel that will keep audiences glued to their televisions. My only other complaint was that it bumped "The X-Files" to Sunday night...