Millennium/Gehenna

Gehenna
Season 1, Episode 2
Airdate	November 1, 1996
Production Number	4C01
Written by	Chris Carter
Directed by	David Nutter
← 1x01 Pilot	1x03 → Dead Letters
Millennium — Season One

Gehenna is the second episode of the first season of Millennium.

Starring: Lance Henriksen (Frank Black), Megan Gallagher (Catherine Black)

Terry O'Quinn (Peter Watts), Brittany Tiplady (Jordan Black)

and Bill Smitrovich (Lt. Bob Bletcher)

Guest Starring: Robin Gammell (Mike Atkins), Chris Ellis (Jim Penseyres), Sam Khouth (Dylan)

Co-Starring: Don Mackay (Jack Meredith), George Josef (Mr. Bolow), Stephen Holmes (Eedo), Chris Bradford (Driver), Henry Watson (Detective), Don McWilliams (Park Guy)

Uncredited: Bob Wilde (Ricardo Clement), Nina Persachi (Mrs. Bolow)

Plot Overview

A group of young men gather into a car and drive to secluded location. One of them is forced out of the car after being injected with LSD and the others drive around him in circles, yelling and screaming at him. The man becomes frightened and runs into a nearby abandoned building. He is attacked by what he sees as a hideous demon but at times appears to be a deranged human. Frank Black is drawn to the scene of this crime by the discovery of human ashes in a nearby park. Once there, Frank sees the dead man's vision of the demon and learns that the murderer burns his victims alive and feeds on their suffering.

The police manage to recover some teeth from the piles of human ashes. Dental records lead them to a Russian immigrant who has been missing for six months. Frank learns that the Russian was sucked into a bizarre cult obsessed with the apocalypse. Members of the cult who lose their faith are burned in the fires of Gehenna. All the members of the cult work in a giant telemarketing office and are forced to sell hair products. One night, the cult begins their ritual again and sends another faithless member to his death in the warehouse, but instead of running into the demon the young man runs into Frank as he investigates the area.

The young man is taken back to the police station for questioning. Frank sees the effects of the cult's brainwashing firsthand as the young man tells him about the demons. The brainwashing is so strong that while thinking of the demon, the young man scares himself to death. Frank follows the evidence and discovers the existence of Gehenna Industries. Frank and his colleague Mike Atkins investigate Gehenna Industries' warehouse and find a stockpile of weapons for the apocalypse. Atkins wanders into a giant microwave where Gehenna has fried many of the unfaithful and finds himself trapped in it. The leader of Gehenna turns on the microwave, but Frank and the police free him before he dies. The leader is arrested and the cult is shut down, while Atkins is taken to the hospital due to his heavy injuries.

Notes

First Act Quote

"I smell blood and

an era of prominent madmen."

W.H. Auden

Locations

• San Francisco

• Seattle, Washington

Music

• Cypress Hill - "Hits From The Bong"

• Cypress Hill - "I Wanna Get High"

• Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Frank puts up security lights, still not having told Catherine about the Polaroids. He consults with Millennium Group member Mike Atkins who assures him that he doesn't believe the stalker will escalate due to the three year hiatus since the last set of Polaroids were sent and is only aiming to terrorise Frank. All that Atkins could tell is that the film was purchased in Washington.

Characters

• It's revealed that Mike Atkins is who was responsible for bringing Frank into the Millennium Group.

Trivia

The Show

• Chris Carter has stated that the theme of this episode is how evil can penetrate one's home through outside sources now, such as faxes and telephones.

Behind the Scenes

• Not only was the cult leader written specifically for Bob Wilde, but Chris Carter went as far as include his name in the script.

Allusions and References

• Mike Atkins says "Gehenna" is a Hebrew word for "Hell". This is the translation of the word in Greek from the Hebrew word for "ge-hinnom" which refers to Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where garbage and the dead would be burned. The literal translation of the word Gehenna in the Bible into Hell stems from its use by Jesus who was referring to the literal place in Jerusalem.

Quotes

• Frank: You come all the way out here just to allay my fears, Mike?

Mike Atkins: It would be the easiest thing in the world to go home, be with your family, Frank. But we need you here on this one. We need your abilities. I have a bad feeling about this case.

Frank: I think it is not like any other case I've ever seen before.

Mike Atkins: That would be my threat assessment.

• Peter: (reading letter) "I have seen the all-powerful one in the pouring red rain and I fear nothing but his wrath and vengeance. The end is coming. The numbers have been miscalculated. 24 times 15 are 360, adjustable by - "

Mike Atkins: (finishing for Watts) 286.1. There is a deliberate error in the Great Pyramid in Giza, an architectural anomaly that some prophets have cited as an error in our calculation of the true calendar year. Some believe it sets the date of the apocalypse in 1998.

Jim Penseyres: Plan your investment strategy accordingly.

• Catherine: You did what was important. You did what you set out to do, Frank. You caught the bad man.

Frank: I'm not so sure.

Catherine: Not sure of what?

Frank: Not sure... Not sure if the bad man can be caught.