"The world didn't end."
"No, it didn't."

I'll admit that I was not exactly thrilled when I found out the 
X-Files would be doing a crossover with a failed series as those 
events are usually overly self-indulgent. I was actually quite a 
fan of "Millennium" during it's second season when it seemed to 
finally gain focus and had those little things a fan appreciates 
like an interesting season long through line. However, when it 
was once again reset in season three ignoring what was built, I 
left the show behind. The irony is that it took this episode to 
give the X-Files back something it has been sorely lacking since 
the production's move to Los Angeles: that dark, wet, creepy, 
graveyard feel that so trademarked the show's earlier seasons.

Writers Spotnitz and Gilligan managed to pull off a crossover I 
was happy with. The "Millennium" focus was just another case for 
Mulder and Scully with Lance Henriksen's Frank Black acting as a 
strong addition in a supporting role. The writers did a good job 
of making a story that folks who did not watch "Millennium" could 
follow while still providing one of the base elements of that 
series: the war of good and evil. I would however be remiss if 
I did not scold the writers for stooping to a classically cheap 
moment. Skinner, apparently over his last bout of the palm pilot 
flu enough to go back to straddling the political fence, finds a 
body under a sheet while looking for Scully, but (SURPRISE!!) 
she's actually still alive. Who woulda thunk it.

On the other hand, I think that the writing staff is thus far 
doing a skillful job on playing with Scully's more open-minded 
approach. I would never expect her to forsake science as soon 
as something goes bump in the night. It's just not her nature. 
However, having her play with a hopeful Mulder with "see you 
had me up until then" or manage statements like "he was dead, 
and then somehow he wasn't" without flinching too much is a nice 
start. Humoring Mulder is coming a bit easier for her these days. 
Thus it seemed fitting that it is Scully, who is struggling with 
her own beliefs this season, who confronts Black in the end and 
asks if he believes and if good or evil will prevail.

It's been a while since I've been truly scared for Mulder, but 
seeing him bleeding, frightened and standing in that little salt 
circle did it for me. Duchovny did an excellent job of relaying 
the pure terror of that situation. Similarly I found myself 
tensing up at Scully's solo trip to the morgue. It's always 
fun to watch those "bummer, I hate it when I have no backup 
and there's blood on the floor" moments. Kudos to this episode 
for serving up some good old fashioned frights. 

As far as Duchovny and Anderson were concerned, they both did 
nice work in an episode that was more about plot than character. 
I especially enjoyed seeing Mulder do the math and come to the 
realization that now was a pretty sure bet as he decided to 
celebrate the new year like everyone else. Anderson's scene 
with Black as she gets increasingly frustrated with his non-
answers when her partner could be in danger is also well played. 
However, the highlight on both parts was the final few moments 
of the episode as we see the weight of the world again settle 
on the shoulders of our heroes. And for everyone who has ever 
complained that Anderson and Duchovny were dead pan in their 
roles, we may now compare and contrast with Lance Henriksen, 
the one lead Chris Carter found not able to easily usurp him 
in personality. Lance actually showed more character than most 
of the "Millennium" episodes I watched in this guest role. 
Holmes Osborne was appropriately nondescript in his part as 
a taxidermist turned necromancer loner with a purpose.

I have to credit director Thomas J. Wright who spent a lot 
of time working on the "Millennium" series for bringing that 
Vancouver sensibility with him in creating the wonderfully 
creepy atmosphere that filled this episode. Wright and Director 
of Photography Bill Roe made the basement zombie scenes some of 
the show's scariest, lighting them with flashlights and flares 
to great effect. I hope we shall be seeing Mr. Wright and his 
rain machines again sometime soon.

I am sure much will be made of the last minutes of this episode. 
I expect every second will be deconstructed and offered every 
possible interpretation. I choose to take it at face value. 
Mulder and Scully shared a sweet kiss and a moment of happiness 
in the midst of their all consuming and overwhelming fight for 
the truth. And the world did not end. And for a minute they lived 
a normal life. And it made both of them and me smile. And did I 
mention the world didn't end? 

My hope is that this series in its final season will continue 
to find moments where these characters that we have all grown 
to love can find a sliver of light in the gloom. I've said it 
before, and I'll say it again, I love the angst, but in the end 
I just want those kids to be happy.

Random Musings
-----------------------

-Date stamp: We start at December 21,1999 and end as the year 
2000 strikes in Times Square. It's too bad they felt the need 
to run this episode during sweeps instead of closer to the 
actual dates portrayed. It always feels odd to get a "holiday" 
episode out of sequence. God only knows what sort of time 
traveling we are going to be doing between now and the end 
of the year as the rest of the episodes play out in shuffled 
format.

-I seem to recall that on one of the "Millennium" episodes 
I did watch there was an X-Files episode playing. One would 
think this would make a crossover unlikely. 

-So her husband "didn't leave a note" - I'd think if she was 
paying any attention at all to her spouse she'd have at least 
a clue where to start looking for reasons. After all, he was 
a Millennium Group member sure enough of his cause to take his 
own life. Maybe she just though he worked for a snake screensaver.

-Thank God they had a closed casket funeral with this dead guy 
because the undertaker didn't seem to bother to do much besides 
dress the man. It sure looked like he was already half way to 
gray skinned, rotting-flesh zombiehood.

-It's more than slightly ooky to see someone undress in front 
of a casket, especially with a clip on tie.

-Sign me up for the cell phone that stays active from Dec. 21st 
to December 29th. That's a hell of a battery to last eight days. 
I guess zombies aren't really interested in the "talk time" 
features. Did Johnson have to sit outside in the graveyard that 
whole time waiting for the call? God knows one can't get cell 
phone service at his house there in the Maryland boondocks.

-If Johnson was actually wearing Crouch's outfit for eight 
straight days I personally think the corpse smells are the 
least of the dry cleaner's problems. I have to wonder if it 
was Johnson the deputy was smelling and not the contents of 
the car.

-Frank's Fashion Spot: If you have to dress her in black, 
dress her in this. A resounding "Hoo Boy" to the ribbed black 
mock turtleneck Scully wore with her suit. It was enough to 
help me forget that odd gray/green jacket she had to sport the 
rest of the episode.

-Gillian Anderson provides us with one of the more enjoyable 
Scully entrances as we see Scully piece together that Mulder 
is indeed up to something in her short conversation with the 
undertaker.

-I guess Scully must have been taking the week between Christmas 
and New Year's off before getting called in on this one since 
she and Mulder share a bemused "Merry Christmas" in that warm 
holiday tradition over a grave desecration.

-Those other agents in Skinners office are mighty efficient 
little worker bees if they managed to go through 21 years of 
cases enough to ascertain no one disliked the guy that quickly.

-It would have been nice if the writers had at least let Scully 
be the one to explain the ouroborus since she wears one on her 
back. Jeers to the writers for not even mentioning her skin 
deep connection.

-Rice County? Unless they are talking about Kansas or Minnesota 
it appears we are back to making up locations again. It doesn't 
seem like a very safe place to live as it was only mid morning 
at the county morgue and they were already backed up three stiffs.

-Time, time, time, look what you've done to me: The morgue 
needs a new clock, while the time stamp read 10:32 AM the 
wall clock said 11:20. Also the 11:21 time stamp was back, 
and it looked like the clock read 10:13 when Frank visited 
the dead man's party.

-Fun and perfectly in character exchange: Scully: "And besides 
2001 is actually the start of the new millennium." Mulder: 
"Nobody likes a math geek, Scully." Mulder I wouldn't be so 
sure about that…

-One has to think that the Millennium Group were really a 
bunch of idiots. Not only do they not know when the real 
millennium is, they thought these guys were going to be the 
four horsemen of the apocalypse. These dermatology nightmares 
didn't seem capable of much beyond "Night of the Living Dead" 
zombie skulking about, biting and moaning. And just how was it 
decided what would be the time zone for the end of the world? 
Or did they have it rigged to end in hour increments throughout 
the world as the New Year rang in?

-If Mr. Revelation really was that afraid that the guy would 
come back to life he sure as heck did not do a very good job 
of burying Deputy Clue Mouth or covering his tracks.

-I must admit to a little inner neener at Mulder when he was 
getting frustrated with Black for occasionally dropping "the 
little arcane hint" and not coming out and saying something. 
Gee Mulder, it is annoying, isn't it? Maybe that's why he 
actually gave Scully a straight answer for a change when she 
asked "And what are you going to do?"

-So, since Scully shot the last zombie does that mean she 
saved the world from evil yet again? Like she needs more 
brownie points in that arena. And as a reward she gets to 
celebrate New Years in a hospital. How fun.

-At least Mark Snow didn't have to spend this episode sampling 
from his movie soundtrack since he had Millennium music to draw 
from instead.

-Lucky for Mulder a little of that Kosher salt goes a long 
way. How he managed to make that circle out of a small handful 
is yet another mystery. Speaking of, I was confused as to why 
when Black came in Mulder had managed to get out of that circle 
and into a corner with his tie tourniquet without being attacked.

-It's a wonder that any of Mulder and Scully's charges stick 
as often as these two enter homes without a warrant by picking 
locks, etc.

-Just what was the point of showing us a gun with six bullets? 
Especially since after doing so Mulder and Black managed to get 
off seven rounds from it.

Autumn
"Mulder, you been spreading rumors?"