Millennium 3ABC13: “Antipas”
The Millennial Abyss | Episodes | Season Three
“Antipas” (3ABC13)
Written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz
Directed by Thomas J. Wright
Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.
Aired February 12, 1999
Summary
Frank Black’s nemesis, the evil Lucy Butler, resurfaces as the prime suspect in a murder case that involves Wisconsin's attorney general and the demonic corruption of a young girl.
Synopsis
John Saxum, a State Attorney General, resides in an old stately manor house in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Una, and fragile daughter, Divina. Una tells her husband that, although he is under pressure to announce his candidacy, she doubts she is ready to become the governor's wife. She believes their daughter's health is of greater importance. The Saxums realize that Divina has disappeared into the gardens on their property. Believing Divina is playing a game of hide and seek, John and Uma search through a hedgerow maze. Unbeknownst to them, their daughter has been swallowed whole by a huge python snake slithering around the maze. The Saxums eventually find Divina, seemingly safe and sound, in the company of her nanny, Lucy Butler.
Meanwhile, Emma Hollis, standing in front of a slide screen, reviews a particularly troublesome case with her fellow agents. The victim was a federal prosecutor, who was stabbed to death in a Pittsburgh motel room. As Emma advances the slides, Frank takes interest in an image depicting a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania phone book sitting on a nightstand. The word "saint" is jotted in ballpoint pen over the letters "PA." Frank rearranges the letters in a series of anagrams until he hits upon "antipas." After the meeting concludes, McClaren transfers Emma off the case and assigns it to Frank. Emma is shocked.
Back at the manor, Lucy lays the groundwork to drive a wedge between John and his wife, prompting Una to believe that Lucy is having an affair with her husband. An elderly gardener watches with suspicion as Lucy leads Divina into the hedgerow maze. He attempts to follow the pair, only to be mauled by Doberman pinschers.
Frank uses his computer to access Lucy Butler's file. Surprisingly, no current information is available. He then researches the word "antipas," which leads him to a newspaper story on the dog attack of the gardener, which transpired in Antipas Gardens. An angry Emma interrupts Frank's work. Frank tells her that Antipas is an allusion to Satan. He then shows her Lucy's photograph. Emma counters that the suspect in the motel murder is a male. Later, Frank pays John Saxum a visit. He warns him about Lucy Butler, insisting she is responsible for the death of a Seattle police detective as well as her own child. John counters that Lucy has been a godsend, and credits her with his daughter' miraculous turnaround. He threatens to have Frank investigated. As Frank leaves the manor, he encounters Lucy. He warns her to leave the Saxum family alone.
When Frank returns to his motel room, he uses his computer to research "antipas." He finds crime scene photos of killings in which the victims were all connected to the legal processing of murders. Later that night, Frank awakens to find Lucy writhing atop him in a state of sexual ecstasy. As Frank recoils, Lucy transforms into a demon. When Frank wakes up, there is no one there. Suddenly, there is a pounding at the door. When Frank answers, he finds Emma standing outside. Emma reminds him that he called her about the murder of Una Saxum. Frank tells her he made no such phone call. Realizing what is happening, Frank scrambles to get dressed. He instructs Emma to have the police dispatched to Antipas Manor. Meanwhile, Divina lures Una towards the pond in the gardens. Una sees her daughter's image beneath the shallow water and is suddenly pulled downward. When Frank and Emma arrive at the scene, they discover Una's body beneath the water, her face having been pecked away by geese.
Frank convinces Emma to arrest and detain Lucy for as long as possible. In the meantime, he performs research at the hospital where Divina was born. He discovers a perfect match exists between Divina's footprint and that of Lucy Butler's dead child. Meanwhile, Lucy's attorney, Selwyn Wassenaar, demands the release of his client. He claims to possess evidence that Lucy was the victim of rape. When Frank telephones Emma with the news of the footprint match, he is informed that Lucy was set free. Emma explains that Wassenaar has demanded a paternity test from Frank.
Frank confronts Wassenaar at the police station. He tells the attorney that he represents the devil. McClaren assures Wassenaar that Frank will submit to the paternity test. Meanwhile, John Saxum makes plans to leave the manor, as he is convinced that something evil is trying to kill him. He drags a screaming Divina into his car. But when he turns back towards the house, he sees the Long-Haired Man.
When Frank learns that Emma is on her way to the manor to interview John Saxum, he jumps into a car and heads off to find her. In the meantime, Emma finds Divina still sitting in the backseat of her father's car. She notices the Long-Haired Man and gives chase. But when she rounds the corner of the mansion, she finds John Saxum hanging from a noose. The Long-Haired Man lures Emma into the hedgerow maze. There, she encounters the python, which begins to wrap itself around her feet. Emma pulls herself loose and runs off, only to encounter a snarling dog. Frank pulls Emma through the hedge, and the pair make their way to the car. The Long-Haired Man steps in the path of the car, and is run over. Frank and Emma exit the vehicle and find Lucy Butler lying motionless on the ground.
Later, at a hospital, Lucy tells Frank that they lost "their" baby. Frank assures Lucy that he isn't afraid of her. Lucy, however, asks if he is afraid for Jordan.
Starring
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Klea Scott as Emma Hollis
Stephen E. Miller as Andy McClaren
Guest Starring
Sarah-Jane Redmond as Lucy Butler
Art Hindle as John Saxum
Rachel Victoria as Divina Saxum
Susan Hogan as Una Saxum
Lloyd Berry as the Gardener
Jay Brazeau as Selwyn Wassenaar
Scott Heindl as the Long-Haired Man
Fulvio Cecere as Detective
Nancy Sivak as the Nurse
John Harris as Agent
Brian Drummond as Agent #2
Production Credits
Production #6ABC13
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Co-Producer Robert Moresco
Co-Producer Paul Rabwin
Producer Thomas J. Wright
Co-Executive Producer Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer Chip Johannessen
Executive Producer Chris Carter
Location
Book Excerpt
“It is in this inexplicable ability to operate perpetually above the law while engaging in immoral and criminal activity that elevates Butler beyond mere criminality... Rather, a demonic magic seems to be at work, bending the reality known to the characters around her to her own twisted will.”
—Alexander Zelenyj
Back to Frank Black
REVIEWS
“What makes the Lucy Butler trilogy so special is the fact that in these episodes, evil boasts a beguiling and very human form, simultaneously repellant and attractive. This is sort of a perfect expression of the Gothic aesthetic. Whereas many of the lunatics in Millennium are deviant, repugnant characters, Lucy Butler makes evil charming, charismatic and all the more frightening. It's a good thing Frank is such a steady presence in the series, because he’s the only person in the world, I think, who could fight this demon-given-female-form and not be taken in by her treachery and alluring evil. Had the series gone into a fourth season, one wonders what the next clash of Lucy and Frank would have been like, especially given the personal nature of their conflict in ‘Antipas.’”
—John Kenneth Muir
Reflections on Film and Television
“Antipas” print ad.