Millennium 4C01: “Gehenna”
The Millennial Abyss | Episodes | Season One
“Gehanna” (4C01)
Written by Chris Carter
Directed by David Nutter
Edited by Stephen Mark
Aired November 1, 1996
Summary
The discovery of human ashes in a flowerbed brings Frank Black to San Francisco, where the Millennium Group investigates a controlling cult linked to a telemarketing firm.
Epigraph
“I smell blood and an era of prominent madmen.”
Synopsis
San Francisco. A pack of clean cut young men cruise the night in their black BMWs. At a dark abandoned factory, they turn on one of their own. They feed him LSD, terrorize him and leave him there to become the prey of a savage half-seen, half-human beast. When a disturbingly large amount of human ashes is discovered in a San Francisco park, Frank joins the other members of the Millennium Group in the investigation of this multiple homicide. Frank can sense that the killer has burned his victims alive to feed on their suffering. Chemical traces in the remains lead them to the abandoned factory, where Frank catches horrifying glimpses of the Beast and his crimes; and makes a grisly discovery: a set of human teeth.
Meanwhile, a shadow outside the house spooks Catherine while she's home alone with Jordan. Is it only her imagination..? She tells Frank's friend Bob Bletcher that she must never let Frank suspect she and Jordan are in danger or Frank may remain home to guard them, and never use his gift again. She is still unaware that the stalker from their past has followed the family to Seattle. Back in San Francisco, Frank's colleague Mike Atkins tells him that it is probable the objective of the person stalking his family is terrorizing Frank. At this point, he believes the danger to Frank's family is minimal.
The break in the investigation comes when dental records lead them to a young Russian immigrant who disappeared six months ago. They discover he had become a member of a mysterious apocalyptic cult—who threaten to destroy their faithless in the fires of Gehenna (Biblical Hebrew for "hell").
Inside a cavernous office, the brainwashed cult members—all young, all male—telemarket hair products while Orwellian slogans strobe by on a screen. One young man is singled out as the next victim. This time instead of running into the arms of the Beast, the victim runs into someone unexpectedly waiting, Frank. The young man is taken into custody and questioned. Crazed by psychedelics and fear, the young man's ravings reveal the terrifying hold this bloodthirsty cult has over its members. He warns Frank that no one can escape the power of the Beast. Frank realizes this case is like nothing he's ever seen before when his prisoner literally wills himself to die.
Back in Seattle with his family, Frank goes online and uncovers the San Francisco address of Gehenna Industries. Atkins investigates, discovering a storehouse of doomsday weapons. The Beast lures Atkins inside a giant industrial microwave...where he had immolated his previous victims. Luckily, Frank realizes the danger, and sends the police after Atkins. The rescue team arrives just in time to save Atkins' life, but not before serious injury could be inflicted upon Atkins by the deadly microwaves.
The cult is smashed. The leader is captured. But Frank knows that evil will always survive.
Starring
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black
Terry O’Quinn as Peter Watts
Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black
Bill Smitrovich as Lt. Bob Bletcher
Guest Starring
Robin Gammell as Mike Atkins
Chris Ellis as Jim Penseyres
Sam Khouth as Dylan
Don MacKay as Jack Meredith
George Josef as Mr. Bolow
Stephen Holmes as Eedo
Chris Bradford as Driver
Henry Watson as Detective
Don McWilliams as Park Guy
Nina Persachi as Mrs. Bolow
Bob Wilde as Ricardo Clement
Production Credits
Production #4C01
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Sheila Haley
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer Ted Mann
Consulting Producer James Wong
Consulting Producer Glen Morgan
Co-Producer Ken Dennis
Co-Producer Chip Johannessen
Co-Producer Frank Spotnitz
Co-Executive Producer Jorge Zamacona
Co-Executive Producer Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer Chris Carter
Soundtrack
“Hits From the Bong” (1993) by Cypress Hill
“Insane in the Brain” (1993) by Cypress Hill
“I Wanna Get High” (1993) by Cypress Hill
Location
Book Excerpt
“‘Gehenna,’ the second installment of the series and a significant story that serves as a sort of secondary thesis for Carter, furthers our uncertainty in a tale that confronts the hero with the terrifying images of evil incarnate... His experience presages important future developments in Millennium’s explorations of perception.”
—Brian A. Dixon
Back to Frank Black
REVIEWS
“Frank and friends go after a murderous cult with connections to the gang that terrorized Japan with poison gas. There's just enough bizarre reality to make Millennium the season's most chilling drama.”
—John J. O'Connor
The New York Times
“The only show with the chutzpah to mix W.H. Auden with LSD. The second episode, written by Carter, commenced with a quote from Auden and featured villains who drop acid and work part-time for some sort of satanic version of Amway; in this context, a shot of a severed ear seemed quaint. Although Millennium hasn't quite found its tone, it’s got great visuals and a commanding performance by Henriksen, whose tired eyes and rumbly voice are mood enhancing.”
—Ken Tucker
Entertainment Weekly
“An unrelentingly dark, disturbing vision of crime in America... Carter has developed a television show that feels, looks and delivers like a feature film. With superb writing, acting and directing, Millennium is perhaps the best new program of the season (and may even be better than its predecessor).”
—Alex Garcia
The Daily Trojan
“Gehenna” print ad.
“The course of the story is leisurely, less a thriller than a character study of the dark side of earthly existence. Carter's script thrusts the characters farther into the foreground than in the pilot. The moments between Frank and Catherine are at once subtle, stylized, and very authentic, stamped with indelible realism. Henriksen and Gallagher fill the characters to perfection, making their every moment on screen fascinating to watch. Visually, the episode is absorbing, even exceeding The X-Files in resembling a mini-movie... The X-Files is propelled by the doubt and uncertainty surrounding UFOs and government cover-ups; the unseen shape of the dark tide Frank and the Millennium Group fight against is a similar engine pushing this series forward. If Gehenna is indicative of the series’ quality, it will go a long way indeed.”
—John Bachen
Xposé