Millennium 5C05: “A Single Blade of Grass”
The Millennial Abyss | Episodes | Season Two
“A Single Blade of Grass” (5C05)
Written by Erin Maher & Kay Reindl
Directed by Rodman Flender
Edited by George R. Potter
Aired October 24, 1997
Summary
Frank Black joins an anthropologist to investigate a lost tribe of Native Americans gathering in Manhattan to commit bizarre, ritualistic slayings in an effort to fulfill apocalyptic prophecy.
Synopsis
Several figures wearing false face masks force a Native American man, Daniel Olivaw, to consume rattlesnake venom. As the poison takes effect, one of the masked men, Joe Reynard, asks Daniel to describe what he sees. But Daniel begins to scream and convulse, and falls to the ground in agony.
Daniel's body is discovered at a Manhattan construction site/archeological dig near the remains of a withered, mummified body. New York City Police Sergeant Manny Walters asks Frank for his help in solving the case. Frank cannot help but notice the similarities between the ancient remains and Daniel's corpse, next to which is a false face mask. Walters explains that a dispute has erupted between a construction foreman, Richard Powell, and the head archeologist, Dr. Liz Michaels. Powell, whose crew is mainly Native American, is under pressure to continue the construction work, while Liz insists the site must remain intact until it can be properly excavated.
Frank senses that Daniel's murder transpired in the basement of a nearby hotel. After examining symbols painted on the basement wall, Liz notes a common theme: communication with the spirit world. Later, Frank approaches Joe Reynard inside a bar and, using a napkin, draws a symbol that appeared in one of his internal visions. An old Indian Man steps forward and explains that symbol is a warning. When Frank leaves the bar, Reynard tells his cohorts that Frank "is the one."
An autopsy of Daniel's corpse reveals his appendages were cut from his body and then reattached. Liz explains this ritual was used by the Seneca tribe in attempt to revive the dead after the victim passed into the spirit world and communicated with ancestors. Frank discovers a prayer-stick, a kind of Indian rosary that contains elements of Christianity and Native American religion. On the stick is the same symbol Frank saw in his vision. Later, Frank and Liz are summoned to the construction site when Powell boxes and removes the ancient bones. A fight breaks out between Reynard and Powell and a few moments later Powell dies of a massive heart attack.
When Frank returns to his motel room, he discovers that someone placed a false face mask on his bed. He shows the mask to Liz, who explains it represents the power to walk between the real and spirit worlds. Frank hypothesizes that, hundreds of years ago, an Indian tribe concealed their existence from the white man by blending into existing tribes. Now, in the present day, they have been told by prophesy to reunite. Frank suspects that the prayer stick is "a blueprint for another culture's apocalypse." One of the symbols represents Daniel's journey to the land of the dead, while another represents Frank, whose death will open a door to another plane of existence.
Frank is surrounded by a group of Indians, taken prisoner, and forced to consume rattlesnake venom. He begins experiencing visions but insists they are not a product of the poison. He predicts the tribe will reunite and buffalo will return. Shortly thereafter, Liz and a group of policemen rescue Frank and take Reynard and his followers into custody. As the group is being led away, four buffalo that escaped from a rodeo run through the streets.
Starring
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Guest Starring
Amy Steel as Dr. Liz Michaels
Doug Abrahams as Sgt. Manny Walters
Gary Chalk as Richard Powell
Byron Chief-Moon as Fenton
Michael Greyeyes as Joe Reynard
James Nicholas as Ernie
Rondel Reynoldson as Dr. Kathryn Huston
Floyd Red Crow Westerman as the Old Indian
Production Credits
Production #5C05
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer Chip Johannessen
Consulting Producers Darin Morgan
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 Glen Morgan
Executive Producer James Wong
Executive Producer Chris Carter
Soundtrack
“Hell” (1996) by the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Location
Book Excerpt
“What else does the return of the buffalo represent? One might make the argument that the presence of buffalo in the urban, technological jungle of the Big Apple is a sign—like the dogs of Bucksnort—of a world disordered and unbalanced, of wildlife shattering or otherwise violating man’s carefully organized world. If we began to add up these bizarre animal occurrences, a pattern emerges…”
—John Kenneth Muir
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REVIEWS
“At its core, Millennium was always a show about the Apocalypse, and utilizing a cobbled-together Native American version of said for the series works as well as the standard ‘fire and brimstone’ basis that will infuse many of the later shows with significance. Your reaction to 'A Single Blade of Grass' will greatly depend on how susceptible you are to the ancient rites and mystic symbols of the various tribes depicted in this episode. It will also be predicated on how much of what you witness is merely happy coincidence, and what is indeed a portent of the coming end days. The New York setting also works well for the series since it allows the weirdness we usually see in rural areas and far-off wooded locales to play out among the mean, messy streets of Manhattan. There are a couple of rather unbelievable moments (Frank is forced to ingest snake venom, yet seems none the worse for the wear right afterward), but the power in the writing and the carefully considered and crafted plot mean we get another great episode, even with some rather minor flaws.”
—Bill Gibron
DVD Talk