Millennium 5C18: “In Arcadia Ego”
The Millennial Abyss | Episodes | Season Two
“In Arcadia Ego” (5C18)
Written by Chip Johannessen
Directed by Thomas J. Wright
Edited by James Coblentz
Aired April 3, 1998
Summary
In Idaho, Frank Black tracks two escaped female prisoners: a troubled killer and her pregnant cellmate, who believes her pregnancy to be an immaculate conception.
Synopsis
Inside Garrison Women's Prison, Juliet "Sonny" Palmer, and her cellmate/lover, Janette Viti, a pretty 24-year-old, overpower a guard, steal his uniform, and make their way to a security booth. There the couple surprise another guard and force him to remove his uniform. As the guard does so, he reaches for his ankle holster and, in a flash, shoots Janette. Sonny grabs a nightstick and subjects the guard to a brutal beating. When she stops, she realizes Janette is unharmed. The bullet, they realize, flattened itself on the shield attached to Janette's stolen uniform. Examining the spent slug, the pair notice what looks like the silhouette of a human face. The women move on.
Frank meets with Warden Kellard at the prison. Kellard labels Sonny a serial killer, as she beat her stepfather to death with a pipe, used an andiron on her husband, and has now clubbed a guard to death. Frank examines a map of the surrounding area. He accurately predicts that the fugitives will ditch their getaway vehicle. But Frank is puzzled as to why Sonny chose to escape, as she is eligible for parole in four month's time.
Sonny and Janette overpower a motorist, Chris Taylor, and take command of his vehicle. The pair stop at a remote house for purposes unknown. They are disappointed that no one is home and leave the scene with Taylor still tied-up in the back seat.
Frank studies Sonny's case file. He concludes that Sonny crosses over into violence only to protect others, noting that her stepfather was abusing her younger sister, and that she miscarried the same night she murdered her husband, indicating domestic violence. Frank also concludes that Sonny escaped as a means of protecting something else as yet unknown. That night, Sonny and Janette get a room at a motel. As Janette examines herself in a mirror, we see that she is, in fact, quite pregnant. A motel maid discovers Chris Taylor bound and gagged in the women's room. He tells Frank, Watts and Kellard about Janette's pregnancy—a revelation that catches the men by surprise. Frank concludes that one of the prison guards is the father. He zeroes in on Ernie Shiffer, an African-American man. Shiffer admits he raped Janette in the infirmary while she was under sedation.
Janette and Sonny make their way to a clinic. A sonogram reveals trouble, but before a practitioner can voice her concern, Sonny learns that the guard she bludgeoned died from his injuries. The pair leave the clinic. Watts tells Frank that the nurse spotted a total placenta previa—meaning Janette could bleed to death if she delivers outside a hospital. Frank eventually zeroes in on the mysterious house the women visited earlier. When he arrives at the scene, a car driven by Sonny bears down on him. The car swerves at the last moment, missing Frank. Shortly thereafter, Janette experiences contractions.
Frank learns that Sonny once worked at a train yard in town. Believing the couple might attempt to flee by train, he makes his way to the yard. There he pinpoints the train the women would most likely use for their getaway. But Sonny gets the drop on Frank and takes him prisoner. Frank tells her he knows the identity of the man who raped Janette. This sends Sonny into a rage. He also informs her of Janette's medical condition. Sonny tells Frank that the child is a "miracle baby"—God's child.
Inside the boxcar, Janette's contractions continue—as does her bleeding. Watts accompanies a SWAT team to the train yard, and the boxcar is surrounded by armed men. When Sonny uses Frank's cell phone to demand a doctor, Watts patches through the nurse from the clinic. The nurse tells Janette she is aware that she was raped by the prison guard. When Janette reacts, Sonny snatches away the phone and demands immediate medical attention. Two police officers don paramedic uniforms and approach the boxcar. But Frank intervenes, warning Sonny to search their medical kits and not make an easy target for snipers. Realizing Frank is on her side, Sonny cuts through the tape that binds his hands.
Frank helps deliver Janette's child, which turns out to have pale skin, indicating Shiffer is not, in fact, the father. As Janette bleeds to death, she tells Sonny how much she loves her. A short time later, as Sonny exits the boxcar, she deliberately draws fire by pulling her hand from her pocket, as if reaching for a gun. Sonny slumps to the ground and dies.
Frank returns to the home where Janette and Sonny had traveled. There he meets with John and Jennifer Bayton, a middle-aged African-American couple. The pair explain that they had been praying for Janette and Sonny, whom they describe as forgotten people who most want God's hand. A nurse exits Frank's car and steps forward with the baby. Mrs. Bayton takes the child and rocks it gently. Meanwhile, Frank examines the silhouetted face on the spent bullet. It matches a laser etching of Mary, the Mother of God, sitting on an easel in the couple's home.
Starring
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Terry O’Quinn as Peter Watts
Guest Starring
Missy Cridder as Janette Viti
Mary-Pat Green as Juliet "Sonny" Palmer
Ed Lauter as Warden Kellard
Ronald Selmour as Ernie Shiffer
Frances Flanagan as the Nurse
Dean McKenzie as John Bayton
Wanda Wilson as Jennifer Bayton
Steve Oatway as Chris Taylor
David Jean-Thomas as Captain Stephens
R. Nelson Brown as Guard #1
Sean Campbell as Guard #2
Production Credits
Production #5C18
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
Location
Book Excerpt
“Children, to me, are probably the most important thing in the world because they’re really defenseless. We have a job to do to nurture them and have them grow up to be independent, quality people, if we can manage that. You don’t try to force them, you just try to entreat them.”
—Lance Henriksen
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REVIEWS
“This may not be Johannessen’s best script, but it shows once again how he has a wonderful ability to filter many of his scripts through wonderful characters and emotional beats... As a writer, he always aims high and there’s no doubt that emotionally we’re on fire here, but it’s the little things that can sometimes cause one to pause and question whether or not the choices being made are the right ones. Admittedly ‘In Arcadia Ego’ does have problematic elements that have maybe caused it to not age as well, but despite that, it still has that emotional sweep that makes it rather hard to not enjoy and those central guest performance from Green and Crider help make all the difference in the world. ”
—Eamon Hennedy
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