"'Gehenna" is the second episode of the first season of the American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
-
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
''. It premiered on the
Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...
on November 1, 1996. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter, and directed by
David Nutter
David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...
. "Gehenna" featured guest appearances by
Robin Gammell
Robin Gammell (born September 22, 1936) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor."Transplanted to Hollywood". ''The Globe and Mail'', January 24, 1981.
Career
Gammell began acting as a junior ensemble member at the Stratford Festival, p ...
Frank Black
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...
(
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...
), a member of the private investigative organisation
Millennium Group
The Millennium Group is a fictional secret society featured in the crime thriller television series ''Millennium,'' and briefly on ''The X-Files.'' Having begun life as a Christian sect at the end of the 1st century AD, the Group grew into a fa ...
, is sent to San Francisco to track down a doomsday cult which murders its brainwashed members when they disobey it.
"Gehenna" sees both Carter and Nutter continue their roles from "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
", although it also necessitated changes in filming locations. The episode opens with a quote from
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...
's poem "Blessed Event"—the first of the series' opening quotations—and makes references to the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" . '' Gehenna
Gehenna ( ; ) or Gehinnom ( or ) is a Biblical toponym that has acquired various theological connotations, including as a place of divine punishment, in Jewish eschatology.
The place is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as part of the border ...
.
Plot
In
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, a group of young men drive to an abandoned factory and drug one of their number with
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
, leaving him to be torn apart by what he perceives to be a monster. Later, a large quantity of suspicious ash found in a nearby park is proven to be from human remains. The
Millennium Group
The Millennium Group is a fictional secret society featured in the crime thriller television series ''Millennium,'' and briefly on ''The X-Files.'' Having begun life as a Christian sect at the end of the 1st century AD, the Group grew into a fa ...
Frank Black
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...
(
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...
) and colleague Peter Watts (
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance as John Locke on the TV series '' Lost'' (2004–2010). In film, he also played the title role i ...
) to investigate the multiple homicide that led to this. Black believes that the victims were burnt alive. Chemical analysis of the ash leads the Group to the factory.
In Black's home in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Catherine (
Megan Gallagher
Megan Gallagher (born February 6, 1960) is an American theater and television actress. Having studied at the Juilliard School under the supervision of John Houseman, Gallagher began her career on stage, and has appeared in several Broadway theat ...
) confides in Lieutenant Bob Bletcher (
Bill Smitrovich
William Stanley Zmitrowicz Jr. (born May 16, 1947), known professionally as Bill Smitrovich ( ), is an American actor.
Personal life
Smitrovich was born on May 16, 1947, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna (married and maiden names, née ...
) her worry about Black's overprotective nature, fearing he may quit his job if he believes his family to be in danger. Catherine does not yet know that the stalker whose actions triggered Black's exit from the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
has resurfaced and mailed Polaroids of the family to Black. Meanwhile, Black is persuaded by a fellow Group member, Mike Atkins (
Robin Gammell
Robin Gammell (born September 22, 1936) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor."Transplanted to Hollywood". ''The Globe and Mail'', January 24, 1981.
Career
Gammell began acting as a junior ensemble member at the Stratford Festival, p ...
), that his family is in no immediate risk.
Back in San Francisco, dental records matched to teeth found in the ashes lead to a young immigrant who vanished six months prior, having joined a
doomsday cult
A doomsday cult is a cult that believes in apocalypticism and millenarianism, including both those that predict disaster and those that attempt to destroy the entire universe. Sociologist John Lofland coined the term ''doomsday cult'' in his 19 ...
. Elsewhere, this cult is seen operating as
telemarketers
Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products, subscriptions or services, either over the phone or throug ...
, working in a large assembly hall as
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
slogans are projected onto the walls around them. One of the members is apprehended by Black. During the subsequent interrogation it becomes clear that the cult, fronting as Gehenna Industries, is
brainwashing
Brainwashing is the controversial idea that the human mind can be altered or controlled against a person's will by manipulative psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject's ability to think critically or independently ...
its members and incinerating those who disobey.
Black returns to Seattle, researching Gehenna Industries from his home. He uncovers a warehouse address belonging to the cult, which Atkins investigates. The warehouse is full of cached weaponry, stockpiled for the cult's doomsday predictions. The cult's leader lures Atkins into the industrial microwave which has been used to immolate the victims, but the police arrive in time to save him, having been tipped off by Black that Atkins may be in danger. The weapons stockpile allows the police to bring down the cult, but Black is certain that their influence is still a threat.
Production
"Gehenna" is the second episode of the series directed by
David Nutter
David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...
, who had previously helmed "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
Loin Like a Hunting Flame
"'Loin Like a Hunting Flame" is the twelfth episode of the Millennium season 1, first season of the American Crime (genre), crime-Thriller (genre), thriller television series ''Millennium (TV series), Millennium''. It premiered on the Fox Broa ...
" later in the first season. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter. Beyond creating the concept for ''Millennium'', Carter would write a total of six other episodes for the series in addition to "Gehenna"—three in the first season, and a further three in the third season. "Gehenna" marked the first appearance by Chris Ellis as Group member Jim Penseyres; Ellis would go on to reprise the role in "
Dead Letters
''Dead Letters'' is the fifth album by Finnish band The Rasmus released in 2003. It was released later in 2004 in the US, UK and Australia. Their previous album, ''Into (album), Into'', had seen some success in some parts of Europe, particularl ...
" and "
The Judge The Judge may refer to:
Literature
* ''The Judge'', novel by Elia W. Peattie, 1889
* ''The Judge'', 1925 American translation of ''The Old Man'' (Gorky play), 1915
* ''The Judge'', novel by Rebecca West, 1922
* ''The Judge'', 2010 English trans ...
".
The episode opens with a quote from the Anglo-American poet
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...
, taken from the 1939 poem "Blessed Event"—"I smell blood and an era of prominent madmen", the final line of the poem's third stanza. Poetry by
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...
, a contemporary of Auden's, formed a plot point in "Pilot", while the title of "Loin Like a Hunting Flame" was taken from the work of yet another contemporary,
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...
. As "Pilot" did not open with a quotation, "Gehenna" is the first episode of ''Millennium'' to do so. The episode's title,
Gehenna
Gehenna ( ; ) or Gehinnom ( or ) is a Biblical toponym that has acquired various theological connotations, including as a place of divine punishment, in Jewish eschatology.
The place is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as part of the border ...
, is the
Hellenised
Hellenization or Hellenification is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language, and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonisation often led to the Hellenisation of indigenous people in the Hellenistic period, many of the te ...
form of the Hebrew Gehinnom, the "Valley of the Son of Hinnom". Gehinnom was a location referred to in the
Moloch
Moloch, Molech, or Molek is a word which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the Book of Leviticus. The Greek Septuagint translates many of these instances as "their king", but maintains the word or name ''Moloch'' in others, ...
; this
ritual sacrifice
Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving.
Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks ...
echoes the cremation of the victims in the episode.
The building used for exterior shots of the Black family's home is different from the one seen in "Pilot"; the earlier house was located in an expensive neighbourhood whose residents had decided not to allow filming to continue there. The new location chosen was one which had already been used in ''Millennium''
sister show
Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one ...
''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'', appearing in that series' second episode " Deep Throat". The house's owner was an air stewardess who would frequently meet members of the cast and crew as they travelled in and out of Vancouver.
Broadcast and reception
"Gehenna" was first broadcast on the
Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...
on November 1, 1996; and earned a
Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 8.1, meaning that roughly of all television-equipped households were tuned in to the episode. The episode was watched by approximately households.
"Gehenna" received mixed reviews from critics. Writing for ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'', Emily VanDerWerff rated the episode a C+, finding that it was "almost completely crippled by ... self-seriousness". VanDerWerff felt that the episode reflected ''Millennium'' seeming simultaneously both "intrinsically of the 1990s" and "ahead of its time", find that its treatment of "the dread and shadowy fear and sense that the world held several cloaked and mysterious evils for well-to-do Americans" was a symptom of 1990s preoccupation with "the end of the world" while foreshadowing the mood of the United States following the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in New York in 2001. As a result, VanDerWerff described the episode, and the series, as being "the first post-Sept. 11 show". Bill Gibron, writing for
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
, rated the episode 4.5 out of 5, noting that there is "more here than just your standard serial killer show". Gibron praised the episode's "atypical storyline", which he felt was achieved through "some suggestive effects and wonderful crosscutting". Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', rated the episode two-and-a-half stars out of five, calling it "a somewhat humdrum story". Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode's core premise—that of "a telemarking company being a front for a terrorist cult"—was intriguing, but that the "millennial flavour" that accompanies this resulted in the episode seeming "a little confused".Shearman and Pearson, pp. 106–107