Brief summary: Recovering from the recent trauma and loss of a close friend, Frank returns to work on a terrifying case that bears a close resemblance to the last.

Rogue's Review: My very favorite episode of MILLENNIUM to date, driven by powerful performances and a terrifying, thrilling storyline - the conclusion of the two-parter begun in "Lamentation" - which slams home the eternal struggle between good and evil, and suggests that for every dark spirit walking the world of Frank Black, there may be a force for goodness as well.

The story, by Ted Mann and Harold Rosenthal, does a terrific job of picking up where Chris Carter's own script for "Lamentation" left off, showing Frank working through his grief and Catherine taking an active goal in pushing him toward healthy release of his feelings, encouraging him to return to work, to the quest that drives him.

(It's unfortunate the upheavals that ensued early in Season Two so completely negate Catherine's actions here. She encourages Frank to return to his life's work, showing her love and support for him and doing her best to pick up the pieces of their lives after Bletcher's murder - but all that goes for naught in "The Beginning and the End," when she totally reverses her position. A shame. Catherine was all too often a cipher in Season One, relegated to pensive looks and coffee patrol, but in "PPT&D" she actually seemed to be THERE, taking real action to preserve her marriage and her family.)

Frank and his Group contacts Peter Watts and Mike Atkins (he of the unfortunate eagerness to rush into an industrial microwave) become the tools of unseen forces continuing an age-old struggle between goodness and evil. Mike is tricked into coming to the site of a series of killings that Frank and Peter are looking into - killings that seem to have been committed by a young man named Martin... except crime-scene witnesses can't seem to identify him in a lineup.

Enter lawyer Al Pepper, an oily fellow who seems all too much at ease around Frank Black - as if they've met before. And they have, Frank realizes, when Pepper begins to echo the offer made to him in the episode "The Judge," promising safety for the Black family if Frank will go to work for him. This realization quickly snowballs into a horrific chase after the truth, as Frank seeks to understand why Bletcher was murdered and what exactly it is he's now up against.

The nature of Sammael, the angelic watcher who challenges Legion's latest attempt to lure Frank to his side, is fascinating, and opens up such exciting new realms of possibility for MILLENNIUM. "You must understand," Sammael warns Frank, "you are not saved." There is more darkness ahead, he is promising.

(By the way, catch the way that Frank approaches Sammael after his confrontation with Pepper - it's intriguing how Frank holds up a shielding hand as he stoops to retrieve Sammel's weapon... as if he is in awe of this strange figure.)

At the same time, the episode reinforces the central theme of the series - upholding one's responsibilities in this life above all else, as a challenge to the darkness that surrounds us. "You must love your family as much as you can," Mike Atkins urges, "and be prepared for the possibility that it may not be enough."

"It has to be enough," Frank replies.

It's the acting that makes this episode irresistible. Richard Cox and Rodney Eastman do outstanding jobs as Pepper and Sammael, respectively, and despite his continuing - and brief - status as pawn in the grand chess game, Robin Gammell makes Mike Atkins more than a mere stereotype. [Rating: 10/10]

"Frank, you understand, that life for you and your wonderful family can only become more difficult... more dangerous. Join me." -- Alistair Pepper