The Rogue's Eye View
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M I L L E N N I U M
108. WIDE OPEN

Written by Charles D. Holland
Directed by James Charleston
Original Air Date: January 3, 1997


Brief summary: A little girl found traumatized in an air vent appears to be the only link between her parents' gruesome deaths and stopping a killer who remains at large.

Rogue's Review: Another of my very favorites, this chilling episode tells us no one is safe in our comfortable suburban existence – not behind locked doors, not protected by heavy security systems. To the determined psychopath, we are all wide open.

Frank and Bletch investigate a horrific double-murder in a home protected by a fancy alarm system. ("$5,000 system," Giebelhouse growls. "Shoulda saved the money and gotten themselves a Rottweiler" – a very sharp observation, as we'll learn, and an early indication that there's more to Giebelhouse than stock cop cynicism.)

The true horror of the murders? The killer forces the couple's small daughter to watch the entire attack, leaving her nearly catatonic. Once again, Catherine steps in for Victim Services, imploring Bletcher to wait before interrogating the distraught survivor – and that leave Bletch with little recourse but to ask for the Group's help. Frank and handwriting expert James Glen (Glynn Turman) first study the killer's handwriting – the home in question was in fact up for sale, and the killer is using open houses to gain entry – and then Frank must rely on the strange flashes he gets at the crime scene in order to track him.

If there's anything about "Wide Open" I'd change, it would be to cut the number of times we're forced to listen to the anguished shrieks of the first victims – which are replayed again and again as various characters watch the killer's videotape of the incident. The screams are unnerving, horrific.

It also seems a little unlikely the killer could so easily escape a trap Bletcher sets for him – a glitch indicative of shoddy police work on Bletcher's part, and not very believable. And again, Frank throws himself into harm's way, something that would have had a lot more impact in this episode had it not become all too common a plot point in previous outings.

(Oh, and watch for the sign outside the realty office... it's a grimly funny in-joke.)

This episode is, above all, commendable for its moving study of Catherine's work with the survivor of the first attack (the little actress is a darling who perfectly captures the fear and shyness of such a victim) and a glimpse into the differences between Bletcher and Frank – the former wants to see their quarry put down like an animal, while Frank remains loathe to cross that line, to become what he and Bletch stand fast against. Though we have never seen Bletcher's own family in the series (he mentioned in the pilot that he has children), it's touching to see how this case affects the gruff detective, and there is a particularly stirring moment in which the little girl takes one of his hands and Jordan takes the other, and Bletch – a true protector in the end – escorts them bravely into an uncertain future. [Rating: 8/10]

"Thinking about my parents, my grandparents, forty or fifty years ago... they never locked their doors, day or night. We seem to have accepted it so... gracefully, so naturally... the security systems. We've allowed ourselves to become almost besieged by our own fear." -- Frank Black


reviews by Rick Smith (1996 - present) and website by Matt Asendorf (2004)
all material property of Paper Street Productions ~ http://www.paperstreetprod.com