The Rogue's Eye View
http://www.mmreviews.cjb.net



M I L L E N N I U M
111. LOIN LIKE A HUNTING FLAME

Written by Ted Mann
Directed by David Nutter
Original Air Date: January 31, 1997


Brief summary: Frank travels to Colorado and pursues a killer who is fulfilling his own sexual fantasies through others.

Rogue's Review: Rewatching this episode for the first time since it aired, I'm disappointed to discover it does no more for me with this viewing than it did the first time, and as such I find it difficult to dissect effectively.

One thing is that this episode really pointed out to me how the resonating moral lessons of various MILLENNIUM episodes affect viewers differently, according to the things they fear, the things they believe and the lifestyles they lead. I am deeply affected by episodes that deal with the abuse or neglect of children ("The Well-Worn Lock," "The Wild and the Innocent," "Blood Relatives") but I was left cold by the plight of most of the victims in this tale. It's easy to empathize with brutalized children; harder to feel any sympathy for people like the swingers and the pill-popping ravegoers preyed upon by the mentally deranged killer of "Loin." Perhaps that's why I found this outing lacking - I couldn't identify with the victims, but spent of my time chiding them for their risky behavior and dangerous lifestyles.

"Loin" also sticks in my memory for particularly unsettling visual tricks - the way the killer sees each of his victims so differently from the way we see them, as he fantasizes about his plans for them or envisions them during the last moments of their lives. And the shot of the dead women sprawled on the park bench, as the screaming passerby flees - the only spot of real color in the scene is his bright red umbrella, which wheels in the gloomy light and sets the image apart from the mundaneness of the storyline. It's even reminiscent of David Lynch's vision from TWIN PEAKS - a nice homage. [Rating: 2/10]

"Something is wrong, Frank. You know... in this day and age, people are carrying on wild as ever, maybe more so. Regular folks, they're doing drugs, acting nuts..." -- Detective Thomas


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