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



M I L L E N N I U M
119. BROKEN WORLD

Written by Robert Moresco and Patrick Harbinson
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Original Air Date: May 2, 1997


Brief summary: A rash of horse mutilations in North Dakota puts Frank in pursuit of a killer, who he believes will soon begin to claim human lives.

Rogue's Review: Ugliness abounds in this episode revolving around the mutilation and slaughter of horses - and then women - in a North Dakota farm community. Even more unsettling that it should open so beautifully, with a majestic sunset shot of a rider bringing her mount home for the night... only to face the disturbed killer. "We're witnessing the birth of a psycho-sexual killer," Frank warns.

"Broken World" is a real change of pace after the twin successes of "Lamentation" and "Powers, Principalities..." Perhaps that, in part, caused a lot of what I perceived as general dislike for this outing after it initially aired. But the subject matter is also unpleasant in a way that is undeniable - there's no getting around the discomfort caused by the infliction of pain on dumb animals. Easier to grapple with the horrors of watching fictional human suffering? Maybe - if only because it's easier for us to remember the humans are actors. Harder to accept horses as actors playing roles... we sense real terror emanating from them.

It is that same animal terror that drives the killer to his crimes, substituting mutilations of the horses for the sexual gratification that he is unable to achieve with women. Frank and Peter attempt to interrupt the natural progression of the killer from animals to human victims.

And that's where "Broken World" fails. An engaging premise - Frank trying to stop a serial killer before he starts - but it is hard to accept the way their investigation unfolds. Frank goes to all the trouble of publishing a phone number where the killer can reach him to talk... and then allows that phone to be answered by police, almost certainly guaranteeing the killer will panic and react in a violent manner? Hardly like our protagonist, isn't it? And the local cops - and even Peter - are awfully skeptical about certain details. Someone is killing horses and then assaults a woman... but when a truck driver and his hogs are found murdered, no one wants to believe there's a connection? Even so hard on the heels of the attack on Sally Dumont and Frank's supposition that the killer is evolving? Again, strange.

The whole concept of these crimes and the way local law enforcement reacts is unlikely. Frank says there have been 21 previous attacks on horses. In horse country, wouldn't lawmen warn horse owners of this fact? Horses are not cheap, and their owners are notoriously protective. Regardless, I had trouble believing the second human victim would be so comfortable with ANY man standing in her stable, acting so odd - whether or not she knew who he was, and whether or not she was aware of attacks on other horses or their owners.

Furthermore, there are a lot of leaps in this episode, mainly the luck of tagging the killer's relationship to the horses so quickly, thanks to a well-delivered soliloquy on the trusting nature of horses from Jo Anderson as the vet, Claudia Vaughn. She's terrific, by the way.

The preachiness of "Broken World" is a problem too. Had this been a more believable episode overall, that would have been acceptable, but because there is so much skepticism caused by the threadbare logic of the ep, it's hard to swallow figures about PMU (pregnant mare's urine) and the unconscionable treatment of certain animals in this country.

Finally, the outcome of "Broken World" is both thrilling and a disappointment (and not just because Frank is hardly fazed by a cattleprod shock that has laid others out cold!). It's fitting how the killer is ultimately stopped, but at the same time, it's hard not to want to criticize the overt symbolism - again, because it's been hard to stomach so much of what has come before. By comparison, take a look at the finale of "Wide Open," in which justice comes not from man but from beast. "Wide Open" did it right. "Broken World" never quite stacks up. [Rating: 5/10]

"My work normally begins with dead bodies... multiples of dead bodies. I came here because I think we have a chance to stop this killing before it starts. You're witnessing the birth of a psychosexual killer." -- Frank Black


reviews by Rick Smith (1996 - present) and website by Matt Asendorf (2004)
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