Jump to content

Frank Black (character): Difference between revisions

Edit links
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
GreenC bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
2,547,812 edits
 
(60 intermediate revisions by 40 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Fictional character in television series Millennium}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox character
{{Infobox character
|image=[[Image:Frank Black (Millennium).jpg|250px]]
| name = Frank Black
⚫
| first = "[[Pilot (Millennium)|Pilot]]" (''Millennium'')
|caption=Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
⚫
| last = "[[Millennium (The X-Files)|Millennium]]" (''The X-Files'')
|name=Frank Black
⚫
| occupation = [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[Special Agent]]
|color = #b1b9c2
⚫
| portrayer = [[Lance Henriksen]]
⚫
|first="[[pilot (Millennium)|Pilot]]"
⚫
| lbl23 = Affiliated with
⚫
|last="[[Millennium (The X-Files)|Millennium]] ([[The X-Files]])"
⚫
| data23 = [[Millennium Group]]
|lbl21 = Birthname
| gender = Male
|data21=Frank Black
| spouse = Catherine Black
⚫
|occupation=[[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[Special agent]]
| children = Jordan Black (daughter)
|family=Henry Black (father, deceased)<br />Linda Black (mother, deceased)<br />
| creator = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]]
Thomas Black (brother)<br />[[List of characters in Millennium#Black Family|Catherine Black]] (wife, deceased)<br />[[List of characters in Millennium#Black Family|Jordan Black]] (daughter)
⚫
|portrayer=[[Lance Henriksen]]
⚫
|lbl22 = Affiliated with
⚫
|data22=[[Millennium Group]]
}}
}}
'''Frank Black''' is a [[fictional character]] in the American [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] television shows ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' and ''[[The X-Files]]'', two series concerned with [[crime fiction|crime]], [[conspiracy theory|conspiracies]], and [[supernatural]] [[phenomena]]. Portrayed by [[Lance Henriksen]], Black was a renowned, highly skilled criminal investigator with the [[FBI]] who had the [[gift]] to put himself into the killer's mind and imagine himself as the killer. He had frequent dealings with the [[Millennium Group]] after he retired and moved to [[Seattle]], Washington. In [[Millennium (season 3)|season three]] Frank re-joins the FBI and is assigned a partner, [[Emma Hollis]].


'''Frank Black''' is a fictional character in the [[Crime (genre)|crime]]-[[Thriller (genre)|thriller]] television series ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]''. Black serves as the primary character of the series, which centers on his investigation into unusual crimes as part of the private investigative organization the [[Millennium Group]]. Black appeared in all but one of the series' [[List of Millennium episodes|sixty-seven episodes]], with "[[Anamnesis (Millennium)|Anamnesis]]" being the exception; the character was portrayed by [[Lance Henriksen]] throughout the series.
Frank Black made his first appearance in the [[Millennium (season 1)|first season]] 1996 episode "[[Pilot (Millennium)|Pilot]]". He was the son of Henry and Linda Black, the brother of Thomas Black, the husband of Catherine Black, and the father of [[List of characters in Millennium#Black Family|Jordan Black]].

The character of Black was conceived by series creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] as a modern [[Western (genre)|Western]] hero, and has been considered the main constant throughout the series' changes in tone and direction. Henriksen was described by Carter as his "first and last" choice for the role, and has garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal, including three [[Golden Globe Award]] nominations.


==Character arc==
==Character arc==
Frank Black ([[Lance Henriksen]]) started his career as an offender profiler for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), where his unusual gift for empathising with the killers he was investigating aided in their capture. However, Black retires when he finds that his family—wife Catherine ([[Megan Gallagher]]) and daughter Jordan ([[Brittany Tiplady]])—are being threatened by an unknown stalker, who is mailing [[Instant camera|polaroid]] photographs of the family to Black. After retiring from the FBI, Black moves to [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and begins to consult for the [[Millennium Group]], a private investigative organisation that aid law enforcement in violent criminal cases.<ref name="pilot">{{cite episode| episode-link=Pilot (Millennium) | title=Pilot| series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits =[[David Nutter]] (director); [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] (writer) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 1 | number = 1 |airdate= October 25, 1996}}</ref>
Frank Black was born on July 12, 1941 in [[Seattle, Washington]] to Henry and Linda Black. A renowned profiler and criminal investigator for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], he was able to solve cases attributable to an [[aptitude|ability]] to go inside the mind of a killer. Having witnessed many atrocities during his long career in the FBI, Black was forced to retire after getting polaroids of his family in the mail. Frank started to work again after being contacted by the [[Millennium Group]], a shadowy organization waiting for the new [[Millennium]]. Frank said yes to the offer to be a [[consultant]] for the group, after this event he and his family moved to [[Seattle]] to start a "new life".


Despite the change in career, the stalker ([[Doug Hutchison]]) catches up with Black, kidnapping Catherine. Black is able to track them down and rescue Catherine, stabbing the stalker to death in the process. Disturbed by both the abduction and Black's rage, Catherine moves out of their family home with Jordan for a time.<ref name="paperdove">{{cite episode| title=The Beginning and the End |episode-link=The Beginning and the End (Millennium) | series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits =[[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Glen Morgan]] & [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]] (writers) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 1 | number = 1 |airdate=September 19, 1997}}</ref><ref name="beginning">{{cite episode| title=[[Paper Dove]] | series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits =[[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Ted Mann (writer)|Ted Man]] & [[Walon Green]] (writers) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 1 | number = 22 |airdate=May 16, 1997}}</ref> Before they can reconcile, Catherine dies in a virus outbreak orchestrated by the Millennium Group, who Black discovers are attempting to control the possibility of the end of the world at the turn of the millennium. Disgusted by the group's motives and actions, Black breaks rank and returns to work with the FBI in order to take them down.<ref name="timeisnow">{{cite episode| episode-link=The Time is Now (Millennium) | title=The Time is Now | series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits =[[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Glen Morgan]] & [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]] (writers) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 2 | number = 23 |airdate= May 15, 1998}}</ref><ref name="innocent">{{cite episode| episode-link=The Innocents (Millennium) | title=The Innocents| series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits = [[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Michael Duggan]] (writer) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 3 | number = 1 |airdate=October 2, 1998}}</ref>
After he moved to Seattle, he began receiving new pictures of his family in the mail. Frank worked hard to keep up the facade that his family was okay. The only people that knew about the pictures sent to him were select members of the Millennium Group. At the end of the [[Millennium (season 1)|first season]], his wife [[List of characters in Millennium#Black Family|Catherine Black]] is [[drug]]ged and [[Kidnapping|kidnapped]] in the [[Seattle Airport]]. Frank tracked down the kidnapper and killed him in a [[Rage (emotion)|fit of rage]]. After this incident Catherine broke up with him, being shocked over Frank's actions.


Working with his new partner [[Emma Hollis]] ([[Klea Scott]]), Black finds himself struggling to combat the far-reaching influence of the Millennium Group. Due to the workings of the Group, Black is framed for the death of a fellow agent, prompting his resignation from the FBI and fleeing Washington D.C., with Jordan; likewise, Hollis is convinced to abandon Black and work with the Group.<ref name="goodbye">{{cite episode| episode-link=Goodbye to All That (Millennium) | title=Goodbye to All That| series=Millennium | series-link=Millennium (TV series) |credits = [[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Ken Horton]] & [[Chip Johannessen]] (writers) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 3 | number = 22 |airdate=May 21, 1999}}</ref> Several months later, Black is able to work with FBI agents [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]]) and [[Dana Scully]] ([[Gillian Anderson]]) to foil a last-ditch effort by the Group to bring about the end of the world; vindicated, he reunites with Jordan after the case.<ref name="txf">{{cite episode| episode-link=Millennium (The X-Files) | title=Millennium| series=[[The X-Files]] |credits =[[Thomas J. Wright]] (director); [[Vince Gilligan]] & [[Frank Spotnitz]] (writers) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 7 | number = 4 |airdate= November 28, 1999}}</ref>
Later on Frank realized that the Millennium Group knew that the kidnapping would happen, he also found out that the groups origin dated back to the birth of [[Christianity]]. Frank continued to consult for them, but his limits were tested when his wife Catherine died of a variation of the Marburg Virus which had infected and killed several others in Seattle. Convinced that the Millennium Group stood behind it and needed to be stopped, Frank moved back to [[Virginia]] and re-joined the FBI and became a [[special agent]]. He was teamed up with his new partner, Special Agent [[Emma Hollis]]. His career in the FBI ended after he was fired for breaking into Peter Watts' home (his dismissal from the FBI was set into motion by the Millennium group itself). In ''[[The X-Files]]'' [[crossover (fiction)|crossover]] episode, "[[Millennium (The X-Files)|Millennium]]" Frank checked himself in an [[insane asylum|asylum]] until Special Agents [[Fox Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully]] asked for his help solving a case involving the Millennium Group. While he is reluctant at first to help Mulder and Scully, he later checks himself out of the asylum to help them. At the end of the episode he reunites with his [[daughter]] [[List of characters in Millennium#Black Family|Jordan Black]].


==Conceptual history==
==Conceptual history==
[[File:Lance Henriksen cropped.jpg|thumb|150px|alt=A white-haired man in a tuxedo looks off to one side, smiling.|Henriksen was drawn to ''Millennium'' after reading its "vivid and edgy" pilot script.]]
[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] recalls, "I had this idea for a character in mind that became Frank Black and it sort of took shape over time, but I was under the gun... A retired [[FBI]] [[Special agent|agent]], and the idea of the prophecies, [[Nostradamus]], taking the poetry, the millennial, apocalyptic poetry: those things were sort of added on to this idea of this character, a person who wanted to retire from something but could not, and that was basically the long and short of that; it didn't require much research." Carter later comments, "I think, you know, like a good... like [[Shane (film)|''Shane'']], like any cowboy, any good movie, western movie, the hero is always very self-reliant, quiet, capable, dangerous. That's what I saw Frank Black as."<ref name="OrderChaoes">{{cite video |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]], Horton, Ken, [[Frank Spotnitz|Spotnitz, Frank]], [[Lance Henriksen|Henriksen, Lance]], [[Megan Gallagher|Gallagher, Megan]], [[David Nutter|Nutter, David]], [[Mark Snow|Snow, Mark]], Peter Kousakis, John, Freeborn, Mark, [[Robert McLachlan|McLachlan, Robert]], [[Chip Johannessen|Johannessen, Chip]] and [[Thomas J. Wright|J. Wright, Thomas]] |date=2004 |title= Order in Chaos, Making Millennium Season One |medium= DVD |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>


''Millennium''{{'s}} creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] conceived Frank Black's character early in the series' genesis, knowing that he wanted to build the show around a retired law enforcement agent; the tone of ''Millennium'' came to Carter later in the process but shaped Black's character.<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 00:46–01:27</ref> Carter saw Black as an archetypal [[Western (genre)|Western]] hero, describing him as "self-reliant, quiet, capable, dangerous" and comparing him to the title character of the 1953 film ''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]''.<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 04:48–05:09</ref> Actor [[William Hurt]] was considered for the role early in the conception of the series, although Carter denies that Hurt was seriously approached for the part, saying Henriksen was their "first and last choice".<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 05:09–05:29</ref> [[David Nutter]], a frequent director for the series, described Henriksen as an "everyman" who appears to have "seen hell, and has reached for heaven but not often had it".<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 05:33–05:49</ref>
According to portraying actor [[Lance Henriksen]], "My first question to Carter was, "How are you going to make this hero a hero? I mean, it is so dark, how are you going to handle this?" And he said that the fact that the guy is a stand-up guy through all of this is what makes him a hero. Not that I was looking for a hero role, but I knew you had to care about this guy." Regarding Carter, Henriksen later notes, "He was very, very convincing. All the questions I had, he answered. The way it all went down was pretty outrageous."<ref name="OrderChaoes"/>


When Henriksen first received the script for "[[Pilot (Millennium)|Pilot]]", he was impressed with what he saw as "vivid and edgy" writing, but was incredulous as the possibility of it being a television script, having initially mistaken it for a feature film. He also held reservations about working on television, as he was primarily a known for acting in films.<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 05:52–06:35</ref> The initial casting of Henriksen was not well received by executives at [[Fox Broadcasting Company]], who had envisioned the lead role being played by "someone hot and in his mid-thirties, at worst" according to producer [[Ken Horton]].<ref>[[#Order in Chaos|Order in Chaos]], 06:40–06:54</ref>
The [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] executives were not initially convinced that [[Lance Henriksen]] was right for the main role, and they suggested using [[William Hurt]], until they discovered that he had no interest in acting for television. [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] then sent the [[Teleplay|script]] for the "[[Pilot (Millennium)|Pilot episode]]". Henriksen read the script and thought it was "great". When his manager told him that it was a [[television]] script, he backed out for a while until he talked to Carter himself.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ugo.com/channels/dvd/features/millennium_season3/lancehenriksen.asp |title=LANCE HENRIKSEN TALKS MILLENNIUM |author=Rogers, Troy and Seeton, Reg |date=|accessdate=July 12, 2009 |publisher=UGO.com}}</ref> Regarding his casting of Henriksen for the lead, Carter stated that:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/cmeacg/millennium_episode_article.php?article=10&mlm_code=100 |title= CHRIS CARTER INTRODUCES US TO MILLENNIUM |first=|last=|date=|accessdate=July 12, 2009 |publisher=''Millennium'' This Is Who We Are}}</ref>


Producer [[John Peter Kousakis]] has noted that Black remained the main constant throughout the series, as each season featured a marked change in tone and plotting.<ref>[[#Turn of the Tide|Turn of the Tide]], 01:02–01:54</ref> Black appeared in every episode of the series bar one—the [[Millennium (season 2)|second season]] episode "[[Anamnesis (Millennium)|Anamnesis]]" did not feature the character at all, focussing instead on another Millennium Group member. Henriksen used the break from production to take a trip to [[Hawaii]].<ref>[[#Turn of the Tide|Turn of the Tide]], 20:55–21:07</ref> Following the cancellation of ''Millennium'', character of Black—again portrayed by Henriksen—appeared in "[[Millennium (The X-Files)|Millennium]]", an episode of ''[[The X-Files]]'' which served as a [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] between the two programmes.{{sfn|Shapiro|2000|p=54}}
{{cquote2|I had tried to cast Lance Henriksen on ''The X-Files'' several times, he had always been either unavailable or uninterested. Anyway I remained a fan of his, I was in bed working in Vancouver and I realized he was working there too. So I found out where he was staying, wrote a note and had a fan note slipped under his door and told him that I'd tried to get him on the show and hoped to work with him in the future. Little did he know when I was then writing Millennium I was writing with only him in mind, with no idea whether or not he'd actually do the project. So I wrote the project, approached him, he was very excited about it, we made a deal and the rest is now history.}}


==Reception==
Although Frank Black was usually played by Henriksen, A.J. Adamson also appeared as younger versions of the character in the [[Millennium (season 2)|season two]] episodes, "[[The Curse of Frank Black]]" and "[[Midnight of the Century (Millennium)|Midnight of the Century]]", as well as the [[Millennium (season 3)|season three]] episode, "[[Seven and One]]". Additionally, Shaun Toplass played Frank Black aged 14 years old in "The Curse of Frank Black".
{{see also|List of accolades received by Millennium}}


Henriksen's portrayal of Black has been met with a positive reception. Henriksen was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama]] for each of the series' three seasons, without winning.<ref name="globes">{{cite web |url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/film/24560 |title=HFPA – Awards Search – Millennium |publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] |access-date=December 24, 2013}}</ref> Henriksen's first loss was to David Duchovny's role as Fox Mulder in ''The X-Files'', followed by a loss to [[Anthony Edwards (actor)|Anthony Edwards]] as ''ER''{{'s}} [[Mark Greene]], and finally coming in behind [[Dylan McDermott]]'s portrayal of [[Bobby Donnell]] in ''[[The Practice]]''.<ref name="globe actor">{{cite web |url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/category_year/587 |title= HFPA – Awards Search – Best Actor Television Series Drama |publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] |access-date=December 24, 2013}}</ref>
⚫
==References==
{{reflist}}


Writing for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Zack Handlen noted that "Henriksen invests [Black's] world-weariness with a soothing, almost beautiful patience, and those few moments of delight he's allowed on the show [...] are sincere instead of cloying".<ref name="avcdeadletters">{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-x-files-teliko-millennium-dead-letters-1798166168 |title="Teliko"/Dead Letters {{!}} The X-Files/Millennium |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |first=Zack |last=Handlen |date=October 9, 2010 |access-date=December 12, 2013}}</ref> [[DVD Talk]]'s Randy Miller considered the character to have been "masterfully played" by Henriksen.<ref name="dvdtalk">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/17980/millennium-the-complete-third-season/ |title=Millennium: The Complete Third Season: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video |first=Randy |last=Miller |work=[[DVD Talk]] |publisher=[[Internet Brands]] |date=October 1, 2005 |access-date=December 12, 2013}}</ref> [[Robert Shearman]] and [[Lars Pearson]], in their book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', felt that Henriksen "seiz[ed] the part with a confidence that makes him immediately a more credible character" than Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the lead roles in ''Millennium''{{'s}} [[sister show]] ''The X-Files''.{{sfn|Shearman|Pearson|2009|p=105}} Writing for ''[[Slant (magazine)|Slant]]'' magazine, Keith Uhlich described Henriksen's portrayal of Black as "the perfect actorly complement to Carter's thematic obsessions", calling the character a "mortal survivalist pushing ever-forward, even in the face of the devil's idle temptations".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/millennium-the-complete-second-season/528 |title=Millennium: The Complete Second Season |magazine=[[Slant (magazine)|Slant]] |first=Keith |last=Uhlich |date=January 12, 2005 |access-date=December 13, 2013}}</ref>
⚫
==External links==
{{Portalbox|United States|Television|Fictional characters}}
⚫
{{wikiquote|Millennium (TV series)|MIL Frank Black}}
* {{wikia|X-Files|The X-Files|Frank Black|Frank Black}}


==Footnotes==
{{Xfiles}}
{{Reflist}}

⚫
===References===
*{{cite book|year=2000|first=Marc|last=Shapiro|title=All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6|publisher=[[Harper Prism]]|isbn=9780061076114|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/allthings00shap}}
*{{cite book | year=2009 | first1=Robert |last1=Shearman |first2=Lars |last2=Pearson | title=Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen|publisher=Mad Norwegian Press|isbn=978-0975944691 }}
*{{cite video |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]], Horton, Ken, [[Frank Spotnitz|Spotnitz, Frank]], [[Lance Henriksen|Henriksen, Lance]], [[Megan Gallagher|Gallagher, Megan]], [[David Nutter|Nutter, David]], [[Mark Snow|Snow, Mark]], Peter Kousakis, John, Freeborn, Mark, [[Robert McLachlan (cinematographer)|McLachlan, Robert]], [[Chip Johannessen|Johannessen, Chip]] and [[Thomas J. Wright|J. Wright, Thomas]] |year=2004 |title= Order in Chaos, Making Millennium Season One |location=Millennium: The Complete Second Season |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] |type = DVD |ref=Order in Chaos}}
*{{cite video| title=The Turn of the Tide: The Making of Season 2 |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]], [[John Peter Kousakis|Kousakis, John Peter]], [[Lance Henriksen|Henriksen, Lance]], [[Michael R. Perry|Perry, Michael R.]], [[Ken Horton|Horton, Ken]], [[Thomas J. Wright|Wright, Thomas J.]], [[Mark Snow|Snow, Mark]], [[Chip Johannessen|Johannessen, Chip]], [[Kristen Cloke|Cloke, Kristen]], [[Megan Gallagher|Gallagher, Megan]], [[Frank Spotnitz|Spotnitz, Frank]], [[Mark Freeborn|Freeborn, Mark]] |year=2004 |location=Millennium: The Complete Second Season |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] |type = DVD |ref=Turn of the Tide}}

⚫
==External links==
⚫
{{Millennium (TV series)}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Frank}}
⚫
[[Category:Fictional FBI agents]]
[[Category:Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel]]
⚫
[[Category:Fictional consultants]]
[[Category:Fictional Seattle Police Department detectives]]
[[Category:Millennium (TV series) characters]]
[[Category:Millennium (TV series) characters]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder]]

Latest revision as of 20:59, 13 November 2024

Frank Black
First appearance"Pilot" (Millennium)
Last appearance"Millennium" (The X-Files)
Created byChris Carter
Portrayed byLance Henriksen
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationFBI Special Agent
SpouseCatherine Black
ChildrenJordan Black (daughter)
Affiliated withMillennium Group

Frank Black is a fictional character in the crime-thriller television series Millennium. Black serves as the primary character of the series, which centers on his investigation into unusual crimes as part of the private investigative organization the Millennium Group. Black appeared in all but one of the series' sixty-seven episodes, with "Anamnesis" being the exception; the character was portrayed by Lance Henriksen throughout the series.

The character of Black was conceived by series creator Chris Carter as a modern Western hero, and has been considered the main constant throughout the series' changes in tone and direction. Henriksen was described by Carter as his "first and last" choice for the role, and has garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal, including three Golden Globe Award nominations.

Character arc

[edit]

Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) started his career as an offender profiler for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where his unusual gift for empathising with the killers he was investigating aided in their capture. However, Black retires when he finds that his family—wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady)—are being threatened by an unknown stalker, who is mailing polaroid photographs of the family to Black. After retiring from the FBI, Black moves to Seattle, Washington, and begins to consult for the Millennium Group, a private investigative organisation that aid law enforcement in violent criminal cases.[1]

Despite the change in career, the stalker (Doug Hutchison) catches up with Black, kidnapping Catherine. Black is able to track them down and rescue Catherine, stabbing the stalker to death in the process. Disturbed by both the abduction and Black's rage, Catherine moves out of their family home with Jordan for a time.[2][3] Before they can reconcile, Catherine dies in a virus outbreak orchestrated by the Millennium Group, who Black discovers are attempting to control the possibility of the end of the world at the turn of the millennium. Disgusted by the group's motives and actions, Black breaks rank and returns to work with the FBI in order to take them down.[4][5]

Working with his new partner Emma Hollis (Klea Scott), Black finds himself struggling to combat the far-reaching influence of the Millennium Group. Due to the workings of the Group, Black is framed for the death of a fellow agent, prompting his resignation from the FBI and fleeing Washington D.C., with Jordan; likewise, Hollis is convinced to abandon Black and work with the Group.[6] Several months later, Black is able to work with FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to foil a last-ditch effort by the Group to bring about the end of the world; vindicated, he reunites with Jordan after the case.[7]

Conceptual history

[edit]
A white-haired man in a tuxedo looks off to one side, smiling.
Henriksen was drawn to Millennium after reading its "vivid and edgy" pilot script.

Millennium's creator Chris Carter conceived Frank Black's character early in the series' genesis, knowing that he wanted to build the show around a retired law enforcement agent; the tone of Millennium came to Carter later in the process but shaped Black's character.[8] Carter saw Black as an archetypal Western hero, describing him as "self-reliant, quiet, capable, dangerous" and comparing him to the title character of the 1953 film Shane.[9] Actor William Hurt was considered for the role early in the conception of the series, although Carter denies that Hurt was seriously approached for the part, saying Henriksen was their "first and last choice".[10] David Nutter, a frequent director for the series, described Henriksen as an "everyman" who appears to have "seen hell, and has reached for heaven but not often had it".[11]

When Henriksen first received the script for "Pilot", he was impressed with what he saw as "vivid and edgy" writing, but was incredulous as the possibility of it being a television script, having initially mistaken it for a feature film. He also held reservations about working on television, as he was primarily a known for acting in films.[12] The initial casting of Henriksen was not well received by executives at Fox Broadcasting Company, who had envisioned the lead role being played by "someone hot and in his mid-thirties, at worst" according to producer Ken Horton.[13]

Producer John Peter Kousakis has noted that Black remained the main constant throughout the series, as each season featured a marked change in tone and plotting.[14] Black appeared in every episode of the series bar one—the second season episode "Anamnesis" did not feature the character at all, focussing instead on another Millennium Group member. Henriksen used the break from production to take a trip to Hawaii.[15] Following the cancellation of Millennium, character of Black—again portrayed by Henriksen—appeared in "Millennium", an episode of The X-Files which served as a crossover between the two programmes.[16]

Reception

[edit]
See also: List of accolades received by Millennium

Henriksen's portrayal of Black has been met with a positive reception. Henriksen was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama for each of the series' three seasons, without winning.[17] Henriksen's first loss was to David Duchovny's role as Fox Mulder in The X-Files, followed by a loss to Anthony Edwards as ER's Mark Greene, and finally coming in behind Dylan McDermott's portrayal of Bobby Donnell in The Practice.[18]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen noted that "Henriksen invests [Black's] world-weariness with a soothing, almost beautiful patience, and those few moments of delight he's allowed on the show [...] are sincere instead of cloying".[19] DVD Talk's Randy Miller considered the character to have been "masterfully played" by Henriksen.[20] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, felt that Henriksen "seiz[ed] the part with a confidence that makes him immediately a more credible character" than Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the lead roles in Millennium's sister show The X-Files.[21] Writing for Slant magazine, Keith Uhlich described Henriksen's portrayal of Black as "the perfect actorly complement to Carter's thematic obsessions", calling the character a "mortal survivalist pushing ever-forward, even in the face of the devil's idle temptations".[22]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ David Nutter (director); Chris Carter (writer) (October 25, 1996). "Pilot". Millennium. Season 1. Episode 1. Fox.
  2. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Glen Morgan & James Wong (writers) (September 19, 1997). "The Beginning and the End". Millennium. Season 1. Episode 1. Fox.
  3. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Ted Man & Walon Green (writers) (May 16, 1997). "Paper Dove". Millennium. Season 1. Episode 22. Fox.
  4. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Glen Morgan & James Wong (writers) (May 15, 1998). "The Time is Now". Millennium. Season 2. Episode 23. Fox.
  5. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Michael Duggan (writer) (October 2, 1998). "The Innocents". Millennium. Season 3. Episode 1. Fox.
  6. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Ken Horton & Chip Johannessen (writers) (May 21, 1999). "Goodbye to All That". Millennium. Season 3. Episode 22. Fox.
  7. ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (November 28, 1999). "Millennium". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 4. Fox.
  8. ^ Order in Chaos, 00:46–01:27
  9. ^ Order in Chaos, 04:48–05:09
  10. ^ Order in Chaos, 05:09–05:29
  11. ^ Order in Chaos, 05:33–05:49
  12. ^ Order in Chaos, 05:52–06:35
  13. ^ Order in Chaos, 06:40–06:54
  14. ^ Turn of the Tide, 01:02–01:54
  15. ^ Turn of the Tide, 20:55–21:07
  16. ^ Shapiro 2000, p. 54.
  17. ^ "HFPA – Awards Search – Millennium". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  18. ^ "HFPA – Awards Search – Best Actor Television Series Drama". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  19. ^ Handlen, Zack (October 9, 2010). ""Teliko"/Dead Letters | The X-Files/Millennium". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  20. ^ Miller, Randy (October 1, 2005). "Millennium: The Complete Third Season: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  21. ^ Shearman & Pearson 2009, p. 105.
  22. ^ Uhlich, Keith (January 12, 2005). "Millennium: The Complete Second Season". Slant. Retrieved December 13, 2013.

References

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Frank_Black_(character)&oldid=1257216196"