Reviewed: Kingdom Come

Contributor: David

MillenniuM- Kingdom Come

“Are you afraid to die Frank?”

Thus asks Galen Calloway (Michael Zelniker) of Frank Black in MLM-103_Kingdom Come. Is there any question more likely to elicit thoughts about one's faith than this one? Arguably not, and hence again we see the essence of MillenniuM; it poses questions that dig deep into our existence.

As the episode progresses it becomes apparent that as with many of the protagonists in MillenniuM, Galen is not a monster. He is simply a being who has fallen into his own trauma; in this case the trauma of a lost faith. In trauma one is often left with the option of accepting the trauma and moving back towards sanity or pulling others into the trauma, thereby creating a fellowship of sufferers.

Galen, amid his own trauma, decides to follow the latter path, taking it to extremes and causing not only suffering, but death as well. In doing so he aims to bring about the death of faith in others; something he does not realize he can never do as faith transcends suffering and death. Hence his trauma is being deepened rather than alleviated and he is doing untold damage and trauma to others.

What stands out in this episode is the compassion of Frank Black. As in 522666, there is a deep sense that Frank believes his quarry does not need to die. There is a solution in life and it can be implemented. Frank's deepest desire is to enter into the darkness of Galen's heart where destruction is fuelling itself, and show him how to bring that solution about. Sadly as the biblical quote at the beginning (Exodus 10:21) implies, sometimes the darkness is intense. It becomes so intense that it can be felt as if it were a physical force crushing one's spirit; and so it is with Galen. His battle is not with men, it is with his own diminishing spirit. The victims are, as vulgarly referred to in the modern world, collateral damage.

Of course this excuses Galen nothing, but it does bring his crimes into context and as uncomfortable as it is, this context is all too human. What is to be remembered is that what is seen as monstrous in this episode was common practice amongst the church at one time; common practice amongst men. Galen is simply an example of what can happen when our spirits begin to eat themselves ‐ we become as an ouroubouros; self devouring. But hopefully, if our hearts can be entered by light bearing people; as Frank's heart was entered, we can also become self-replenishing; which was all Frank wanted for Galen.

As a footnote, but a very big one, Kingdom Come again shows the invaluable insight of the feminine perspective, as well as bringing to the awareness the awesome power of religious symbology and ritual practice. Since these latter aspects are tearing our world to pieces at the moment MillenniuM might not only have been a contemporary work of fiction it might just have been a prophetic message carrier. Not bad for a TV series eh?