Reviewed: Walkabout
Contributor: Erin (Raven Wolf)
I remember the very thing I do not wish to;
I cannot forget the things I wish to forget." (Cicero)
The symbolism in the first scene of "Walkabout" was excellent, as the little Terrier claws and whines at the door of the medical clinic, as those on the inside are desperately clawing to get out.
We learn a little more about Frank's past here, as Catherine tells of Frank's breakdown, and of his use of the name of a boyhood friend, who died. And, as he explains to Catherine at the end why he would have been interested in learning about this drug, we learn of his concern for Jordan, if she possesses the same gift that he has, and his desire to shelter her from what this gift will make her aware of. Yet, he finally shows great wisdom, in declaring that they would be there to guide her, rather than deadening her ability to see the truth.
This episode has great personal meaning for me, as I have very strong feelings about the over-prescribing of antidepressants in this country, which is, in my opinion, leading to what I call "The Anesthetizing of a Nation." As Dr. Hans Ingram said in this episode, "People will take anything!...We're turning into a nation of zombies!" Again, we, as the audience, get to see that the "bad guy" sometimes is bad for a reason, and, in this episode, Dr, Ingram was trying to make a point by creating "Anti-Proloft", he just went about it in the wrong way. "Proloft" was a jab at the two main anti-depressant drugs on the market, "Prozac" and "Zoloft". I think this was an episode that took a lot of courage to make, since these companies are well-respected in this country, and I'm proud of them for making it, as this is a message that, like with Premarin (or PMU as it was called in "Broken World") we need to hear more often, since, only through education can change come.
The most heart-wrenching scene was near the end, when Danny Miller, who had been dosed with "Proloft", was walking down the bridge, as cars whizzed by him, drunkenly singing "Danny Boy". As he had told Frank earlier, when telling him of his breakdown, he had done something similar once before, thinking the lights of the cars were the lights on the road to heaven. Now, as he blissfully walked, arms wide, belting out "Danny Boy", tears come to my eyes, that I can't stop, even now, remembering that, as he walks in front of a car that hits and kills him, he really was walking down that last road to heaven.
All in all, I think that "Walkabout" is one of the best episodes of the first season, and can even be appreciated by non-Millennium fans (if there are such things!) as well as faithful Millennium enthusiasts.
