Reviewed: Kingdom Come

Contributor: Erin (Raven Wolf)

"And there will be such intense darkness That one can feel it." ~Exodus 10:21

This intensely disturbing episode is another example of the mix of beauty and horror so prevalent in Millennium. The theme of the crime drama, with a gothic twist, continues here as well. From the 1st scene, with the angelic singing of the choir, mixed with the screams of the priest being burned alive, followed by the haunting opening theme, to the next scene, with the simple, small detail of the bird crashing into a window of the Yellow house and later dying.

At the same time, with all the horror going on, there is the characteristic 10-13 dark sense of humor, expressed again as Frank and Ardis are at the second crime scene beside the lake at the golf course, and Frank has a revelation pertaining to the murder. He observes the way the man was killed, by drowning. "Torture of heretics." To which Ardis replies, "Golf? Or drowning?"

"Kingdom Come" is an episode that makes you think, which is a true mark of greatness. It makes you think about your own faith. In God. In yourself. In anything and everything. It also makes you think about the fact that murderers are people, not monsters. That they have a soul and feelings, too, and sometimes turn to horrible acts of violence as a result of their grief and pain. In this episode, we feel great sympathy for the killer, unlike in most other crime-dramas, where killers are just mindless monsters, and their victims weak, disposable people, and violence is used for violence's sake alone. This episode is a wonderful example of the writer's ability to make all the characters come alive, and make the viewers care what happens to each and every one of them. At the same time, it also makes you think about yourself, and your own life, and what part faith plays in your life.

The most moving scene is the final one, with Calaway standing at the pulpit in the church. Even though I was a "late bloomer", when it comes to Millennium, and didn't really get into it until 2000, I can still remember seeing the promos on TV for this episode, when it first ran. Calaway stood at the pulpit, "preaching" to the congregation, and ends with "Rejoice! Thy Kingdom Come!" That was the original promo, and now, as I see it again, followed by the ripping open of his shirt, revealing the bomb, strapped to his chest, as the light and noise from the helicopters invades from outside the stained-glass windows, and hearing him then say "Is here!", my blood still runs cold. Truly, one of the best of the first season.