The Innocents/Exegesis

[Guest Jim McLean]

Couldn't see any chat about this episode, which was surprising given it follows the wake of The Time Is Now.

It's an interesting gear shift for a show which has an awkward time deciding how much it needs to dispel of Season Two's vibe without losing audiences built from its more epic mythology.

I have a few questions on this episode, but I wondered what the general vibe was first. I must admit I enjoyed it and the inclusion of our new detective. Moving it to Washington seemed a bold move to fresh start the show, though I must say I preferred Frank's hair a little longer, made him look more vulnerable, but maybe that's the point in the change.

[Guest Laurent.]

Are you currently viewing season 3 for the first time? I just want to be sure that I, or anyone else, won't spoil the experience.

But about The Innocents/Exegesis... I love the feel, look and atmosphere of the third season but those episode did suffer from average storytelling. Just my opinion... it felt like a complex storyline that was just not given the time to develop or even make sense. Strange start to an overall amazing season.

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

Couldn't see any chat about this episode, which was surprising given it follows the wake of The Time Is Now.

It's an interesting gear shift for a show which has an awkward time deciding how much it needs to dispel of Season Two's vibe without losing audiences built from its more epic mythology.

I have a few questions on this episode, but I wondered what the general vibe was first. I must admit I enjoyed it and the inclusion of our new detective. Moving it to Washington seemed a bold move to fresh start the show, though I must say I preferred Frank's hair a little longer, made him look more vulnerable, but maybe that's the point in the change.

Well, I certainly can't speak for everyone, and would never try to, but from what I have gathered in reading feedback, I would say that their seems to be a pretty even split between those who loved the episode and those who hated it. Of course, there are probably a lot of people somewhere in between as well. I have seen a very wide range of responses to the episodes. The Millennial Abyss, for example, really seems to rip on the two parter, giving the first part a 3 out of 5 and the second part a 1 out of 5. Generally, it seems to me that, more often than not, people I talk to seem to think season 3 got off to a slow start, and then started to pick up a few episodes in. However, I have also heard people say some good things about the opening two parter. Personally, I didn't remember it as being that great by Millennium standards, but then, when I got my DVDs, I remember thinking, "Hey, this is actually pretty good". I think it just takes time for some people to adjust to all of the changes from season two, although I've also heard from some people who just think its bad. After watching it a few more times, I have grown to like the opening episodes even more, but I generally don't feel compelled to mention them when discussing my favorite episodes. The remote viewing was an interesting aspect of the story that I kind of forgot about. I also enjoyed the addition of some of the new characters, especially Emma. You have me curious now. I thought I remembered more discussion of Innocent/Exegesis, but I can't seem to find them in a search. If I find it I will link you to it.

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

Are you currently viewing season 3 for the first time? I just want to be sure that I, or anyone else, won't spoil the experience.

But about The Innocents/Exegesis... I love the feel, look and atmosphere of the third season but those episode did suffer from average storytelling. Just my opinion... it felt like a complex storyline that was just not given the time to develop or even make sense. Strange start to an overall amazing season.

Yes, this is very typical of the kind of comments I have read about Innocents/Exegesis. I think you will find a lot of responses like this. To me, it had its share of flaws for sure, but over all I have grown to enjoy them when I start season three from the beginning.

[Guest Jim McLean]

Yes, this is very typical of the kind of comments I have read about Innocents/Exegesis. I think you will find a lot of responses like this. To me, it had its share of flaws for sure, but over all I have grown to enjoy them when I start season three from the beginning.

I really need to watch it again to absorb it all with more retrospective understanding, (like the relevance of the biohazzard boxes), but overall, I enjoyed the tone of this episode and it did a good job of making things a little more down to earth, without running too far from the structure that season two had set - whether you felt that was a route MM should have gone down, season two is canon and needs to be treated as relevantly as season one, no matter how much as a show you are looking perhaps to find your old roots!

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

I really need to watch it again to absorb it all with more retrospective understanding, (like the relevance of the biohazzard boxes), but overall, I enjoyed the tone of this episode and it did a good job of making things a little more down to earth, without running too far from the structure that season two had set - whether you felt that was a route MM should have gone down, season two is canon and needs to be treated as relevantly as season one, no matter how much as a show you are looking perhaps to find your old roots!

Yeah, I thought they made a pretty good transition from season two into season three, especially given the fact that they wanted to go in a whole new direction. Upon watching them again, there was just a lot more to the episodes than I gave them credit for, based on my 7 year old memory of them. Also, as I have probably mentioned frequently, I don't think season three was rerun in my area, unless I don't have a clear recollection. That means that my opinion was based on only one viewing, and it often took me two or three viewings for me to really reflect on different aspects of Millennium episodes. There are episodes like Gehenna, the Pilot, Lamentation, and many many more that instantly hit a chord with me and that I knew would be favorites, but also a few that had to grow on me. Innocents/Exegesis falls into the later category. Then, of course, there are a very select few that never got there for me. 13 Years Later and Human Essence come to mind.

[ethsnafu]

In giving this two parter it's due it is essential consider that it had the unsurmountable task of resolving an enigma. How to open a season when the previous season had effectively concluded the stoy. My greatest concern is with the nonsensical resolution to the pandemic introduced in the season two finale.

As I understand it, which means I'm on shaky ground as always, the Marburg Virus outbreak depicted in 'The Fourth Horseman' and 'The Time is Now' was to be Millennium's own Apocalyptic Plague and, potentially Millennium's swan song as Morgan and Wong were instructed to create a scenario that would serve both as a season end and series finale. This doom laden prophecy did not come to fruition, however, and Chris Carter was given the insurmountable task of digging himself out of the quagmire that Millennium found itself in as a result of confusion regarding it's continuation.

The official 'line' was that since the Marburg PrP Variant killed so rapidly and effectively it did not have the time to become a pandemic or global epidemic and affect people over an extensive geographical area. What confuses me the most with regards to Marburg is the two opposing arguments of Seasons Two and Three namely that the group was both responsible and not responsible for the Marburg outbreak.

The first time Marburg is mentioned Peter is mortified and though he is aware of it there is a clear indication that not only does he have to resort to complicated means to access more information but if the group is truly responsible for the Marburg resurgence then why do they appear so terrorised by it. It is clear that they anticipated it "...after '86 they developed a vaccine that could keep the virus in check once it entered the body..." but what is not clear is that they were responsible for it, according to Peter that honour rests with the Soviet bioweapons program 'Biopreperat'.

By the time we reach the aftermath in Season Three Frank has concluded that not only was the group responsible for the Marburg outbreak but, therefor, responsible for the death of Catherine and it is claimed that the group did indeed release Marburg upon the populace in an attempt to kill a handful of psychics who 'knew too much.' Without wanting to seem harsh, 'cos I'm not harsh, it seems to me that this explanation is both absurd and implausible as without the means to protect the general populace, not to mention their loved ones, would the Millennium Group really risk a global epidemic in an attempt to kill a handful of women? Would a gunshot to the back of the head not be more effective - a trademark group execution that we see time and time again throughout Season Three. The remote-viewers certainly knew that an outbreak was immanent as they took the precaution of stealing protective bio containers from the CDC but this, in and of itself, does not necessarily mean that the Group was responsible for the outbreak they had foreseen.

Move on to 'Collateral Damage' and things become more discombobulate. Eric Swan, Gulf War Veteran and Talk Show Fan, claimed that the Millennium Group provided the US government with a bio weapon to test on American Soldiers. The testing of this weapon and the subsequent infection of troops was what gave rise to Gulf War Syndrome, Swan confirms this when he notes that the agent his warhead delivered was microplasma flavivirus, existent in Gulf War Syndrome lore. What becomes confusing is that despite Swan's personal belief as to what infected the troops the vaccination that he withholds from the infected Taylor Watts is the Marburg PrP Vaccination complete with Ouroborus label. Frank also confirms that the virus he believes Taylor has been exposed to is Marburg when he explains to Swan that what happened in the Gulf happened to his wife.

If Taylor Watts is exposed to the Marburg Virus, and her condition is most definitely cured by its antidote, as well as sharing it's symptomology, how can it be explained that the condition that ravages her body develops over several days. Even when she is developing dermal lesions she is identified by Peter as having around 36 hours to live: compare this with the rapidity of the deaths in Season Two and my only conclusion is that Marburg may have been perfected. Its rapid degenerative abilities were the primary reason it did not fulfil its potential to be a world wide pandemic and by Season Three it appears it develops much more slowly, deliberately and far from being a plot 'hole' I believe that Chris Carter intended to show that research and development into Marburg was ongoing and explain some of the problems created by Morgan and Wong's apocalypse.

But, unfortunately, there is a problem with this premise that Marburg's rapid duration of onset and action was the reason for its inability to deliver a more fatal blow to the Earth's populace. Firstly, if we are to believe the events of Collateral Damage, the PrP Variant's mode of transmission is airborne which is plausible since the Marburg Heamorragic Fever still perplexes scientists with regards to it's behaviour though contamination with infectious blood or tissues are all highly suspect as sources of disease an airborne route has been mentioned, not only is this new variant airborne but it is a 'zoonose' (a disease of animals, such as rabies or psittacosis, that can be transmitted to humans) and considering it had already infected the fowl populace it is not inconceivable that Marburg could spread via birds which become infected with the virus when they have contact with contaminated nasal, respiratory, or fecal material from other infected hosts. Fecal-to-oral transmission is the most common mode of spread between birds and once it is rampaging through the bird population there is a serious threat of a worldwide pandemic.

The two factors described above, its airborne mode of transmission and its zoonotic nature, should have greatly increased its chance of survival beyond the 70-80 deaths described in Season Three not only this but Catherine must have had contact with an infected host within a very small window of opportunity before her death if the premise that 'it did not spread as it comes and kills quickly' is to be believed. Was Frank inoculated against Marburg or did he, in fact, become a host? And if it was neither he nor Jordan who infected Catherine in the cabin then who did?

Consider also that both Peter and Frank are inoculated covertly, so much so that it is intimated that the group is deliberately withholding knowledge of its vaccination programme from even those at patron level. Of course this may not be their normal modus operandi the wider 'circle' of group members could have received their vaccination in a more traditional roll-up-your-sleeve manner as the group had behaved decidedly differently towards Peter since the death of the Old Man and up to, and including, his initiation of Lara. Which brings me to a further enigma. Lara, unlike Peter or Frank, is in possession of a Marburg antidote and therefor more fully informed than either of them considering the subterfuge to which Peter had to undertake in order to ascertain even a brief understanding of its existence. Of course this may be another 'nod' to the intimation in Owls and Roosters that despite being an excommunicated candidate there appears to be clear line of communication between Lara and the shadowy Group Elder. Either way Lara's possession of the vaccine seems odd considering what Peter informs us of ...."After you showed me the medical tests you had done - which to me indicated that we had been inoculated without our being aware - I needed to know inoculated against what?" it seems Lara was not kept in the dark with regards to groups inoculation programme and given choice and free will where others were not.

Another odd notion is Peters insistence that the group could not afford a vaccine for it's families as "...there would never be enough material... to develop a universal vaccine..." currently there is no vaccine or treatment other than drugs to relieve pain for victims of Marburg but theoretical research indicates that there is hope in the form of a live vaccine that grows inside the recipient for a short period of time, generating a rapid and strong immune response. Considering that the groups access to breakthroughs has, according to Miss Means, "...enabled the Group to leap generations ahead of mainstream research..." we can assume that they have been successful in the development of a live vaccine which we, in the real world, have not. If this is, and it seems it is, the case then to make a live, attenuated vaccine, the disease-causing organism is grown under special laboratory conditions that cause it to lose its virulence, or disease-causing properties. Although live vaccines require special handling and storage in order to maintain their potency, they produce both antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immunity and generally require only one boost, or additional dose. In essence, all that would be needed would be a sample of the Marburg PrP Variant and Peter's assertion that the group would not have had sufficient material is almost certainly untrue. It is this paradox that lead me to conclude that the group seized the opportunity of the Marburg Virus to rid itself of Catherine Black, it is noted in Skull Bones when Emma comments that 43 people were murdered by the group that ".... "43 threats are now gone...Who, Agent Hollis, is prepared to do what is necessary to assure our future?" was Catherine considered to be a constant irritation in the face of the Group's desire to recruit Frank Black? So pivotal was his recruitment that in 'Collateral Damage' Peter Watts hints that the group is in a terrible state since it lost Frank.

However you look at it Marburg seems to be an enigma. It is either a Group construct or something forced upon them to which they were barely able to protect the ones they love nevermind the world at large. It was either the work of the Russian Biotechnicians or it was a erratic attempt by the Millennium Group to kill the blue-eyed remote viewers and it is either a tragic accident that Catherine Black was killed or something more 'dark'.

I have done the deed and immersed myself once more in 'The Innocents' and 'Exegesis' in the hope of uncovering the truth behind Millennium and Marburg but the first thing that enthraled me was the time period between these episodes and 'The Time is Now'. It has taken only five months, a relatively short space of time, for the Group to become what it became: moving away from the benign, if not murky, positivism of previous into the rank criminality of Season Three and X-Files: Millennium and whilst this is not a commentary on whether I liked or disliked the metamorphosis it does niggle me that we were never afforded an explanation. It has been concluded that the changes that were made were born from necessity, a natural evolution from Morgan and Wong's tenure but I, and probably only I, find this difficult to rationalise. Granted they gave the group, amongst other trappings, a shadowy, conspiratol tone but it was Chris Carter, not Morgan and Wong, who laid the blame for Marburg at the Group's door. The Apocalypse of Morgan and Wong was firm in its inference that the Group were not the architects of the Marburg epidemic and all that we had seen before still depicted a Group being benign, deluded maybe, but evil in the charnel house, mass graves, infanticide, genetic executioners sense? I believe that this was not born from any need to resolve or elucidate upon anything that had gone before. I am aware that some fans reacted angrily to the transformation of the Millennium Group, as powerful a character as any in the "Millennium" universe, into an evil entity and at the time Johannessen and Horton stated, "I think it's great they made the Millennium Group sinister (last season) because it works well as an embodiment of our concerns about the millennium and the weirdness out there." Now it may only be me but I am trying, believe me I am, to pinpoint those specific moments at which Season Two's sinister group was capable of anyting like what was to become. It was made impenetrable, profound, arcane and esoteric all of which throughout history have been associated with sinister machinations despite the fact that they were simply spiritual tools of transformation denied the masses but I cannot see how anything in 'Two' could lead Johannessen and Horton to believe that the group was capable of executing 43 men, women and children stripping their flesh, bleaching their bones and burying them beneath a highway.

Now none of this is a criticism. If the group is to be evil then be it evil, I like evil (in a televisual sense you understand), and nothing perturbs me about this but make us understand why they became evil and justify the assertion that all that we saw during Season Three was the culmination of the work of Morgan and Wong on Season Two and by that I don't mean 'well they were a bit shady so it stands to reason that the next step would be murdering american soldiers, children, babies etc.'

Now I have no problem with the group being the architects of Marburg Variant PrP even though it does, and it does, seem to confuse the previous Season's sure and certain depiction of a scared and ill equipped Millennium Group. What irks me is the explanation for this terror. As I have explained I cannot accept that the Group would willing, with malign intent, to release a virulent biotoxin upon humanity and their loved ones, in order to suppress a handful of women: especially in light of the fact that we are expected to believe that when this genius of an idea goes wrong they then resort to less certain, and simple, methods such as shooting them. So if we buy that idea, throw logic to the four winds, then we have to wrestle with the reasoning for the assassination plot: that these women are able to remote view the activities of the Millennium Group and, ergo, deduce what they are up to. Now we are told that these women represent 'the best there is at what they do' and to illustrate their dangerous gift of uncanny insight Emma Hollis plays a recording of such a session with '512'. In the midst of a rapture, and seemingly floating down the corridors of some secret installation, she pronounces the something near to the following "Tower....vent....tower......vent......flowers......tower" upon which Emma states that 20 words are needed before the powers that be are able to search for the installation the viewers are viewing. Just twenty apparently. Now we are earlier told that so profound are their abilities that they are able to see the 'name plates of the men around the tables' in these institutions now forgive my cynicism but "Tower....vent....tower......vent......flowers...." would indicate to me that the Millennium Group have little to fear but apparently they do, so much so that prepared to unleash a viral Armageddon.

It is undisputable that these women knew that the Marburg Virus was to be unleashed and I can accept that the Millennium Group may have considered them a viable threat, in the general sense, and thus shoot them but I cannot accept that the group would risk everything, and I mean everything, to dispose of a few psychics who have some vague insight in to the Group and possess far less of an ability that Frank who has inside information and is shouting about the Millennium Group and remaining unscathed. Whilst we are on the topic of uncertainties if anyone can explain to me why '512' requires endotracheal intubation when she is sealed in the container? Not only is she intubated consciously, which is a risky procedure even in the hands of skilled anaesthetists and requires dosing and redosing with various agents throughout, but the ET Tube isn't connected to anything and in short in serves no purpose. These tubes are used to maintain a patent airway when other, kinder, forms are contraindicated and usually when the patient requires positive pressure ventilation. What possible purpose can there be to shove a tube into the woman's lungs and if we are to believe that this is done because of the lack of oxygen within the container then would it not be wise to connect it to an oxygen delivery system? Picky I know but bad science is worse than no science at all.

The biggest cringe moment, for me, was the explanation. The sum and reason for all this. When 512 is quizzed, understandably, by Frank as to the why, why is the Millennium Group prepared to slaughter her children and her children's children? What is it that they know? She responds by explaining that since, in 1999, there are no wars or bad people anymore the Millennium Group is meddling in a world in which it sees evil but there is none, this is what they know, this is what it was all about. I'll leave that one with you.

If you bring into the equation that in the first episode Frank changes his mind as to who is behind the Marburg Virus stating both his belief that they are responsible and later that they were simply prepared but he, at least, does seem to be consistent in his belief that The Millennium Group is responsible for the Marburg Virus but, and what had not occurred to me previously, is that a belief is really all it amounts to but then the events in Collateral Damage do seem to indicate that the group was responsible, I guess I just don't want to accept that the truth is out there.

Before anyone asserts that I am being critical of Chris Carter I am not, I have everything the man has ever done, I worship at his altar. Before anyone asserts that I am trumpeting Morgan and Wong I am not, Space and Above and Beyond is rubbish. I just cannot understand how, when Season Three ends with such profound, energetic and intelligent episodes it could have started so lamely. Surely there must have been another way to explain the aftermath of 'The Time is Now - wasn't there? The explanation for why the Marburg Virus did not decimate half the planet, or more, is fine so just leave it at that and return to it later: there was no need to hurridly ascribe it to the Millennium Group and concoct the implausible reason for their unleashing of it.

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

In giving this two parter it's due it is essential consider that it had the unsurmountable task of resolving an enigma. How to open a season when the previous season had effectively concluded the stoy. My greatest concern is with the nonsensical resolution to the pandemic introduced in the season two finale.

Before anyone asserts that I am being critical of Chris Carter I am not, I have everything the man has ever done, I worship at his altar. Before anyone asserts that I am trumpeting Morgan and Wong I am not, Space and Above and Beyond is rubbish. I just cannot understand how, when Season Three ends with such profound, energetic and intelligent episodes it could have started so lamely. Surely there must have been another way to explain the aftermath of 'The Time is Now - wasn't there? The explanation for why the Marburg Virus did not decimate half the planet, or more, is fine so just leave it at that and return to it later: there was no need to hurridly ascribe it to the Millennium Group and concoct the implausible reason for their unleashing of it.

Wow, that is an extremely well thought out study of the episodes in question. I can't really provide any of the answers to the inconsistencies myself. I think the solution, for me, is to have a couple of shots of southern comfort before watching these episodes. By the time I get to these inconsistencies I'll be feeling so good that it really wont matter one way or another.

[Guest Jim McLean]

I'm going to have to hold back on commenting on E's post as I'm still slowly making my way through season three, so I can't jump too far ahead on the analysis of how the virus fits into the overall Millennium politic. From this episode I presumed what was scene by the Millennium Group as the end, was in fact not; that the virus did not the extent of the contagion expected and disappeared once more. For me, having seen the media hype apocalyptic events, it somehow had a realistic flavour that what was expected to kill so many in the end only found contagion in a select few.

Now again, this is what I felt from this episode; that realism took hold (as I was feeling season three was trying to do to some extent) and this fairy tale pestilence somehow didn't manage to carry the contagion as far as possible - for whatever reason.

I skipped most of E's post, but I saw some future reference, so I'll hold back on my thoughts, suffice to say in the context of this episode, what the Millennium Group saw as the virus to end all virus, reality proved it wasn't quite as unsurmountable.

Not an argument - merely an observation based on viewing this story alone.

[Guest ZeusFaber]

I will not wade in too deeply on this topic, since it is being discussed so well already, I will simply respond to one point:

It has been concluded that the changes that were made were born from necessity, a natural evolution from Morgan and Wong's tenure but I, and probably only I, find this difficult to rationalise. Granted they gave the group, amongst other trappings, a shadowy, conspiratol tone but it was Chris Carter, not Morgan and Wong, who laid the blame for Marburg at the Group's door. The Apocalypse of Morgan and Wong was firm in its inference that the Group were not the architects of the Marburg epidemic and all that we had seen before still depicted a Group being benign, deluded maybe, but evil in the charnel house, mass graves, infanticide, genetic executioners sense? I believe that this was not born from any need to resolve or elucidate upon anything that had gone before. I am aware that some fans reacted angrily to the transformation of the Millennium Group, as powerful a character as any in the "Millennium" universe, into an evil entity and at the time Johannessen and Horton stated, "I think it's great they made the Millennium Group sinister (last season) because it works well as an embodiment of our concerns about the millennium and the weirdness out there." Now it may only be me but I am trying, believe me I am, to pinpoint those specific moments at which Season Two's sinister group was capable of anyting like what was to become.

This is where I'm on the other side of the fence, and definitely agree with what Chip Johannesen and Ken Horton are saying. It starts all the way back in the S2 premiere, "The Beginning and the End", where we are told that the Group knew all about the Polaroid Man and who he was, but deliberately withheld that information from Frank. Not in the realm of murder yet, no, but at least an accessory to it, and certainly a lot more sinister than anything we might ever have seen in S1 when they were a much different identity. This is the first seed sewn as Morgan & Wong attempt to reinvent the Group toward more sinister ends.

Far more concrete examples can be found in the likes of "Owls" and "Roosters", where they are shown to be pursuing an almost megalomaniacal agenda. They shoot at Frank outside his home. They end up taking the law into their own hands and engineering the assassination of Odessa members in Paraguay. Some might say, but they're evil Nazis! Well, does that make it okay? Does that make them less sinister or less murderous? Does that mean there is no blood on their hands? Does that mean they are not a very, very different organisation to the one depicted in S1?

Then that takes us back around to "The Fourth Horseman" and "The Time Is Now". I'm still not quite convinced that there is no implication of Millennium Group involvement in the release of the Marburg virus, but I will refrain from commenting on that since I have not viewed the episode recently. Regardless of that however, they are undoubtedly responsible for the murder of Richard Gilbert, sabotaging the car of an entirely innocent man just to further their agenda. They also go after Peter Watts with guns.

So, in short, I would definitely advocate the viewpoint that the Millennium Group are radically transformed into something much more sinister and nefarious in S2, and thus S3 had no choice but to take up that baton and run with it.