Microwave Mike

[Walkabout]

I read that there were 'creative' differences with Bill Smitrovich and others [particularly Lance] and so his charactor had to die. Its too bad as I think his presence was needed for balance. I found Mike annoying but a 'necessary' charactor in as much as there are many like him that people must deal with in RL.

[Guest I Made This]

I read that there were 'creative' differences with Bill Smitrovich and others [particularly Lance] and so his charactor had to die. Its too bad as I think his presence was needed for balance. I found Mike annoying but a 'necessary' charactor in as much as there are many like him that people must deal with in RL.

It's interesting if you watch the first half of season one because even though Peter Watts is a regular presence, the series does sometimes lends itself to having guest starring partners for Frank, Mike Atkins, Jim Pansears, Ardis Cohen (Lindsey Crouse in Kingdom Come), and Maureen Murphy (Harriet Sansom Harris in Loin Like A Haunting Flame) that there's almost the feel of the series working out who best to work with Frank and the writers always ending up deciding to settle on Watts. I liked the different faces of the Millennium Group that first year I have to say, and I liked having Frank doing a lot of consulting with the Seattle PD too, I have a particular liking for Giebelhouse and was genuinely shocked when Bob was killed but in the end for me Watts always felt like the suitable right hand man for Frank.

As for Bill Smitrovich, interestingly Chris Carter, without going into too much detail, mentions that both Lance and Smitrovich had very different acting styles in his audio commentary for the Pilot episode.

[Earthnut]

I too have a particular liking for Bob Giegelhouse, and was heart-broken when they killed him off. You just can't help but like the guy.

[Guest I Made This]

I too have a particular liking for Bob Giegelhouse, and was heart-broken when they killed him off. You just can't help but like the guy.

Poor Bob. The first time I watched Millennium was when I was thirteen or fourteen and I can definitely say that the moment when Bob sees Lucy approach him when coming down the Black Family stairs was without doubt one of the most frightening things I had ever seen. Seriously impressive but disturbing too.

[Earthnut]

For me, the most disturbing was not Lucy, but seeing Bob dead and hanging from the ceiling. That image haunted me for a very long time. I just couldn't shake it. It might not have been so bad if I hadn't liked Bob so much.

[Guest I Made This]

For me, the most disturbing was not Lucy, but seeing Bob dead and hanging from the ceiling. That image haunted me for a very long time. I just couldn't shake it. It might not have been so bad if I hadn't like Bob so much.

I think I couldn't help but react the same way as Giebelhouse did. It was a real shock, plus I know some television shows, including The X Files of course, aren't afraid to kill of regular characters, but I think Millennium was the first one to do so quite shockingly and violent as this. I know the murder itself is never shown, but the aftermath is graphic and what makes it worse is that there is no justice come the end credits. Frank, Peter and Giebelhouse have no choice but to watch Lucy get away with it.

[Libby]

CC mentions in the commentary for season 1 that he named Bob Bletcher after a lawyer who had done some work for him. It was something of a running joke on X-Files that if any of the writers' friends asked for a character to be named for them, the response was "sure, but we'll kill your character", and apparently most people thought it even better to be a victim than a hero! But I doubt CC intended that to be the same fate for Bletch until circumstances dictated otherwise.

But given that Bletch had to go, it probably was one of the most memorable exits that CC could give him.

It's interesting if you watch the first half of season one because even though Peter Watts is a regular presence, the series does sometimes lends itself to having guest starring partners for Frank,[...]

That's an interesting point. I wonder if the writers were trying to construct more of an ensemble show with several recurring characters, maybe as a way of the show not being a Frank&Catherine version of Mulder&Scully. But, I think in the end the character of Frank was mostly going to be a fairly solitary character, and Peter Watts worked best as he seemed almost to be as solitary a character as Frank himself.

[...] what makes it worse is that there is no justice come the end credits. Frank, Peter and Giebelhouse have no choice but to watch Lucy get away with it.

That's just sent shivers down my back. In many ways, that's what happens in real-life, where law enforcement people know who the perpetrator is but can't do anything about it because there's not enough evidence to prosecute. This is one stage further, where those few who can recognise evil personified know they can't do anything about it because any possible evidence couldn't be believed.

[Earthnut]

That's just sent shivers down my back. In many ways, that's what happens in real-life, where law enforcement people know who the perpetrator is but can't do anything about it because there's not enough evidence to prosecute. This is one stage further, where those few who can recognise evil personified know they can't do anything about it because any possible evidence couldn't be believed.

Reminds me of a quote I once heard, "If you want justice, don't go to court." Having said that, I don't feel they could even have any possible evidence. Even if by some chance their testimony was believed, it definitely would require solid evidence to prosecute.

Yes, a very memorable episode, and a scene that stays with you.