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Morgan & Wong’s Path Out of Season 2

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I’ve heard over the years references to multiple “trap doors” that Glen Morgan and James Wong set in “The Time is Now” were the show to continue into a third season. In the “Millennium After the Millennium” documentary, Chip Johannessen references a then-recent conversation with James Wong in which Wong states they should have spoken about it because there were ways established that would have allowed them to come out of the end of the world scenario they seem to have left. Does anyone know what Morgan and Wong’s potential path forward was or the “trap doors” were? I’ve heard about the post apocalyptic, “The Road” type of route for Season 3, but I don’t know if that was what they truly had in mind or one of a few different options. Thanks!

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  • 8 months later...

I seem to remember this discussed in the book Back to Frank Black. I'll have to take a look again, but off the top of the head, I think one of the paths out of that prevailing myth-arc, which I liked but definitely moved the show out of the simplicity of the murder mystery theme in Season 1, was that the Millennium Group would dissolve or be prosecuted, and that the end of the world scenario was not so imminent. This definitely would go along with the idea that the pandemic was contained to a few areas instead of widespread (like at the end of Season 2).

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@davidmarx2000, When you're able to see what BTFB had to say, would you please post a sentence or two about it? I'd be interested to know. 

I remember at the time, after it aired, I was quite surprised at reactions from, I think, both writers of the show and viewers regarding the virus. I had just assumed it wasn't a pandemic at all, but instead, a fairly localized (regional) and totally unexpected outbreak, or an epidemic. After all, it wasn't sci-fi and if it was end of the world, that would be a cop out IMO. And at the time, I had no idea one way or the other if the show was returning, but assumed it would, and figured the writers would never be so self-loathing as to kill off all their characters.

Still, there was concern, I guess, about writing their way out of it, but if it were "just" an epidemic (albeit of a fatal disease), it wouldn't really be a problem. It would just be a nice cliffhanger. 

Alas, all we got (officially) when the show ended was a crossover X-File...🤮

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  • 1 month later...

@Gotham Gal "We never really talked about it [Morgan & Wong and Chip, et al]

Looking at the Back to Frank Black book and I can't seem to find the part about dissolving the Millennium Group (my imagination or something I heard on one of the DVD special features or the BTFB podcasts?), however, regarding the Chip and Morgan/Wong situation, it's definitely true. Glenn Morgan said "We never really talked about it, so it was weird to watch some of Season Three where there was this plague, and then we just forget about it. There were a couple of ways you could go. I just watched The Road, and that was kind of one of the ideas that we had--the show should just kind of become that." (Chamberlain & Dixon, p. 123)

Later on, in conversation with Frank Spotnitz, when asked if anyone believed the series would not return for Season 3, Spotnitz replied "No. What I remember is, actually, that I thought we were coming back for Season Three, but I had no idea how we were going to get out of the box that Season Two ended in. I thought we were coming back; I guess I was hoping Morgan and Wong were coming back so that they could get us out of the box that they had built!" (p. 280)

Why these conversations never took place, I'll never understand. That said, just on its face, I don't like The Road idea. I have full confidence that the writers could make it work, but I actually liked the direction of Season 3, though the opening episodes were not that strong.

If I discover any of the other ideas Morgan and Wong apparently had, I'll be sure to share them.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

@davidmarx2000I can imagine they "never really talked about it," because I was always under the impression people were a  little stretched on that show. Certainly C.C. had a ton going on and some of the writers who went on to have good careers later on were kind of left hanging on MM, it seemed. I never sensed there was a whole lot of oversight and delegation came easy. No inside info on it at all, just my guess. That would certainly explain the divergent paths the show had in varying seasons.

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@Gotham Gal I think you're probably right, though a 15-minute conversation wouldn't hurt, but let's let the past remain where it should. Ted Mann said in the Millennium After the Millennium documentary that everything was TBD and Carter never laid out a vision for the show and that it was intentional. What bothers me is that "98% less serial killers" in Season Two equaled 100% less Ted Mann. Also, no inside info, it could have been his decision, just a correlation.

Edited by davidmarx2000
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