Midnight Of The Century

[xvade]

The thought that Frank's father should've come with him never occurred to me. Since it was the anniversary of his wife's death, I think he wanted to stay in that house and, as he said, "listen to the music." And to me, he and Frank had been at such a distance for so long that just getting Jordan's picture was a very powerful moment and felt like enough of a reconciliation for that night.

That whole scene is probably - no, definitely my favorite of the entire series.

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

I see where having Henry at the Church would make sense. However, given the detailed explanation given by Henry Black not having him there is acceptable to me. The writers and actors made it evident that even though Henry stayed home, the relationship changes and gained understandings were quite clear to me. Would it have been nice to have Darren McGavin do some type of cameo scene similar to a season 3 scene with Jordan's grandparents? Of Course.

The episode where Catherine made mention of Jordan and Frank spending time with Henry was Anamnesis, shortly after the opening credits when the teacher asked Catherine to help her with the students. At least it was mentioned, but a visual would have been nicer.

[Guest Kat]

I see where having Henry at the Church would make sense. However, given the detailed explanation given by Henry Black not having him there is acceptable to me. The writers and actors made it evident that even though Henry stayed home, the relationship changes and gained understandings were quite clear to me. Would it have been nice to have Darren McGavin do some type of cameo scene similar to a season 3 scene with Jordan's grandparents? Of Course.

The episode where Catherine made mention of Jordan and Frank spending time with Henry was Anamnesis, shortly after the opening credits when the teacher asked Catherine to help her with the students. At least it was mentioned, but a visual would have been nicer.

Perhaps seeing Henry as a fetch is a catalyst. Frank spends time with him in the coming year--Jordan too. Frank has been given the gift of knowing that his father will die within the coming year thereby allowing him to deepen the reconciliation that we witnessed in the giving and receiving of the photo. Frank is given the opportunity to erase the regret he would have felt if his father had passed on without the opportunity to know his granddaughter.

[Libby]

That's a good point about Frank seeing Henry as a fetch as being a catalyst. So very often, in families where there's an estrangement, it's only when a senior member is facing the ultimate that there's a re-evaluation of the family dynamic and a possibility of reconciliation, and thereby a deeper understanding of how and why things went wrong all those years ago.

If it were a real life situation, I could imagine that Henry being at the church would have been emotionally overwhelming for him, as in: too much too soon.

I haven't watched the episode for a very long time, but was there any hint as to why Henry contacted Frank? Did he have a premonition of his own forthcoming death and that was his own catalyst?

[Guest Kat]

I'm not sure Libby. Henry sent a picture of himself to Frank and Jordan. Perhaps he wanted to re-establish contact with his son, or he may have felt that Jordan didn't really know him and he wants to be part of her life. There was some divine intervention though, as Frank received the card in the mail that had been posted in 1946 and he sees Simon in the churchyard. Maybe Henry just wanted to explain. The whole episode is moving. Henry telling Frank how scared he was of his wife's abilities. How that ability took his wife from him--exactly what is happening to Frank now. I also think that it was a message to Frank about the consequence of denying Jordan's gift. Catherine wants a normal life for Jordan--she didn't let Jordan be an angel in the Christmas pageant because somehow denying that might keep Jordan safe. Frank knows differently because of his mother's experience and because he has spoken to Lara.

[davidmarx2000]

Without a doubt, the holiday episodes of MM are excellent...MOTC is everything other fans have mentioned and more. But, has anyone mentioned the fact that Frank's father's spirit appears walking with other spirits at the end of the episode, and then several episodes later, ostensibly months later in Frank's life, Frank is informed of his father's death? There are a few holes/inconsistencies in the MM story, and that is one of them.

[Libby]

The apparition of Frank's father is a "fetch", signifying that he will die in the forthcoming year, not that he'd already died by then.

I'm using my laptop, so it isn't easy to copy'n'paste the relevant bit of the transcript, but here's a link to whole transcript:

https://millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/guide/episode_transcript.php?mlm_code=211 and you could do a search for "fetch".

I'd never heard of a "fetch" before I watched this episode, and I missed the significance of that very brief scene.

[davidmarx2000]

Thanks, I never thought of such an occurrence. I thought the perceived inconsistency had to due with different writers. Happy Holidays!

[Walkabout]

https://www.ask.com/wiki/Fetch_(folklore)

[The Old Man]

I will be watching this episode tomorrow night!