M I L L E N N I U M
"MONSTER"
Ep. # 2.04 [MLM-204 (5C04)]
Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong
Directed by Perry Lang
Edited by Chris Willingham, A.C.E.
Transcribed by Libby & Brian A. Dixon
[ Second Season ] [Complete Transcript]
[ Final Version ]
U.S. Air Date: October 17, 1997
=====================================================================
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."
Henry IV, pt. 2, Act 4, SC 2
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Once upon a time, there lived a chicken named Henny
Penny. One day an acorn hit her on the head. "My goodness," said Henny
Penny, "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." So she ran to tell the
king.
[Inside a children's classroom there are paintings pinned to a wall,
images of turkeys made from children's handprints. The children are
sitting in a half-circle on the ground while a woman, Miss Penny, reads
the story to them.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) On her way she met Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey.
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling. We must tell the king."
[The classroom is a chaotic array of small colorful chairs, desks
covered with art supplies, toys, children's books, and more children's
artwork.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) On their way they met Turkey Lurkey. "Where are you
going Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey?" asked Turkey Lurkey.
[More decorations can be seen on the wall. Imposed is a shot from
outside of the building, MISS PENNY'S DAYCARE.]
[The filming of the playground is handled in various ways: by
superimposing the end of a shot over the beginning of the next, by
slowing down the film to give a jerky appearance, and some shots appear
to have been run backwards. The effect is unreal and an unsettling
contrast to the standard story time session taking place in the Daycare
center.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) "The sky is falling, the sky is falling, we must
tell the king." On their way they met Foxy Loxy.
[Lightning flashes and thunder rolls ominously above a playground in
disarray. Tricycles, toy cars, and a swing set lie scattered across
the sandy lot before Miss Penny's Daycare.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) "The sky is falling, the sky is falling, we must
tell the king."
[A number of toy dinosaurs are perched atop a fence, positioned as if
battling with one another. A tea set sits on a small yellow table, the
cups and tea pot filled with dirt.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) "Oh, my," said Foxy Loxy, "I must show you the
quickest way."
[A rooster stands confined in a small cage.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) So Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Loosey Goosey, and
Turkey Lurkey, followed Foxy Loxy to a dark hole.
[Another nearby cage holds two white rabbits and a pair of colorful
name tags taped to the cage reveal their names: HILLORY and BILL.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) But this was really the hole to Foxy Loxy's den.
"Follow me," said Foxy Loxy, and went into the hole.
[Lighting flares over the swing set in the sandlot.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Then all of a sudden, Foxy Loxy turned around and
ate up Turkey Lurkey, in one big bite.
[More lightning flashes as a white picket fence whisks by.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Then Foxy Loxy ate up Goosey Loosey. Ducky Lucky
said, "Run Henny Penny, run for your life!" Then Foxy Loxy ate up Ducky
Lucky in one big bite.
[A small doll is lying in a dense, dead bush by the fence.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Then Henny Penny ran all the way home, and never
told the king the sky was falling.
[As the battered and dirty doll comes more prominently into view the
lightning and thunder quicken.]
[FADE to black... Logo fade in... Music and main titles roll.]
M I L L E N N I U M
this
is
who we are
starring
Lance Henriksen (Frank Black)
Megan Gallagher (Catherine Black)
created by Chris Carter
the time is near
--------- commercial segment ---------
[Fade from white.]
"MONSTER"
[Episode credits roll during the next scene]
Also Starring
Terry O'Quinn (Peter Watts)
Stephen James Lang (Detective Geibelhouse)
Guest Starring
Kristen Cloke (Lara Means)
Mary Gillis (Miss Penny)
Robert Wisden (District Attorney Gordon Roberts)
Lauren Diewold (Danielle Barbakow)
Chris Owens (Deputy Bill Sherman)
Gillian Barber (Mrs. Barbakow)
Fred Keating (Mr. Barbakow)
Music by Mark Snow
Editor: Chris Willingham, A.C.E.
Production Designer: Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer: Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer: Chip Johannessen
Consulting Producers: Darin Morgan
Co-Producer: Robert Moresco
Co-Producer: Paul Rabwin
Producer: Thomas J. Wright
Co-Executive Producer: Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer: John Peter Kousakis
Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong
Directed by Perry Lang
[A child's painting pinned to a wall depicts "Jordan," "Mommy," "Ben,"
and a yellow house.]
PETER: You fly into St. Louis, take a connecting flight to Little Rock.
[A Seattle Seahawks jersey thrown over a chair reads, "Warren, 42".]
PETER: It's about an hour and a half's drive northeast to Probity,
maybe ten thousand people.
[A computer monitor shows the familiar ouroboros and the greeting,
"Welcome Frank. There are 805 days remaining."]
PETER: It's a small town on the brink of a calamitous event. The
Millennium Group is sending you to consult for the District Attorney,
Gordon Roberts. A caution: he's up for re-election in November.
FRANK: So, no-one's been arrested. No-one's even been brought in for
questioning. It's all accusations. What's the Group's interest? Why is
Millennium sending me to a small town where something might happen?
[Peter is silent.]
FRANK: If this is more than rumors, it's a horrible crime. And I can't
imagine what I would do if it happened to Jordan. But child abuse has
always happened. Unfortunately, probably always will. How is this about
the end of the world?
PETER: Just go there, Frank. Find the evil. This is who we are.
[The schoolyard before Miss Penny's Daycare center is vacant.]
PETER: (V.O.) The woman under suspicion is named Penelope Elizabeth
Plott. Opened a daycare with her husband, Raymond, in 1961.
[Miss Penny, looking quite worried, is looking out through the wire
covered window in the front door of the daycare center.]
PETER: (V.O.) Her husband died of prostate cancer two years ago.
[There is a group of mothers out on the sidewalk, beyond the white
picket fence, giving out handouts.]
PETER: (V.O.) They had no children of their own. She puts all the money
she makes, not very much, back into the daycare. In 36 years not a
single incident has ever been reported.
[One woman is looking at the handout in her hands. It reads: "DID
SOMETHING HAPPEN? Dear Parent, Inquiries indicate your child has been
or is currently enrolled at Miss Penny's Daycare. I am extremely
concerned about the safety of my child and of course all the children
attending Miss Penny's Daycare. The following task is an unpleasant
one, but unfortunately a necessary one..."]
[Frank and Jordan are in a shoe store looking at sneakers. Jordan is
impatient, nagging, whiney, and being particularly difficult. Frank is
doing his best to remain patient, contain his annoyance, and finish
their shopping.]
JORDAN: Dad, there's something I want to ask you.
FRANK: What?
JORDAN: Who does Princess Leia root for?
FRANK: Seahawks. Give me those, give me those.
[Jordan has taken a shoe from the display. Frank goes to take it from
her. She obviously thinks it's all a game.]
FRANK: (to salesman) Excuse me, could you see if there's a size ten,
please.
JORDAN: Dad, who does Darth Vader root for?
FRANK: Raiders.
SALESMAN: Did you check the rack over there?
FRANK: Yeah, that's why I'm asking you. If you've got some in back, or
something.
JORDAN: Dad!
FRANK: I've got to get her home. Size ten. Thank you.
[Frank turns round to look for Jordan. She's nowhere in sight. Frank
goes looking for her.]
FRANK: (exasperated) Jordan. Jordan! Oh, Jordan.
JORDAN: Dad.
FRANK: What did we talk about when we went into a store?
JORDAN: Dad, look, running shoes.
FRANK: Yeah, you already have a pair of those.
JORDAN: Those are high-tops!
FRANK: Ask Mommy if you can buy those.
JORDAN: She already said I could have them!
FRANK: (to salesman, who is chatting to a colleague) Excuse me.
FRANK: (to Jordan) I'll ask her again and if she says you can have them
then I'll buy them for you when I get back from Arkansas.
JORDAN: Dad, I don't want you to go!
SALESMAN: Got them in an eight and a half.
JORDAN: Why are you even going?
SALESMAN: (to Jordan) Want to try them on?
FRANK: (to salesman) Listen, I asked for size ten. I said ten because I
wear ten. Those are eight and a half.
JORDAN: Look, look, look at all the purple.
FRANK: Jordan, yes, I see. Jordan! They won't fit.
JORDAN: Look at all the flowers.
FRANK: Jordan, chill out. Chill!
[Jordan becomes quiet and sad. The salesman gives Frank an awkward
glare of disdain as he watches the father reprimand his daughter.]
[In Probity, at the house of Deputy Bill Sherman, a woman hands the
Deputy one of the fliers that were being distributed at the protest in
front of Miss Penny's Daycare. He closes the front door looking
concerned.]
[In the bathroom, a young boy is pouring foaming liquid into the water
in a bathtub in preparation for bath time. His mother is standing in
the doorway and the Deputy comes to her side and shows her the handout.
The boy begins to undresses as his parents look on and they soon see a
sizable red wound on his back.]
DEPUTY: Bill Junior? Somebody bite you, son? (pause) I'm not mad at
you, I just want to know who did this.
KID: If I tell you, she'll kill me.
[On an airborne airplane at night Frank Black sits against a window,
wearing headphones and sifting through documents and file folders.
He's listening to Bobby Darin's "Goodbye Charlie."]
{MUSIC: "Goodbye Charlie, hate to see you go. Goodbye Charlie, gee I'm
feeling low. But I'm clueing you in, someone's doing you in, pal.
Goodbye Charlie, hate to see you fade. My, my Charlie, thought you had
it made. But they're dumping you off after bumping you off, pal. Don't
you know lechery leads you to treachery, things boomerang. Someone you
trifle with pulls out a rifle without a pang, bang, bang, bang..."}
[Frank is reading documents including the handout and a photograph of
Bill Sherman Jr.'s bite mark with a ruler showing it's seven
centimeters in length. He puts the documents down, pinches the bridge
of his nose and settles in to look out the window at the night sky.
Some rows away sits Lara Means. The music fades. There's a glow from
the window beside Lara. She turns to see a bright light shining
through clouds, then it fades. Lara seems deeply affected by this.]
[Inside a bathroom, Catherine Black stands with Jordan at the sink as
she is brushing her teeth.]
CATHERINE: Good girl.
[Jordan brushes for a moment and when she spits out the toothpaste into
the sink there's blood as well. Catherine gasps.]
[At Miss Penny's Daycare the kids are all asleep, wrapped in blankets
upon mats on the floor. Miss Penny is on the phone speaking quietly.]
MISS PENNY: Hi. Is this Bill? This is Miss Penny. I was just... Bill
Junior didn't show up today and I just wanted to make sure he was okay.
[There's a click and a dial tone. Miss Penny sadly hangs up the
phone.]
[There's a knock at door. Miss Penny opens it to see Frank Black.]
FRANK: Hi. Are you Penny Plott?
MISS PENNY: Sssh. Nap time.
FRANK: (whispers) Oh. Are you Penny Plott?
[Miss Penny nods.]
FRANK: My name is Chris Warren. I've just been transferred over from
Seattle, and I need day care for my five year old son.
MISS PENNY: Can you come back in half an hour? It's nap time.
FRANK: Oh, gee, that would be kind of tough on me. I got a moving van
coming to the house by 1:30. I had to leave my wife in a lurch. We
heard how great you are with kids. Do you think I could just look
around for a minute and check it out? Then I can report back to the
missus.
MISS PENNY: Sure, of course. Be quiet though, okay? The little ones
need their rest.
[Frank walks about the room, examining the children's painted
handprints on the wall and looking over the napping children.]
FRANK: I gotta use the potty.
[Frank goes into the bathroom. Miss Penny is suspicious and looks
through the gap at the bottom of the door. She see Frank's feet moving
around the room. Frank flushes the toilet and then opens the medicine
cabinet. On the top shelf is a bottle of prescription tranquillizers.
He takes the bottle out and opens it, pouring the contents into the
palm of his hand, to see that the pills have been broken into quarters.
After replacing the bottle and shutting the medicine cabinet he has a
sudden vision, seeing mouth and teeth in a monstrous and demonic beast-
like face. Taking a deep breath, he opens bathroom door to find Lara
Means standing there.]
LARA: The Oakland Raider Defense is tough against the run. Why, I'd
think you'd be back in Seattle preparing for your next game, Mr.
Warren.
MISS PENNY: Sssh!
LARA: Here's my thing. If you don't have a warrant, anything that
you're looking for, which you won't find anyway, is inadmissible. Now,
Miss Penny has a class to attend to, you have to report to the D.A.N.
I'm sure we'll meet again, so until that time, why don't you get the
hell out of here.
MISS PENNY: Okay, everybody. Nap time's over. Come on, get your
blankets. Who wants to hear a book?
KIDS: Yeah! Me! Me!
MISS PENNY: You want me to read you something?
[Frank walks to the front door and leaves.]
MISS PENNY: We could have some food or a snack. What about your
blankets?
[The kids are chattering and playing around. One child, Danielle, is
silent. She's staring at another, Jason, who is still seemingly
asleep.]
MISS PENNY: Jason. Jason?
[Lara, alerted, goes over to the child.]
KIDS: What's wrong? Why doesn't he wake up?
[As Lara moves to the motionless body of the child it becomes clear
that he's not asleep and the children begin to scream.]
MISS PENNY: Oh! Oh! Everybody, let's go outside.
[Outside, Frank hears the commotion and stops.]
LARA: Jason, can you hear me? Can you hear me?
MISS PENNY: Everybody!
[Frank enters. Danielle remains standing still, staring at Lara and
Jason as the other children run frightened to the front door.]
LARA: He's not breathing.
MISS PENNY: Everybody, follow me. Danielle!
[Miss Penny grabs Danielle, who smiles as she's pulled away.]
[Miss Penny and kids move outside into the sand lot out front. Miss
Penny looks back in through the glass in door. Lara and Frank kneel on
the floor beside Jason and begin to administer CPR. Frank compresses
the child's chest as Lara leans in to breath in his mouth, each
counting as they go. Frank has another vision of the snarling demonic
beast as he lifts his hands from Jason's chest. Then, Lara has a vision
of her own. She sees a brightening glow in the corner of the room and,
looking over, she can see the shape of a figure within it.]
FRANK: We lost him.
[Frank and Lara remain kneeling next to Jason's body in the center of
the classroom as Miss Penny stares sorrowfully in through the window in
the front door.]
[Fade to black.]
--------- commercial segment ---------
[Fade from white.]
[A medical x-ray shows a jaw and set of teeth.]
DENTIST: Has there been any recent trauma? A fall from a bike or off
the swings?
CATHERINE: She'd have told me. And I asked her about it the night that
she was brushing her teeth but (sighs) she said that she couldn't
remember. She's been with me nearly the entire time since my husband
and I separated.
DENTIST: Does Jordan spend any time with your husband without you?
CATHERINE: Yes, he has her on weekends.
[The dentist takes a Polaroid photograph of Jordan's teeth, showing a
bloody gash in the gums along her lower jaw, and places it next to the
x-ray.]
DENTIST: This photo shows a tear in Jordan's lingual frenula. Now,
there are many ways this could occur. However, it is an injury most
often resulting from blunt-forced trauma.
CATHERINE: My husband would never, never lay a hand on her. He's never
even raised his voice at her.
[A nurse in the other room looks on with shock and concern as Catherine
speaks, looking as if she believes Catherine is in denial.]
DENTIST: Has he shown any signs of stress from the separation?
CATHERINE: Nothing that could bring about something like this. My
husband is a very focused man.
DENTIST: What do you know of his work situation?
[Catherine has no response.]
[Inside a Probity coroner's office a coroner, Frank Black, and District
Attorney Gordon Roberts are examining a diagram of Jason's face and
neck that has been marked to indicate injuries.]
CORONER: It was these marks on Jason Wells that drew my suspicions.
The dashes are small lacerations and the circles are contusions.
ROBERTS: We should bring her in. This is the second account in a week
of a child at Miss Penny's with suspicious markings, including our own
Deputy's son.
[The three turn their attention to the photograph of the bite wound on
Bill Sherman Jr.'s back.]
FRANK: I read your DA's report on the plane. There are some bite
lacerations on the lower back of the Deputy's son. Completing the arc
creates a circumference too small for Penny Plott.
ROBERTS: Could Plott have made these marks?
CORONER: More likely made by the boy himself struggling for air. The
cause of death was asphyxiation, probably caused by an acute asthmatic
attack. He had a history of it.
ROBERTS: Could she have brought it on? She had to have somehow been
negligent. Something is going on there.
FRANK: "Something." "Something" may be Penny Plott, may be another
parent, may be nothing but circumstantial events. You can't tell for
sure. If you go looking for that something that you want to find, you
can find it, you can find anything, but it may not be the truth. And
that is the something you're looking for, isn't it?
ROBERTS: All right. Right now the only ones who know the truth are the
children.
FRANK: Yeah.
[In a police interview room, as seen through a one-way window, two
police officers are moving furniture out of the room.]
COP #1: Let's get this out of here. Got a half hour till the kids
arrive.
[A video camera is being set-up behind the one-way glass. Lara burst
into the room.]
LARA: A parent called Penny Plott and told her what's going on. Here's
my thing, I know what you're gonna do no matter what you hear from
these kids so let's just dispense with all the future motions and court
hearings about the legality of these interviews by allowing me to
participate.
ROBERTS: You Miss Plotts' attorney?
LARA: Lara Means. I'm a forensic psychologist.
ROBERTS: We already have one of those. Mr. Black.
FRANK: We've already met.
LARA: We didn't work so well together.
ROBERTS: (condescending) Well, Miss Means, with the proper court order
you can examine the tapes of these interviews.
FRANK: No, let her participate. Children are often very oblique in
their responses. We wouldn't want any misinterpretations, would we?
[Jordan sits on bed, putting on a pair of shoes and tying the laces.]
CATHERINE: You were such a good girl at the dentist, I'm going to take
you to the park.
[Catherine looks at herself in the mirror, running fingers through the
curls of her hair.]
CATHERINE: Jordan, what would you think if I straightened my hair?
Maybe it's time for a change. (turning to Jordan) Sweetheart, put on
your high-tops.
JORDAN: I don't wanna wear them any more.
CATHERINE: Why not?
JORDAN: Daddy and I had a fight over them.
CATHERINE: Jordan, is there anything you want to tell me?
[Jordan is silent.]
CATHERINE: Did something happen?
[Inside the Probity Police interview room Frank and Lara sit together,
interviewing various children one at a time. The footage cuts between
the responses of various children.]
FRANK: Do you know the difference between telling the truth and telling
a lie?
[A little girl shakes her head.]
LARA: Can you tell me the difference?
[A young boy looks blank.]
DANIELLE: Telling the truth is telling what happened, telling a lie is
telling something that never happened.
FRANK: Can you tell me the name of your school?
BOY #1: Miss Penny's.
LARA: How many kids are in your class?
GIRL: There's Tina, Taylor, Harrison, Max...
FRANK: Can you tell me what you like about your school?
BOY #2: Miss Penny.
BOY #3: Miss Penny.
DANIELLE: She spanked me.
LARA: Did you ever see Miss Penny spank any of the other kids?
BOY #1: No.
[A girl shakes her head.]
[Boy #3 screws up his face. Lara's smile turns to puzzlement. Boy #3
leans to one side and reaches to grab his cheeks and eyes, making a
face at the one-way window. District Attorney Roberts sighs and rubs
his face.]
DANIELLE: I remember one time. I believe it was during snack time.
Jason said he had to go to the bathroom but Miss Penny wouldn't let
him. She said, after snack time, but he can't hold it so he peed in his
pants. She got so mad and took him into the bathroom. Now, I didn't see
anything but I heard a sound like a smack. And then Jason began to cry
and he wheezed like he did and then I heard him scream, "No! Don't
touch me there! Don't touch me there!"
[Roberts smiles triumphantly.]
[Outside Miss Penny's Daycare there's a crowd of deputies and press.
Miss Penny is led away in handcuffs and put into the back of a police
car.]
DANIELLE: (V.O.) A few days later, on the playground, she took him away
from the others. She had a doll and I heard her say, "If you ever
tell..." And then she twisted the arm and broke the head and threw it
into the bushes.
[The broken doll from opening scene still lies in the bushes.]
[Inside a police interrogation room, Miss Penny sits wearing an orange
prisoner's jumpsuit while rocking in her seat overcome by grief.]
MISS PENNY: Are you crazy? Has the world gone crazy? I would never,
could never do these things you say I did. Never!
FRANK: Did you spank Jason Wells? Danielle Barbakow?
MISS PENNY: Yes, I spank them. When they're very bad I spank them. And
when they're good, I hug them. That's how I've done it for 36 years,
why should I change? Who said this new way is better? Show me the proof
the world is better because we can't discipline a child. It's gotten
worse! Bill Sherman is the deputy here. [She stands and turns to face
the one-way mirror.] Are you in there, Bill? Shame on you! I wiped your
ass when you were five, and your brothers. How can you do this? Oh, I
would never bite a child. I would never touch them like you say someone
has said I did. How dare you. It's all I have, all I ever had. I love
those kids. I am good, I'm a good person. Why would you do this to a
good person?
[District Attorney Roberts faces an angry gathering at a public meeting
and press conference.]
MAN: How in the name of god could you release her?
ROBERTS: I didn't release her. Judge Laroux set bail. My investigation
is still ongoing.
WOMAN: Will you close her school?
ROBERTS: I can't close her school until she's been proven guilty.
WOMAN: If you don't close it, we will.
CROWD: Yeah! We will!
[Deputy Sherman has been sitting in the front row of the audience. He
gets up and turns round to address the people.]
DEPUTY: I've seen a mark on my own son. He won't say who did it. I want
that person punished. As a father I need that. I was there and I heard
the children. And I've tried, I've tried to believe that it could be
her. But I can't. In all those years, did anyone see anything? All the
doctors that looked at our children, who've looked at us. Nothing. When
I was 18 and my now boss threw me in jail drunk, Penny Plott came to my
cell. She led me to this uniform. In my heart I know she is a good
person. That she's not responsible.
MAN: Will you take your son back to her?
[Deputy Sherman doesn't answer.]
MAN: Huh?
WOMAN: I believe the children. I believe the children!
[The crowd begins to chant, "I believe the children! I believe the
children!"]
[Outside Miss Penny's Daycare a crowd of protestors chants, "We believe
the children!" The white picket fence has now been painted with those
words. Danielle Barbakow is holding a placard and also chanting. Deputy
Sherman and his wife lead their son to the front steps of the daycare
center. The press takes photographs.]
WOMAN'S VOICE: How can you do this, Bill?
SHERIFF: Come on, let the boy in. Come on, back up. Let the boy in.
[Frank and Lara watch separately, apart from the crowd. The parents and
kids protesting pause.]
DEPUTY: Okay, buddy. You have a good day.
[Bill Junior looks back at Danielle, who stares at him. He runs to the
front door.]
MAN: (V.O.) Think about it, Bill! Think about what you're doing.
[Miss Penny eagerly opens the door to allow Bill Junior inside. Another
man is spraying letters on the fence. The Sheriff approaches
the Deputy and his wife.]
SHERIFF: You two follow me. We're going to the station. We have a few
questions for you to answer.
[Deputy Sherman takes his wife's hand and walks away. More shouts and
chanting erupt as the white picket fence is set on fire. Lara walks
over to Frank, both looking very concerned.]
LARA: Here's my thing. I sense that I can trust you with what I'm about
to say. Okay, look, I know that this is going to sound crazy even here,
but, I think, what I think is going on here is that...
FRANK: It's the girl.
[Lara looks a little surprised that Frank has taken the words right out
of her mouth.]
LARA: It's the girl.
[Danielle is standing at the fence, glaring at the two with a serious
and determined look upon her face.]
[Fade to black.]
--------- commercial segment ---------
[Fade from white.]
[A file folder lies upon an examination table labeled, "Wells, Jason
#1748-12." Frank is standing in the coroner's lab, going through it. A
drawing documents the marks on Jason's face and neck and their sizes.
Frank has also taken one of the paintings from Miss Penny's Daycare, a
piece of paper that displays Danielle's painted handprint. With a ruler
Frank measures the fingers of Danielle's print and then takes note of
the measurements of Jason Well's contusions. Another case file,
"Sherman Jr, Billy," contains the photograph of the bite mark on Bill
Junior's back. Frank takes note of the bite's measurement and then
turns to the case file on Danielle Barbakow to consult measurements of
her teeth. Frank considers the data as he collects his files and turns
to leave.]
[Frank consults with Lara in his motel room.]
LARA: I took the county census. 125 years on both sides of Danielle
Barbakow's family. We got war heroes, ministers, captains of industry -
-
[Pages fly out of Frank's hands as he leaps off of the motel room bed
in shock as the mattress begins to vibrate. He turns to face the bed
and breathes a short laugh as he realizes what has happened.]
LARA: -- no indications of mental illness or violent tendencies.
[Lara thumps the machine next to the bed with a fist and the vibrations
stop.]
FRANK: Thank you.
LARA: They're well off, always have been. Medical records that I have
access to verify that Danielle is the biological daughter of Robert and
Virginia Barbakow. Here's my thing. Now, I don't know that we can base
our suspicions of your re-check of the coroner's report,
finger painting is in no way an accurate...
FRANK: It's her.
[Pause.]
LARA: Is that a gut feeling?
FRANK: I have good instincts.
[Pause.]
LARA: Y'know, I'm the kind of shrink that when it comes to my subjects
and patients -- [she clicks her fingers, shakes her head, and sits
down] but when it comes to my personal life, yeah, people that I
thought were total creeps when I first met them turned out to be my
closest friends. People that I liked and hit it off with always broke
my heart. So, I rely on other sources. Here, my gut says, how can
anyone know about, yet alone commit, murder at five years old.
FRANK: It's happened, more and more.
LARA: Has our culture bred this possibility? Is it violence on TV. Is
she Damien. Is this girl some evolutionary mutation? And are there more
of these kids, these people, coming?
FRANK: Here's my thing, Lara. Recently I've seen, I've experienced
evil. It feels like a force, like gravity, like the wind. It has blown
across Cambodia, been a cyclone in Nazi Germany, it gusts throughout
Los Angeles. Danielle Barbakow is a pre-storm, a breeze, of an
approaching hurricane.
[Lara ponders this and thinks about what to say next.]
LARA: There's a group that I'm involved in that you may be interested
in.
[Frank gets up and moves to sit next to her.]
FRANK: There are 799 days remaining.
[Lara looks stunned.]
LARA: Did you know about me?
FRANK: No. [shakes his head] Did you know about me?
LARA: No, no. You've been to the Old Man, that's why you feel what you
feel about the girl.
FRANK: I have no reason yet to doubt Millennium's beliefs.
LARA: But I'm suspicious about the way that they go about it. Are we
being prepared or used? Why would they send us here on opposite sides
without letting us know?
FRANK: It's a test.
LARA: To find the evil.
FRANK: And we've passed.
[Frank and the District Attorney, Gordon Roberts, are talking.]
ROBERTS: We are in the process of collecting evidence based on Danielle
Barbakow's testimony. A further interview of her at this time is not
part of our investigation.
FRANK: I was sent as a consultant to you by the Millennium Group. We
often reach conclusions most aren't willing to consider, let alone
believe. It is my counsel, Gordon, that this will not turn out the way
you want it to happen. So, you need to consider that Danielle should
not be part of the investigation, she should be under investigation.
ROBERTS: Is that why you pulled her dental records?
FRANK: Yeah.
ROBERTS: Why the coroner saw you downstairs with her finger paint
drawing?
FRANK: Exactly.
ROBERTS: And now you expect me to believe that a five year old girl
killed, murdered, her own classmate. And then you expect me to spend
our limited man-hours investigating her?
FRANK: No, I will. All I ask you to do is set up an interview.
ROBERTS: The only thing I'm going to set up is a plane ticket back to
Seattle. And I will phone the Group and tell them that your services
are no longer required.
FRANK: Save the man-hours. I'll contact the Group and let them know I'm
going to stay on my own until the truth is found.
["The Fly" is showing on the television in the Barbakow household.
Danielle is happily watching. Her mother comes in and is followed by
Lara and Frank.]
MRS BARBAKOW: Danny. You remember Miss Means and Mr. Black.
[Danielle is engrossed by the television.]
MRS BARBAKOW: Mr. Black would just like to ask you a few questions
about Miss Penny.
LARA: Do you feel okay about that?
[Danielle is still entirely focused on the classic horror movie,
relishing the final moments as a half-man/half-fly screams, "Help me!
Help me!"]
FRANK: Danielle, what's your favorite room in the house?
DANIELLE: My room.
FRANK: How about showing it to me.
[On the television, an aghast Vincent Price watches a man kill the
grotesque human fly with a rock. Danielle giggles at this. Then she
gets up and goes out, leading Frank to her room. Mrs. Barbakow switches
off television and goes to follow. Lara intercepts her.]
LARA: He just wants her to feel comfortable and also I thought we could
talk.
[Upstairs, Frank and Danielle go into her room. It's a nicely
decorated girl's room, painted pink and full of toys and decorations.
She walks straight over to the window and stares out, her back to
Frank.]
FRANK: Wow, my daughter would like this room. Danielle, it's nice.
DANIELLE: Thanks.
FRANK: Did any of the kids from Miss Penny's come over here and play?
DANIELLE: Some. Just the ones I like.
[In the sitting room Lara talks to Mrs. Barbakow.]
LARA: We understand the effects these adult situations can have on
children. Have you noticed any changes in Danny since this all started?
MRS BARBAKOW: No. I know some of the other parents have had troubles
with their kids. They love Miss Penny. But Danny's taken it well. She's
always been an old soul.
[Back inside Danielle's bedroom Frank continues to question Danielle.]
FRANK: Did you like Jason Wells?
[Danielle turns around and stares at Frank oddly, the two of them some
distance apart. Frank watches her with interest for a moment, then sees
more flashing visions of a demonic beast.]
DANIELLE: (shouting, deliberately) No! No! Get away from me!
[Frank watches her closely as she begins to act. Back in the sitting
room, Mrs. Barbakow is immediately distressed as she hears the
screams.]
DANIELLE: (V.O.) Get away from me!
[In the bedroom, Frank realizes the ramifications of the situation. He
rises slowly from the bed, backing away from Danielle while watching
her actions with curious interest.]
DANIELLE: Get out! Get out! Don't touch me! Get out!
[Mrs. Barbakow and Lara run upstairs. They meet Frank as he is coming
down the staircase.]
FRANK: I'm sorry, Mrs. Barbakow, she's very upset. She doesn't want to
talk.
LARA: (to Mrs. Barbakow) We should go. We'll call you later and check
up
on her.
[Mrs Barbakow nods. Lara turns away.]
[In the bedroom, Danielle turns to look at a pewter angel statue.]
[Outside the house Frank and Lara walk down the front path.]
[Mrs. Barbakow goes upstairs. As she nears Danielle's bedroom she
hears a muffle thump and something falling.]
MRS BARBAKOW: Danny?
[Outside, Lara and Frank near the gate as he takes her arm and stops
her.]
LARA: What happened?
FRANK: Lara. Do you see, feel, images in your mind like I do?
[Mrs. Barbakow goes into bedroom]
MRS BARBAKOW: Danny? Oh. Danny. Oh, god.
[She pulls aside boxes and toys that have fallen down. Danielle is
lying under them, collapsed on the floor. Mrs. Barbakow picks her limp
body up. Danielle seems unconscious and has blood on her mouth. The
pewter angel statue is in its place on the shelf.]
[Back in the motel room, Frank and Lara sit down to talk.]
LARA: He should be a comfort but his appearance always frightens me.
Not as a symptom of insanity because I believe in him, but when he
appears it's always a portent of evil. You know, in the New Testament
they're almost absent. They show up to announce Christ's birth and
later explain his death, but in the Old Testament they're everywhere.
Angels are constant messengers. They forewarn God's wrath, announce
disaster, alert the faithful of oncoming persecution. Their popularity
with the church and its followers rises and falls, usually increasing
during times of war --
[The Sheriff, District Attorney and deputies are arriving outside the
motel.]
LARA: -- persecution, natural disaster. But even with the threat of
nuclear war gone, cooperative global economy, major advances in every
science, more people believe and see angels than in any other time in
history. (pauses, upset) Because something is happening, Frank. And
there are 797 days left.
[Suddenly, the door is forced open. Police storm the room.]
SHERIFF: Cuff him. Mr. Frank Black, pursuant to the penal code of the
State of Arkansas, you are being taken into custody for assaulting a
minor and conspiracy to commit child abuse.
ROBERTS: You know, I wouldn't have believed that you were capable
of breaking Danielle Barbakow's jaw until I checked with Seattle PD and
found out you're under investigation for a possible assault on your own
daughter.
FRANK: What?
ROBERTS: (to cop) Get him outta here.
[Frank is quickly handcuffed and marched away. Roberts looks at Lara.
She seems stunned. Roberts turns to follow the deputies out of the
room and slams the door behind him, leaving Lara alone.]
[Fade to black.]
--------- commercial segment ---------
[Fade from white.]
[At an outside seating area with benches surrounded by trees, Peter
Watts is waiting. Catherine leaves a nearby building and walks up to
him.]
CATHERINE: I feel like I'm meeting with the other woman.
PETER: I don't know exactly how I should take that. But I'd say if you
were another man, we'd be punching it out right about now.
CATHERINE: In my mind, Frank had an affair. He hid the truth, he had a
life other than his family, and he was changed in ways that broke up
that family.
PETER: What you're talking about was done out of selfishness. What
Frank did was from sacrifice to protect his family. That is his life.
CATHERINE: Then tell me. Tell me about Millennium. Tell me so that I
can understand, how sacrifice means not living in the same house with
your wife and daughter.
PETER: No. I can't tell you that and I never will. You, of anyone,
should know what can happen if you get too close to what we do.
Catherine, there are people in this world who have a gift and no matter
how hard they try to ignore it they know its true purpose, what that
gift must be used for. This is who we are. Now, no matter what you've
come to believe, no matter how much you're confused or have been hurt
emotionally, you know that he could never do this.
CATHERINE: Jordan's dentist was required by law to file a report to
Social Services based on an unexplained injury. I tried to call Frank
at the hotel and at the police station to alert him and explain.
PETER: Frank is in trouble. He needs your help, and more than just a
call.
Catherine: Frank needs my help? Or the Group?
[Inside the Probity Police station, Frank Black now sits in the same
interrogation room used to question Miss Penny. He wears an orange
prisoner's jumpsuit.]
ROBERTS: Did you hit Danielle the same way you hit your daughter.
FRANK: No.
ROBERTS: How did you hit them differently?
[Roberts sits down across from him.]
FRANK: I didn't hit either one.
ROBERTS: Is this why your wife left you?
[Frank is silent.]
ROBERTS: Danny's jaw is wired shut. This is what she wrote when asked
how you hit her.
[Roberts holds up a crumpled piece of paper inside of a plastic
evidence bag that has the word "HAND" written on it.]
ROBERTS: "Hand."
FRANK: Look at the alternative light imaging photograph of the girl.
See my hands? There's not a mark on them.
[In the coroner's lab, Lara means is examining a photograph of Danielle
Barbakow's horribly bruised face.]
ROBERTS: (V.O.) For what reason did you go to Danielle Barbakow's
house?
FRANK: (V.O.) You know why.
ROBERTS: (V.O.) Why did you go after I dismissed you from the case?
FRANK: (V.O.) To prevent this from happening.
[Lara notices an odd pattern on Danielle's cheek in one of the
photographs and utilizes a magnifier to more closely examine the
image.]
[Lara kocks at the front door at the Barbakow's house. Mrs. Barbakow
opens the door.]
LARA: I know that if I were you, I'd probably have already slammed
the door in my face, but if I could just have five minutes...
MRS BARBAKOW: Come in.
LARA: Thank you.
[Lara enters. Mrs. Barbakow closes door.]
LARA: Mrs. Barbakow, I'm not a mother. I hope to be. But I'm not going
to insult you by saying that I know how you feel. But I am going to ask
you to talk to someone who does know how you feel. I'm asking you to go
down and talk to Frank Black.
[A man, Mr. Barbakow, has appeared behind her.]
MR BARBAKOW: Why would she do that?
LARA: Because I think you'd find the truth.
MR BARBAKOW: I already know it.
LARA: Sir, I don't think you do.
[The three are now gathered in Danielle's bedroom. Mr. and Mrs.
Barbakow are looking over a photograph Lara has given them.]
LARA: Danny indicated that Mr. Black used his hand. The infrared
photograph shows that pattern, the shape, the lines...
[As Lara is putting on a rubber glove she notices the pewter angel
statue sitting upon Danielle's dresser. She picks it up.]
LARA: The shape is the wing's tip, the lines, the feathers.
MR BARBAKOW: Are you implying my daughter did this to herself.
LARA: If I run fingerprints it would more than imply that Mr. Black
didn't do it.
MR BARBAKOW: He could have used a blanket to hold it.
LARA: There would be blood on the blanket.
MR BARBAKOW: I don't want to hear your lies. This is all for the
lawyers and a judge and jury to decide.
LARA: You know, maybe at one time that was true. Maybe. But after what
this town has gone through, after what this country goes through every
day, don't hide behind all that. Don't you want some control? Don't you
want to make certain that you know the truth? Even if it's not what you
want to know?
[Inside the police interrogation room, Mr. and Mrs. Barbakow sit
opposite Frank Black in his prisoner's uniform.]
MR BARBAKOW: I convinced myself to come here today so that I could look
at and understand just what kind of a monster could do this to my
little child.
FRANK: And you see what?
MR BARBAKOW: Have you looked at yourself.
FRANK: You're seeing what you want to see. What you can see. I've seen
monsters. They exist. Just like when you look in a mirror, there are
monsters behind it. But even more destructive is the everyday man, the
functionaries, that believe and act without questioning.
MR BARBAKOW: You're trying to call me a monster? This is...
[Mr. Barbakow laughs defensively and begins to get up.]
FRANK: Listen, if you walk out on this conversation, it may be the
biggest mistake you ever made in your life. (pause) It's up to you.
[Mr. Barbakow reluctantly sits back down. Frank moves his chair so as
to speak directly to Mrs. Barbakow.]
[Lara and Roberts watch the scene through the one-way mirror.]
FRANK: When my daughter was born, it was the most important day of my
life. (smiles) I had a child late in life. She came out, she looked
like... Her head was shaped like a football. Looked like she traveled a
thousand light years. Her hands were as wrinkled as a 90 year old
man's. And everybody in that room got zapped by God, they were all
jaded, nurses and doctors, and we were all stoned from the joy of this
experience. You remember that. And I realized that I'd forgotten that I
was born. (chuckles, emotional) Thought I'd manufactured myself. And
the gift she gave me was that from that day on, I could look at every
man and see a child in them. If you think that I would desecrate that,
or any other man or woman's, then when you look into your child's eyes,
you don't see it. When you go into your daughter's room at night to put
her to bed and you look into her eyes and you say goodnight and you
walk out of the room, when you leave do you feel a terrible loneliness?
You're the only one that can answer that.
[Catherine enters next door to join Lara and Roberts in observing
Frank.]
FRANK: And that is why I'm appealing to you, because there is a
witch-hunt in progress over here and they're not going to understand.
[Frank stands and walks right up to the mirror.]
FRANK: You can take my money and you can take my yellow house, you can
take my life, but do not attempt to take my daughter from me,
especially on a lie.
[Mr. Barbakow laughs and turns to his wife, not accepting any of this.
Mrs. Barbakow hushes him.]
MRS BARBAKOW: I always believed that that's what I would see, Mr.
Black, when I looked in my daughter's eyes. And I've tried. And I've
lied to myself that I do, but I never have. I only see something that I
don't understand. I know you didn't hit Danny. I've known it from that
day, because I heard her do it to herself.
[She gets up and turns to the glass, tears in her eyes.]
MRS BARBAKOW: I don't know how it works, but I don't think Mr. Black
should be here any more.
[Frank enters the Sheriff's office. Catherine and Jordan are already
there, waiting for him.]
JORDAN: Daddy!
[Jordan runs to him. He picks her up immediately.]
CATHERINE: Frank, the dentist had to report the injury.
[Frank puts Jordan down, then crouches down and checks her mouth.]
FRANK: Did you get that biting Holyfields' ear off?
JORDAN: No. We came to help you, but I guess you didn't need us.
FRANK: I'll always need you.
[He looks at Catherine who smiles. Frank leads Jordan toward the door,
past where Lara is shaking hands with Mr. and Mrs. Barbakow. Lara walks
off through the office. An officer says, "Mr. and Mrs. Barbakow? Yes,
there are some formalities here." Roberts and the Sheriff watch through
window while Mr. and Mrs. Barbakow sign a form.]
[Fade to black.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Once upon a time there lived three little pigs --
[Deputy Sherman and his wife are packing their car. A "SOLD" sign is
posted on their front lawn.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) -- the first little pig built a house of straw. Then,
along came a big bad wolf. "Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and
I'll blow your house down."
[The Deputy and his wife get into their car.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin." So, the wolf
huffed and puffed and blew the house down and ate up the little pig.
[The car, with Bill Junior in the back seat, drives away.]
[Mrs. Barbakow is looking out of her window.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) The second little pig had built a house of sticks.
[Mrs. Barbakow is watching as District Attorney Roberts, the Sheriff
and his deputies walk up the front path.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) Then along came the big bad
wolf. "Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your
house down." "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin," said the pig.
[Mrs. Barbakow opens the front door for the law enforcement officials.
Mr. Barbakow in standing at the bottom of the staircase and hesitates
to move for them.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down, and
ate up the little pig.
[Catherine sits in an airplane, looking out of the window. Jordan is
asleep beside her, cuddled up to Frank who is also asleep.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) The third little pig built a house of brick, then along
came the big bad wolf. "Let me in or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll
blow your house in."
[Further back in the plane is Lara, writing in a folder.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin," said the pig. So
the wolf huffed and puffed but couldn't blow the house down.
[Lara looks hesitantly out of the window but only sees clouds and a
darkened sky.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) So, he climbed to the chimney and said, "Let me in or I'll
climb down the chimney and eat you all up."
[In a dining room, at a dinner table full of food, a man, two boys, and
a woman fold their hands to say grace.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) But the little pig had a pot of boiling water and the wolf
fell right into the pot.
[The smiling woman looks to her left. Danielle sits beside her with a
blank look on her face, watching the others. After a moment, Danielle
puts her hands together like the others.]
MISS PENNY: (V.O.) And the little pig ate the wolf all up and lived happily
and safely ever after.
[Behind Danielle, on a table at the back of the dining room, is a
computer. The monitor displays the ouroboros.]
[Fade to black.]
[The credit fades in from black...]
Executive Producers: James Wong & Glen Morgan
Executive Producer: Chris Carter
--------- commercial segment ---------
[PREVIEW of next week's Millennium -- no image description.]
Peter: "Find the evil."
Voice Over: "A mysterious discovery..."
Frank: "This is a blueprint for another culture's apocalypse."
Voice Over: "A terrifying revelation..."
Reynard: "It always starts this way."
Voice Over: "The only person who can stop it..."
Reynard: "You have been chosen to deliver the prophecy."
Voice Over: "Could become the next victim. An all-new Millennium,
next Friday on Fox."
[End credits roll.]
Ten Thirteen Productions
in association with
20th Century Fox Television (R)
A News Corporation Company
Also starring
Terry O'Quinn (Peter Watts)
Brittany Tiplady (Jordan Black)
Guest starring
Kristen Cloke (Lara Means)
Mary Gillis (Miss Penny)
Robert Wisden (District Attorney Gordon Roberts)
Lauren Diewold (Danielle Barbakow)
Chris Owens (Deputy Bill Sherman)
Gillian Barber (Mrs. Barbakow)
Fred Keating (Mr. Barbakow)
Co-starring
Ken Roberts (Police Chief Jenkins)
Judy Norton (Coroner)
J Douglas Stewart (Dentist)
Kevin Blatch (Shoe Salesman)
Thomas Miller (Billy Sherman Jr.)
Crew
Music by Mark Snow
Editor: Chris Willingham ACE
Production Designer: Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer: Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer: Chip Johannessen
Consulting Producer: Darin Morgan
Co-Producer: Robert Moresco
Co-Producer: Paul Rabwin
Producer: Thomas J. Wright
Co-Executive Producer: Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer: John Peter Kousakis
Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong
Directed by Perry Lang
Executive Producers: James Wong & Glen Morgan
Executive Producer: Chris Carter
Associate Producer: Julie Herlocker
Executive Story Editor: Michael R. Perry
Casting by: Nan Dutton, C.S.A. Los Angeles, Coreen Mayrs, C.S.A.
Vancouver
Original casting by Randy Stone C.S.A.
Associate Producer/Production Manager: Kathy Gilroy-Sereda
First Assistant Director: Jack Hardy
Second Assistant Director: Roger Russell
Set Director: Mark Lane
Art Director: Sandi Tanaka
Construction Coordinator: Mike Rennison
Script Supervisor: Lisa Wilder
Location Manager: Monty Bannister
Hair Stylist: Brenda Gibson
Makeup Artist: Carolyn Stewart
Special Makeup Effects: Lindala Makeup Effects Inc
Costume Designer: Diane Widas
Head Painter: Jenny Seinen
Sound Mixer: Ruth Huddleston
Camera Operator: Rod Pridy
Gaffer: Barry Donlevy
Key Grip: R K Hill
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Jim Menard
Property Master: Kimberley Regent
Special Effects Coordinator: Bob Comer
Stunt Coordinator: Lou Bollo
Transportation Coordinator: James Perenseff
Production Coordinator: Clark Candy
Extras Casting: Lisa Ratke
Assistants to Chris Carter: Joanne Service, Mary Astadourian
Production Associates: Jennifer Metcalf, Clear Hadden
Casting Associate Vancouver: Heike Brandstatter
Casting Assistant Los Angeles: Linda Grigorian
Post Production Supervisor: Denise Pleune
Post Production Sound: West Productions Inc.
Supervising Sound Editor: Mark R. Crookston
Re-recording Mixers: Nello Torri, Douglas E. Turner, ter R. Kesley
Scoring Mixer: Harold Rebhun
Music Editor: Jeff Charbonneau
Assistant Editors: Jim Thomson, Robert Hudson
On-line editor: Rob Williams
DaVinci Colorist: Philip Azenzer
Visual Effects by Area 51
Visual Effects Supervisor: Glenn Campbell
Visual Effects Producer: Tim McHugh
Supervising Animator: Scott Wheeler
Visual Effects Coordinator: Sheri Rycus-Weston
Animator: Justin Hammond
Main Title Sequence by Ramsey McDaniel/Storm Media
Processing by Gastown Labs
Telecine by Gastown Post
Electronic Assembly by Encore Video
Camera and Lenses by Clairmont Camera
Vehicles provided by Chrysler
Copyright (c) 1997
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
All Rights Reserved #5C04
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is the author of this motion
picture for purposes of copyright and other laws.
The characters and names depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any
similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Ownership of this motion picture is protected by copyright and other
applicable laws, and any unauthorized duplication, distribution or
exhibition of this motion picture could result in criminal prosecution
as well as civil liability.
========================================================
Millennium
Copyright and TM, 1997
FOX Broadcasting Company
========================================================
Last Updated: June 11, 2003
Webmaster: Brian A. Dixon