Maranatha (Millennium)
"Maranatha" | |
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Millennium episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 21 |
Directed by | Peter Markle |
Written by | Chip Johannessen |
Production code | 4C20 |
Original air date | May 9, 1997 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"'Maranatha" is the twenty-first episode of the
"Maranatha", a title which translates from
Plot
In New York City, a man named Yaponchik (Levani Outchaneichvili) shoots a man in the face, preventing the victim's identification; this is the third such murder committed this way.
Black, Melnikov and Surov visit a Russian nightclub where the latter two are working undercover. As Surov and Black talk at one table, Melnikov is approached by Yaponchik. Someone in the club recognizes Yaponchik, and the crowd stampede out of the building when they hear his name. After the crowd has dispersed, Black and Surova find Melnikov's body at a table, his face shot off.
Surova explains to Black that Yaponchik has come to be regarded by Russians as a sort of evil folkloric figure. Meanwhile, Group member Peter Watts (
One of Yaponchik's victims is identified as a restorer of Russian icons. Her home is searched, and it is found that she had uncovered Yaponchik's identity and attempted to appease him by sending him several icons. Black feels Yaponchik is killing in order to perpetuate the legends surrounding him by instilling fear in those who believe them. Watts and Black visit the Russian Embassy to find the man the icons were being mailed to—Sergei Stepanovich, identifiable as Yaponchik. Stepanovich is protected by diplomatic immunity; however, it becomes clear that Surova, Medikov and an Orthodox priest who aided the investigation have all been stalking Stepanovich, who they believe to be the Antichrist.
Yaponchik murders another two men at a bathhouse, but is confronted by Surova. Yaponchik tells Surova he cannot be killed. Surova ignores this, and shoots him in the head. Yaponchik is then found and rushed to hospital. Black sees the crime scene at the bathhouse, and draws a connection between Yaponchik and the beast from the sea in the Biblical Book of Revelation, who is said to survive a fatal head wound; fearing that Yaponchik will likewise survive, Black heads to the hospital. Surova beats him there, however, and confronts the recovered Yaponchik. As Surova is about to shoot his quarry again, he is convinced instead that Yaponchik is "not the one" he is thought to be. Surova helps Yaponchik make his way to the helipad on the hospital's roof. Black and Watts arrive on the roof in time to see Yaponchik escorted onto a helicopter by several men, who take off before they can be apprehended.
Production
"Maranatha" was directed by
The episode's title, "
The character Peter Watts makes mention of the origin of the name of
Broadcast and reception
"Maranatha" was first broadcast on the
The episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen rated the episode a B+, describing it as "a ho-hum X-Files knock-off". Handlen felt that the acting was strong, and that the references to both Chernobyl and apocalyptic prophecies formed a good basis for the episode; however, he noted that the script's uncertainty as to whether its villain really was the Antichrist caused it to lose impact.[15] Bill Gibron, writing for DVD Talk, rated the episode 4.5 out of 5, praising its " incredibly tight script" and describing it as "one of the best examples of Millennium's careful balancing act between reality and the otherworldly".[16]
However, Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode two stars out of five, finding that its plot "gets lost in the mix" amidst the details and atmosphere of the setting. Shearman compared the folkloric feel of Yaponchik as a Russian incarnation of the devil to the American view of the devil as an invasion of the family unit, as personified by the character Lucy Butler in "Lamentation", finding the two symbols to work well in contrast to each other. However, he was unsure that the increasingly eschatological direction the series was taking was a positive move, as it left the central character Frank Black "largely forgotten".[17]
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ Genge, p. 98
- ^ Fox.)
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - Rob Bowman (director); Chip Johannessen (writer) (December 12, 1999). "Orison". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 7. Fox.
- Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Owen, Rob (April 16, 1999). "Will 'Millennium' make it to 2000". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c Genge, p. 107
- ^ Ice and Demy, p. 127
- ^ Landes, pp. 129–134
- .
- .
- ^ Shearman and Pearson, p. 119
- ^ a b "Weekly Nielsen Ratings". The Stuart Times. May 11, 1997. Retrieved May 9, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ Handlen, Zack (February 26, 2011). ""Zero Sum"/"Maranatha" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ Gibron, Bill (July 20, 2004). "Millennium: Season 1: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 119–120
References
- Genge, N. E. (1997). Millennium: The Unofficial Companion Volume Two. Century. ISBN 0712678697.
- Ice, Thomas; Demy, Timothy J. (2004). Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy from A to Z. ISBN 0736913564.
- Landes, Richard Allen (2000). Encyclopaedia of Millennialism and Millennial Movements. ISBN 0415922461.
- Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 978-0975944691.
External links
- "Maranatha" at IMDb