Millennium (TV Series) Blood Relatives (1996) User Reviews

Boy Seeks Family

[injury-65447 · 7/10 · 4 June 2020]

I feel like there could have been a really interesting story here. I was intrigued by the funeral haunting and the targeting of dead kids family members. The episode was set up well.

However, the revelation that it was the weird guy trustee from the halfway house... jealous of him looking for another family? I don't know, I think I missed something, I don't really understand the killings. I don't really understand this episode at all. I honestly feel that the motivation and psychology behind the actual killer was not explored at all & instead we are given a cheap twist or "subversion of expectations".

I'm shocked that this episode has received so much praise from certain critics, calling it a classic or a 5 out of 5. I've read their reasoning and I still fail to see this subversive episode as being extremely clever but rather based on a cheap twist that would make repeated viewings of the episode redundant. I really would prefer episodes where the psychology of the actual killer is given attention. I find that much more satisfying and thought provoking.

It's not a great episode in my opinion.

Points because I liked the weird funeral killings idea. And there was a scene where Frank had a vision popping out of the windshield that made me jump. I also appreciated that the show is starting to develop the character of "Frank Black's wife" into someone of actual substance rather than just a pretty mother mannequin who sits in the house with his daughter looking fraught.

Not bad.

[bombersflyup · 6/10 · 17 August 2019]

Blood Relatives is creepy and X-Files-esk, before we find out this funeral lonely heart isn't the killer. Then the eerie feel's gone and it's a mess. Last episode I said Frank's wife's a non-person and now she's all involved (spooky), it didn't change my opinion though. Deanna Milligan, captivating in her brief role.

First time frank black is in danger

[CursedChico · 8/10 · 16 January 2021]

First time frank black is in danger

I dont count the bomber and priest killer. This time because he was hurt.

It is so sad the kid still tries to find temporary relations, temporary friendships-families.

story of a lost generation

[quinoble · 9/10 · 7 September 2020]

This is the first of three episodes where Catherine Black plays a more active role, and she's great.

Catherine counsels the family of a woman murdered at her son's funeral. Soon Frank Black is involved in the case, following the trail of James, a misguided young ex-con so desperate for human contact that he poses as a friend of the deceased at funerals, trying to connect emotionally with the mourners. The police are sure James is the serial killer behind the woman's death and a string of similar murders; but the story's more complicated.

Convinced of his innocence, Catherine dedicates herself to helping James. It's left to her to articulate the episode's big question: what's society's responsibility to its lost children? James was given up for adoption and grew up in foster homes; who bears the blame for how he turned out? In one great scene, Catherine pleads with James's biological mother to help him. Unable to bear James's embrace, she repudiates him and washes her hands of him, callously saying he's the system's problem and nothing to do with her. (A sign this isn't your typical schmaltzy TV show where a mother's love conquers all!)

The other theme is that of emotional connection. As noted, James tries to fill the void left by his mother by connecting with strangers. The closest thing to a parent James has is Connor, the trustee of the halfway house where James lodges. But Connor's affection comes with a price: he wants James all to himself, and his possessiveness leads him to cross the line.

Notably, this is the first episode where Frank Black engages in physical confrontation. And typically for "Millennium," it's not about showing off his fighting skills. It's a desperate struggle for survival; kicking, grappling, clawing, he barely manages to fight off the murderer.

The episode ends as it began: James, still craving love, looks for new mourners to connect to. Catherine, the social worker, has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help James; Frank and the justice system have done as much as they can in catching the murderer; but despite their best combined efforts they can do nothing to heal the damage done by his mother's abandonment; however twisted Connor was, he was still the only person who showed him anything like parental affection. A fantastic, somber ending.

In many ways, S1 of "Millennium" reminds me of "Twilight Zone." Episodes of that show were essentially half-hour-long dramas of ideas in which Rod Serling explored social and moral issues, often in an allegorical fashion. This episode of "Millennium" has a similar morality-play feel to it, and clearly Chris Carter saw the show as a vehicle to explore his moral and spiritual preoccupations, in the way Serling did.