"Millennium" Skull and Bones (TV Episode 1998) Poster

(TV Series)

(1998)

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10/10
The last day of a Good Woman
XweAponX14 December 2016
In "The Hand of St Sebastian", it was revealed and/or intimated that Cheryl Andrews had some nefarious activities going on, which were not precisely authorized by The MillenniuM Group, she had been working against her own group, and working with some nasty looking characters to obtain the "Hand of Saint Sebastian", a Relic that the Group had been fighting the Church for ownership of. Don't trust everyone who says "This is who we are". But WHY was she doing this? This episode explains why, but, well, it's complicated, folks. I'll try to explain this without using spoilers.

In this very creepy episode, her actual fate is addressed, and it had been determined by a man named "Homer J Petty". But who is that?

A huge graveyard is found which would have been buried by a new freeway construction, and as Emma Hollis scrambles to identify 43 (42?) sets of skeletons, Peter Watts mysteriously appears, apparently to "help" the FBI, but we know it is to look over Hollis' Shoulder and make sure she does not find out what we know Frank already knows, about who is responsible for that mass grave.

We also meet a hapless man named "Ed" (Arye Gross) who had stumbled upon the reason for this graveyard years ago, and is afraid for his life. It had driven him into a life of secret seclusion, as he documented each of the 43 (43) people who were buried there.

While Frank tries to protect Ed, Hollis sticks to the mundane legwork of identifying 42 (43?) bodies, and gets stuck on the 43rd body - The Body of Cheryl Andrews - Which is not even supposed to be buried there. And, she's not buried there. While Emma finds out "where", Franks finds out the more important question, "Why?"

So. We *know* that Andrews had been arrested in Germany for the St Sebastian fiasco, so why is she here? I don't think these two episodes conflict in that area. In fact, when Frank accounts Andrew's last steps, he does state the reason why she had been in Germany, and it was the same reason given in "Hand of St Sebastian". It's just that, there was more to her visit to Germany than we knew from that previous episode, and this episode fills in those gaps. She had of course participated in an uncharacteristic attempt to steal the relic, but we also know she was in Germany in the first place for the reason Frank had found out in this episode-- Which might even explain why she turned against the Group at that time.

You see, MillenniuM fans, Cheryl had found out what Frank eventually had found out about the Group, but she was painted as the "Bad Guy" in the earlier episode. Ironically, it turns out she was an ally that Frank never knew about, had probably come to the same conclusions about the Group Frank came to in Season 3. So, she was the first. Frank had finally pieced together the whole story in his summary, which he narrates to "Ed".

It's best to watch the two episodes back to back. As with the X- Files, an arc started by Morgan/Wong was continued by Chip Johanessen and Ken Horton: But the details are all here about the Morgan/Wong story: When we run into Cheryl in the Elevator in Germany, she states right there, her reason for being there, and it's the reason Frank gives in his summary.

In Emma's investigation, she sees what Watts had planted for her to see, but as Hollis is the consummate FBI investigator, she comes across the name "Homer J Petty" in relation to the Freeway that was being built to hide the bodies, and he was the last person to see Andrews alive. And as she follows the final clues, it's at that moment she realizes Frank is not simply delusional as Watts says he is - But that he was right all along. When she is two feet away from evidence that would prove this, Peter Watts shows up and makes it go away.

Getting back to Ed, he had been seeing people vanish because of something they had seen or heard, and was afraid for himself. And at the exact moment Hollis finds the clue to end all clues about Homer Petty, Frank with Ed come face to face with the person who left those clues - And Ed has a "special vision" of his own, he can see who Petty really is.

All through this episode, Petty (Bob Wilde) is watching Hollis and is constantly as Watt's side. But Petty is not Petty. The credits at the end of the episode identify who he really is. Oh, he was Petty, alright. But why is this character always with Peter Watts? Why was the Toothpick-Chewing Man always in Director Kirsch's Office in The X-Files? Same reason.

In Season 1, Cheryl Andrews had always been depicted as someone who was of extreme help to Frank. I could never swallow that she had turned coat, and this episode validates her apparent "breaking bad". I think this episode was written to explain this about Andrews, so I just accept it that way. Of course, "Hand of St Sebastian" was a great fun Ep, the same way this Ep is the Epitome of creepiness that represented MillenniuM. But I think the point of this episode isn't really the Ed arc, the Hollis arc, or the Andrews arc, it what Frank tells Emma: "The Truth Matters".
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9/10
Best episode of the season.
corbettc-232598 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Atmospheric episode explaining what happened to Cheryl Andrews after her arrest in season 2's "The Hand of Saint Sebastian". My only question is who is Homer B. Pettey and how does he connect to all of this? It's never explained. Another reviewer said Mabius, who is shown here constantly lurking in the background, was Pettey but that's never alluded to in the episode.
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3/10
Skull and Bones.
bombersflyup7 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Skull and Bones brings us back to business, but doesn't move forward any. Frank's putting Hollis' life at risk in his stead. No mention of the fact that one of the Millennium group shot at him, the guy by Peter's side. Seems pretty important information for the police chief and the agents to be aware of, given the Millennium group's called in and have access to the crime scenes and the agents involved.
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