The Beginning and the End (Millennium)
In this episode, Millennium Group profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) must track down the man who has kidnapped his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher).
The episode was seen by approximately 7.15 million households in its original broadcast, and has received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
Watts recounts having been assigned to a child murder case in which the dismembered infant's body had been found in a cooler; he believed that God would reward him with his longed-for son if he could find the killer—years later, he still only has his three daughters, which has caused him to realize you must sacrifice one thing to gain another.
"The Beginning and the End" was written by frequent collaborators Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Thomas J. Wright.
[5] Doug Hutchison's character, credited here as "Polaroid Man", had previously appeared in the first season finale "Paper Dove".
Writing for The Buffalo News, Alan Pergament rated the episode three stars out of five, describing it as "moody" but "muddled and confusing".
Pergament noted that "the suspense of the premiere actually is enhanced by all the summer speculation about the future role of Gallagher", and felt that Morgan and Wong were "trying to bring "Millennium" into "X-File" territory".
VanDerWerff also felt that a monologue delivered by O'Quinn was an example of Morgan and Wong's best writing, and that the actor's delivery was the key to keeping the scene serious in tone.
[10] Bill Gibron, writing for DVD Talk, rated the episode 4.5 out of 5, noting that it "starts Season 2 off in high style".
Gibron found that the episode "has a nice sense of internal adventure to it, giving us a chance to learn more about our main players while setting the groundwork for some certified surreality to come".
[14] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated "The Beginning and the End" two-and-a-half stars out of five.
