I am reviewing the six disk DVD set of Millennium series 1

In 1996 Chris Carter the creator of the X-Files wanted something new and going in a different pace to the X-files, he thought long and hard about what to do but didn't really want to make anything with unsolved mysterys at the end of each episode.
He had a story in mind about an FBI agent and his family trying to start a new life in another part of America to escape the past.
He had an actor in mind for Frank's part straight away "Lance Henriksen" who Chris had seen acting on stage and on TV and knew he would be right for the part, he wanted lance because he would be older than any other characters he had done before and wanted to make sure that viewers would believe that he had been through a lot in his life.

Millennium revolves around "Frank Black" and his family "Katheryn" his wife and "Jordan" his little girl.
Frank is a retired FBI agent who deals in serial killers profiles, he and his family have just moved from Washington to Seattle as the season opens as Frank wants to get away from that lifestyle and keep his family safe.
Frank has a gift to see into minds of serial killers, and he can see what they do and see.

He has joined the Millennium group who are all retired FBI agents now dealing with anything strange and sinister, Frank didn't really want to continue this work as he moved to escape all the bad things but knows that his gift can help lots of innocent people and that the Millennium group has all the information he needs to help them with their work.
Frank works almost alone on these cases with help from the group when he feels he needs it.

The pilot episode is very well written and one of the best episodes of the series, the pilot is about a serial killer know as "The Frenchman" who kidnaps people and buries them alive. You see how Frank gets to see through the Frenchman's mind and try to stop him before he can cause any more murders.

I cannot list any real favourites here as all the episodes have a very good story to them and they do all have a cliffhanger at the end of each season.
I have found the start of the series is the most dark, especially from the first episode, but once you have seen the first series then you will definatley watch the other two series and thoroughly enjoy them.

The first series has six disks with 22 episodes on them, and lots of special features.
The first series ran from November 1996 through to May 1997

Included on the disks are as follows

Disk 1

The Pilot
This introduces Frank Black and his family and goes straight into a dark episode about a serial killer who buries people alive.
This episode also has a commentary with Chris Carter

Gehenna
The Millennium group investigate a case involving seven murder victims ashes that are discovered in a park in San Francisco
This episode has a commentary with director David Nutter

Dead Letters
Frank is introduced to a candidate who wants to join the Millennium group, and discovers that he is obsessed with a serial killer.

The Judge
This is about a vigilante type "Judge" who involves in taking up the rights of innocent people who have been wronged and dishing out punishment to those who have deserved it.

Disk 2

5-2-2-6-6-6
Frank Black struggles against time to find a mad bomber.

Kingdom Come
Several clergymen have been killed and it's up to Frank to find out what's been going on and to find out if he can solve the crimes before any more deaths happen.

Blood relatives
A killer is stalking victims mourning for the deaths of their loved ones. Frank must find whoever is doing these crimes.

The well worn lock
Frank's wife Catherine is the star of this episode. In it she helps a woman who was sexually abused by her father for twenty three years.

Disk 3

Wide open
As a couple are killed there is one frightened witness left, their little girl. Frank must find out all the information he can before any more killings happen.

The wild and the innocent
A couple kidnap a killer in hiding and Frank has to intervene when the couple go on their own murder spree.

Weeds
A kidnapper is on the loose who targets teenagers from an upper class are and forces them to drink human blood.

Loin like a hunting flame
A pharmacist drugs couples and makes them perform his sexual desires.

Disk 4

Force Majuere
Frank and the Millennium group investigate the suicides of identical twin girls born seven years apart.

The thin white line
Frank suspects a man who has been imprisoned for the last twenty years is responsible for two unrelated murders.

Sacrament
Frank has to go on the hunt for his siter in law when she is abducted.

Covenant
A sheriff who has admitted to killing his family confuses the Millennium group who as Frank to complete a psychological profile on him.

Disk 5

Walkabout
Frank helps in a clinic drug trial that renders him with the loss of his memory.

Lamentation
Frank helps the FBI try to find a serial killer but at home his family are in danger..

Powers, principalities, Thrones and dominations
Frank gets involved into finding the person responsible for the death of his friend and gets linked up with a strange attourney.

Broken World
Frank tries to find a sick person who finds pleasure in slaughtering horses.

Disk 6

Maranatha
Frank is helping to find somebody who the Russians have started to calling the antichrist.

Paper Dove
Frank tries to help release a man who he thinks has been wrongly accused of killing his wife.

All of these episode are presented in 4.3 ratio and Dolby digital sound.

Special features are :

Documentary - "Order in chaos" making Millennium series 1
This takes you through from scratch how this series was set up and made. The show had to be darker than the X-files and more sinister storylines.
This is a very interesting one to watch and the thoughts from the actors, director and the rest of cast and crew.

Featurettes - "Chasing the dragon" and "Creating the logo and title sequence"
Chasing the dragon is conversations with the academy group and the other shows you how the title sequence was created.

All in all I really enjoyed this first series of Millennium, as I hadn't seen it for quite a while since it has aired this became very enjoyable to watch from the beginning again.
I found this to be a lot darker stories than the X-files and much more believable. The idea worked for me well that Frank was responsible for creating psychological profiles and also had a "Gift" worked well and keep the storylines going for each episode for me.
It was good that he just seemed like any normal family man and you wanted to get to know more behind his story as the season unfolded.
I found the storylines were very well written and could have come from any casebook dealing with serial killings as they were that believable.
I liked the way that all was not revealed about Frank and the Millennium group from the off, as it built the suspense up for me running over three seasons.

The sound and vision were very good, as it was not made that long ago anyway being in 1996, and was spread out very well over six disks.

However I found that the whole season was lacking of special features and with a series of this caliber deserved a lot more than what is on the disks.
It could have benifitted with more commentaries and maybe a 15 minute feature on each disk, deleted scenes or anything else really.

Apart from that I found this to be a great underrated series that is well worth a look.

Hope all this has been some help to everybody out there Summary: Very good start to the series. Nice 6 disk package