2x09 Jose Chung’s Doomsday Defense
Millennium (1996)
2x09 Jose Chung’s Doomsday Defense, written by Darin Morgan, Michael R. Perry and Erin Maher, directed by Darin Morgan.
Out of nowhere, without warning, they drop in a comedy episode. Further, it is a spoof of Scientology, which I presumed Hollywood was not allowed to do.
Still more: we have a crossover from The X-Files, hack writer Jose Chung, played by Charles Nelson Reilly, who received his second Emmy nomination for this part.
quote
Peter: Who is that rather peculiar man?
Frank: It's the writer, Jose Chung. He's here researching a book about the millennium.
Peter: The Millennium Group's not interested in publicity.
Frank: No, no, not about our Group. Not about us. In fact, he's working on a case that could be of great interest to the group. A Selfosophist was found...
Peter: Whoa, Selfosophy? No, no, Frank, no, no.
Frank: What is going on, Peter? We've never backed away from anything. Why, we've even looked at evil incarnate.
Peter: Evil incarnate can't sue.
From now on we can tell Frank "Don't be so dark" and call his cases "millenniumistic".
Instead of L. Ron Hubbard we have "Juggernaut Onan Goopta". Instead of the E-meter (measuring electrical resistance in the skin) we have the "Onan–o–Graph", a combination lie detector and cassette player.
The episode is packed with satire and self-referential wit, and we will manage two serial killer plots: the Selfosophy Psycho and the Nostradamus Nutball. Writer/director Darin Morgan lampoons not just Scientology, but writers and profilers and the whole concept of Millennium.
We divert for a moment to fictional detective Rocket McGrain, Frank's Selfosophy counterpart, played by Lance Henriksen as a blonde.
We see wall posters for actor "Bobby Wingood's" films Mr. Ne'er Do Well and Operation Box Office. It's David Duchovny.
The episode ends with the last passage from Jose Chung's last book:
quote
Well, all's well that ends well. Though that's easy for Shakespeare to say – he'll be around for another millennium. But what of our own millennium? Will it all end well? No one of course can know, but that of course doesn't stop anyone from guessing. And the nature of these predictions always revolve around the usual suspects: salvation and/or self–satisfaction. With that in mind, I humbly add my own prophecy of what the dawn of the new millennium shall bring forth: one thousand more years of the same old crap.
