Nostalgia is an engaging episode that takes you to that time and place, where you get lost in it forgetting the entirety of the series. However in saying that, there isn't anything particularly memorable. Frank just drives out to the kill site knowing he's alone with the perpetrator, who would probably be able to take him. Pretty damn sure of himself old Franky boy.
2 Reviews
One of the series' finest
medelste27 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
In their death-throes -- long after they'd likely overstayed their welcome -- several classic series have managed to cough up a masterpiece in their final season that measures up to the series' best. (Twilight Zone's "Nightmare At 20000 Feet" comes to mind, as does Star Trek's "All Our Yesterdays".) For me, "Nostalgia" is Millennium's example. Along with perennial favorite "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me", this episode ranks in my top 3 for the entire show. I could watch these two episodes once a week, and sometimes I do.
You can read Darren Mooney's indispensable reviews to get an in-depth study of Millennium's third-season mood swings. But if the show desired to return to the Season One 'serial killer of the week' format, "Nostalgia" should have been the template. An entire season of shows like this would have been fantastic; in fact, this episode would stand out in just about any procedural show's repertoire.
"Nostalgia" is odd, in that it feels out of place during the series' wrap-up. The show literally has only two weeks to live; it's the definition of a 'stand-alone' episode, neither anticipating the series finale nor even mentioning the Millennium Group. But it is also Emma Hollis' finest hour -- the moment she finally emerges from under Frank's wing. Instead of hanging on his every insight, she and Frank work as a seamless investigative team, practically finishing each other's sentences. About time, right? A perfect example occurs around 21 minutes, when Frank leaves the room and yet Emma knows precisely what to do next without any prompting from her former mentor.
One other aspect of "Nostalgia" that bears repeating is its innovative procedural structure. The killer is revealed less than 10 minutes in, leaving our protagonists to establish his guilt in a town that hasn't been very interested in doing so.
Finally, a word about the script's stately and satisfying pace. 44 minutes? Come on! "Nostalgia" feels like it packs two hours of wonderful plotting, events, and characterization into that brief window. I've seen all of Michael Perry's Millennium scripts, including the over-praised "Mikado", and none of them so much as hints at the subtlety and storytelling efficiency of "Nostalgia".
Two weeks later, Millennium was gone. And while I may have disliked much of the third year -- and while I remain a staunch fan of the Morgan/Wong second season -- "Nostalgia" makes me ache for the show every time I cue it up.
You can read Darren Mooney's indispensable reviews to get an in-depth study of Millennium's third-season mood swings. But if the show desired to return to the Season One 'serial killer of the week' format, "Nostalgia" should have been the template. An entire season of shows like this would have been fantastic; in fact, this episode would stand out in just about any procedural show's repertoire.
"Nostalgia" is odd, in that it feels out of place during the series' wrap-up. The show literally has only two weeks to live; it's the definition of a 'stand-alone' episode, neither anticipating the series finale nor even mentioning the Millennium Group. But it is also Emma Hollis' finest hour -- the moment she finally emerges from under Frank's wing. Instead of hanging on his every insight, she and Frank work as a seamless investigative team, practically finishing each other's sentences. About time, right? A perfect example occurs around 21 minutes, when Frank leaves the room and yet Emma knows precisely what to do next without any prompting from her former mentor.
One other aspect of "Nostalgia" that bears repeating is its innovative procedural structure. The killer is revealed less than 10 minutes in, leaving our protagonists to establish his guilt in a town that hasn't been very interested in doing so.
Finally, a word about the script's stately and satisfying pace. 44 minutes? Come on! "Nostalgia" feels like it packs two hours of wonderful plotting, events, and characterization into that brief window. I've seen all of Michael Perry's Millennium scripts, including the over-praised "Mikado", and none of them so much as hints at the subtlety and storytelling efficiency of "Nostalgia".
Two weeks later, Millennium was gone. And while I may have disliked much of the third year -- and while I remain a staunch fan of the Morgan/Wong second season -- "Nostalgia" makes me ache for the show every time I cue it up.
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