| "The Beginning and the End" | |
|---|---|
| Millennium episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Thomas J. Wright |
| Written by | Glen Morgan James Wong |
| Production code | 5C01 |
| Original air date | September 19, 1997 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"'The Beginning and the End" is the first episode of the second season of the American crime-thriller television series Millennium. It premiered on the Fox network on September 19, 1997. The episode was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Thomas J. Wright. "The Beginning and the End" featured a guest appearance by Doug Hutchison as the Polaroid Man.
In this episode, Millennium Group profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) must track down the man who has kidnapped his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher). During his hunt, Group member Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) reveals that the Group is much more secretive and mysterious than Black had ever known.
"The Beginning and the End" marks the first episode produced with Morgan and Wong as co-executive producers; their tenure in charge of the series would last the entirety of the second season. Guest star Hutchison was a frequent collaborator with the writers, having worked together in several other series. The episode was seen by approximately 7.15 million households in its original broadcast, and has received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.