Dead Letters (Millennium)

"Dead Letters"
Millennium episode
A single human hair inscribed with the message "hair today".
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Directed by	Thomas J. Wright
Written by	Glen Morgan James Wong
Production code	4C02
Original air date	November 8, 1996
Guest appearance(s)
Chris Ellis as Jim Penseyres Ron Halder as The Killer James Morrison as Jim Horn Garvin Cross as Patient Anthony Harrison as Detective Jenkins Lisa Vultaggio as Janice Sterling
Episode chronology
← Previous "Gehenna" Next → "The Judge"
Millennium (season 1) List of Millennium episodes

"'Dead Letters" is the third episode of the first season of the American crime-thriller television series Millennium. It premiered on the Fox network on November 8, 1996. The episode was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Thomas J. Wright. "Dead Letters" featured guest appearances by Chris Ellis, Ron Halder and James Morrison.

Millennium Group consultant Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) is sent to evaluate a prospective member of the group, who perform private investigative work and liaise with law enforcement. Meeting this hopeful member, Jim Horn (Morrison), Black is drawn to investigate a serial killer operating in the area; while Horn begins to unravel under the strain of the case.

Several of the cast and crew made their first contributions to the series in "Dead Letters", with Wright, Morgan, Wong and Ellis all returning for future episodes. Production of "Dead Letters" impressed other series regulars—series writer Chip Johannessen praised the script's attention to detail, while producer John Peter Kousaskis called positive attention to its physical and make-up effects.

Jordan Black (Brittany Tiplady) is awakened by a nightmare, and is comforted by her father Frank Black (Lance Henriksen). However, Black is soon called to investigate the body of a woman at a dog pound in Portland, Oregon. Black works for the Millennium Group, an organisation which offers private investigation services and consults with law enforcement on certain types of cases. He is asked by Group member Jim Penseyres (Chris Ellis) to help a local detective on the murder case, as he is being considered as prospective member of the Millennium Group. Black believes the murder to be the work of a serial killer, and is convinced there will be a message from him on the bodies.