Kindred: The Embraced
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| Kindred: The Embraced | |
|---|---|
 Kindred: The Embraced logo |
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| Format | Vampire, soap opera, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance |
| Created by | John Leekley, Mark Rein-Hagen |
| Starring | Mark Frankel C. Thomas Howell Stacy Haiduk Channon Roe Jeff Kober Brigid Walsh Kelly Rutherford Patrick Bauchau Erik King |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 8 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 45 minutes per episode (pilot double-length) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox Broadcasting Company |
| Original run | 1996 – 1996 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
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Kindred: The Embraced was a 1996 Fox television series/vampire soap opera, produced by Mike Trozzo. It was loosely based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, and ran for one eight-episode season; plans for a second season were abandoned following the death of one of the leads.
The main plot arc revolves around San Francisco police detective, Frank Kohanek (played by C. Thomas Howell), who becomes deeply embroiled in the Masquerade when investigating a "mobster", Julian Luna (played by Mark Frankel), who is actually the Ventrue Prince of the Kindred within the city.
The whole series was released on a two-DVD Region 1 set on August 17, 2004. On August 2, 2006, the SCI FI Channel acquired broadcast rights to this series; the pilot was aired on July 6, 2007, and the entire series aired on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 from 8 AM to 4 PM ET/PT and then again in that same time slot on December 17, 2007.
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[edit] Elements of the Show
[edit] The Embrace
The act of transforming a human into a vampire in the series is known as "the Embrace" and requires conscious effort. The kindred drains the human's mortal blood to the point of death, and then replaces it with a small infusion of their own Kindred blood, binding the human to the clan of their sire. The reasons Kindred embrace humans are myriad. Some do so out of spite or vengeance, forcibly embracing the human, stealing their mortal innocence (this is normally forbidden in Kindred society, and is grounds for execution). Some embrace out of love or desire, even lust. And others seek reprieve from their loneliness, wanting to share their long existence with a creature dark and beautiful, like themselves.
The Embrace also requires permission from the Prince. When permission is not granted yet the Embrace is fulfilled, the Prince has the right to destroy both the errant Kindred and the erstwhile former human.
[edit] The Prince
Within the context of Kindred culture, a city's Prince is the vampire who has sufficient power to hold domain over the city. In Kindred: The Embraced, the Ventrue vampire Julian Luna is Prince of San Francisco, a position he inherited from his sire, Archon Raine. The head ("primogen") of San Francisco's Brujah clan, Eddie Fiori, lusts after power and seeks to supplant Luna. Such envy and rivalry that makes the Prince's position precarious demonstrate how fragile Kindred power can be. The series also introduces Eddie Fiori's sire, a Brujah who is Prince of LA.
[edit] The Masquerade
For countless centuries, Kindred prospered and pursued their own schemes and desires. They were invincible, standing above humans in their understanding and awareness of the true nature of the world. They lived openly and arrogantly among mortals, relying on their power and human superstition to preserve them. Then came the Inquisition. With the Inquisition, Kindred faced an enemy that studied both superstitious belief and scientific observation to identify Kindred, the demons of the dark. With maddening thoroughness, the Inquisition devised methods to rid the world of these creatures, along with witches, warlocks, heretics, the feeble, and the politically inconvenient. As for Kindred, the Inquisitors were diligent in their efforts to trace bloodlines and purge the creatures by the flame. Those Kindred who survived swiftly learned secrecy and stealth. They learned to band together in loose networks. Vulnerable for the first time, seven clans united to govern the rest. They called themselves the Camarilla, and this collective group existed first and foremost to enforce its first law, a law most sacred -- The Masquerade.
This law demands that the knowledge of Kindred be kept from humans. To make the law effective, Kindred set about to erase evidence of their kind, instilling doubt that they had ever existed, finally leaving behind only a myth of such creatures. It was safe to hide behind the myth. Through adherence to this law, Kindred were able to hide in plain sight within human society. The Masquerade ensures the continuance of Kindred through secrecy, and any Kindred who breaks the Masquerade, who reveals the existence of Kindred -- that Kindred is outcast, even hunted down.
[edit] Clans
A clan is a group of vampires who share common characteristics passed on by the Blood. Every clan is led by a "primogen". The Primogens meet to advise the Prince, to consult, and to present grievances. They often have their own agendas and seek to promote their own clans.
As in Vampire: The Masquerade, the vampires in the show are divided into clans. Not all the V:tM clans are featured in the series. The only clans represented in the "Conclave" (effectively, the Camarilla, though there is no mention of the Sabbat or any war, other than inter-clan) are: Brujah, Gangrel, Nosferatu, Toreador, and Ventrue.
We also meet one character who is an Assamite (a clan of Vampiric Assassins) but no other clans are evident and no Kindred appear to be Caitiff. Many fans believe a vampire serial killer in an episode unaired in the US to be a Malkavian, but there is no evidence in the series to suggest that the clan exists at all. Furthermore, it is revealed during this unaired episode that the Sire (the vampire 'mother' or 'father') of this vampire was in fact of clan Gangrel, which means, according to the conventions of the role-playing game, that the vampire itself would be of that same clan.
[edit] Brujah
The Brujah are outspoken, turbulent, and defiant, and in human terms, often criminal. The least civilized of the clans, they are also the most recent to come into being. Brujah are perhaps most descriptively thought of as mobsters. Many refuse to abide by both human and Kindred Law, and they are the most likely of all the clans to be led by ambition and greed for money and power. They see what they want and take it by force. The Brujah are the seedy underbelly of Kindred society. They are the Mafia of the Kindred world. The primogen of the clan is Eddie Fiori (played by Brian Thompson), who has his hand in human affairs around the docks and shipping lines. He dabbles in the entertainment industry and yearns to be Prince.
[edit] Gangrel
The Gangrels are individualists who sneer at the constraints of society. They are ferocious fighters, proud, hot-headed, street smart, and they come from Gypsy blood. An ancient hatred between the Gangrels and the Brujah keep the rivalries churning up dissent. The Gangrels are portrayed as loyal and trustworthy. They make excellent bodyguards because of their incorruptibility -- they can't be bought. Unfortunately they have deep difficulties with authority. They have a strong tendency toward rebellion, and struggle to follow even their own leaders. Their primogen is named Cash (played by Channon Roe). Their previous Primogen, Stevie Ray, was found on the roof of a building, staked by Brujah primogen Eddie Fiori, and was found by detectives, Sonny and Frank Kohanek as he burst into flames, as total exposure from the sun caused his final death
[edit] Nosferatu
The Nosferatu are ancient, solitary, and possessed of talents magical and mystical. They embody the features that humans imagine as vampire. While other Kindred retain their human countenance, Nosferatu are distorted by the Embrace. Indeed, they look very much like Graf Orlok, the image of the "Vampyre" in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu. Grotesque, they are often scorned by other Kindred, and certainly unable to move freely among humans. They prefer the dark and even the underground. Often called "Sewer Rats," they have mastered skulking and eavesdropping. They can blend into shadows, and they are level-headed and practical. The Prince, Julian Luna has a trusted confidence in Dædalus (played by Jeff Kober), his Enforcer, and primogen of the Nosferatu clan. Still, despite this bond of friendship, the TV series portrays the Nosferatu as remaining neutral in many Kindred conflicts, even if their decision is not as Julian Luna would have liked. Some like Daedalus are capable of alchemical magic, while others are able to use ritual sacrifice and blood-rituals to become more feral and monstrous.
[edit] Toreador
The Toreador are loosely based on the vampires of the Anne Rice novels: elegant, flamboyant, creative, and most of all -- passionate. They savor their immortality, yet are most connected to the mortal world. Of all the Kindred, they are the most likely to fall in love with humans. Much like the Ricean creatures that inspired them, the Toreador hold physical beauty in high esteem, and thus most of them tend to be attractive. They also like to entertain - Toreador Kindred have great influence in the world of popular culture. In the past, they have also used their creative bent to promote a false mythology of vampires, leading Bram Stoker astray when he touched too close to the truth. The primogen is Lillie Langtry (played by Stacy Haiduk).
[edit] Ventrue
Venture are the overlords of vampire society. They share a love of high society with the Toreador, not for its pleasures; rather its for the sheer challenge of running things. Ventrue are industrialists, leaders, aristocrats. They have a blue blood bearing and are often found in positions of power, where they can shape destiny. They are the most like humans in their attitudes and behavior. In fact, they are the "Brahmin" caste of Kindred society. Julian Luna is a Ventrue and Prince of the City. Their primogen is Archon Raine (played by Patrick Bauchau), a former Prince.
[edit] Powers of the Kindred
As with most other Vampire fables, the Kindred in the series are empowered with abilities beyond those of humans. These powers include:
- Enhanced strength. While they don't have the overwhelming automobile lifting superstrength that Vampires are often associated with in other legends, the Kindred's physical strength is significantly greater than mortals. For example, a Kindred woman can easily overpower a young, fully grown muscular human male larger than herself to kill or embrace him.
- Enhance speed and stealth. They are able to slip into and out of the presence of a mortal without detection and move very quickly.
- They can transform themselves into owls and, as seen on the program, wolves.
- Enhanced healing ability. They can be shot repeatedly with conventional fire arms and soon be ambulatory. However, being shot causes them great pain and can leave them vulnerable for a couple of moments as they recover. Provided the damage isn't too severe and sudden they can recover from injuries that would surely kill a mortal. Severe wounds can heal over night, particularly if the wounded Kindred is fed fresh blood. More minor wounds can heal within a matter of minutes.
- They can walk in daylight without injury, provided they have fed on blood beforehand and the sunlight isn't too intense. However, if in a weakened state and in direct sunlight for an extended period of time they will burst into flame and die permanently.
- They have the power of mesmerism and to wipe the memories of mortals as an alternative of killing them to maintain The Masquerade.
- There are also powers which only individuals or members of certain clans possess:
- Some, like the members of the Assamite Clan, can take on the appearances of different humans (including members of the opposite sex) and adopt a chameleonic, near-invisible form.
- Members of the Nosferatu clan are described in the series as having a unique ability to disappear in plain sight and remain invisible as long as they like.
- Daedelus possesses mystical alchemical abilities, which can alter his normally monstrous nature and heal dying humans, though Julian Luna warns him against using them. At one point he uses a combination of this alchemy and blood magic to give Julian Nosferatu-like powers in a battle against a Nosferatu elder.
- Other Nosferatu, introduced in the episode "Bad Moon Rising", are capable of becoming even more hideous and feral through blood ritual and human sacrifice.
[edit] Differences between the television show and Vampire: The Masquerade
There are numerous differences between Kindred: The Embraced and its source material, the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. Some major differences include:
- Kindred in the television show can walk in the daylight if they have recently fed. In the game, Kindred suffer severe burns and eventual Final Death no matter how recently they have fed.
- Certain Clans are portrayed in ways that are contradictory to the role-playing game. The Malkavian and Tremere clans are totally absent from the series. In a sequel to the game, however, the Malkavians decided it was time to disappear, and this could be a reason for their exclusion in the series.
- In the television show, the Kindred seem to still cling to their humanity, no matter how old they are; with the only exception being a Nosferatu in one episode and a Gangrel in another. In the role-playing game, all Kindred, no matter how hard they try, begin to lose their humanity as time passes.
- There is no mention of the Sabbat or the Clans that make it up in the television show. In the role-playing game there are two major sects of Kindred: the Camarilla (which the show focuses on, although not mentioned by name) and the Sabbat.
- Kindred powers are seemingly universal in the television show, with little mention of what powers, or Disciplines, each Clan has an affinity for.
- Kindred in the television show are shown eating and enjoying regular food and drink as a way to help sustain themselves. In the role-playing game, Kindred cannot keep regular food and drink down for more than a few minutes without the Merit (game mechanic) known as "Eat Food". Many Kindred, especially older ones, find the thought of even trying to eat normal food or drink anything that isn't blood repulsive and perverse.
- Kindred in the show can engage in sexual relations whereas in the game, the necessary organs are nonfunctional unless blood is devoted to temporarily reactivating them. In the game, many Kindred are somewhat asexual, as the act of feeding is to them far more euphoric than intercourse.
- In the show, four of the city's five primogen live with the Prince. In the game, this wouldn't happen. Kindred are far too territorial and out for themselves.
[edit] Trivia
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- Series star Mark Frankel died in a motorcycle accident, at the age of 34, soon after the final episode of the series was aired. The motorcycle accident occurred in London on September 24, 1996.
- Showtime was in the process of renewing the series for a second season when Mark Frankel's fatal motorcycle accident occurred.[citation needed] The plans to continue the series had to be put aside due to Frankel's death.
- Brian Thompson, Jeff Kober, and Channon Roe have appeared in episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Brian and Jeff actually played two different characters each. Brian played Luke (the Master's assistant vampire) and the Judge (big blue guy). Jeff played: Rack in season 6 and Zachary Kralik, the vampire in the episode Helpless.
- Brigid Brannagh, who played Sasha (credited on the show as Brigid Walsh), played a recurring character in the second season of Angel, another series focusing on vampires.
- The show was originally supposed to be created by Chris Carter but was taken by Spelling instead. Speculation is that Spelling did not wish a show to compete with Beverly Hills 90210.[citation needed]
- In one episode a member of Clan Assamite is seen.
- In the Pilot a few tracks from the films Interview with the Vampire and Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula can be heard.
- All the paintings shown as painted by Daedalus were actually painted by Daedalus' actor Jeff Kober.
- The song "Aqap" by Venetian Snares samples lines from the show.
