Forever Knight

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This article is about a television series involving an 800-year-old vampire.. For the alien technology trading cult, see List of villains in Ben 10#The Forever Knights.
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Forever Knight is a Canadian-German-American television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a detective in modern day Toronto. Nicholas is an unlikely vampire and an even less likely civil servant, seeking to repay society for his sins.

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[edit] Origin

The series originated as a 1989 CBS television movie, Nick Knight, with Rick Springfield playing the title character. In 1992, CBS began broadcasting the series as part of its Crimetime After Primetime lineup, with a new name and with Geraint Wyn Davies now playing Nick Knight.

[edit] Synopsis

The protagonist of the series, Nicholas de Brabant, has a life of profound struggle. He is at constant odds with the nature of who he is (a monster, a natural predator), and his unending quest to be human again. His desires (both carnal and humanitarian) seem to equally get the best of him. Helping him achieve his mortality is Dr. Natalie Lambert (Catherine Disher), a medical examiner who accidentally discovers the truth about Nick and vows to help him. Through the series there evolves a budding (albeit "forbidden") romance between Nick and Natalie, constantly complicated by the presence of Nick's vampire family who are never far from him.

The beautiful vampire Janette du Charme (Deborah Duchêne) is a very powerful influence over Nick, for they are not only bound by their very natures but by their master and their quite literal eternal love for one another. While Nick might love Natalie for her mortality and her tireless devotion to his cause, Nick loves Janette for their deep abiding history and almost preternatural bond. Janette is also a "safe" way for Nick to indulge his vampire urges.

The most powerful force in Nick’s life, however, is Lucien LaCroix (Nigel Bennett), the vampire master who brought both Nicholas and Jeanette across. There seems to be a more than coincidental irony here in that his name translates into English as "LIGHT OF THE CROSS". Nick both hates and loves LaCroix, despising him for bringing him into a life of darkness but also bound by an unshakable loyalty to him. While Jeanette might be mildly amused by Nick’s desire to be human, LaCroix fosters no such tolerance. LaCroix harbors a deeply-felt and oft-obsessive fatherly love for Nicholas, and their relationship is very much one of unholy father and son. LaCroix not only thwarts every attempt Nick makes to achieve his goal, he mocks his quest with cold derision. LaCroix wants nothing more than for Nick to leave the world of the living and unite with his “family” and especially him once more. This seems to be all the more apparent when Nick learns about who brought LaCroix across. LaCroix was a general in the Roman army, known as Lucius, and he lived in Pompeii. He returned from the war(?) a hero and had a bust created in his honour. Lucius was in love with a woman named Selene who had a young, pre-teen daughter named Divia (Kathryn Long) whom he embraced as his own daughter. While he was away, Divia became ill, and when he returned she was better again. When Vesuvius had the temerity to erupt during the General's victory/homecoming celebration, Divia asked Lucius if he wanted to live and, upon receiving an answer in the affirmative, she brought him across.

Later on, the two traveled to Egypt where they found the tomb of her maker, Qa’Ra, an ancient vampire who lived before the pyramids were built. Lucius is told that Divia destroyed him because he thought that he controlled her. She tells Lucius that the only reasons for her becoming a vampire were because she was purely evil and because she was so young. She wanted to forge her own path and killed him. When she tries to induce her former mortal father to make love to her, he recoils in fear and disgust and so decapitates her. In the third season, Divia returns with the intention of killing LaCroix for his betrayal. Instead, she decides it would be more painful to LaCroix if she first kills his friends Vachon and Urs. In a final act of cruelty, she attempts to kill Nick, knowing LaCroix loves him like a son. Believing she has succeeded, she confronts LaCroix, taunts him with Nick's death, and tries to kill him. Nick arrives in time to save LaCroix.

Adding comic relief and counterpoint to Wyn Davies’ Knight, Nick’s police partner for seasons one and two is Don Schanke (John Kapelos), an outrageous, crude, yet charming character. Much of the success of Nick’s mortal development can be attributed to him. Schanke’s happy-go-lucky, no-nonsense approach to life often shadows Nick’s permanent melancholy. Kapelos was the only supporting actor from the pilot to carry over into the series.

In the third and final season, the character of Schanke was killed off and replaced with a female partner by the name of Tracy Vetter (Lisa Ryder). Ryder’s character was multifaceted, for during the course of the season, she discovers the truth about vampires and falls in love with a young vampire (Javier Vachon) played by Ben Bass. However, Tracy did not discover that Nick was a vampire until moments before her own violent death at the end of the series. Her final, slightly reproachful words to him were "You could’ve trusted me."

In the last episode, The Last Knight, Natalie requests that Nick turn her into a vampire so they can live their lives together. He tells her that he is afraid he'll drink too much. She tells him to have faith. Although reluctant at first, he finally agrees to turn Natalie. He bites her and a flash of memories go through him of all his past experiences; he is unable to stop drinking her blood. Nick lays an unconsciouss and dying Natalie on the floor. LaCroix arrives and Nick tells him he drank too much, that he could not stop. LaCroix tells him that she is lying "in the brink of death" and can either turn her or be done with her. Nick asks LaCroix whether he has ever had faith in anything but himself. La Croix answers that he has seen too much, to which Nick responds that maybe he has seen too little. He says that Natalie believed in them and that they could live their lives together. He says that he will not submit her to a life of darkness. He grabs a wooden staff and hands it to LaCroix. La Croix questions him about his faith and says that life is a gift, whether his faith makes him believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that this is something Nick cannot answer. He will only know once the deed is done. La Croix then questions Nick what he is to him, whether he sees him as the devil. Nick replies that he is his closest friend. Nick kneels next to Natalie and La Croix, behind Nick, raises the wooden staff and yells "Damn you Nicholas", clearly resenting Nick's decision to die. The series ends, implying that La Croix kills Nick and Natalie dies (from loss of blood).

While the first two seasons offered dramatic stories, but also moments of humor and levity, the third season took a darker turn with less levity, more fatalism, and less hope for redemption.

[edit] Vampirism as a condition

Vampires in Forever Knight possess many of the traits common to modern literary vampires. Physiologically, they are for all intents and purposes animated, sentient corpses (there is some ambiguity as to whether vampires possess no heartbeat, or a heartbeat slowed to an almost undetectable rate). All are capable of performing feats of superhuman strength, a phenomenon possibly linked to their emotional state — an angry or fearful vampire seems more likely to exhibit this strength. They are also capable of regenerating tissue rapidly — the rate of this regeneration has some relationship with the amount of blood ingested at any given time — and possess the ability to mesmerize mortal humans, erasing memories or implanting false ones. (This ability is not foolproof, however; some humans in the story are naturally resistant, and others appear capable of resisting it so long as they possess physical proof of vampiric existence.)

More exotic abilities displayed by vampires in the story include the ability to levitate and fly at considerable speeds through the air (though the Dracula-like ability to transform into a bat or cloud of mist is not shown by any character in the series), and moving at speeds too rapid to be seen by the unaided eye, and possibly moving through openings far too small for their apparent physical body to fit. Though no consistent pattern was established in the series, most vampire characters were depicted as gaining strength with age, ultimately achieving genuine immortality; Lacroix, Nick Knight's creator and mentor, returned from his own apparent destruction by fire at the beginning of Season Two, and — in the shadow of an impending global catastrophe — claimed that unlike younger vampires he could not starve from lack of human blood.

Similar to other vampires in horror fiction with immunity to all effects of aging and strong resistance to most physical damage, the existence of Forever Knight vampires can typically be terminated through any of the following: decapitation, sufficient exposure to sunlight, a wooden stake driven though the heart, immolation, and any other physical trauma significant enough to destroy the entire physical form all at once. In one episode, it is made clear that vampires can, at least, temporarily, be incapacitated by significant head trauma. These vampires also become notably weaker when starved of blood, losing some to a great deal of their physical powers. Many vampires seem to possess a deep fear of religious symbols — Nick in particular dreads Christian symbols like the crucifix, though it is possible this has as much to do with Nick's own subconscious guilt as with any objective power of the cross. Flashbacks show that pre-Christian vampires were vulnerable to the symbol of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God. Obsidian, related to the sun in some Native American cultures, also has the similar effect of a cross when touched.

[edit] Vampire society

Vampire society as depicted in the series appears to be composed primarily of small, local groups of twenty to forty individuals within a given city. Individuals appear to join, leave and regroup these communities on a random and ad hoc basis; most vampire characters were depicted as having lived in many different places over the centuries of their lifespans. However, some degree of broader organization is implied by the existence of "Enforcers," powerful vampires charged with eliminating any person or discovery that threatens to expose the existence of vampires in general. Some vampires were shown dwelling in solitude, while others establish symbiotic or parasitic relationships with mortal humans.

The strongest connections between vampires in Forever Knight are generally the "families" created when one vampire "brings across" a mortal human into vampiric existence. These relationships often comprise multiple aspects of many different normal human relationships, ranging from parent-child dynamics between maker and made (as with Lacroix and Nick) to both sibling camaraderie/rivalry and romantic involvement (as with Vachon and Urs, or Nick and Janette). Newly made undead tend to take their definition of vampirism, and their new existence, from the culture of their first family and community; an individual vampire's compliance with, or rebellion against, this pattern will almost always be the primary factor shaping the course of their future existence.

[edit] Vampires in history

Vampiric characters are frequently depicted in Forever Knight as having been witness to, and sometimes directly involved in, many of the great and tragic events of human history, including the French Revolution, World War II, the 1888 murders of Jack the Ripper, and even the Woodstock concerts. They are also, occasionally, parasitic opportunists of large scale human misfortune (LaCroix treats battlefields like buffets). The extent of direct Forever Knight vampiric involvement in human events is not known, but in general vampires do not appear to exercise any great or hidden control over historical development. The dismissive and detached attitude typified by Lacroix, likely derived from an indefinite lifespan and relative invulnerability, implies little motivation to work towards sweeping changes in the status quo.

Unlike the vampires in the Anne Rice vampire chronicles, many of whom seek ultimate answers to a vampire existence, the history of vampirism itself as a phenomenon in the series appears to be of equally little interest to most vampires. How vampires came to be, what role or function they serve in nature, and what "first cause" produced them are never definitively explained or explored in the series' three seasons. No vampire in Forever Knight provides any significant knowledge of vampiric origin and meaning, nor any notion on where one goes to seek answers. This lack of knowledge has driven some of the more powerful conflicts of the series. In addition to Nick's own struggle to understand and cure his condition, Lacroix left his daughter (and vampiric maker) Divia out of rage that she had murdered her own creator, a vampire supposedly "older than the pyramids." This vampire also gifted Divia with unique powers, and as the oldest vampire ever described in the series, may suggest a prehistory of significance. (In the present day of the series, Lacroix often hints at knowing more than he has shared with Nick, but it is never established whether this implication is true or merely a deceptive power-tactic, nor whether any secrets Lacroix does possess are of any use or value.)

Between lack of historical awareness, the ephemeral nature of most vampiric connections, and their inescapable parasitic dependence on human society, the vampires of the series appear to possess no independent group culture beyond the shared need to feed. Vampires have no stories, no myths, no great heroes, villains or eponymous ancestors; what passes for culture among vampires seems largely to comprise only the social dynamics of their current particular group. It is unclear how, or even if, this absence is felt by most vampires. It is likely that this void of meaning is seen merely as a drop, if that, in the bucket of the endless, undying, ultimately unquenchable need that defines vampiric existence. Lacroix, however, seemed to refute this theory when a false catastrophe appeared to threaten the existence of humanity. He stated that vampires were not only sustained by human blood, but also mortal culture.

[edit] Recurring cast

Each season had its own special guest stars, and a variety of recurring characters. Below is each season and who returned in episodes in that season. Nick Knight, Lucien LaCroix, and Natalie were each in most episodes. Janette was in the first two seasons and one episode in season three.

[edit] Whole series

[edit] Season One

[edit] Season Two

  • John Kapelos as Detective Donald Schanke
  • Natsuko Ohama as Captain Amanda Cohen

[edit] Season Three

[edit] Reception

While Forever Knight always had a devoted fanbase, it was more of a cult phenomenon than a commercial success. On several occasions its cancellation was announced only to be rescinded after protest campaigns from its fans. In another example of fan effort, Forever Knight is currently being released on DVD, with all three seasons in stores. While season one is a “no frills” release, season two boasts many extras in the form of commentaries, interview and featurette, much to the delight of FK’s fans. Season three also contains bonus previews and three music videos.

One unusual aspect of this show was that it was syndicated in several countries and many episodes were filmed with different length versions to accommodate local broadcasting schedules. Although it has been widely rumored that there were some scenes featuring nudity for airing overseas, viewers in Germany have stated that those scenes never existed. There has never been confirmation from any reputable source that the scenes were ever filmed at all.

After a summer run on CBS, the show lasted for three seasons in first-run syndication and was later re-run on the SciFi Channel.

There have been three novels written based on the series: A Stirring of Dust by Susan Sizemore, Intimations of Mortality by Susan M. Garrett, and These Our Revels by Anne Hathaway Nayne. Because of their scarcity, all three books are considered collector’s items.

The episode “Curiouser and Curiouser” was nominated for several Gemini Awards in the 1995-1996 ceremony, including Nigel Bennett’s winning performance for Best Supporting Actor.

Forever Knight was voted number 23 in TV Guide’s Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time special issue, May 2004.

[edit] Episode list

Main article: List of Forever Knight episodes

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links