3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I knew we were going to get along when you ordered your steak very, very rare.", June 23, 2009
This review is from: Kindred: The Embraced - 2-DVD Set (DVD)
"Kindred: The Embraced" was a short-lived 1996 television show based upon the popular role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. Yes, this will be another breast-beating, teeth-gnashing session about a canceled show that I really loved and didn't even make it to the end of it's first season. Now, if you told me that Aaron freakin' Spelling was producing a vampire show based on a role-playing game I would assume it would be terrible. And I would be wrong. This show was unique and fantastic. It lasted all of 8 episodes, but has remained a favorite of mine over the years and I recently revisited it to see if it's held up. While I still find the themes and concepts irresistible, I must say that there are some cracks I didn't notice before but overall I still say this was an amazing series and I still want more nearly a decade and a half after it's cancellation. That's the highest possible praise, really.
"Kindred" centers around a secret vampire society in San Franciso consisting of five clans, each with their own inherent interests and inborn traits. The protagonist and Prince of the city, Julian Luna -whose job is to keep the peace amongst the clans- belongs to the aristocratic Ventrue clan, who are legitimate businessmen. His mistress is a Toreador, who are passionate and wildly artistic by nature. The powerful Nosferatu clan are somewhat monstrous in appearance and stick to the shadows and underground since they cannot blend in with humans. The Brujah clan are mobsters who want nothing more then to install one of their own as Prince; the villains of the piece. The Gangrels closely resemble a street gang and are conatantly at the throats of the rival Brujahs. The Assamites only appear in a single episode as shape-shifting assassins, but don't appear to have a seat on the council, which is wierd. The dynamic between the 5 main clans make for some fascinating intrigue that could have been much better fleshed-out given time. There really is nothing else like this show and that really stinks because the characters and concepts are just great.
The cast is an interesting bunch, featuring Mark Frankel in the lead role as Luna, who resembles a cross between Bela Lugosi and Michael Corleone. His different colored eyes give him a unique and unsettling look that is very effective for the role. The romantic interests are a predatory Stacy Haiduk and Melrose Place alum Kelly Rutherford, both of whom are strikingly gorgeous. But my pick of the cast has got to be Brigid Brannagh/Walsh (who later would have a recurring role on Angel), as Luna's disfunctional niece. I've harbored a crush on her for many years and it has not abated a bit. It's a real shame she has struggled to find more then bit roles becasue she's got definite star potential in my opinion. If nothing else, one is unlikely to forget her entrance in the pilot where she vulgarly kisses her deceased grandfather on the mouth at his funeral. Chick's crazy. Also prominently featured in the pilot is Kate Vernon, who would go on to a large role in Battlestar Galactica. But the cast is occasionally a problem as well and the acting performances in the show are occasionally bad enough to warrant unintentional comedy status. But for the most part, the characters are likeable and relatable enough.
Again, my revisitation was slightly less pleasurable then before becasue of some corny acting. One episode in particular sort of bugged me because somebody let Spelling run wild with his love of awful soft rock music and the result leaves much to be desired. Telling the tale of the world's lamest vampire rock star is not the best idea to begin with, but the show does a decent job with it in some aspects. It's mostly the constant comparisons to people like Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison that is likely to annoy music fans. If the character really came off as a crazy rocker then it would be one thing, but the guy's performances and attitude are so tame and cheesy that it is really hard to take him seriously at all. He seems like an American Idol contestant. Thankfully, the rest of the cast does a great job and salvages the episode, but this is one example of why I would be leary of Spelling helming a show like this. I prefer tales of baby-snatching devolved rogue Nosferatu and the like or even a good vampire mob shoot-out. The phosphorous guns are really cool due both to the old-school look of them and the flaming barrel each blast leaves behind. Also, the use of vampire powers, though reserved, is intriguing. The limits of each clan/individual's powers are never explained to the audience, but are revealed as each story calls for them which leaves a lot of mystery to the show's mythology. I like that.
Eight episodes is not a lot of room, but thankfully the show's first/last major arc completes on the sixth episode and the final two eps are pretty self-contained so there was not a lot left hanging in the air when the show was abruptly canceled. Nonetheless, there was obviously no shortage of possible routes to go and stories to tell in the Kindred universe. Not only did the show get canceled, but the DVD set is now out of print. However, there are some region-free copies here on Amazon and on certain reputable online auction sites, and I would suggest that vampire fanatics seriously think about finding a way to check this show out. A little bit of bad acting should not keep you away from one of the most interesting vampire properties ever to grace the screen. Can you think of another successful adaptation of a pen-and-paper RPG? Okay, this probably doesn't count as "successful" in the traditional sense, but I am talking about entertainment value here and Kindred is not lacking in that. Check it out, for sure.
4 1/2 stars rounded up for old time's sake.
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