![Blade (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Vq64kbH8L._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)
![Supernatural: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GVm+WmN5L._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)
KINDRED: THE EMBRACED came and went so quickly in 1996 that if you blinked, you missed it. And it turned out most people did, since it was cancelled after only eight episodes. I myself remember the TV trailers and publicity stills very vividly, but I too must have "blinked" because I never saw any of the shows before they were consigned to the dustbin of TV history. In a sense, I am glad of this, because I believe I would have mourned its demise. Produced by Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent, this toothly prime-time soap opera concerned the doings of five vampire clans based in San Fransisco, who were ruled over with some difficulty by a prince named Julian Luna (Mark Frankel). In addition to contending with all sorts of grief from the clans (collectively known as "the Kindred"), Luna makes the mistake of falling for a beautiful human reporter (Kelly Rutherford) who obviously can't be let in on his secret identity, while at the same time, fending off the attentions of a revenge-obsessed cop (C. Thomas Howell), who wants to dust Julian for ordering the death of his (vampire) girlfriend.
The world of KINDRED is a very complex one, based in part off the role-playing game "Vampire: The Masquerade." The city of Frisco is ruled by its prince, who keeps a counsel of "primogen," or vampire clan leaders, as his counsel. The vampires, though generally at cross-purposes with each other, are generally united in maintaining "the masquerade," i.e. the policy of hiding their existence from humans. They do this by infiltrating human agencies, such as the police, and by spreading their considerable wealth around to shut people up. (Violating the masquerade is punishable by death.) The powers of the vampires are somewhat different than in traditional vampire lore (for one, they can walk around in daylight, provided they've recently fed), and in fact each clan's vamps have somewhat different characteristics (including physical differences in the case of the monstrous Nosferatu). Stand-alone episodes aside, most of the show's drama comes from tension between Luna and his chief rival, Eddie Fiori (the ubiquitous Brian Thompson), who leads the thuggish Brujah clan and isn't content with his role as second vampiric banana. In addition, there is a Romeo and Juliet storyline between the leader of the Gangrels, Cash (Channon Roe) and Julian's neice Sasha, which is overplayed (very "Melrose Place") but nevertheless adds depth to the show.
Fans of Spelling's shows will recognize all of his trademarks here – period fashion, gallons of hair gel, extraordinarily beautiful actors who nevertheless look slightly freakish, and lots of soapy melodrama. At its worst, this show was embarrassingly bad: the writing, and therefore the acting, were all over the place, Howell was dreadfully miscast, and the vampire makeup on the “Nosferatu” clan looked like something you'd buy at Party City. Nonetheless, I mourned the cancellation of this show: it had such a fabulous premise that it couldn't help but improve from week to week, and indeed, its eight episodes tell a nearly complete story that resolves most of the plot lines, making it satisfying to watch as a kind of unofficial mini-series. Never mind a second season: I'd have been content if this one had simply been allowed to complete its first. Unfortunately, the series' too-handsome-to-be-human star, Mark Frankel, was killed in a motorcycle accident shortly after its cancellation, preventing any possible reunion, and in any case “Kindred” died such a quick death that it has only a small cult following and is somewhat unlikely to be tapped for a reboot. Interestingly, Spelling was to try another supernaturally-themed show set in San Fransisco just two years later, and scored a big hit with “Charmed.” Fans of "Kindred" will recognize that some of the shots used in the opening season of "Charmed" were actually taken from "Kindred," including the iconic "park bench overlooking the bridge." What's more, just about every (surviving) actor in the cast later appeared on "Charmed" in some capacity or other, including Stacey Haiduk, Brigid Brannagh, Channon Roe, Jeff Kober, Brian Thompson, etc. Many appeared on "Buffy" (or "Angel") as well. It must have been a bitter pill for Spelling to watch "Buffy" take off like a rocket not even a full year after this show went off the air, but in fairness, "Buffy" was much the superior product in every way. I just wish "Kindred" had had time to mature. Its world was a rich, sexy and aesthetically beautiful one, and episodes like "Nightstalker," "Live Hard, Die Young and Leave A Good-Looking Corpse," and the finale, "Cabin the Woods" showed the enormous potential it possessed.
As I said, the good news is that, knowing the show was about to be axed, the producers actually managed to wrap it up in a way more reminiscent of a miniseries than a failed TV show, which means it is worth watching. Flawed as it is, KINDRED had a charisma which makes it more memorable than many technically superior shows...which is why I'll be revisiting this world again quite soon.
Hope to see you there.
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customer reviews
Should not have waited so long to buy this!
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017
So far, so awesome. Well worth the purchase. The show was amazing for its day (even with overacting and limited special effects) and set the stage for other vampire themed shows to come along after. For a fan of White Wolf, VTM, or just vampires in general, this is something that belongs in your collection and video library.
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
love this series sorry they did nt make morei know ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 4, 2017DazWitch
Bought this as I remember watching it on tv.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 17, 2016Amazon Customer
kindred the Embraced
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 7, 2017
