"Kindred: The Embraced" (1996) TV series

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creator:

John Leekley

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

Plot:

Series based on the White Wolf role-playing game, Vampire: the Masquerade. Julian Luna, the undead Prince of the City, leads the Vampire Clans as he falls in love with Caitlin, a human reporter.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Vampire vs Vampire | Vampirism | Based On Book

Cast

Stacy Haiduk	...	Lillie Langtry (8 episodes, 1996)
Mark Frankel	...	Julian Luna (8 episodes, 1996)
Kelly Rutherford	...	Caitlin Byrne (7 episodes, 1996)
Brigid Brannagh	...	Sasha (7 episodes, 1996)
C. Thomas Howell	...	Det. Frank Kohanek (6 episodes, 1996)
Erik King	...	Sonny Toussaint (6 episodes, 1996)
Patrick Bauchau	...	Archon Raine (6 episodes, 1996)
Channon Roe	...	Cash (6 episodes, 1996)
Jeff Kober	...	Daedalus (6 episodes, 1996)
Brian Thompson	...	Eddie Fiori (4 episodes, 1996)
Kimberly Campbell	...	Waitress (4 episodes, 1996)

Runtime:

60 min | USA:377 min (8 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Fillmore, California, USA

Company:

John Leekley Productions

Trivia:

The paintings used in the series are originals by Jeff Kober (Daedalus).

Goofs:

Continuity: The sign out front of Lily's nightclub changes from The Haven to Haven in different shots.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Underworld (2003)

Better than I thought it would be.

I didn't have high hopes for this series. It was based off of a roleplaying game called "Vampire: the Masquerade," which spawned similar horror RPGs in which you play one of the "monsters." The entire series of RPGs is known as "The World of Darkness." Hogwash. It's a game that is largely played by people obsessed with death and need more cash to have their anti-depressant subscription refilled.

However, this series really impressed me. The main characters are all vampires who live in the city of San Francisco. Each of them belong to various divisions called "clans," and each clan has it's own desires and ideas. The Bruja are criminals, the Ventrue are the thinkers, the Gangrel are the wild ones, the Toreador are the artists, and the Nosferatu are the beasts (though they can act more humane than many humans). The series is largely about the interactions between these clans. Also thrown into the mix is a cop, who found out his girlfriend was one of the kindred (what vampires refer to themselves as). Just before she died, she begged the Prince (the leader of all kindred within the city) to protect him, even though kindred law states that a mortal who discovers their existence must either be embraced (i.e. turned into kindred) or killed. The Prince agrees, even though the cop wants to expose kindred to the world (as long as he can trust his partner...). Then there are the numerous sub plots. The Prince (Julian) has fallen for a human woman and is trying to hide his nature from her, while his former lover (a Toreador) plots to destroy her. A Gangrel (a biker) and a Bruja (the daughter of the Prince, turned by the Bruja against her will) are in love with one another, even though their clans are constantly at war with one another. The leader of the Bruja wishes to take over control of San Francisco and constantly plots to do so. And on and on it goes....

The series only lasted some eight episodes, but it showed lots of promise. It really portrayed vampires not as immortal creatures (ala Anne Rice and Nancy Collins), but as a sub-species of humans who are merely trying to get by in spite of their internal politics that can get quite deadly at times. If you ever get a chance to see it, I strongly recommend it. The only drawback to the series is the end (it ends on a major cliffhanger, but the series was never renewed so you never get to find out what happened). Of all the modern vampire stories, this one is the best. Lestat, Sonja Blue... take a hike! If there are vampires, then they are kindred.