FKSPOILR
Logfile LOG9605 Part 16
May 9-May 10, 1996
File: "FKSPOILR LOG9605" Part 16
TOPICS:
SPOILER: Francesca, HF (3)
blood knowledge (Francesca)
Ashes to Ashes - Not quite a spoiler
SPOILER: Francesca, Fleur
SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes
SPOILER: Francesca and maybe Last Knight (2)
spoilers: francesca & french & canada
SPOILER: Francesca
Tracy--ditzy?Francesca (3)
SPOILER: Ashes To Ashes
SPOILER - Ashes to Ashes (1/2) LONG
SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes (2/2) LONG
SPOILERS: Francesca (ep 20) (2)
Franscesca--Nick
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 23:16:14 -0500
From: Margie Hammet <treeleaf@i.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca, HF
At 07:36 PM 5/9/96 -0500, Sandra Gray wrote:
>It wasn't until "Crazy Love" ... that we knew for sure that a vampire
>could "sip" from a victim and leave them alive.
>I wasn't happy with the sipping business originally because I thought
>it weakened the show's premise.
My impression of "Crazy Love" was that a vampire could not sip from a
victim and leave them alive. The vampire could decide to take the person
quickly (all at once) or slowly (by "sipping" as you said, but actually,
I thought it was more than a sip at a time), but the vampire would come
back for more and more, while the victim got weaker and weaker until the
victim finally died.
In "Crazy Love", Nick wanted to control himself, but couldn't. As far as
I know, there's been no indication that he ever has been able to take
blood and not end up killing the person. My impression has been that
that's generally true for all vampires unless there is some extraordinary
circumstance.
Margie (treeleaf@i.......)
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 00:54:56 -0400
From: Deborah Sandine <DebSandine@a.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca, HF
In a message dated 96-05-09 20:00:36 EDT, you write:
>
>I also don't think this (Meaning the instant transfer of life force) is
>something new to FK. In Bad Blood LaCroix says of Jack the Ripper, "Since I
>tasted his putrid flesh ... felt his pulse. Since his life force flooded my
>brain."
I agree that this concept has some earlier foundation. The same intimation of
knowledge gained by tasting blood was definitely present in one of the
earlier first season eps, "Last Act," in which Nick knew that his vampire
lover Erica was considering suicide from tasting her blood.
On the other hand, I don't see that there's any evidence at all that victims
gain any equivalent knowledge from having their blood drunk.
The relevant bit of dialogue in Last Act was something like:
Nick: "Why do you want to kill yourself?"
Erica: "You could taste that in my blood?"
Nick: "Yes."
I'm paraphrasing here, as I haven't watched this one for several months, but
that's the gist of it.
Besides, I just loved that whole scene in Francesca. Even if it were entirely
new, I would still like it. So there :-)
Deborah
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 00:54:57 -0400
From: Deborah Sandine <DebSandine@a.......>
Subject: blood knowledge (Francesca)
This is a repost of a message erroneously posted to FORKNI-L (if you read it
there, you can skip it)
>Hi, my name is Deborah and I'm a newcomer to this list -- ritual apologies in
>advance for any protocol sins I commit.
>
>So, I have a thought about Francesca, which is not really a spoiler, but just
>in case...
> I thought Nick's explanation of the knowledge of the victim gained from the
>victim's blood was wonderful:
>
>"So you knew who he was just from one sip of his blood?"
>"Who he was, what he thought, who he loved. How he died."
>
>and the bit about killing mortals and draining their blood in order to have
>the extra kick of the death moment was great, but I can't help but wonder:
>
>Since Nick mainly drinks cow's blood, does Nick get this same intimate
>insight into the life of a cow?
>And since cows are usually killed and drained, does Nick also experience the
>death moments of the cows?
>
>That being the case, there must be few people with as intimate a knowledge of
>cow thoughts and emotions as Nick -- why does this make me break out into a
>fit of giggling?
>
>Comments welcomed.
>
>Deborah
>
>
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 22:01:34 -0700
From: "Andrew E. Nystrom" <wo991@f.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca, HF
On Thu, 9 May 1996, Margie Hammet wrote:
> In "Crazy Love", Nick wanted to control himself, but couldn't. As far as
> I know, there's been no indication that he ever has been able to take
> blood and not end up killing the person. My impression has been that
> that's generally true for all vampires unless there is some extraordinary
> circumstance.
>
I think Nick can usually control himself and drink a little blood if he
wants to, but sometimes he ngets carried away. The reason most of his
victims do die I attribute to him simply not wanting to bring too many
people across, which is the usual result of non-fatal drinking.
--Andy
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 01:26:03 -0400
From: Beth Brown <BKBVA@a.......>
Subject: Ashes to Ashes - Not quite a spoiler
We here in Washington, DC need your sympathy.
The local syndie had a baseball game on until 12:35. FK was supposed to
start at midnight.
Guess what? It started at midnight. Without us. We only got to see the
last 25 minutes. I know you have no sympathy for us, because it's only
Friday morning.
But the last 25 minutes were *so good*, I am sick that I have to wait until
Monday on the Sci Fi channel to see the whole thing. At least they don't
have baseball. Or try the Baltimore station with bad reception on Saturday.
What I did get to see was incredibly touching. I am sad for Tracy, and I am
even sad for Lacroix, which is saying a lot, as I am *not* a cousin.
Beth
bkbva@a.......
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 22:30:02 -0700
From: Bonnela <callalily@l.......>
Subject: SPOILER: Francesca, Fleur
>Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 21:15:29 -0700 (PDT)
I am forwarding this for someone who is near and dear to my heart -- she is
graduating and so is off-line for who knows how long. But, of course, she
had to say one last thing....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FORWARDED MESSAGE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From: AKR <r@w.......>
<snip personal stuff>
>It is in every drop of blood, Nick said.
>LC tasted Fleur's blood in the garden.
>And that was before he decided to bring her across, before he
>even protested to Nick that he loved her. It was before --
> Fleur: I've never felt so close -- this bond I seem to have with you...
> LC: As if we've been together forever....
>Just last week I was speculating on the empathic nature of this bond.
> Now we know.
>And I have another piece of proof, I think, that LC truly loved Fleur.
>
>**** Amy, Lady of the Knight (AKR) r@w....... ****
>*Knightie * Fleur-Booster * Light Cousin * (Im)Mortal Beloved*
Bonnie, the once and future ardent Vaquera
(callalily@l.......)
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 01:37:27 -0400
From: Katja Stokley <cstokley@c.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes
The Orioles game ran an hour and a half over, so we only got the last
half hour of Ashes to Ashes here in the Washington area. Is there any
kind soul who would be willing to summarize the first half hour? The
program started here as LaCroix and Nick were in the Raven, and LaCroix
was telling Nick who Divia is.
Thanks in advance,
Katja
Katja Stokley -*- cstokley@c.......
-*- Enter any 12 digit prime number to continue -*-
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 23:07:32 -0700
From: Cynthia Hoffman <choff@v.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca and maybe Last Knight
On Thu, 9 May 1996, Antonia Spadafina wrote about Natalie's reaction to
Nick's little speech about blood:
> "Upon this hint I spake: She loved me for the dangers I had passed,
> And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I
> have used." William Shakespeare.
And we all know what happened to Desdemona, now, don't we?
Cynthia
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 02:56:15 -0400
From: Apache <lf@c.......>
Subject: Re: spoilers: francesca & french & canada
On Thu, 9 May 1996, l.d. steele wrote:
>
> I took French Immersion for quite a while. Want to know what I thought
> "Chevalier" meant?
>
> Hmmm....
> cheval = horse
> chevalier = horseman?
>
> I <might> or <might not> have realized the Chevalier meant Knight. You
Actually, you were entirely correct. "Chevalier" came to mean
"knight" because mastery of the horse in war was the single most important
skill for the new kind of warrior: the mounted, armored human being.
This would be (someone more knowledgable please correct) right around the
11th-early 12th centuries, when armor meant chain mail alone, not the kind
of plate metal we now think of as armor (that came along a century or so
later, I think as a response to arrows -- someone correct this?). Anyway,
controlling one's horse in the midst of the chaos of an actual battle
while managing to wield the weapons that the superior height of being
mounted afforded the knight was a crucial skill. The most important
thing, apparently, was getting your horse to hold in the position where
your mace or sword would come to bear on some poor fellow's head, body,
arm, whatever.
What we call 'haut-ecole' horsemanship these days -- like the
Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna -- comes
straight out of that tradition. Eventually, the horses themselves were
taught to be warriors: to kick and rear on command, as well as to wheel
and move sideways, and hold still in the midst of battle.
Anyone who's in Chicago, there's a really good collection of
armor that illustrates the development and refinement of the mounted,
armored knight across the centuries in the Art Institute.
Cheers,
Apache
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 07:07:30 GMT
From: Jamie Melody Randell <immajer@n.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca and maybe Last Knight
On May 09, 1996 23:07:32, 'Cynthia Hoffman <choff@v.......>'
wrote:
>> And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I
>> have used." William Shakespeare.
>
>And we all know what happened to Desdemona, now, don't we?
Of course not.
At least one of us is a fifth-grade dropout who only knows about three
Shakespeare plays, and those because FK people were in two of them and the
third she worked tech crew for, and if you asked her to name characters or
quote lines, she'd be at a total loss (except, of course, for the notable
line "My ass..." in Taming of the Shrew -- y'had to be there)...
If you're gonna go tossing around this "highfalutin' literary stuff" <vbg>
please elaborate on the theme a bit, for those of us who opted not to go to
college in favor of following rock bands around on tour?
Contrary to popular rumor, not everyone in Real Life is a librarian.
--
- Jamie M.R., the terminally clueless -
- Assistant Listowner, FORKNI-L -
- NatPack, ConvCoS, SKLmom@4....... -
- Illustrated Webgoddess & Keeper of Warm Fuzzies -
List Rules - http://cac.psu.edu/~jap8/FK/FKRules.html
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 07:53:56 -0400
From: Dotti Rhodes <dottir@w.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Francesca
At 07:40 PM 5/9/96 -0700, you wrote:
>has anyone else noticed Tracy's slide into idiocy - just like the late,
lamented Schanke?)
>
Whattya me "SLIDE?" With the exception of Jane Doe, she's been rather ditzy
since day one.
THere were a couple of eps where Schanke was a little on the "comic relief"
side, but most of the time he was right on and the better cop of the two
because all he had was his wits, instincts and experience (Amatuer Night,
Fatal Instinct for example) and he kept the show from feeling like a funeral
service all the time, he kept a smile on Nick's face even if it was just
exasperation!!:)
Dotti R
Knightie 4-Ever
dottir@w.......
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:12:06 EDT
From: Tanya Smith <bodybldr@v.......>
Subject: Tracy--ditzy?Francesca
The one thing that bothered me about the ending was Tracy sitting in
the doctor's office regressing.
If she had been a talented violinist in the past, don't you think she
would have SOME kind of talent now?
I mean, after all, Frank held some of Francesca's talents, and she
was reincarnated in him. If the violinst was reincarnated in Tracy, don't
you think she'd have felt the same?
Tanya
PS BTW, I am convinced that FK producers lurk on the fiction list.
I could tell you why, but I think you'd think I was being egotistical.
(-:
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 05:16:52 -0700
From: Roxanne Piccen <CHIRMP@a.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Ashes To Ashes
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
P
A
C
E
Thanks to Valery (I think) for the confirmation about Vachon's
death. I still had a teeny, tiny little hope that maybe it
wouldn't happen, but I've discovered the information on the
lists is pretty darn accurate.
Why, why, why introduce a new character at the beginning of the
season only to kill him off at the end? Aaargh! This has been
a horrible week in television for me. A recurring character
was killed on NYPD Blue, then another recurring character on B5,
now Vachon. Well, they say things come in threes. :-(
Roxanne (who wants to go crawl back into bed and stay there)
RoxanneP@a....... (Home) // CHIRMP@a....... (Work)
*********************************************************
Save Forever Knight! // Save American Gothic! Check out:
http://members.aol.com/CuznJamiMR/SaveForeverKnight.html
http://www.best.com/~owls for The Trinity Guardian
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 05:47:58 -0700
From: LC Fenster <lucienlc@i.......>
Subject: Re: Tracy--ditzy?Francesca
Tanya wrote:
>PS BTW, I am convinced that FK producers lurk on the fiction list.
>I could tell you why, but I think you'd think I was being egotistical.
No, but since all the episodes were filmed and completed back in
February, before you joined the lists, I believe, I'd say you were
wrong <g>.
However, since you haven't been around that long, I can tell you (and
anyone else who is new and may be wondering) it's no secret that they
lurk on fkspoilr. Nick Gray and JP each have a complete set of
spoilers from this season, at least through the middle of February when
filming ended. Spoiler posts took up an entire bookcase of binders in
Nick Gray's office. He pulled down one of the two binders he had from
less than one week's discussion of The Human Factor when I was there to
show it to me.
Laurie
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:58:43 EDT
From: Tanya Smith <bodybldr@v.......>
Subject: Tracy--Ditzy? Francesca
I suppose the whole premise of the plot was just coincidental then.
After all, coincidences like this happen all the time--identical conceptual
inspirations can occur simulaneously.
Maybe I'm psychic.
Tanya
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 06:06:19 -0700
From: LC Fenster <lucienlc@i.......>
Subject: SPOILER - Ashes to Ashes (1/2) LONG
be severely spoiled, and I don't recommend that.
I am posting now because I shall be offline until late Sunday night, at
the earliest, and I wanted to get my licks in, so to speak. For those
attending Syndicon, I'm bringing Ashes to Ashes with me, so we can
watch it tonight at Toni's party! :-)
I LOVED this episode! It's taken all season to get a real LaCroix
episode, but at least we got a really wonderful one out of it. When I
think of the potential that is being wasted, of how things could
develop from here and won't, though, I want to scream.
Folks who are new to the show third season need not worry about what
they missed. Parts of the AMPH flashbacks have been incorporated into
Ashes.
This episode is a Cousin's dream. Nigel worked every day of filming on
this episode, and he certainly had plenty to do here. :-)
Yes, I know, it's also a Vaquera's nightmare (sorry, Laura, Jayel,
Bonnela). But I have no emotional baggage tied up with him. I am not
going to comment very much on the Vachon/Tracy stuff either. I've never
warmed to either character, and thus wasn't affected by those scenes as
others undoubtedly will be. I'll leave those descriptions to those to
whom they matter, who can do them justice.
In light of the recent list discussions about evil, this episode is
going to add fuel to the fire. I'm going to hold off on specifics
until more people have seen it. I will be very curious to see certain
people's take on it. As for me, despite a few (few?) major plot holes,
can I say again how much I loved it?!
Here then are my comments, interspersed with some of the quotes I
included earlier. Warning: these are VERY detailed, with a lot of
episode recap.
Nigel is wonderful throughout this episode. From the first sight of
him (the back of his very recognizable head <g>) he grabs you.
You know he feels something - a presence - evil?- in the club, but he
can't put a finger on what/who it is. Then there's this sudden smile
of satisfaction as he thinks he's figured it out and surprises Urs and
Vachon in his private office (?):
"It's not what you think."
"How disappointing."
His powerful reaction to Urs' description of the presence she felt and
the image of the headless child. It's striking a chord within him, but
you don't quite know why.
"Can you not feel another presence in here, Father?"
"Yes."
"What do you feel?"
"Evil."
They leave, and he starts to open the club, but something is still
bothering him, and he can't put a finger on it. Then the wonderful
scene when he opens the beer fridge and finds the headless body stuffed
inside. You can see his thoughts reflected in his face. His obvious
revulsion and annoyance. How did this happen? Who would dare? And
what does it mean? He looks at the box sitting outside the fridge and
momentarily almost seems afraid to open it. This bit is beautifully
done, imo, with the music playing right into his reactions: the moment
when he steels himself and opens the box to reveal .... a piece of
wrapping paper. He pulls off the piece of paper, and there is *the
cameo* which those who recall AMPH will recognize as Divia's. Does he
figure it out then and there? I'm not sure. I'm wondering what others
will think. Certainly, he has no time to think about it because it's
only seconds after he opens the box that the police, led by Nick,
converge on him, having been sent to the Raven by an anonymous tipster.
With split seconds to react, he slides the cameo into his poc
ket, making no attempt to hide the evidence.
Wonderful bit when Nick orders him to place his hands on the bartop
where they can see them. LaCroix looks at him, as Nick adds the
intensely uttered "Please". So much is being said with one word and a
look. There's actually a second or two to wonder what LC will do.
Will he comply? Or will he defy these representatives of mortal law
enforcement? He reacts, as always, with perfect aplomb:
"I think you'll find what you're looking for here ... and there."
As Valery has already mentioned, the interrogation scene at the
precinct is absolutely fantastic. Reese and Tracy are interrogating
LC, who seems alternately vastly amused and annoyed by the entire
business. He makes no effort to act "innocent"; he makes no effort to
whammy them. He challenges Reese - by his words, by his demeanor, and
Reese doesn't like it one bit. LaCroix is pushing his buttons, toying
with him:
"I don't recall any of my staff reporting discovering a decapitated
corpse in the beer fridge."
"Assuming, of course, that you didn't put it there yourself after they
left."
"Yessss. Asssuming that." (He hisses the words. You can almost taste
the venom.)
Reese is so angry, he wants to charge him with murder, despite the lack
of sufficient evidence. He settles for having him held as a material
witness. Great interaction between them.
"He may not be guilty of this, but he sure as hell is guilty of
something."
Through it all, Nick is off to one side, leaning against the wall, not
participating in the questioning at all. Every so often, LaCroix
allows his eyes to slide over to Nick. What is he conveying in that
look? Does Nick want to escape from the room? He certainly seems
uncomfortable and unwilling to confront LaCroix. (Of course, he knows
his master well enough to know he'd never be so sloppy.) The minute
Reese and Tracy are gone, he's at LaCroix's side. LaCroix was
obviously amused and moderately impressed:
"Your associates are not without character."
Nick obligingly explains about the anonymous tip when LC asks how they
knew the body was there. Does he know it's Divia yet? He's probably
beginning to wonder, but I'm not sure he actually knows yet.
I enjoyed the scene where Tracy is pumping Vachon for info about the
vampire community. Poor Vachon: awkward questions twice in two weeks.
First, who is this Nicholas Chevalier. Now:
"Is LaCroix one of you?"
This time, unlike the last, when he dithered, he flatly denies it.
"No." Does he lie out of fear of LaCroix? Or fear of what LC might to
do Tracy? Interesting that Tracy sensed something about LC, something
that seemed familiar to what she senses in Vachon. And equally
interesting that she totally fails to sense it in Nick.
"Evil's a part of you. Maybe that's why we'd never work."
One major nit when Vachon encounters Divia. Why didn't he realize she
was a vampire? Why didn't he realize she wasn't mortal? Of course,
she was powerful enough to conceal her presence at the Raven, even from
LaCroix. Could she have somehow clouded Vachon's perceptions?
The scene in the morgue when the call comes in from Reese that Egyptian
police have identified the "Raven fridge crasher" as an Egyptian
graverobber who disappeared 24 hours ago. The expressions on
everyone's face as they try to digest this fact. Great dialogue
throughout.
"Oh, come on. There has got to be some kind of a rational explanation
for this."
Nick is truly *the good son* throughout this episode. If folks were
wondering what his current relationship with LC is like after last
week's episode, and how much it has improved this season, this episode
takes that even further. Nick's almost immediate reaction to the news
about the grave robber (after Nat places time of death at 24 hours ago,
when he was still in Egypt) is that it clears LC. He immediately heads
to the holding cell to arrange his release and to quietly pass him the
new information.
That is one hilarious scene at the holding cell. The other prisoners,
cowering away from him, as far away as they can manage. LC is
obviously amused.
"Clearly I have a future as a sobering influence on the
disenfranchised."
If he didn't know before, he knows now. The minute Nick tells him
about the grave robber. LC does a *Nick* flashback! Suddenly, he's
light-years away, recalling the past. Nick has to call him back to
reality, just as Nat so often does with Nick <g>. But he tells Nick
nothing of his thoughts, and Nick probably knows better than to ask
after so many years.
LaCroix is doing his monologue, talking about evil, and love and
parents and their children. Nick is listening, wondering. I really
enjoyed the way this is done. It is obvious that Nick believes that LC
is talking about him, as usual.
"A child's innocence and purity knows no bounds. Neither does its
cruelty when evil comes upon its soul."
Nick is disgusted when he hears this - what game is LC playing now? He
reaches over to turn off the radio, when a young girl calls into the
station, and Nick suddenly realizes this has nothing to do with him at
all.
"Do you know what it's like to be betrayed by your own child? To be
left alone in the darkness?"
Well, I for one flashed back on Dark Knight at this line. But
ironically, Divia, who knows nothing of what has happened, assumes LC
could never have experienced what she's talking about.
<Broken here because of length. Continuous to part two.>
Cousin LaurieCF
M+B+D+T+K
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 06:12:02 -0700
From: LC Fenster <lucienlc@i.......>
Subject: SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes (2/2) LONG
be severely spoiled, and I don't recommend that.
I am posting now because I shall be offline until late Sunday night, at
the earliest, and I wanted to get my licks in, so to speak.
If you haven't read part 1, go back and read it. This is part 2.
<Continuous from part one>
In both of the subsequent Raven scenes, LaCroix is drinking. Blood?
Or wine? I had the feeling he really wanted to get drunk, if that were
possible. He's isolated, alone, obviously morose and depressed, if
that is possible. Fatalistic. He's doing nothing, waiting for Divia to
make her move, acting/feeling? powerless to stop her.
"You see what my young friend is doing. One by one, people around me
will be killed, till I am left alone and as isolated as I left her.
The word is out. Being in LaCroix's company can be fatal. She will
kill all of you because of me."
Does he actually angst? Certainly, it's the most soul-searching, the
most personal reflection we - or Nick - have ever heard from him, apart
from AMPH. And certainly, bar none, the most self-recriminating. Nick
finally learns how his master was brought across -- and by whom.
"Why did Divia save you?"
"She is my daughter. Now you understand why I never told you who my
Master is."
"Twenty years after Pompeii, I thought her dead and buried, along with
the guilt and the secret that one dare not share."
And LaCroix is still blaming himself for her death. He has never
forgiven himself that, no matter how necessary it may have been.
Her evil shocks him, as she reveals that her maker was one of the
earliest vampires, predating the pyramids by many years; that he
brought her across because she was young and the evil in her "was the
purest he'd ever seen"; and that she killed him because he tried to
control her and she wouldn't allow that. She tries to explain to her
uncomprehending father how they can do anything, break every rule,
"bathe in mortal flesh and blood" -- and love each other. But the
final straw for him was when she demanded he make love to her. Lucius
obviously hadn't shed his mortal bonds in twenty years: "But you're my
daughter!" - "Daughter, mother, lover - why can't I be all three?" And
it is immediately clear that his own actions have evidently shocked and
horrified him to this day:
"What can be said about a man that kills his own daughter?"
"You had no choice but to destroy her."
"I had a choice. I could have done as Divia asked."
"And despised yourself for it."
"No more so than I do now. As a General in the Emperor's army, I
visited suffering upon my enemies in unspeakable ways. I've seen evil
on this Earth in all its forms. And yet, there was an evil in my own
child that I couldn't bear to look upon. An evil that she inherited
from me...."
Honest words, self-indicting, and incredibly powerful. LaCroix admits
to having done evil, to having been evil. And he doesn't exactly sound
as though he's proud of it. LaCroix being vulnerable, confessing his
horrible, shameful secrets to Nick; in a way, it's the first time he's
ever treated Nick as an equal, sharing these things with him. And
Nick's shock, and consternation, and confusion, having never seen
LaCroix like this, and not sure quite how to deal with it, was also
marvellously played. That hesitation, the hand stretched out to clasp
LaCroix's shoulder, LaCroix's reaction to that, Nick's words of
support: "If you need me ..." When all others are avoiding LaCroix
like the plague.
Do you think she'll come after you?
Not quite yet. There's more killing to be done, after all.
That terrible, terrible fatalism. That she's after revenge, that she's
going to kill everyone close to LC to obtain it. And he's not even
trying to stop her. Is that because he thinks she's too powerful, or
because he thinks he deserves to be punished for what he did to her?
And another great Reece/Nick scene. With an X-Files joke! :-)
"So we just write it off, huh? Shrug, and put it down to ghosts or
aliens or something? Come on, Nick. The truth is out there."
"But maybe not in our jurisdiction."
And something occured to me. Never before, to my recollection, have we
seen Nick quite so conflicted. When the tip comes in to Nick, he acts
on it, and evidently makes no attempt to warn LC. Why? Because
someone else also was on the line? Or the tip came to someone and then
was routed to him? It seems strange that Nick would not have made some
effort to check with LC about the situation. This is one episode where
Nick is really caught in the middle, with competing loyalties. This
shows again later when Reese is complaining to Nick about LaCroix:
"You mean he doesn't exist?" Nick: "Not to us, he doesn't. He's
clean." He then goes on to say the same of the entire Raven staff.
One wonders if Nick did any checking at all, or simply vouched for him
and the others. Of course, it's terribly ironic, considering how many
deaths LC is *really* responsible for, even in Toronto.
As I said, I'm mostly leaving the Urs and Vachon and Tracy scenes for
those to whom they are more meaningful. But there is pathos in the
scene where Tracy is weeping over Vachon's body, and Nick is watching,
powerless to comfort her without revealing himself, and unwilling to
take that step. He confides in Nat, telling her how difficult it is
for Tracy, with nobody to talk to about Vachon, to which she replies
she's afraid she's going to end up in the same situation:
"You've got a 2,000 year old little girl who's out to kill anyone who
was close to her daddy, and no one is closer than you."
After which Nick proves why he earned his brickish appellation by going
home to the loft. Where, naturally, Divia is waiting for him. As he
seemed to have expected. Feeling brave, are we, Nicky?
"You know why I'm here."
"You've come to kill me."
"Don't take it personally. But you are LaCroix's son."
Oddly enough, he doesn't even try to fight her. Why not? We've seen
him in confrontations with LC, where he vamps out immediately. Why so
passive? Why did he wait for her to attack? Once she starts throwing
him around the room, it's all over.
Which brings us to the confrontation with LaCroix. Which starts with a
lovely in-joke:
"If I didn't know better, I'd almost say that you had grown, my dear."
Their confrontation is fascinating. At first, LaCroix makes no attempt
whatsoever to defend himself. It's not until she gloats about killing
Nicholas that he tries to attack her (though not with marked success
<g>). And she, even while throwing him about and telling him how much
she hates him, is still demanding that he say he's sorry, and that he
tell her he loves her. Reminded me vividly of the Dead Air flashback,
when LaCroix is *killing* his father: "Tell me that you love me!"
Similar theme, imo. Love and hate are so meshed together in each of
these two. I did wonder if LC had trouble fighting her because of the
love and guilt he felt, despite everything.
And then, as they're fighting, that other telling remark:
"If you kill me, my suffering will be over."
What suffering? Is he referring to the immediate situation? Or to
something deeper and more longstanding. One thing that is certainly
made clear in this episode is that fact that LaCroix feels pain, and
guilt about certain things, though we've never seen him reveal this to
anyone before. Especially Nick, to whom he never felt it prudent to
reveal any doubts. One wonders what other miseries he may have endured
privately, in silence, all these years. Certainly, he tries to goad
Divia into killing him. As she looms over him, weapon in hand, he
defies her:
"When we were both mortal, I loved you more than the gods. But now,
who could love such a grotesque creature as you have become?
(paraphrased)" NOT the words likely to dissuade her from finishing him
off.
But then, Nick gets to play hero! The look on LC's face -
incomprehension as Divia falters, then recognition as Nick steps into
view, then misery. Despite everything, he still loves her. When she
calls out to him, everything is forgotten - she's just his daughter
again, in pain, and he wants to help. Nick is the strong one here,
resolute, forcing LC to accept what must be. Intensely powerful stuff.
And the tag -- the irony of LC attributing Nick's survival to his
"resurgent goodness"; Nick discounting that and attributing it to his
age. (Me snarkily wondering if it's Nick's *evil* that saved him; both
Vachon and Urs, after all, were relative innocents as vampires.) Their
discussion about Tracy, which shows just how much the LC/Nick
relationship has changed; Nick tells LC what he wants done, and LC
agrees to do it. In second season, that would never have happened.
Finally, another glimpse of LC's pain and vulnerability as he confesses
that he might even pray as Divia's body is reduced to ash and the ashe
consigned to the winds. Again, Nick is totally at a loss as to how to
respond to this LaCroix, who is almost a stranger to him. Again, that
wonderful, hesitant reaching out, offering comfort - and this time
accepted, as LaCroix clasps the hand Nick offers. Such a wonderful,
poignant moment. As were so many in this episode.
And now, we're down to one. Terrible, when things were just getting
wonderful. Quelle tragedie!
Cousin LaurieCF, over the moon right now
M+B+D+T+K
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:55:07 -0400
From: Carrie Krumtum <CKrumtum@g.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILERS: Francesca (ep 20)
Sandra wrote:
>But Nick, being a vampire, should have been able to subdue a *mortal*.
>Why would he have had to "dodge" at all? He'd already vamped out in
>front of the therapist so he didn't need to hide any more of his vampire
>abilities
There is so much cannon on this very thing, how many times did Nick have the
opportunity to use his abilities and didn't? Lots...
Point is, whether it just never occurred to him (might be having a slow brain
day...er...night) or he just wanted Frank to do himself in, murder is a
proactive thing, IMHO. Frank did the damage to himself. Nick was under no
obligation to prevent that. Perhaps he felt that Frank's only chance at true
freedom was death, the only way to be rid of Francesca was to die. Who knows.
I just don't think we can BLAME Nick for every death that occurs within
spitting distance just because he was there. This is using Nick's own angst
against him. He's got enought of it already.
Then again, if you are a Cousin, it's the perfect thing to do to torment him
<g>. Being a Knightie myself, got to defend the boy, brick, poor fellow. :)=
Carrie, Slovenly Knightie
CKrumtum@g.......
It's hard to judge someone when you're blinded by your love for them.
--Mother Teresa
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:10:24 EDT
From: Tanya Smith <bodybldr@v.......>
Subject: Franscesca--Nick
Give poor ole' Nick a break. I mean, he's having a bad hair day,
for goodness sake. It probably took away from his mental faculties. (-;
Speaking of ducking...(as I crouch avoiding the missles aimed at my
head by enraged Knighties).
Tanya
Dr Jeckyl and Mr. Hide, also known as
Fair-weathered Knightie and Wicked cousin
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:39:01 -0400
From: Tammy Stephanie Davis <tsd@u.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILERS: Francesca (ep 20)
On Fri, 10 May 1996, Carrie Krumtum wrote:
> Sandra wrote:
>
> >But Nick, being a vampire, should have been able to subdue a *mortal*.
> >Why would he have had to "dodge" at all? He'd already vamped out in
> >front of the therapist so he didn't need to hide any more of his vampire
> >abilities
Isn't one of the ways to kill a vampire decapitation? Frank/Francesca
did throw a hachett at him.
=========================================================================
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