FKSPOILR
Logfile LOG9605 Part 24
May 13, 1996
File: "FKSPOILR LOG9605" Part 24
TOPICS:
SPOILER - Ashes; Nigel at SyndiCon
Ashes (3)
LIST: warmth and fuzziness (2)
SPOILER: Francesca - Tracy
LAST KNIGHT reaction (2)
Spoiler: Ashes to Ashes
Spoilers: Ashes to Ashes - shallow
Spoilers: A to A (2)
Francesca & AtA
Ashes to Ashes -- family... (2)
spoiler: ashes to ashes, interpol, murdered people
ashes to ashes at last
ASHES TO ASHES(religion)
Ashes: why Vachon is ***BLEEP!!!***
SPOILERS: Ashes to Ashes (ep 21)
SPOILERS: Ashes to Ashes (ep 21) LaCroix
SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 12:15:42 -0500
From: Sarah Welsh <welshkin@d.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER - Ashes; Nigel at SyndiCon
On Mon, 13 May 1996, LC Fenster wrote:
> According to Nigel, Divia survived, as I think Sarah Welsh suggested,
> by ingesting the evil in the tomb from her former master. <snip>
> This also explained why she was so much more powerful than
> LaCroix - it was his strength, added to hers.
Wow. Go, me. I was actually right. Who'da thunk it? Tell me what
I've won. ;)
> He also asked how many people laughed when Divia threw him around the
> Raven. <g>
Actually, when I first caught on to the way the episode was going, I was
afraid that it would look really cheesy with this little girl throwing
around people twice her size. (Hey, vamp fights have a tendency to look
a bit cheesy anyway -- witness the grabbing-by-the-lapels-and-spinning-
around shot with Spark.) But I found the scenes entirely believable,
which I chalk up to a combination of a wise director and an incredible
actress.
> Oh, and Nigel has been logging on almost every night to forkni and
> spoiler.
Ahem.... Hi, Mr. Bennett!!! <grinning and waving wildly>
> He volunteered his own two cents on the "does Nick get cow
> thoughts from cow blood" debate. Nigel said that the thoughts are
> present in the blood for only a few hours after removal from the
> source.
So what does this mean for the carouche? Was Screed affected by rat
thoughts in BB and Fever (and infected rat thoughts at that)? Lends a
whole new perspective on his behavior..... not to mention on what rats
think.
Sarah
welshkin@d.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 13:20:23 -0400
From: Carla Pickering <carlap@e.......>
Subject: Ashes
Having waded through most of accumulated spoiler prints over my bagel at lunch:
Satan does not predate the Christian Church; Satan was "created" by the
early church from earlier pagan dieties (of various shades of evil and
good). Vampires do predate the Christian Church; therefore, Satan has
nothing to do with vampires.
There are evil vampires and not-so-evil vampires; there are evil human
beings and. . .etc., get the gist??
I do not subscribe to the notion of vampires having no souls.
Re: Vachon and Tracy. The characters were under-utilized on screen.
Following fanfic filled in a lot of potential for me (and others). The
mythos and magic of these lists are in something Jamie posted with list
rules: we tolerate, we support, we do *not* flame. This is not another set
of lists. This is/has become a community. Those who want to simply
"critique" television might want to do it elsewhere.
Forever Knight and its universe has touched a very deep place in my
heart/imagination. Call it metaphor for life, medium for exploring a broad
range of issues, a place to meet/make friends--call it a memory of my youth
or a sounding board for our hopes/values/dreams/fun--it is important to me
and a lot of other people.
I agree that it was a GOOD show; that NB was brilliant, Nick had depth, etc.
. . .but TPTB did not have to have Vachon die and I, for one cried *a lot*.
Also, while I can credit Nick with good intentions, I agree---HE'S DOING IT
AGAIN$%&^**& Tracy's accurate memories of what was and what might have
been may be one of the most incredibly valuable keys she has to what she
makes of the rest of her life. I *would NOT want my memories to be wiped!!!!*
Saille (carla p.) at Crowhawwk in Exeter, Rhode Island
with Joanna Darkwind the Wolfish Wonderpup
Vaquera and Apricot Sympathizer with Light Cousinly
and Dark N & N Leanings.
VACHON LIVES, RAGE AGAINST THE RAVAGING OF THE KNIGHT
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:44:25 GMT
From: Jamie Melody Randell <immajer@n.......>
Subject: LIST: warmth and fuzziness
Since I have not been feeling too well lately, I shall make this short and
succinct.
EVERYONE BE NICE, OR I WILL KILL YOU.
I mean this in a totally warm and fuzzy way, of course.
We (all of us here at FKSPOILR) are in the midst of a rather stressful
period, what with the impending season finale and all. There is no reason
why we should be fussing and feuding amongst ourselves. Especially now,
the lists should be a warm, comfortable, supportive environment for all of
us.
And that is the way it's going to be, even if I have to come out with the
chainsaw and the hatchet and the specially-trained Attack Fuzzies to keep
the peace.
So play nice. Thank you.
--
- Jamie M.R. <immajer@n.......> -
- Assistant Listowner, FKSPOILR -
- Illustrated Webgoddess & Keeper of Warm Fuzzies -
- List Rules - http://cac.psu.edu/~jap8/FK/FKRules.html -
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 10:51:42 -0700
From: Priscilla Berry-Shaw <pbs@b.......>
Subject: SPOILER: Francesca - Tracy
Tanya Smith said:
>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?
We don't know that Tracy doesn't have musical talent now. We really know
very little of what Tracy does in her spare time. We know that she has an over
protective Father and an alchoholic Mother, but little else. I think its a
pretty safe bet that she was a high school cheerleader (speculation :>) ),
but we really don't know to much else.
I saw the ending coming from the first time Tracy said she had de ja vue,
but I was really hoping she would remember being Vachon's victum.
Cousin Priscilla
It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place.
If you want to get anywhere, you must run at least twice as fast as that.
- The Red Queen
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 10:52:28 -0700
From: Valery King <kingv@u.......>
Subject: LAST KNIGHT reaction
I haven't put in any spoilers here; but I need to get this out to try to
get my head straight again, so forgive me.
Don't read this if you want to come to this "cold". I really don't want to
ruin anything for anyone, and you might find it depressing.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I hated this episode. Hate, hate, hate. I can't be coherent about it yet
and say why in any reasonable way. Maybe when I've gotten some rest; I
couldn't sleep very well last night because of this.
Are TPTB really so annoyed with us that they'd inflict this on us right
at the end? I'm going to do my best to try to forget this episode even
exists (heck, I did it with a whole *season* of Blake's 7!).
--Valery
kingv@u.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 10:38:54 -0700
From: Karin Welss <KWELSS@u.......>
Subject: Spoiler: Ashes to Ashes
Hi everyone--
Thought I'd post a few of my thoughts & reactions before plunging in and
reading what other people thought of this episode. So, please forgive if I end
up repeating what others have already said, <ad naseaum>. :-)
You know, I was rather disappointed with "Ashes to Ashes," especially after
hearing the ecstatic reactions of those who got advance screenings from the
satellite feed.
Tell me that I wasn't the only one humming the theme to _Raiders of the Lost
Ark_ during the opening sequence? (And bursting out in giggles when the grave
robber uncovered The Awful Secret of the Cursed Sarcophagus?)
I liked a lot of the dialogue (Divia's innkeeper dig at LC was a classic) but
there were also some real clunkers, and most of the final Nick/LaCroix stuff
was maudlin ("If you need me..." *howls of anguish*) and entirely devoid of
the tension that gives their normal interactions such spark.
And Nick's miraculous return from the dead because of his "goodness" (shades
of LaCroix's "I'm too old and powerful for that..." return from the dead)
Puh-leaze!
And the whole thing with LaCroix/Divia and incest-- I kept thinking how much
more effective-- and creepy-- it would have been if LaCroix had been telling
Nick that Divia propositioned him, but we saw exactly the opposite happening
in the flashback. Yeah I'm one of the Original Cousins, and I like my LaCroix
evil.
It would have been more effective dramatically to see Divia on a rampage,
and LaCroix wrestling with his feelings about his daughter versus his
obligation to keep the Community safe from exposure, instead of the old
cliched "Back from the dead and thirsting for revenge" situation. <*sigh*>
The tag was dreadfully sentimental (and unintentionally humorous-- Divia
sent to her eternal rest on the roof of an junked Buick-- LOL!). Again, I had
a difficult time with the Nick/LaCroix dialogue in this scene.
Which is not to say I hated this episode. For all of its uneveness, it was
very entertaining.
Things I liked:
The "look" of the episode-- director Jon Cassar does wonderful atmosphere, and
this episode was no exception.
The sequence of LaCroix being arrested, interrogated, and held in jail worked
superbly (and had some of the best dialogue). It was the highlight of the
episode for me (especially watching Nick trying very hard to keep a straight
face during the interrogation and unable to conceal the fact that he's
gloating).
-----------------------------------------------------
Karin Welss kwelss@u.......
"All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't
make me happy."
-----------------------------------------------------
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 15:05:21 -0300
From: Elizabeth Palmer <w6bu@u.......>
Subject: Re: Spoilers: Ashes to Ashes - shallow
On Mon, 13 May 1996, Melissa Puzio wrote:
> Bonnella wrote:
>
> >>Nick, Vachon, Divia -- they could all use a bit of extra conditioner! Oh,
> >>and those bangs on Vachon are absolutely painful to look at (and I *know*
> >>bangs).
>
> I actually loved Nick's hair in this episode. It was medium length (medium
> length for a man) and wavy. Oooh the kind you'd love to rake your hands
> through. Now Vachon and Divia were definately having bad hair years. They
> could use a couple of vials of Frizz-Ease.
Nick's hair wasn't bad and Vachon's was just "Vachon hair" but in a way,
you can rationalize why Divia had a touch of the frizzies. For a couple
of odd centuries (you know the numbers) she has been laying in an "evil"
dry aired tombed, she is let out and then has to carry that body and his
head (a handfull, I must say) to the other side of the world, get those
snazzy dudes, and set up the crime for LaCroix to find. There is only so
much a girl can do. Besides, if she had good hair, she would of looked
like one of those evil things Aaron Spelling produces.
Oooh, now I am being shallow.
Elizabeth Palmer
w6bu@u.......
Natpacker / DAotCoS / C-Arts Slave
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 11:41:19 -0800
From: Elizabeth Mosler <emosler@l.......>
Subject: Re: LAST KNIGHT reaction
>I haven't put in any spoilers here; but I need to get this out to try to
>get my head straight again, so forgive me.
>
>Don't read this if you want to come to this "cold". I really don't want to
>ruin anything for anyone, and you might find it depressing.
>
When you are feeling better, please post your opinions to the list
regarding this last episode. I am one of these odd people who would rather
know in advance what to expect, then to receive the bad news cold turkey as
I watch the episode this Saturday.
:-(=
=====================================================
elizabeth m. (emosler@l.......)
'Our fate is not determined by what we experience,
but by how we perceive what we experience.'
- Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
WWW: http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~emosler/rose.html
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 15:19:59 -0400
From: cpl <cpl@b.......>
Subject: Spoilers: A to A
My comments:
I loved this episode. I think it's my favorite of all time (so i say
now).
Positive
The Sex and the sexual innuendo -- they covered it all, homosexality,
heterosexuality, pediphilia, incest, yowza!. There was so much
character development in this episode. I sat there glued to my tv
screen, and i watched it again afterwards until 2:30 AM. The plot
held together and flowed wonderfully. Unfortunatley for me, the
scenes with Tracey and Vachon got in the way of the others stuff. I
was hoping and praying that Nick would finally let Tracey know, btt I
guess that's never going to happen given what he said later. I felt
there was so much continuity in the episode. Clearly the fact that
Nick cares for LC stems from NIQ. We saw it in all the episodes after
NIQ (or atleast a lot of them). Three cheers for TPTB for following
through on that since they didin't follow through with a lot of other
potential repercussions from that episode.
THIS is the kind of episode that I love FK for. There should have
been more like this IMHO. Beyond that though, this is the kind of
episode which I think will generate FK fans when it goes into re-runs.
I'm not saying this element of the show is better than some other, but
I firmly believe that this type, sort of sexy, violent *vampire* plots
full evil and musings and guilt about evil and perversity etc. etc.
(AMPH had some of what I'm talking about too) is what a lot of men and
teenagers are looking for which is cross secTion of the viewing public
that, if you can judge by this list, FK fandom is missing. (no flames,
please! -- I"m not saying that b/c there seem to be fewer men, that
we're no good!) I hope that eps like this one will bring across many
others so we'll have a stronger base on which to stand.
Negative
Why oh why did Urs' and Vachon's deaths have to be so pointless?
IMHO, they played the proverbial "red shirt" role of Star Trek fame.
Even though there was the Tracey/Vachon stuff, it still seemed as if
the two characters had to die because it was mandated from above not
b/c it actually served any plot purposes. Basically it seemed as if
TPTB figured "all the characters have to die, so get to it." In A to A
we're getting secondary character deaths which seemed very out of
place and forced. This does not bode well.
I wish how Nick was able to recover was explained more. From my take
of it, it was his goodness, lack of human blood or something to that
effect which allowed him to regenerate.
Vachon's hair. Poor boy, it looked as if it was all Def Leppard
rocker in the back and Pollyana bangs in the front. Basically, it was
a big black mop. too bad b/c I usually find it pretty attractive.
Neutral
I wonder if this episode seemed more sexually explicit and
disturbingly violent and daring b/c the series is almost over and TPTB
felt more freedom and safety in doing things that are clearly risky
when considering a general viewing public. Even if the characters are
vampires, incest and pedaphilia and homosexuality? are not common tv
themes (unless of course they're tv movie of the week).
It seemed weird and undignified that the funeral pyre was in a
dump/junk yard. I kind of thought LC would build an elaborate pyre
(of Hercules fame) since they were Roman after all. Although it added
to the darkness of the show, it was visually difficult to picture LC
in a dump.
Being someone's master really must be something more than
psychological. It didn't seem to me that Divia had *that* much more
time to become accustomed to vampire ways and their reindeer games,
and yet LC was clearly her child. On top of that, I would find it
hard to believe that the father/daugther roles could be reversed so
quickly although they clearly resurfaced at the moment of Divia's
death.
perhaps more later as I re-watch again tonight,
ping
cpl@b.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 16:43:47 -0400
From: Dotti Rhodes <dottir@w.......>
Subject: Re: Spoilers: A to A
At 03:19 PM 5/13/96 -0400, Ping wrote:
> The Sex and the sexual innuendo -- they covered it all, homosexality,
> heterosexuality, pediphilia, incest, yowza!.
Okay---I know where the incest came in, but I'll be dogged if I can find the
other stuff you mention..did I miss something????
Dotti R
Knightie 4-Ever
dottir@w.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 15:50:06 -0500
From: Sarah Welsh <welshkin@d.......>
Subject: Re: Ashes
On Mon, 13 May 1996, Carla Pickering wrote:
> Satan does not predate the Christian Church; Satan was "created" by the
> early church from earlier pagan dieties (of various shades of evil and
> good).
Um, gotta disagree. The term "satan" is Hebrew for adversary and is used
as a personal name in 1 Chronicles, Zechariah, and Job, which is
generally agreed upon as being one of the earliest writings of the Hebrew
Bible. One doesn't have as clear a picture of a suprahuman being as is
found in the Christian writings, but the basic concept predates
Christianity by several thousand years. Persian, Canaanite, and/or
Semitic origins are cited by some for the concept, but the idea was taken
from the Judaic tradition by the early Christians, all of whom actually
were Jews at the time after all.
So there would have been a very clear conception of Satan by the dawn of
the Common Era, especially as the doctrine became very well developed in
later intertestamental Judaism, albeit not in the circles in which Divia
and LaCroix would have circulated. A dualism between "good" and "evil"
or "benevolent" and "hostile" gods or beings is a part of many religions,
however.
Sarah
welshkin@d.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 14:44:50 -0700
From: Raissa Devereux <raissa@i.......>
Subject: Francesca & AtA
Hi all,
Something occurred to me. Francesca established reincarnation in the FK
universe. If Franny can come back to get Nick, that does not bode well
for LC. What's to say that Divia's soul won't transmigrate to reek havok
on Daddy and his loved ones centuries from now.
Raissa Devereux
raissa@i.......
NatVampCamp/FoSiL
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:52:57 -0400
From: Apache <lf@c.......>
Subject: Re: Ashes to Ashes -- family...
On Mon, 13 May 1996, Margaret L. Carter wrote:
> originally thought. How come in addressing his wife (or mistress?) he calls
> Divia "your daughter," not "our" (I listened closely during the flashback)?
> And why does Divia initially address him as General, not Father? (There was
> another anomaly I wanted to mention, but now I've forgotten it.)
Divia is Lacroix's natural (illegitimate) daughter with the
mistress of a whorehouse (tony, elegant, graced with a marble portrait of
her patron, but a whorehouse nonetheless). For a general with a weather
eye on advancement -- to consul, say -- publically acknowledging such a
bastard child is not the best idea. The forms of address, since they
were in other company, seemed to me to reflect that formal distance but
informal acknowledgement of relationship.
Ap.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:22:36 -0400
From: Naomi P Kraus <npk1@c.......>
Subject: Re: Ashes
On Mon, 13 May 1996, Sarah Welsh wrote:
> "The term "satan" is Hebrew for adversary and is used
> as a personal name in 1 Chronicles, Zechariah, and Job, which is
> generally agreed upon as being one of the earliest writings of the Hebrew
> Bible."
The general theological conception of Satan in Judaism however is not an
adversary of G-d. "Satan" does indeed mean adversary but is usually
regarded as the prosecuting attorney in the court of heaven, not as some
inherently evil being.
"A dualism between "good" and "evil"or "benevolent" and "hostile" gods
or beings is a part of many religions,however."
Going back to the Hebraic origins, the realtionship between G-d and
Satan is that Satan points out the evil that men do, he does not cause
the evil to be done. The original belief is that each person
was created with an evil inclination and it is their individual
choice whether or not to follow through on it. Evil exists but it can be
ignored.
N.P. Kraus
npk1@c.......
VACHON LIVES!
>
>
>
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:30:48 -0400
From: Carrie Krumtum <CKrumtum@g.......>
Subject: Re: LIST: warmth and fuzziness
> the specially-trained Attack Fuzzies to keep
>the peace.
Just what exactly would one feed a 'specially-trained Attack Fuzzy' to bribe
it?
Just wondering.
:)=
Carrie, Slovenly Knightie AKA Carrie the Cruel
CKrumtum@g.......
It's hard to judge someone when you're blinded by your love for them.
--Mother Teresa
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:35:04 CDT
From: "OREL, SARA" <FA55@n.......>
Subject: spoiler: ashes to ashes, interpol, murdered people
Dotti mentioned that the quick id. is plausible. I'm not all that sure
of it. I would agree that info in Cairo (i.e. a terrorist suspect)
might get circulated, but Luxor (charming as it is) is hardly the center
of the universe, and a robber probably would not immediately tell the
police that his brother had disappeared. Just the whole thing seemed
very implausible, and the idea that the Toronto P.D. would even check
interpol immediately and get a positive id. within a couple of hours
(remember this is all the same night, apparently, and certainly while
Lacroix is still in custody) seems unlikely. Phone lines aren't great,
faxes are unreliable, and I was just wondering what clued them into
looking outside of Toronto, or even beyond Canada and the U.S.
Oh well. There are times one cannot even get an international phone
line from Luxor...
Sara Orel
(who really LIKES Egypt, honest!)
FA55%nemomus@a.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:51:17 -0500
From: "Stormsinger/J.S. Levin" <wabbit@e.......>
Subject: Re: ashes to ashes at last
Dear Dottie --
Thank you.
Dear Karen --
May the good you do return to you three-fold. And may there be balance in
all things.
Storm
wabbit@e....... (J.S.Levin/Stormsinger)
Their canon met my imagination and was outgunned.
If you practice being fictional, you discover that "characters"
are as real as people with bodies and heartbeats...
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:51:21 -0500
From: "Stormsinger/J.S. Levin" <wabbit@e.......>
Subject: Re: ASHES TO ASHES(religion)
>Question that occurred to me as soon as LaCroix said he would pray >for
>Divia: To whom will he pray? Jupiter or Christ? Or maybe Mithras, the
>sun god popular with 1st-century soldiers? Now that would be a nice irony.
His personal gods would probably be Mars Imperator and/or Mithras, although
I'll bet he's likened himself to Pluto's Furies once or twice in the past
couple millenea.
But for his daughter's soul, I'm betting he prays to the Diana, virgin
goddess of the hunt and the moon, and to Mercury, who led the souls safely
to the Underworld (and out of the hands of the Furies). And he might just
toss in a few words to Mary, in case she's listening!
Storm
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 18:51:19 -0500
From: "Stormsinger/J.S. Levin" <wabbit@e.......>
Subject: Re: Ashes to Ashes -- family...
>How come in addressing his wife (or mistress?) he calls
>Divia "your daughter," not "our" (I listened closely during the flashback)?
Because Selene is a prostitute -- high class, but of that class nonetheless.
LaCroix is too proud, and *much* too ambitious, to publicly acknowledge a
prostitute's daughter as his only living child. Besides, if he did, the
legal ramifications would be fierce!
> And why does Divia initially address him as General, not Father?
>Continuity lapse? Or an indication that the relationship between
>Divia and her dad was already strained before his latest absence from home?
"Strained" is a good word. How about stretched almost beyond belief. He
adores her, but will not publically acknowledge her as his own. She uses
both "General" and "Father" as words-weapons -- both rip him at different
points of his pride.
Storm
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 19:16:46 -0500
From: D Echelbarger <gryphon@e.......>
Subject: Re: Ashes: why Vachon is ***BLEEP!!!***
*PEOPLE*!!! Do *NOT* respond to this thread without changing the *SPOILER*
subject line.
No spoilers in the subject line... be sure to check for that when you
reply to a post.
[I've titled this so that those who read by subject threads (as I often
do) will see it ASAP.]
Thank you ;-)
Dianne (dianne.la.mercenaire@diane.e's.stoughton.WI <g>)
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 19:27:29 -0500
From: Sandra Gray <TMP_HARKINS@d.......>
Subject: SPOILERS: Ashes to Ashes (ep 21)
Well, my first viewing of this last night left me a bit...stunned so I
decided to watch it again today before making any comments. So, in
what may be a chaotic order...
First, the good things: The actress who played Divia gave an excellent
performance, as did Ben Bass as Vachon. This was one of the few eps
where I could see some visible chemistry between Vachon and Tracy.
I really enjoyed the scene where Tracy went to see him and wound up
staking him. I thought for a minute as he lay dying that Vachon was
going to tell her he loved her instead of "Wish me luck." For some
reason, I was reminded of the vampire film, "To Die For". I also
really enjoyed the scene with Urse at Vachon's place too.
I liked some of the "gliding rather than walking" feeling of some of
the movements of LaCroix and Divia and some of the special effects
photography from Divia's viewpoint (as she's observing various vampires).
There was also some good music by Fred Mollin and some interesting
camera angles too.
I enjoyed seeing Divia beat up on LC. I also enjoyed hearing LC admit
that Divia had inherited his *evil*. :)
I liked the fight between Urse and Divia in Nick's elevator.
I liked Nick's suggestion that LC could get around a "resistor". I'd
like to see LC hypnotize Tracy. It would be interesting to see if he
needed to give her a spiked drink or not. I got the impression that he
wouldn't need to do that.
The bad things: I don't know whether it was Nigel Bennett's performance
or just the way LC's lines were written in this, but I wasn't that
impressed with LC in this. I didn't enjoy seeing him so concerned
and almost non-plussed by Divia's return. I also found it hard to
swallow that Divia had killed her master, an ancient vampire. She
talked like she had spent time with him, but I don't see how she could
have spent a lot of time with him, when you consider how she was "cured"
in AMPH. When would she have had time to go with him to Egypt? I
didn't like Urse or Vachon dying. Divia's fight with Nick was over too
quick. I don't understand why Nick didn't suffer. Divia was defeated
too easily by Nick (a stake through the heart?). I think she survived.
What happened to the concept from If Looks Could Kill that vampires
disappear when they die?
The interesting things: An Egyptian sun god symbol could hold Divia
back from escaping her tomb. Decapitation may not be fatal to vampires
(shades of "Subspecies"). Memories were transferred from Divia to
Vachon when she bit him that he retained and her "evil" attitude was
taking Vachon over. Divia could inflict damage that vampires could
not normally recover from (I don't understand why Nick didn't suffer).
Divia survived without blood for almost 2000 years. Divia was able to
find LC halfway across the world in a short period of time (shades of
1966).
Even though I had problems with how LC was presented in this, there
were several interesting things about LC's character that were
presented, which are worthy of discussing in another post. The Light
Cousins were probably interested in the ending, where LC seems to be
considering whether the path he has chosen has really been the right
one after all. Is his "redemption" around the corner? Personally, I
hope not. One of the things I didn't like about the Star Wars movies
was how they "redeemed" Darth Vader. :P
The fact that Divia only went after Vachon, Urse, and Nick should be
evidence that LC has kept himself isolated in the vampire community.
Divia considered Vachon and Urse his "friends", but I don't see how
they could be so "friendly" with LC since they hadn't known him very
long. Is this proof that other vampires don't like LC? I thought
it was telling that Vachon lied to Tracy when she asked him if LC was
a vampire. You could almost see on Vachon's face that he was
visualizing what LC might do to him if he answered Tracy truthfully.
Ironically, his answer may make it easier for LC to hypnotize Tracy
since she won't expect him to be able to do so.
I also thought it was ironic that the reasons Divia gave for killing
her master are the things LC has also tried to do to Nick (control
him and make him *his* type of vampire).
Nick was kinder to LC than I would have been (just goes to show you
he's a much better sort that some people give him credit for).
I forgot to look see who wrote this one, but I thought there were shades
of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's _Out of the House of Life_ here (particularly
when considered with Francesca). St. Germain, although from an area
of the world probably equivalent to Transylvania, rose to Egyptian
priesthood (I think; it's been a while since I read that book). Some
people tried to kill him then too. So I got to wonder if someone just
recently stumbled across Yarbro's books or something.
Also, did anyone think about Quantum Leap when watching the teaser? :)
I almost expected to see John Kapelos.
The stupid things: The grave robber was transferred to the Raven in
a 24-hour period (and how was he identified so fast?). Nat says that
she was going to say an animal killed him. The police story of solving
his murder was just dropped. Nick took Urse to Nat to be examined (and
how did they explain that?). And why should Nat have disposed of her
body? And I'd like to see how Tracy buried Vachon!
As with last week's Francesca, this episode dropped things that imo
totally screw with the FK universe. What we saw of LC's past can cast
some things from past episodes in a different light (but again, that's
stuff for another post).
Anyway, what it all boils down to is that I didn't hate or like this
episode. It's just *there*. So my grade for this episode is an
average C.
--Sandra Gray, forever Knightie
--tmp_harkins@d.......
Well, after another post about LC, I'll be off to read everyone else's
spoilers. I hope you guys aren't speculating how this ep relates to
Last Night in your reviews.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 19:28:09 -0500
From: Sandra Gray <TMP_HARKINS@d.......>
Subject: SPOILERS: Ashes to Ashes (ep 21) LaCroix
This is a post to discuss how things presented about LC in Ashes
to Ashes affect some of my past perceptions about LC.
First, as I said in my review of the episode, I liked seeing LC
admit that Divia had inherited his *evil*. And this was an opinion
LC had of himself *before* he was brought over apparently. It will
be interesting to read how those who like LC's character perceived
this admission. But LC apparently considered Divia a "chip off the
old block" who was made even *worse* by the vampire who brought her
over giving her the power to indulge her "evil" more.
I think this episode gives LC another and perhaps a deeper reason
for bringing over Nick. He wanted the opposite of what he got in
life: a "good son" instead of an "evil daughter".
This episode also impacts on the character tendency that I (and some
other people) have observed for LC to want Nick in a sexual way.
He rejected Divia's advances to him in the flashback, although it
seemed to me that he felt some desire for her (although she may have
been helping that along with her master blood bond to LC). Anyway,
I find myself wondering now if, due to what happened with Divia, LC
has been leery of initiating any sort of sexual relationship with
Nick for fear that Nick would react as he himself reacted to Divia.
The last thing I found myself thinking about was how this episode's
flashback impacts on the flashback in first season's Dead Air. In
that episode, we see LC torture and kill *with a knife* (instead of
biting) a man who is supposed to look like his father. At the time
it seemed evidence that LC came from an abusive family background.
But after Ashes to Ashes, I wonder if LC in killing this mortal and
in saying, "Tell me you love me, father" was instead pretending to
be *Divia* killing *LC*, punishing *himself* over and over (for it
seemed a scene, by Janette's reaction, that had occurred more than
once) for murdering his own daughter.
I may have other ideas after more viewing of this episode. I do have
to confess to not feeling any sympathy for LC in AtA. Mostly I guess
I was just perplexed because he seemed to me to be out of character
a good deal of the time. Had I felt sympathy for him like I did in
Father's Day, I may have hated AtA.
Yes, I like LC to be evil. :)
--Sandra Gray, forever Knightie
--tmp_harkins@d.......
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 21:18:38 -0400
From: Gehirn Karies <SoulDebris@a.......>
Subject: Re: SPOILER: Ashes to Ashes
Interesting episode....
I think that it is perfectly sane and logical to believe that Trace will pull
the stake out before she burries Vachon, allowing him the opportunity to
regenerate. Furthermore, he will *have* to cut his hair after the worms get
it all matted up while he heals. <eg> Heh ... heh.
I raved over every minute of the arrest, interrogation, lock up. Wicked
@#&%ing cool scenes, great lines, and amazing expressions. I enjoyed every
second of pain and vulnerablilty LaCroix went through in this ep. <wcg>
LaCroix's reaction to Divias voice on the phone killed me!
Love the sigh before Nickie comes up to him in the Raven to ask about Divia.
And the guy makes the phrase "finding a decapitated corpse in the beer
fridge." ooze sensuality.
Divia and LaCroix in the Raven, delightful! Now, obviously she had sucked up
a lot more evil power in the tomb, the guy was barbeque and LaCroix could
still sense his evil permiating the room, so I do sorta buy it that she
really could kick his arse. (until he really got his dander up, of course.)
Then she pulls the sickle out ala Highlander, (where *was* that sword?).
LOL!
Wicked Tippi wrote:
>And what about that painting you see when Divia first shows up in the loft?
>The one with the guy screaming with a flaming background behind him...
>Creepy. A portrait of Dear Old Dad?
We've seen it before. It's my favorite, I think it's a self portrait, it's
angst ridden.
It was cool that Divia rifled through his things and put the cameo in the box
to freak LaCroix out, nice eery touch. I don't think ole Divia needed to home
in on the cameo, like somebody suggested, although it is a fun idea.
I figure the Egyptian guy must have had his initials written on his shorts in
Egyptonian with a sharpie marker, so the cops called overseas. And ... I
swear he blinked when LaCroix pulled away the tissue paper.
The tag.... Hmmmnnn. Interesting.
GK
SoulDebris@a.......
"Just a little dumbfounded, I guess." Trace AtA
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