5
(Thoughts on the afterlife, Old Testament origins)
6
(Some steamy romance, occasional violence)
6
(Worth seeing more than once)
"Kindred The Embraced" could almost be called a gothic soap opera. This is a dramatic, suspenseful show that focuses on something classically associated with more horrific movies: vampires. Based on books by Mark Rein-Hagen (which either inspired or were inspired by a role playing game), it’s a look at what a society of vampires might be like if their collective intent were to conceal themselves.
This was an enjoyable show to watch, and, as a fan when it was on the air, I have greatly appreciated having all the episodes at hand on DVD after years of not seeing them at all. Of course, some of you are wondering why it was cancelled after 8 episodes if it's really all that great. The show never found a huge following, but was, nevertheless, in negotiations for another season when the actor in the leading role was killed. The show's popularity wasn't enough to justify trying to recover from the blow, and the whole idea fell by the wayside. The series is terribly underrated because people have just never heard of it.
I enjoy the concept, the characters, the stories, the mood - virtually everything. The dark world of the Kindred is far more interesting than the standard real-life dramas. The conflicts are more unusual, and the society with its unique laws is detailed. They reinvent the cinematic vampire to a certain extent (no fangs, can venture into the sun under certain circumstances, etc.) which may bug those who expect Dracula.
The mood is predictably dark. It’s mostly character driven with only a few action sequences but with plenty of suspense and tension. Part of what makes the show great is that there is a real sense of danger for the characters: with very few exceptions, any character is vulnerable to death or drastic change. While you can be guaranteed that the people in the opening credits will be in every episode, not all of them will remain the characters you come to know initially.
I love J. Peter Robinson’s music even to the point of trying to find CD’s of it. Few of his scores exist for fans to enjoy even in the age of digital downloads. When I couldn’t find a download I just copied what I could off the DVD (not for distribution, mind you, just so I could listen to it in the car). Not all series have music worthy of hearing outside the context of the show, but this has a smooth gothic sound that is contemporary but with a touch of the classical.
The Kindred world is made up of various clans. Each clan has particular attributes that set it apart from the others. Some clans get along easily while others naturally hate each other. Each major city has a prince that governs it. In this city a voting council is made up of a chosen representative from each clan plus the prince to oversee it (it may be the same in all cities, but since we don’t see how others operate I won’t make assumptions, though for the scope of the series it’s irrelevant).
Julian is the vampire prince of the city. He keeps the various vampire clans in line. There are laws laid down for the Kindred, most of which deal with not breaking the masquerade (that is keeping their true nature secret from humans so that they may coexist) such as not embracing (turning to a vampire) people against their will. The prince enforces these laws and oversees clan meetings. Julian is a good and strong prince, but he’s obsessed with the innocence of humanity. This instills in him a great deal of compassion for mortals but causes him to leave himself unnecessarily vulnerable to his enemies.
Caitlin is a human reporter interested in finding out who the powerful yet mysterious Julian is. She’s curious but good-hearted, and Julian falls for her. She has to decide if Julian is someone who can be trusted before she can love him back.
Eddie is a ruthless gangster. He’s Julian’s biggest threat and may be the only clan leader with the drive and power to overthrow the prince. Despite his drive he is not cunning or honest enough to rule as prince without inciting wars between clans thus he has trouble gaining support from anyone other than his own people.
Cash is the newest clan leader and Julian’s personal bodyguard. He’s street-smart, loyal, and tough. He may not always agree with Julian but he will respect the wishes of his prince nonetheless, except, maybe, when it comes to Sasha.
Sasha is Julian’s relative. Granddaughter of Julian’s recently deceased grandchild Julian takes her in because she’s the only real family he has left. She’s a wild one, though, and ignorant of the masquerade. She wants Cash but Julian wants to protect her humanity. She can’t understand his objections and thinks he’s just a control freak. Well, maybe he IS a control freak, but he has good reason to keep them apart, he just can’t tell her the reasons.
Frank is a human police officer knowledgeable about the masquerade. He has come to realize that he can’t bring down Julian, who he thinks is a crime boss, by normal means and is continually searching for a way to get to him. Julian has agreed to a bargain for his life and wants them to coexist, but Frank has a hard time accepting the Kindred world.
Daedalus is Julian’s closest friend and fiercest ally. The most physically powerful but most deformed of all clans, his kind keep out of sight even of other vampires.
Lilly has been Julian’s lover until Caitlin. She is jealous and dangerous yet forever in love.
The pilot episode lacks in many ways with subpar acting, poorly scripted scenes, and goofy characters. Fortunately, this is not the quality of the entire series although there are still some jumps in the nature of certain characters that bug me. At the start of it I was questioning my taste in shows; by the end of the final episode I was hooked and wishing for more. So if you start it and find yourself unimpressed, give it at least one more episode. The newer DVD offers a slightly different version of the pilot (a director's cut, if you will) which is a bit more impressive than the one that aired. Start with that one if you can.
Morality
Content-wise the show has a few moments of sexuality that seem overly extreme though still TV apropriate. Some of the romance scenes can get pretty steamy.
It has some occasional violence including some beheadings and drinking of blood. One episode deals with a vampire who becomes a particularly vicious serial killer.
There is surprisingly little strong language with many episodes having none at all.
Spirituality
We are dealing with vampires in the supernatural sense but not necessarily of the type that is burned by holy water. They are immortal to a degree which causes god-complex dilemas for some, not to mention the thirst for blood which causes many moral struggles.
Julian fields a question about the afterlife. While he doesn't talk about anything scriptural he does acknowledge the existence of Heaven and says that being a vampire doesn't mean it isn't a real place, it just means it takes some people loger to get there.
The origins of this universe as a whole pull a lot from the Old Testament particularly the story of Cain. Virtually none of that appears in the TV series, though except in the DVD extras.
Final Thoughts
I've shown this series to fans of horror and fans of romantic comedies. I thought they might enjoy it but was surprised at just how much such extremely different people got into it. That's why I say that its lack of popularity has more to do with the fact that so few people have heard of it rather than because it's not very good. If you can find it, you absolutely should check it out.
Buying Guide
"Kindred the Embraced" is a show I never expected to see get royal DVD treatment. It took several years, but when the 3 disc set came out it was so tempting that I couldn't resist buying it again.
You have 2 DVD options for owning the full series. I will describe both in full detail.
Final Recommendation:
You're in luck because the larger, nicer set was far less expensive than the other one the last time I looked. Unless you get a really good deal on the 2 disc version there's no reason to get it instead of the bigger, better set.
The original Artisan release is 2 DVD's.
Video
1.33:
This is the TV standard ratio. It's not very high quality mostly in being soft and a bit dull (which has just as much to do with all the dark scenes). The contrast is quite good. The later episodes look better than the earlier ones.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
The audio is clean and clear with a strong mix though it could use more punch in the low end. There's some surround fill in the rear channels that is particularly nice in moments that feature the score.
Packaging
The case is plastic and a little thicker than the standard case.
An insert offers a few production notes and a list of chapters for all episodes.
The interface features some animation and a loop of the theme song.
A short ad plays when the disc starts.
Extras
-Legal Text: It's not really an extra, but it's on the menu so I'll mention it. It's just a page of who's responsible for what on the DVD.
The newer Paramount release is 3 DVD's.
Video
1.33:
This is the same TV standard ratio as before. The quality is the same as the earlier release. It lacks a good bit in the earlier episodes but improves with later ones though it never reaches an impressive level.
Audio
5.1 Dolby:
The audio has gotten an upgrade at least as far as the encoding. I don't notice any difference except maybe just a slight improvement on the low end of the mix.
Packaging
The discs slide into pockets in a cardboard folder. That fits with the physical bonus materials into a very nice hinged box.
There is no insert exactly (not including the bonus materials) but basic episode details are printed on the disc folder.
The interface features some nice animation and a loop of the theme song.
Extras
-Extended Pilot Episode: Check out the details of the director's cut in the episodes section.
-Commentaries: There are 4 commentaries I'll detail with their respective episodes.
-Recap: 7 episodes include recaps put together to air with the series. I'll give some brief details on them below.
-Deleted Scenes: 3 episodes include a number of deleted scenes. The A/V quality is not very good though the scenes themselves are great to see.
-Trailer (2:01) I feel like it makes the show look like it is nothing but sex while not showing off the intrigue that draws my interest. Maybe that's why it wasn't as popular when it aired as it could have been.
-Origins Of The Kindred (8:31) Details on the game and how it has influenced modern culture, the roots in Christian lore, a look at LARP participants, and the “World of Darkness” MMORPG with a look at some of the graphics and player-lead content.
-Daedalus Last Will And Testament (12:30) It starts with Daedalus and Able, the boy he saved, then launches into a new recording of Daedalus delivering his last will and testament to Able. He announces his coming end at the hands of Methuselah, hints at their history of being hunted down, speaks of the first Kindred and fossils of that time. He mentions Julian and what happened to him, then offers up his hopes for the future of the Kindred. It's more focused on the general history of the Kindred and what is about to happen than the aftermath of the series. It lacks any other mentions of other characters or events from the series.
-The Kindred Chronicles:
-Genesis (29:38) Comments from the creator, some of the actors, the composer, and a few others. The power of myth and storytelling, what makes the Kindred appealing, developing the rules of the world and keeping most of it secret even from the actors, the boundaries of the time, details of the character of Frank, how the actors got involved and what they though of the project, and remembering Mark Frankel.
-Crafting A Myth (30:01) The Kindred world – their inability to have children and the concept of vampires as it relates to them, what a Kindred thinks of works like Stoker's, the character of Daedalus and how the costuming fits with the acting, how the actor affects the writing, how this show has affected other vampire shows, dealing with the loss of Mark personally and as a show, the concept of the skull fossil that's part of Daedalus' last will and testament video, and the end of the series.
Physical:
-Kindred Requiem: This is a letter that talks a lot about the Book of Nod and its influence on the series.
-Book of Nod Special Kindred the Embraced Edition: This is a 136 page book full of Kindred lore with artwork and writings of various types. It's quite fascinating.
Episodes
Both DVD sets contain all 8 series episodes (including the one that never aired in the U.S.) The pilot is a little over an hour while the others are about 45 minutes.
The extras list below applies only to the 3 disc DVD set.
1) Kindred The Embraced
-Extended Pilot Episode (1:22:59) The standard episode is about 15 minutes shorter. This edit has a better flow and is superior to what aired even beyond the difference in restored footage.
-Commentary: Creator, director: It's for the extended version only. It covers the style and feel of the show, Kindred rules, the theme of human innocence, wardrobe issues, Mark's history and relationships, some thoughts on the restored pilot, and what the future of the series might have looked like.
2) Prince Of The City
-Recap (1:01) A few clips of the pilot.
3) Nightstalker
-Recap (0:32) Looking back on the second episode.
-Deleted Scenes (5:42) Talking about being hard on Cash, revelations of Julian's human obsession – he wants his family line to continue through Sasha's children something that can't happen via Kindred, Caitlyn mulls over the nightstalker, showing Frank Kindred justice, and Daedalus saying goodbye.
4) Romeo And Juliet
-Recap (0:32) Julian's relationship with Caitlyn.
-Commentary: Creator, director: The different lighting and why it matters, the sexuality, Jeff as Nosferatu, and shooting too much then pulling back.
-Deleted Scenes (5:02) Julian and Caitlyn discuss the paper researching the doctor that's hurting kids in the hospital, Frank checks out the hospital, and more time with Daedalus and Able.
5) Live Hard Die Young And Leave A Good Looking Corpse
-Recap (0:32) What happened to Sasha.
6) The Rise And Fall Of Eddie Fiori
-Recap (0:32) Kindred vs. Human.
7) Bad Moon Rising
-Recap (0:32) Julian scares Caitlyn.
-Commentary: Director: Conway's history, kids and monsters on set, Mark's one more take and his different color eyes, a typical filming day, what it's like to be an episodic director, being familiar with a show's mythology, and shooting action sequences.
8) Cabin In The Woods
-Recap (0:34) The love between Caitlyn and Julian.
-Commentary: Creator, director: The audio level in this one drops too low at times. The great guest actors, important character arcs, footage that couldn't be included, the show becoming less about Frank than originally intended, and where the characters might have gone if the show had continued.
-Deleted Scenes (6:59) Julian and Caitlyn discuss their getaway, lengthy make-out, Frank talks to Sonny about bullet holes with no bodies, coming for the primogens, and Cameron and Daedalus discuss Nosferatu loyalties.