Fandom Overview: Forever Knight

[abby82.livejournal.com]

"He was brought across in 1228. Preyed on humans for their blood.
Now he wants to become mortal gain. To repay society for his sins.
To emerge from his world of darkness. From his endless forever night."

(1992-1996)
3 seasons, 72 episodes

Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows was the first conflicted television vampire, the cult like following of Joss Whedon gave Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Angel a loyal following and serves as the media’s go to example of television vampires, and Moonlight had CBS trying to buck its reputation as the geriatric and procedural network.

Before them all there was Nick Knight...well except for old Barnabas. Often swept under the proverbial coffin Forever Knight has the misfortune of being too obscure to warrant much mainstream attention. For those of us who have been held under its thrall we treat it like a well kept secret, sharing with each other the high points, the low points, the zany plot holes and the moments of sheer brilliance.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t Shakespeare. The early 1990s were not kind and the transitional period with the 1980s was still being felt. At times it was shoulder pads, perms, and acid wash jeans galore. The series was shot on a budget that consisted of toothpicks and bubblegum. Thankfully they realized that man on harness did not equal realistic flying. However for all its dated wackiness it worked. It was gothic and wonderfully atmospheric and yet there was still so much vibrancy to it.

At the heart of the story Forever Knight is a morality tale. It's the story of a man seeking forgiveness and redemption. It is about a man who is trying to reclaim his lost faith.

History

Forever Knight has the distinction of being one of those shows that just wouldn’t die thanks in part to an active and passionate fanbase who utilized the nascent Internet to mobilize its fanbase with a singular goal--renewal. The concept behind Forever Knight originated as a made for TV movie in 1989 starring singer and General Hospital alum Rick Springfield. Nick Knight as it was then called was meant to function as a back door pilot for CBS. When CBS passed on the project it was shelved, only to be revived years later as a project to be shot in Toronto, Canada. The series Forever Knight first emerged in early 1992 as part of CBS’ late night “Crimetime After Primetime” time slot. To help with production costs the series was a co-production with Canadian, American, and German financial backing. When the network acquired The Late Show with David Letterman all the shows that ran in its future time slot were cancelled. Almost a year and half later a second season was commissioned to run solely in syndication. Threatened with cancellation once more the USA Network stepped in with financial backing for a third season but not without several stipulations. The show’s already meager budget was slashed, stylistic changes were requested, and a major cast shake up occurred. The networked aimed to sex the show up and mold it into a supernatural Silk Stockings, a very popular series for the network and another “Crimetime After Primetime” alum. Halfway through the season USA Network pulled their support for the show and with no other entity stepping in to assist with financing Forever Knight ended its run after 72 episodes. Rumors of a possible TV movie persisted for years but it never came to be.

The Characters

***There was too much pretty to be confined to only one picture so I decided to indulge and make colorbars***

Nicolas de Brabant/Detective Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies)

On one fateful evening in 1228 Paris, Nicolas de Brabant was a minor noble on route home from his tenure fighting in the Crusades. A long way from the idealistic young man that he once was, Nicolas had grown into a battle scarred and disillusioned individual. All faith he once had in his religious convictions slowly withered away. He’s suffered betrayal at the hands of those he trusted and fought a losing war in the Holy Land. Series creator Jim Parriott also suggested that Nicolas spent a number of years imprisoned by the Muslims. All of which made him a receptive ear to promises of power and immortality. He is seduced by the vampire Janette promising dark, sensual delights and brought across by LaCroix, who enticed him with eternal youth and power. Despite some lingering bouts of conscience Nicolas reveled in his power as a vampire for centuries. A chance encounter with a young Joan of Arc reignited the embers of faith and doubt in his chosen path. That doubt slowly grew as did his hatred towards the creature he’d become--a murderer with an unending hunger for blood. He chose to embark on a path towards reversing his vampiric condition, giving back to the humanity he'd fed from and searching for the God that he once turned his back on. Nick's journey towards redemption is viewed by LaCroix as an act of betrayal and a rejection of the greatest gift anyone could ever receive. LaCroix is determined to show his wayward "son" that his vampiric state is not something to be ashamed of but something to celebrate. Rather than live among his own kind, as he'd done for centuries with LaCroix and Janette, Nick has chosen to live in close contact with mortals and attempt to make a contribution to society before his time there is threatened and he is forced to move on. Past occupations for Nick have ranged from academic to Red Cross medic to museum curator and in recent decades, peace officer--confined to the night shift.

Lucius/Lucien LaCroix (Nigel Bennett)

A Roman General known for his sadistic turns on the battlefield, Lucius returned to a hero’s welcome to Pompeii, only to have it coincide with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. As the city fell in ruin around him he was offered a choice to “live or die” by his young, illegitimate daughter Divia, who herself was a recent vampire convert. Lucius chose to live and he emerged from the ashes of Pompeii a vampire with the teenaged Divia at his side. Eventually taking the monker of Lucien LaCroix, he served as counsel to many of history's most powerful men, including Genghis Khan and Charlemagne. LaCroix had brought across several individuals in his time but only Nicolas and Janette became his favored “children”, with Nicolas taking a special place. The three of them would often travel the world together as cultured aristocrats but it was not uncommon for one or two of them to set out on their own for moments at a time. Eventually the trio would always reunite. Over the centuries LaCroix tried to mold Nicholas into the vampire he knew he was capable of being. LaCroix also tried to temper Nick’s growing hatred of his vampire nature, at times using extreme violence. That resulted in Nick hating LaCroix as much as he hatred the vampire within him. However, through their familial link Nick and LaCroix are forever linked, as is Janette. During one of their bouts of separation Nick and Janette independently settled in Toronto with LaCroix eventually following. He took on the late night radio alter ego of the "Nightcrawler”, delivering nightly monologues on the dark side of human nature to the insomniacs of Toronto, including Nick. In the third season he was given the "Raven", a club established by Janette. Under his supervision the club lost the elegance and sensuality instilled by Janette and became more overtly sexual and raucous.

Janette DuCharme (Deborah Duchene)

Believed to be a 12^th century noblewoman who was sold to the brothel house when a more advantageous marriage came her husband’s way, Janette was liberated by LaCroix, who offered her the power to take back her life. It was Janette who made the initial overture to the disillusioned knight, Nicolas deBrabant. Theirs was a passionate love affair that lasted through the centuries. She and Nick had their romantic dalliances on the side but they always returned to each other, even living as husband and wife during the Renaissance. It was Janette’s decision to leave him that put a wedge between them. Still wanting to adhere to mortal conventions and a romantic at heart, Nick responded to her decision with petulance. Eventually he came to realize that Janette was a vampire completely at peace with her nature and he would never stop trying to become mortal. While Janette doesn’t agree with Nick’s search for his mortality, she does stand by him and will at times assist him in his attempts to break free from LaCroix. Although Janette is at times guilty of treating Nick's quest with disdain for she doesn’t actually believe he can achieve his goal. Not lacking in pretty playthings, she is always willing to make time for her Nicolas and she takes a lot of pleasure in lightly teasing him when it suits her. Janette is also the owner of the "Raven", a club that caters to a clientele of mortals and vampires. The club is a natural extension of its owner, sensual and mysterious. Given her mortal life as a prostitute, Janette has used the Raven as a shelter for those wanting to start a new life—mortals and vampires.

Dr. Natalie Lambert (Catherine Disher)

Young and intelligent, Toronto medical examiner Natalie Lambert came face to face with the world of vampires compliments of a gangland pipe bomb. The unfortunate victim of the aforementioned pipe bomb, an unrecognizable Nick was rolled into Natalie’s examining room a bloody pulp. Hungry and confused, a regenerated and revived Nick leapt off of Natalie’s examining table and fed on the blood in cold storage. A curious person by nature, a fascinated Natalie offered her help in researching Nick’s condition and a possible cure, when Nick’s attempt at hypnotism failed to make her forget their encounter. What started off as a clinical, detached arrangement grew into a solid, warm friendship. Aside from Nick’s own convictions Natalie is a resilient force that reminds Nick of the mortal world he aspires to join. She isn’t afraid to go head to head with Nick, especially when he gets into a self-destructive mood. Natalie believes with absolute certainty that medical science holds the key to restoring Nick’s mortality, if only her sometimes uncooperative patient would adhere to her unconventional treatment. Her slightly morbid sense of humor and unconventional career choice are well matched to Nick’s own wry sense of humor and over the course of the series a chaste romantic relationship forms between the two. Because of his nature theirs is a relationship that can never be consummated. It is Nick’s love of mortality and belief that the world of the vampire will damn Natalie’s soul forever that keeps Nick from bringing Natalie across.

Detective Don Schanke (John Kapelos)

At times rough around the edges and lacking in tact the good-natured Don Schanke is begrudgingly paired up with Nick Knight when an escalating killer works his way through the city’s homeless community. In the beginning of their partnership their different approaches to detective work causes them to butt heads. He plays things loose while Nick is intense. He’s the blue-collared cop with years of experience on the force and Nick is the eccentric, young hot-shot who runs on instinct. A point of contention between the two men is that Schanke at times feels overshadowed by his supernatural partner and while he is sometimes used as comic relief Schanke is still a solid police detective with his own instincts. Eventually their differing styles come to compliment each other and a strong Odd Couple friendship forms between the two men. Along with Natalie, Schanke forms the all important foundation for Nick’s life in the mortal world, although unlike Natalie, Schanke is unaware of his partner’s otherworldly nature. Schanke views Nick’s vampire-centric eccentricities as stemming from his sun “allergy”, the medical excuse given by Nick to work solely on the nightshift. He often regales Nick with tales of his home life which serves as a continual source of lightheartedness, especially when his wife Myra and her hobbies are concerned. He laments the loss of time with his wife and young daughter Jenny but Schanke’s love and dedication to his job are clearly evident.

Detective Tracy Vetter (Lisa Ryder)

Rising through the police ranks partly because of her own talents but also through the influence of her police commissioner father, when rookie detective Tracy Vetter is partner with Nick in the third season she feels she has something to prove. She’s eager but inexperienced and that’s a combination that sometimes has her struggling. Nick has a history of running off to check out hunches but a similarly minded Tracy has the two of them running in two different directions, much to the dismay of their police captain Joe Reese. A type “A” personality who likes to live in an orderly world, Tracy’s is rocked when she comes face to face with a young, transient vampire named Javier Vachon. Her refusal to forget their encounter through hypnotism means her well structured world has just been tilted on its axis and she finds it impossibly engaging. Much as he did with Schanke, Nick hides his true nature from Tracy but in an ironic twist Tracy tries to hide evidence of the vampire world from Nick—namely Vachon. Tracy’s storyline with her father runs an interesting parallel with Nick in that they both have domineering father figures who wish to mold their children in their image.

Javier Vachon (Ben Bass)

When a young Spanish Conquistador engaged in a battle to the death with a Peruvian Inca, that should have been the end of Javier Vachon’s young life. Instead it was the beginning of a whole new life when a mystical vampire saved both Vachon and the Inca from death and brought them across. With a whole world before him and the promise of eternal youth and immortality, he wasted no time in making the most of it. Unfortunately for him in the process he also turned his back on the request given by his vampire master—to end suffering in the world. Unwilling to spend his immortal life chained to his mortal enemy Vachon ran and the Inca followed in what became a twisted version of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. Through the centuries Vachon picked up a crew of misfits and they made their way from city to city living their vampire lives to the extreme, never settling in one place for long. By the time Vachon arrives in Toronto the crew has more or less disbanded but Vachon remained the same restless spirit. That is until Nick Knight made Vachon personally responsible for Tracy Vetter’s wellbeing. Tracy’s knowledge of vampires breaks an important tenet of vampire society that is punishable by death should their “police force”, the Enforcers, discover her. Vachon developed a fondness for Tracy and therefore decided to put down roots or as much as he’s capable. Vachon’s presence on the show marks a sharp contrast to the rest of the Forever Knight vampires. Nick, LaCroix, and Janette are decidedly Old World vampires with the experiences inherent with vampires who have lived through almost a millennium of human history. The 400 years old Vachon is just a pup but he has a different outlook on the world he’s lived through.

The Seasons

Three seasons over five years. Yeah, the math doesn't compute but bear with me.

Season One (1992-1993)

Ah, the beginning! When everything was fresh, shiny and optimistic. Nick pretty much spent the entire season believing that he'd killed LaCroix and had finally freed himself from his master vampire. It's the most cop heavy of the three seasons. It is also the season that suffers the most from the early 90s effect and the fact that the show had practically no budget. LaCroix makes appearances in flashbacks throughout the season and in Nick's wacked out nightmares/delusions. Janette wears chokers and gloves like nobody's business and Schanke sports some major Elvis sideburns. Natalie has way too many magenta outfits and her early season perm grows out quite nicely by season's end. Season highlights include: sequences involving the Nick's conversations with Joan of Arc; Nick joining a 12 steps program undercover and temporarily kicking the blood drinking habit; Janette babysitting Schanke at the Raven; flashbacks to Nick and Natalie's first meeting; and an episode filled with sequences of Nick and LaCroix as rock stars.

Season Two (1994-1995)

The second season opens a year and a half after the season one finale. (It took that long for the show to be resurrected from the dead.) Nick and Schanke have been transfered to a new precinct, with a new captain. Season two delves the most in expanding the Forever Knight vampire mythology as well as the character relationships. It is also the most creative story wise. Episodes were shot in one order but aired in a different one, opening the season's episodes up for different character motivations. Season highlights include: Nick and Schanke protecting an Anne Rice like vampire novelist from a crazed fan and the characters imagining themselves as the characters in the novel; the story of Janette's mortal past; an episode detailing the lengths LaCroix will go to keeping Nick with the "family"; after an argument with his wife, Schanke moves in with Nick and puts a strain on their partnership; an asteroid threatens the Earth, throwing vampires and mortals into a frenzy; the story of LaCroix's mortal past and the identity of his vampire master; and an Alice in Wonderland themed AU.


Season Three (1995-1996)

The third and final season brought new characters, old favorites departing, and a stylistic shift in the show. Both John Kapelos's Schanke and Deborah Duchene's Janette were written off the show. The former was killed in a plane crash during the season finale, along with Captain Amanda Cohen, and the latter's character "moved on". Tracy Vetter was brought in to partner with Nick and the vampire Javier Vachon served as a quasi love interest. In an attempt to attract a more lucrative demographic Tracy and Vachon were meant to in some way parallel the Nick and Natalie relationship, which had progressed into something resembling a romantic relationship without any of the perks. The loss of Schanke and the absence of Janette left Nick vulnerable throughout the season. The third season is a darker season that has Nick and the world around him spiraling out of control. Season highlights include: a gunshot wound to the head leaves Nick with amnesia and unaware of his vampire past; LaCroix and Natalie meet (and this time she remembers); a vampire virus runs rampent throught the vampire community and almost all of the show's resident vampires feet it's effects; a haunted house has Nick, Tracy, and Natalie seeing ghosts from their respective pasts; Janette returns with a shock for Nick and Natalie; LaCroix's daughter and vampire master, Divia, returns and leaves a deadly path in her wake; and the controversial series finale that still has fans up in arms.

The Fandom

Forever Knight’s arrival in the early 1990s coincided with the infancy of the Internet as a viable venue for fannish interaction. Forever Knight fandom still congregates around the mailing lists that served the fandom well throughout the run of the series. Although traffic has slowed down considerably it is evident that many who subscribe to the list are simply waiting for the right topic to spark their interest. When that happens the list will come to life for days at a time. That discussion list also has a sister list that once served as the fandom’s main outlet for fanfiction. Instructions for signing up for both lists can be found here.

There is a scattering of Forever Knight fans throughout livejournal. Currently there are three Forever Knight communities on livejournal.

fk_freaks is for all things FK
fk_fanfiction is for the posting of fanfiction and challenges
fk_icons is for icons and artwork

KnightVision, the most extensive fan site out there offering cast interviews, bloopers, high res publicity images and more. Although FK message boards are rare the site’s adjoining board sees occasional traffic as does the Sci-Fi channel board.

Several fans deserve a round of applause for the amount of work they're putting in the Forever Knight Wiki. It is a treasure trove of information.

And because no fandom is complete without a comprehensive collection of screengrabs, The Knight Watchman fulfills that role wonderfully for Forever Knight. A great majority of the images in the colorbars originated from that site.

All right I’m intrigued, so where can get a hold of this puppy

Recently, Forever Knight marathons have been popping up on the cable channel Chiller. All three season of Forever Knight are available to own on DVD. They have also gone through a significant price drop. They shouldn't cost you more than $30.

The series is also available to purchase and stream on amazon.com's Unbox Video. The price is $1.99 per episode. All three seasons are up on Hulu. Forever Knight is also available on iTunes.

Other Official Merchandise for your purchasing pleasure

Not just one but two official soundtracks have been released by GNP Crescendo that feature the atmospheric music of composer Fred Mollin, several songs often featured in the “Raven” club, short spoken word selections from actor Nigel Bennett as LaCroix’s alter ego “The Nightcrawler”, and some soundbits from Geraint Wyn Davies (Nick) and John Kapelos (Schanke). Wyn Davies also plays a short piano selection that was featured in an episode. Selections from the first soundtrack are available for purchase on iTunes.

Three tie-in novels were officially released. The first was entitled “A Stirring of Dust” by Susan Seizmore. The second, “Intimations of Morality” was written by prolific Forever Knight fic writer Susan M. Garrett. The third novel, “These Our Revels” was written by Ann Hathaway-Nayne.

The Fic

The Forever Knight fandom is in no way lacking when it comes to the amount and quality of fanfiction dedicated to the show. Although the amount of new fic has slowed down to a trickle, there is plenty of fic for the newbie to wade through.

The number one website to seek out fic is at fkfanfic.com which began archiving in 1996. It also offers a concise guide for navigating the nuts and bolts concerning Forever Knight fic. When the site stopped archiving a second site went up to handle new stories until the original was once again up and running.

A third site, known as the FTP site, is another wonderful resource for locating FK fic. That site is still being updated.

The most accessible site for new Forever Knight fanfiction is FK section at fanfiction.net.

Yuletide has a small but excellent collection of stories that cover a wide and interesting spectrum. They are highly recommended

Several Yahoo!Groups are still up and running although new stories are sporadic at best.

The fandom’s main outlet for new fanfiction is via the forkni-l mailing list. It has long been the fandom’s go to place and while the list will often go for months without seeing a new story it is the place where the fandom’s staple writers will post should the muse decide to strike once more.

The most ambitious project the Forever Knight fanfiction community ever embarked on was the Virtual Fourth Season, which was begun shortly after the series’ cancellation. The entire season was never completed but the quality of writing and attention to detail and continuity is absolutely unparalleled. It is a must read for any fan of the series.

With so much fic it can be rather daunting for a newbie to navigate. Thankfully there are resources available to help the newly converted sample some of the fandom’s offerings.

Bright Knight has been offering monthly fic reccommendations since 1999. There are also handy links to the personal sites of many Forever Knight authors from years gone by.

Author Nancy Kaminski has several excellent authors archived at her site. It’s another winner.

And lastly, if there is one author who holds the title as the queen of Forever Knight fanfiction it is Susan M. Garrett. Go to her site and be prepared to be swept off into her exploration of the Forever Knight universe and characters. Her Dorian, Archivist of the Vampires series is a fandom must.