Ever wonder where Nick gets his money? It's time to peel back that layer of his life just in time to see Nick lose it all!
How much is Nick worth? 478 million dollars. (To the penny!)
"Blood Money" explores a little more of the life of vampires, which automatically makes it more interesting than the standard murder investigation episode. And we get to meet Felix, the eccentric mustachioed vampire who helps vampires manage their dough. Sadly, he will not be seen again.
The actual plot is forgettable, but also a little too complex. I'm not always sure who did what, and whose money is going where.
Similar to Duncan on Highlander, Nick saw the value of interest rates to an immortal and began investing before sliced bread, allowing his antique riches to grow into an unbelievable fortune.
Flashbacks:
The most fun part of the episode is the dramatic sword duel. Of course, Nick cheats. He's a vampire. Sue him.
The winnings? A chest of treasure that will fund the rest of his long life.
Little Bites:
-Even though it's the middle of the season for some viewers, this was the final episode of the season. (We've discussed this confusion of episode order in previous reviews.) The commentary reveals that no one knew if another season would happen.
-Fred Molin, who wrote the music for the show, appears in the background at The Raven. Also, some cast members got their children into a few shots. It was the last episode (as far as they knew) so they decided to have fun.
-Is it a bit odd that La Croix warns Nick not to take ill-gotten money? La Croix has never taught Nick about a social more; in fact, he delights in ignoring them.
-In the commentary, Geraint Wyn Davies refers to Forever Knight as "a family show." But it aired during the totally sexy "crimetime after primetime" slot, which was heralded by naughty tones of a saxophone. Sometimes the show seems like it was a two-headed beast, not sure if it wanted to be a dark show for grownups or a fun show for everyone.
-Since it was the 90s, people destroy computers and printers, thinking it will keep others from accessing accounts elsewhere.
-On the commentary, they mention never seeing or hearing from Deborah Duchene (Janette) ever again after the show was canned. Fans have long wondered what happened to our favorite raven-haired vampire. She seems to have disappeared. Deborah, if you're out there, you created a character that people simply can't forget. Well done. There will never be a vampire so captivating as Janette DuCharme.
Final Analysis: Mostly forgettable, but it's fun to see Nick gaining his wealth. And Janette looks like 478 million dollars. Four out of five greenhouses.
Adam D. Jones is a writer, historian, and undefeated cat wrestler. He's also something of a philanthropist himself, having recently taken his aggressive cat to be spayed.
This does have the feel of a season and series ender. Instead of a dramatic cliff hanger this episodes leaves Nick with a good reason for a fresh start, or at least some major lifestyle changes. To me the final Nick / Janette scene works much better in DVD order, several episodes after the reveal that Nick and Janette split up many centuries ago but Janette was always willing to consider that they'd get back together some day. A nice ending, although not for Natalie.
ReplyDelete(To be clear, I'm not at all upset that they did get a third season.)
That's a good point. It seems to be a nice ending for our vampire couple who have grown closer this season, and Janette got to look astounding in her last scene. Alas, season three took us in another direction...
ReplyDelete"On the commentary, they mention never seeing or hearing from Deborah Duchene (Janette) ever again after the show was canned."
ReplyDeleteD: That makes her scenes here even more magical and mysterious, but it's such a shame.
Outside of the final scene between Jeannette and Nick there though, I wouldn't have been able to tell this was the last episode of the season. LaCroix of all bastards trying to warn Nick about the dangers of carrying around blood money is just too weird a subplot to end his season's appearance with. Actually, even Jeannette's scene didn't really clue me in. It was really nice, but it ended with what I thought was a joke from her saying the burden she'll help relieve him of is financial, but then there's a deep look between them. I still prefer to think of them as siblings with an inappropriate but not wrong lack of boundaries. I used to think Nick and Natalie would be the real couple but that episode where Nick accused/asked her whether his vampirism was his real and only draw made me wonder. They're just too comfortable with each other for me to feel any real passion there, but I like that too.