The FK NG Has a FAQ . . . E-I-E-I-O
William R. Thompson
The Forever Knight List of Myths
Unearthed By Bill Thompson
In the Hope That It Will Bring
New Blood To This News Group.
This Incarnation Is Dated May 11, 1996
Suggestions For Improvements Always Welcome
"He was brought across in 1228.
Fed on humans for their blood.
Now he wants to be mortal again.
To repay society for his sins.
To emerge from his world of darkness . . .
From his endless Forever Knight."
Thanks to the following for their help:
Ken the Red Enforcer
Jackie
Richard Slobod
1: Premise
2: Members of the Night Shift
3: Your Visit To Toronto
4: About FK Vampires
5: Special Effects and Format
6: For A Good Time Call . . .
7: Soundtrack and Novels
8: About this News Group
{1} Premise
Sir Nicholas du Brabant, knight and Crusader, became a vampire
in A.D. 1228. After a brief struggle with his conscience, he came
to revel in the life of the undead, killing and otherwise doing as
he pleased. His conscience slowly returned to haunt him, however,
and he began to question and finally moderate his murderous
behavior. About a century ago he swore to never again hunt
humans for their blood, although he remained willing to kill
anyone he judged worthy of it.
By the modern day he has foresaken his evil ways and vowed to
do penance for his sins, although he remains a vampire. Going by
the name of Nicholas "Nick" Knight, he works the night shift on
the Homicide Squad of the Toronto Police Department, where he
uses his intelligence, vampiric talents and seven-plus centuries of
experience to help solve murders.
Although he no longer wants to be a vampire, the evil side of his
nature still draws him toward this existence.
{2} Members of the Night Shift
Nick--Nick Knight, also known as Sir Nicholas du Brabant.
Played by Geraint Wyn Davies. A vampire trying his
best to function in the world of mortals. Has a
bad habit of making poor moral decisions, although
lately he's improved. (GWD, as the actor is sometimes
called, made a guest appearance on "Highlander" in
its "Turnabout" episode. His name is pronounced
Jer-int, with the second syllable rhyming with "pint.")
Lucien LaCroix--played by Nigel Bennett. LaCroix started life as
a Roman general. He survived the eruption of Pompeii
when his daughter, Divia, turned him into a vampire. He
later turned Nick and Janette into vampires. Currently
resides in Toronto, where he tries to persuade Nick to
give up his quest to regain his mortality. He now runs
a nightclub known as the Raven, which hosts Toronto's
vampire community. He does a nightly talkshow on
station CERK, under the name of the "Night Crawler."
Dr. Natalie Lambert--played by Catherine Discher. A pathologist
for the city of Toronto, she is the only mortal who knows
the secret of Nick's vampirism (and that of several other
vampires as well). Evidently a brilliant and dedicated
scientist, given the way she keeps coming up with ways
to treat Nick's vampirism. She and LaCroix seem to
represent good and evil, respectively, in the battle
for Nick's soul. She appears to be strongly resistant
to the vampiric power of hypnosis.
Janette--played by Deborah Duchene. Daughter of a disgraced
and disgraceful French nobleman, she survived through
prostitution until LaCroix converted her to vampirism in
the late tenth century. She was instrumental in
LaCroix's effort to bring Nick into the vampiric fold.
She had an up-and-down relation with Nick through the
centuries, and at one point was married to him for
some ninety years. She ran the Raven (a Toronto
nightclub catering to vampires and other social
misfits) from about 1975 to 1995. She then left
Toronto, and the show, at the end of the second
season--although she made a return appearance in one
third-season episode. Further returns are a matter
of debate. (It's rumored that Deborah Duchene will
appear in the upcoming film "Independence Day.")
Don Schanke--played by John Kapelos. Nick's partner during
the first two seasons. In his late forties, Detective
Schanke was something of a straight man for Nick, but
was a good detective who could supply the occasional
reality check. He was killed when a mad bomber blew
up the airplane he was riding.
Tracy Vetter--played by Lisa Ryder. Twenty-five and recently
promoted to detective, she's still learning the ropes.
Apparently concerned that people will think she
got her position through the influence of her father,
a member of the police commission, she sometimes takes
risks to prove she's a good cop. She replaced Schanke
as Nick's partner at the start of the third season.
She is a resister, that is, someone who is immune to
the vampires' power of hypnosis. She doesn't know that
her partner is a vampire; Nick has gone to great lengths
to keep her in the dark--both out of fear of revealing
his own secret to anyone, and out of fear of endangering
her (most vampires do not approve of allowing mortals
to know of their existence).
Javier Vachon--played by Ben Bass. A one-time conquistador,
Vachon was brought across in 1531 by an Incan vampire.
He serves as Tracy's friend, guardian, and potential
love interest. He joined the show at the start of the
third season, along with Screed (a now-dead vampire
with a Cockney accent and a taste for rat blood) and
Urs (a nineteenth century prostitute and chanteusse).
Joseph Stonetree--played by Gary Farmer. Nick's precinct
captain during the first season. He was the man who
paired Nick and Schanke as partners. By all accounts
he was frequently exasperated by Nick and
Schanke's behavior.
Amanda Cohen--played by Natsuko Ohama. Captain of the 96th
precinct during the second season. A no-nonsense cop.
Frequently exasperated by Nick and Schanke's behavior.
She was killed in the same airplane explosion that
claimed Don Schanke.
Joe Reese--played by Blu Mankuma. Captain of the 96th Precinct
during the third season. He described this assignment as
his "big break," so it may have been his first time as a
precinct captain. Frequently exasperated by Nick and
Tracy's behavior.
The Cadillac--played by itself, with a stunt double for action
shots. The Caddy is a 1962 convertible, with Ontario
license plate number 35H MV6. Nick drives it because
"it has the largest trunk of any car made in the past
thirty years." When he gets caught away from home during
the day, he takes refuge from the sun by climbing into
the trunk. The radio seems to be permanently tuned to
station CERK, which features LaCroix's Night Crawler
talkshow.
The Enforcers--vampire police, unseen since the first season.
Their duty is to make certain that no mortals discover
the existence of vampires--or if they do, that they soon
display the trait which defines them as mortals. Vampires
whose behavior endangers the community's secrecy are
also targets for the enforcers.
{3} Your Visit To Toronto
Forever Knight takes place in Toronto. Voted "the most multicultural
city in the world" by the UN, the capital of the province of Ontario
plays host to a culture not known to most of its citizens: vampires.
Not exactly what you'd expect to find in the home of the Blue
Jays and Anne Murray . . .
The show began its life, or whatever, as a 1989 made-for-TV movie
called "Nick Knight." It starred Rick Springfield as Nick, and was
set in Los Angeles; John Kapelos co-starred as Don Schanke.
The show started in 1992 as part of CBS's "Crime Time After Prime
Time" series. The first two episodes were a remake of the Rick
Springfield pilot, with major changes in the cast--so major that
John Kapelos was the only familiar face. The show was moved to
Toronto, where production expenses are lower than in the US. An
unexpected bonus of this move was the marvelous Canadian cast. As
in the original movie, LaCroix was killed by Nick at the end of
the premiere double-episode. LaCroix continued to appear in
flashbacks throughout the season.
The show was cancelled at the end of its first season, but rose
from the dead in 1994. Not to be outdone, LaCroix matched this
feat and returned to life at the start of the second season. How
he recovered from a flaming stake in the heart is a mystery with
no known explanation. How the show will recover from its current
cancellation is equally mysterious, but just as certain.
The vampires get together at a bar/nightclub called the Raven. It was
once owned and operated by Janette; the current proprietor is Lucien
LaCroix. He now broadcasts his Night Crawler show from a booth
on the premises.
Nick works out of the 96th Precinct, and his badge number is 72748;
his phone number is (416)-555-4762. Natalie works at the coroner's
building at 26 Grenville Street. She has a cat named Sydney Lambert.
How did Nick and Natalie meet? Natalie was working late on her
twenty-eighth birthday when a body was brought into the morgue. That
was Nick, who had been blown apart by a pipe-bomb. Before Nat could
autopsy him, Nick healed up enough to move around, drank some
blood he found in the lab's refrigerator, and revealed he was undead.
Although this is atypical behavior in a cadaver, Nat took it in stride.
She professed a scientific interest in Nick's condition, and offered to
help cure his vampirism.
What is the nature of Nick and Natalie's relationship? It's
complicated.
Sometimes Nat is impatient with Nick's behavior, and thinks he still
wants to be a vampire. At other times she teeters on a romantic
relationship with him. However, if they get too involved LaCroix will
intervene and do something to hurt Nick's feelings--such as kill
Natalie or turn her into a vampire.
What's with LaCroix, anyhow? He's Nick's "master," that is, the
vampire
who turned another person into a vampire. This is something like the
parent/child relationship, and he feels a painful sense of rejection
because Nick no longer wishes to be a vampire. LaCroix is convinced
that being a vampire is an excellent thing, and he does everything he
can--no matter how cruel--to persuade Nick to give up his pursuit of
mortality.
Hasn't anyone ever guessed what Nick is? In one episode, Schanke
did catch on. Fortunately, LaCroix carefully hypnotized Schanke into
believing that his "discovery" was just a delusion brought on by
exhaustion and nervous tension. This was fortunate for Schanke,
because the vampire community tends to kill mortals who discover
their existence.
That's one episode. Why haven't other people noticed? Because Nick is
good at keeping his secret. He explains that he's allergic to most
foods
and to sunlight; hence, he is never seen eating or drinking, and he
stays
out of the sun. Because "everyone knows" there is a medical
explanation
for his behavior, they don't look any further. C'mon, everyone knows
there's no such thing as a vampire!
As for the other vampires, they don't get as involved with mortals
as Nick. There are mortals at the Raven, but either they don't know,
or they may be involved with the vampire community--groupies and
wannabes? It's possible that LaCroix runs the Night Crawler show
to recruit blood donors for the vampire community. The show
has never said anything about this.
Why are vampires so uptight about being discovered? Okay, picture this
exchange on "Jeopardy:"
Contestant: "I'll take 'Grounders' for $200, Alex."
Alex Trebek: "The answer is, 'Stick a cross in its face
and pound a stake through its heart.'"
Contestant: (ding!) "What do you do when you meet a vampire?"
Vampires think we are as prejudiced as we are delicious.
Why does Nick always do up the top button on his shirts? I don't know.
Maybe the nerdy look helps to make him look a bit more out of place
among mortals. Maybe it covers a bit more skin, which could help when
he gets caught in the sun. Maybe Geraint Wyn Davies needs to hide an
out-of-character tan line.
What are Forever Knight fans called? Uh . . . Knighties. Can we
change the subject?
No. What are some other nicknames? LaCroix's devotees are called
"Cousins," after the nickname LaCroix was given on the FORKNI-L and
FKFIC-L websites (more about them later on); they called him "Uncle."
Nat's fans are "Natpackers." Janette's fans are "Ravens" or
"Ravenettes." "Knighties" covers Nick's fans, fans of the show in
general, and ladies in bed.
The enforcers will get you for that.
{4} About FK vampires
They can fly like Superman, move with enormous speed, have great
strength and agility, are immortal, are immune to almost all diseases,
heal quickly, have extremely good hearing and can see in the dark.
Cold weather and poison gasses don't bother them. They don't have
to sleep in coffins by day. They do cast reflections in mirrors.
They can hypnotize many people, although some people (known as
resisters, a group which includes Natalie Lambert and Tracy Vetter)
are immune to this power.
On the other hand, the show's vampires are vulnerable to sunlight and
can be destroyed by the traditional stake through the heart. Fire can
also destroy them, and they are highly sensitive to garlic. Along with
the cross and holy water, they are repelled by the sacred objects of
other religions. They don't transform themselves into bats, wolves,
mists or other entities. Nick is especially sensitive to polka music.
They don't eat. Well, Natalie's treatment of Nick has given him
the ability to eat a little raw hamburger, but he doesn't enjoy it.
They subsist on blood, although Natalie has developed a blood
substitute
that Nick sometimes drinks. They can drink wine when it's mixed with
blood, and they seem able to drink a few other liquids. Curare has
an intoxicating effect on them.
Are they supernatural creatures, or can they be explained on
purely scientific grounds? Both, and neither. Nick and LaCroix are
both repelled by crucifices. Is this because they are evil beings who
cannot withstand the power of God, or because the cross reminds
them of the load of guilt they carry (consciously or not) over all
the people they've killed and terrorized? That's a matter for debate.
Dr. Lambert has found that their cells contain extra nucleotide
sequences, and these appear to be related to the vampiric condition.
On the other hand, there's no good scientific explanation (yet) for
how they can fly. And a recent episode which involved reincarnation
ignored sceintific explanations, although you could come up with
one. A good theologian could no doubt combine science and religion,
and that's a whole 'nother debate.
{5} Special Effects and Format
Special Effects
Flying. The first season showed vampires in flight, with the actors
dangling from a wire rig and harness similar to the get-up used in
the Fifties "Superman" TV show. People who saw it say it didn't
look convincing. Now the "flying" is all implied. The vampires start
to jump into the air; there's a blur and a "whoosh" sound as they
take off, and then we're shown a vampire's-eye view of Toronto at
night as the vampire flies the friendly skies. (These views are
shot from a small radio-controlled plane). This costs a lot less
than the flying-rig business, leaves more room to exercise our
imaginations, and saves the actors from the tedious business of
getting into the flying rig (plus the risk of accidents).
Mirrors. FK vampires show up in mirrors. Why? Because special
effects cost money and take up production time, and aren't
always convincing. Besides, if Nick didn't show up in mirrors,
it wouldn't be too long before someone noticed this and asked
him some very awkward questions.
Blood. Sometimes they use an imported black currant liquid
called Ribena, which is very thick--and makes you ill if you drink
too much. At other times they use a thing called "stage blood."
Neither looks a lot like blood--but then, real blood doesn't look
real on camera, either. If you want to make your own fake blood
for parties, mix three parts cranberry juice to one part grape juice,
and thicken it with honey or corn syrup. It still won't look right.
A small fortune may await the special effects artist who comes up
with something that looks, flows and splashes like real blood,
and doesn't make actors throw up when they have to drink it.
(Oh, and don't try red food coloring. It stains).
Fangs. Your basic fake teeth, held in place with denture adhesive.
As anyone with new dentures or braces can tell you, it's hard to talk
clearly when you've just had a bunch of stuff jammed into your mouth,
so lines have to be re-recorded after a fanged scene is filmed.
Eyes. Contact lenses. The ones used in the first season had a
major drawback; they risked damaging the actors' eyes when they
were worn. The glow came from having somebody off-camera
shining a light in the vampire's eyes. The new lenses are less
damaging, but are expensive and have to be installed by an
expert, and are said to be very hard to see through.
Hypnosis. They amplify the sound a bit while the actor
speaks in a whisper, while dubbing in a loud heartbeat.
You already guessed that.
Format
A typical episode runs forty-two minutes or so, not
counting time taken up by commercials, credits, previews
and other items. The show starts with a "teaser," a
brief sequence which generally shows the crime that Nick
will be investigating this week. This is followed by
five acts, broken up by commercials, and a "tag" in
which the loose ends are wrapped up, the bad guy gets
his just desserts, Nick has an unpleasant moral lesson
rammed home, and so on.
A major feature of almost every episode is the flashback
sequence. This is normally a string of events from Nick's
past which parallel events in the modern-day story. At
times we have seen events from other characters' pasts
(LaCroix in Pompeii as Vesuvius erupts, Vachon bringing
Urs across). Once the cast members fantasized that they
were characters in a popular vampire novel (look for
Schanke's take-off on LaCroix . . . ).
{6} For A Good Time Call . . .
There are other sites around the network that have
information about Forever Knight. Some have links to
other sites. Here are a few web addresses:
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~gjwalli/fktoc.html
http://members.aol.com/CuznJamiMR/SaveForeverKnight.html
http://www.evil.org/fkfic/trans.html
http://www.spe.sony.com/pictures/tv/forever/forever.html
The network being what it is, these things are subject to change.
And, for fan fiction, try this. Send an e-mail letter to
Don't put anything in the letter's subject line.
Put this in the message:
Subscribe FKFIC-L <your name>
Put nothing else in the message--no signature, no graphics,
zip, nada, nothing. Anything extra will mess up the
computer at that address.
You might try the same thing with FORKNI-L. I haven't tried it
myself, yet, but other people seem satisfied with the results.
When you get there, read their FAQ, which is impressive.
Incidentally, the first word in that address is "listserv," not
"listserve."
If you're on CompuServe, log on there and type GO SFMEDTWO.
If you want to look into vampiric gameplaying (role-playing games
or RPGs), have a lurk at
alt.games.whitewolf
alt.games.vampire.the.masquerade
For information about vampires in movies, books, and so forth, try
alt.vampyres
alt.horror
Please bear in mind that these places (and the other sites you will
find by reading their posts) are not dedicated to Forever Knight,
and their members will not be amused with anyone who tries to turn
them into Forever Knight sites.
{7} Soundtrack and Novels
The soundtrack has been released by GNP/Crescendo. If you
can't find it, or get your local record shop to order it, you
can buy it directly on tape or CD. The address is:
GNP/Crescendo Record Co., Inc.
8400 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, Calif.
90069
The tape costs $8.98 + $3.00 shipping & handling.
The CD costs $12.98 + $3.00 shipping & handling.
California residents must add 8.25% sales tax.
If you have Visa or MasterCard you can order over the phone.
Call toll-free 1 (800) 654-7029.
Berkeley/Ace plans to issue a series of Forever Knight novels,
beginning in January of 1997. No details are available at present.
{8} About This News Group
8.1 What it isn't.
Everyone here enjoys talking about Forever Knight.
That doesn't make us vampires, Satanists, or lunatics.
If we were, would we be fascinated by a character whose
most noteworthy feature is that he feels guilty over the evil
he has done, and no longer wants to be a vampire? Please
confine discussions of religion to anything relevant to the
TV show--analyses of plots and character behavior, for
example (If you're a Christian/Jew/Muslim, you'll swiftly
note that the show has a moral tone that isn't incompatible
with your faith. Whatever FK's lapses, evil is not shown
as acceptable; good is shown as a desirable state).
This isn't the place to discuss Dark Shadows, role-playing
games, movies, documentaries or other material about
vampires--unless there's a direct connection with FK.
Shifting the focus from FK only annoys the people who want
to discuss the show, and eats up their connect time while
they download and read irrelevant posts.
DO NOT offer to sell, rent or lease video tapes of the episodes,
even "at cost." The episodes are all copyrighted, and the
production company will not appreciate it if you do something
that cuts into their profits. You could end up in serious legal
trouble. By the same token, do not offer to sell merchandise
(T-shirts or bumper stickers with the FK logo or other images)
that Sony/Columbia-Tristar-et-alia have not licensed for sale.
Copyright infringements are a serious matter--the production
company and its employees make their living by selling the
show, and these infringements cut into their livelihood.
(I don't know what the legal position is on lending episode
tapes to friends for private use, but it seems to be okay with
the production company. Of course we'd all be a lot happier
if they put the uncut videos on the market for sale or rent,
hint-hint-hint.)
Fan fiction isn't posted here, although there's been discussion
of doing so--or, alternatively, of creating a separate alt.*
news group for it. Maybe we need to debate this topic. However,
anyone interested in writing and posting fan fiction would
probably be much better off going to the FKFIC-L site listed
above.
8.2 What it is.
This is a place to critique episodes of Forever Knight, analyze
characters, point out or explain away discrepancies among
episodes, supply historical footnotes for the flashback
sequences, post information about the show's actors, writers and
production staff, announce "tie-ins" (soundtracks, FK novels, and
other merchandise), ask for and offer video tapes of episodes for
private use, discuss ways and means to help revive the show, and
generally shoot the breeze with people who enjoy a terrific show.
8.3 What to do/not do.
This advice is probably unnecessary for the people
on this news group, but here it is.
Impress people. Do this by saying "This was good/bad
*because*--" and then give your reason *why* you thought
an episode was especially good (a scene was absurd, you
liked a particular actor, you thought a plotline was
outrageous). This gives everyone something to discuss,
which is the whole idea here.
Be considerate and express yourself clearly. This group
plays host to US citizens and non-Americans alike;
Canadians are understandably well-represented here.
Certain American terms are lost on many non-Yanks
(such as using "PC" for "politically correct," or "grounders"
for "a question so stupid that anyone can see the answer").
In some countries "IMO" is a name, not an acronym, so
bear in mind that not everybody will know what those
cryptic letters and smiley-face symbols mean. And will
you Canadians please quit showing off with all of those
well-spelled, perfectly grammatical posts? It's bad
enough that your national anthem sounds better than
ours and is easier to sing, but this really hurts.
Don't crosspost, don't spam, don't flame. If you aren't familiar
with these terms, they mean: (1) don't post a notice meant for
this group on another newsgroup; make sure that the heading
for your posts says *only* alt.tv.forever-knight. The people on
al.tv.boring.repetitive.twaddle don't care about our opinions, and
will flame us in return (see below). (2) don't post ads for
Minoxidil, arguments about politicians, birthday messages, or
other stuff that has nothing to do with Forever Knight. Junk
postings (called "spam" after a famous Monty Python sketch)
take up space and displace relevant messages. (3) don't answer an
offensive post with one of your own. "Flaming" takes up space,
too. Maybe the post you're answering wasn't meant to offend--or
maybe it was, in which case the poster (known as a "troll") gets
his jollies by seeing how upset it can make you.
No, I don't know why anyone would do this--especially on a group
where some members like the taste of blood . . .
--Bill Thompson
Nick: "Why would he do this?"
Nat: "Because--he's evil?"
Teigr Llew
In article <4n3smi$1...@dfw-ixnews10.ix.netcom.com>,
wrth...@ix.netcom.com(William R. Thompson) writes:
>Nick--Nick Knight, also known as Sir Nicholas du Brabant.
> Played by Geraint Wyn Davies. A vampire trying his
> best to function in the world of mortals. Has a
> bad habit of making poor moral decisions, although
> lately he's improved. (GWD, as the actor is sometimes
> called, made a guest appearance on "Highlander" in
> its "Turnabout" episode. His name is pronounced
> Jer-int, with the second syllable rhyming with "pint.")
Hello, sorry to be picky, but FAQ's are FAQ's. First, scripts
spell Nick's birth name as 'Nicolas de Brabant.' Second, GWD's
pronounces his name with a *hard* 'G,' not a soft (there isn't
a soft 'G' sound in Welsh). According to the actor, GER should
rhyme w/ 'hair' or 'pear', AINT should rhyme w/ 'pint', and the
stress should be on the *first* syllable. For those who aren't
sure about the last name, pronounce it 'win Davy's'.
>Dr. Natalie Lambert--played by Catherine Discher. A pathologist
'Disher.'
>No. What are some other nicknames? LaCroix's devotees are called
>"Cousins," after the nickname LaCroix was given on the FORKNI-L and
>FKFIC-L websites (more about them later on); they called him "Uncle."
>Nat's fans are "Natpackers." Janette's fans are "Ravens" or
>"Ravenettes." "Knighties" covers Nick's fans, fans of the show in
>general, and ladies in bed.
Okay, I've never heard of 'Knighties' covering the show in general,
I think those people are called 'Die Hards' (because they refuse
to pick one character's faction over another). Knighties can further
be broken into 'dark' or 'light', depending on how you like your Nick.
The same holds true for 'Cousins'. 'Ravenettes' now have two factions,
'immortal' and 'new order', which I'm *not* going to get into, because
I'm not sure if HF is still under spoiler protection.
There are also factions to cover various preferred relationships. There's
the 'NickandNat Packers.' The 'Immortal Beloveds' for the Nick/Janette
relationship, and one for LaCroix and Nat called the 'Valentines'. There's
also one forming for Nick/Lacroix, though I don't think it's been named.
I think another unnamed faction is being formed for Divia. There's 'FoDS'
(friends of Don Schanke, pronounce 'foods'). 'Vaqueras' for Vachon.
'Perkulators' for Tracy. 'Reese's Pieces' for Captain Reese. 'Stonetrees'
for Captain Cohen. 'Cohenheads' (I *think* that's what they're called)
for Captain Cohen. 'Mikies' for Miklos the bartender. 'FoSiL' for Nat's
cat (friends of Sidney Lambert). 'Woofpack' for Perry the vampire dog.
I know I've probably forgot something. I know there's some factions
for fan fiction characters too.
>The enforcers will get you for that.
Geez, did I just inadvertantly become an Enforcer? Kewl.
Tigon the Bouncing Tigger and Lone Woof at Large
Woofpack w/ Knightie, N&N, and FoSiL tendencies
"...and a whopping big book w/ Welsh pronounciations!"