FORKNI-L
Digest - 27 Aug 2013 to 29 Aug 2013 (#2013-136)
Thu, 29 Aug 2013
There is 1 message totaling 78 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Discussing "Dance by the Light of the Moon"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:53:35 -0400
From: Greer Watson <gwatson2@r.......>
Subject: Discussing "Dance by the Light of the Moon"
If there is one period of Nick's life to which the scriptwriters returned
again and again, it's 1228 and the events just before and after Nick was
brought across: his last mortal moments, and his first as a vampire. We
were given a brief glimpse of his initial reaction to the change in the
premiere, "Dark Knight", when LaCroix and Janette gave him his first kill
(and, afterwards, he experienced his first revulsion to vampirism). The
flashback in "Dance by the Light of the Moon" goes further back--to the
seduction of a mortal Nick by Janette, and his first meeting with LaCroix.
Now I didn't get to see things in order. I saw most of Season Two *first*;
and didn't get to see Season One until two years after the show went off the
air. Given that, nowadays, we've all seen the entire series (over and
over!), it's easy to forget that fans at the time had only these first early
flashbacks to go by. In particular, "Near Death" was long in the future.
So the details of being "brought over" were obscure for quite some time.
"Dance by the Light of the Moon" focuses, not on the mechanics or
metaphysics of the transformation itself, but on the events that seduced
Nick to the dark side.
And seduction it was!
I gather there is some controversy over just what, exactly, Nick and Janette
are shown doing in the flashback. (No, I'm not talking about the feast at
the beginning: *you* know the scene I mean.) I can only say that, when I
first saw the episode in 1997, I thought the show was being very daring.
In today's world of cable TV, we are accustomed--if we choose to tune in--to
see nudity and erotica on the small screen. There are 18-plus rated shows
on network TV even, albeit only after ten p.m. and larded with warnings
after every commercial break. In 1992, though, things were very different.
Television was PG, through and through; and Forever Knight has always been
given that rating. With "Dance by the Light of the Moon", they certainly
pushed the limits. The scene where Janette is astride Nick was filmed in
such a way that a child might not know what was going on; but I, at least,
had no doubt. Still, if there were fans who thought otherwise, that does
suggest that director knew what he was doing: angling the camera just
enough to convince, without showing sufficient for certainty.
As for Ann Foley: we today know that this is not the last episode in which
the people around Nick are certain that he has fallen victim to the villain.
In Season Two, there's "Faithful Followers". There, drugs are an issue;
and, despite her research, Natalie simply does not realize the extent of
vampiric immunity. Nor does she realize how good an actor Nick is, which
ties nicely in with the previous episode we discussed, "Last Act". Nick has
been a *professional* actor: no wonder he is able to convince Ann Foley
that she has him enthralled.
Granted, I found Ann's ability to persuade men to be somewhat overstated.
(Then again, I'm a woman: she didn't seduce *me* at all.) We know Nick is
susceptible to the ladies, especially those who project an air of innocence
in danger. Ann, though, plays her men with wicked wiles. The flashback
suggests that Nick might once have fallen for such an approach. Now,
though, having known Janette for so many centuries, Nick has obviously
acquired an immunity to that poison, too.
Greer
gwatson2@r.......
http://www.foreverknight.org/FK4/
------------------------------
End of FORKNI-L Digest - 27 Aug 2013 to 29 Aug 2013 (#2013-136)
***************************************************************
Knight graphics and parchment background created by Melissa Snell and may be found at http://historymedren.about.com/
