Born: 1966 (pure speculation based on C. Thomas Howell's birth date)
Embraced: Never embraced
Died: Still living

Clan: Human
Sired by: N/A
Sired: N/A

Significant Other: Widower. His wife committed suicide. More recently
                               involved with Alexandra Serris. 

Position: Homicide detective in the SFPD. 

Other: Frank is one of the few humans alive who knows of the existence
            of the Kindred and who is allowed to live. This is due to a
            promise made by Julian Luna to Alexandra Serris to protect him.

Frank is the archetypical cop. Tough, streetwise, with a dark past and big heart. He has a very simplistic view of the world, and divides it easily into good and evil, black and white with little room for the gray areas that abound in the Kindred world. He is relentless in his pursuit of justice, some might say to a fault, and takes crimes against 'his city' personally.

It is his resolute belief that Julian Luna is a mobster that throws him head first into the realm of the Kindred. Whilst investigating Julian he meets Alexandra Serris, one of the Prince's former lovers, and falls passionately in love with her, unaware that she is not all she seems.

Alexandra tries to warn Frank how dangerous Julian is, but he stubbornly refuses to stop trying to get evidence against him. When Alexandra ultimately sacrifices herself to protect him, Frank still fails to see the big picture. That his life is dependant on Julian being Prince. It is Frank's struggle with the Kindred world and it's morality that forms the basis for the rest of the series.

Frank and Julian eventually form an uneasy alliance, and together learn each other's boundaries. Frank will co operate with Kindred law when faced with things his own world won't understand, and in return Julian helps Frank when he's able.

Alongside Julian another Ventrue protects Frank. His partner and friend, Sonny Toussaint. The two begin as loyal and trusted friends, but as Frank begins to become more embroiled in the Kindred world he becomes suspicious of Sonny. It isn't until Frank spies on Archon's funeral that his suspicions are finally confirmed, and Sonny is revealed to him as Kindred.

Frank never really jumped out at me and captured my interest. Often he seemed to be just the catalyst through which to tell a story, rather than a story in himself. That's not to say that the writers didn't try, they really did, unfortunately the balance wasn't quite right.

On the face of it Frank Kohanek should be a stunning character; a human cop who's lover commits suicide and then vows vengeance on the man who keeps him alive. Build in the conflict in the human world, with a boss who believes he's going crazy with grief and a partner who's trying to guide him away from the Kindred world and what you should have is an intriguing and dramatic character. So what went wrong? The only thing I can come up with, and it's with reluctance that I say it, is C. Thomas Howell. I've seen most of his early movies, he is a remarkable actor, and his name in the cast list was one of the initial draws to Kindred: The Embraced. However, he isn't quite right for this role. With so many subtle performances from the rest of the ensemble, Howell seems at times to be hamming it up.

Having said that, there are some fantastic Frank moments in the show. I love the discussions between him and Julian, butting heads about their differing world views. I like the evolution of the relationship, that started as rivals for Alexandra's affection and developed into a friendship of sorts. I also really liked the scenes in which Frank and Lillie interact. There was a real chemistry between them that would have been great to see develop as time went on.

When I think about Frank, what I feel most is that there were so many missed opportunities. Eight episodes of the show barely scratched the surface of his character, and I know that had the show lasted Frank would have come into his own. Wish so much of the show's emphasis on the Kindred world, Frank's human life was skipped over to a large extent.

I wanted more background on Frank. To know what led to his wife jumping out of a window and killing herself, to find out what he was life before her death. It would also be interesting to know why he became so obsessed with Julian, and if there was any connection. 

Obviously, the greatest missed opportunity was with Sonny. The final episode has Frank finding out that his partner was Kindred all along. I would love to find out how he reacted, if he felt betrayed by his friend, or if the knowledge strengthens their bond. I suspect the later. It would have been a nice segue into more police investigation stories that mixed the human and Kindred world. It would also have given the opportunity to see Frank talking about his discoveries without the barriers he puts up to the other, less trusted Kindred.