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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.
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