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Eddie is without question the best possible villain of Kindred: The
Embraced. His character works in much the same way as old fashioned Bond
villains; carefully laying down outlandish plans only to be thwarted due
to some oversight. He is wonderfully arrogant, and unapologetic about
it, and the times he and Julian butt heads in the show are always
powerful moments.
Due to his early demise Eddie is the
only, really fully-developed character in the show. We know his full
story, in as much as you can know anyone's. He could have been
incredibly two dimensional, but due to Brain Thompson's skillful
handling of the role he is an intriguing person in his own right. Eddie
is one of the most solitary of the Kindred, despite the fact that he is
often surrounded by his clan. He knows that there is only one person he
can truly rely on; himself. The only other Primogen he even remotely
connects with is Lillie, and the two share a tit for tat, almost
symbiotic relationship. Lillie uses Eddie's attraction to her to gain an
extra foothold of power within the conclave, and Eddie uses Lillie to
keep him informed as to Julian's movements. He knows that if he is to be
Prince he needs Lillie on side, and so humors her and does what he can
to keep her happy. I thought it was interesting,
given later developments in the series, that Eddie trusted Sonny enough
to believe he would betray his sire. Perhaps this was based on his
experience with his sire, Cyrus. I think it more likely that he saw the
opportunity to drag Julian off the throne as too good to pass up, even
if it did mean working with a Ventrue. To me the most
interesting relationship Eddie has is with his sire. As Prince of L.A.
Cyrus is a powerful ally for Eddie, but also a dangerous bedmate. Like
himself Cyrus has his eyes firmly set on his own power base and future,
which involves taking over the whole state of California. Even though
Eddie is his childe, he is still little more than a piece in the greater
game to Cyrus. Initially Eddie has confidence in him, but is quick to
realise that winning is more important than loyalty; a lesson his sire
taught him well. It is his relationship with Lillie
that ultimately proves his downfall. He completely underestimates her,
thinks her weak and assumes that she will stand beside him against
Julian. Turning his back on his former ally is his final, fatal mistake. Eddie
is a character I love to hate. But that's the point. When he was killed
off I thought it was a genius stroke, proving that the show's creators
weren't afraid to sacrifice characters for the greater good of impact
and a cracking story. I think in time though, I would have missed Eddie.
It would have been good to have had an episode dedicated to the Brujah;
showing how they regrouped after Fiori's death, and came to the decision
of picking Cameron as his successor. Whether the show would have
suffered Eddie's absence I'll never know, but he was certainly enjoyable
to watch while he lasted.
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