switchbladeeyes

Great recap of another one of my favorite episodes!

I agree that the inconsistency about various aspects of canon is confusing and annoying, particularly in this case of bringing across a new vampire. This episode does seem to rely more heavily on the more conventional vampire mythology than quasi established FK canon. The Ripper seems more monster than man, it looks like he sleeps in some kind of coffin-like crate, and it seems to be more a death by draining creates a vampire. Perhaps Janette's comment is meant to try and smooth over the inconsistency without looking at it too closely. I also wondered about the padlock popping open. Great creepy effect, but the only vampire we've seen do anything like that is Divia.

Overall, I loved the creepy atmosphere of this one--the darkening abandoned mill building, and I'm a sucker for some swirling fog and an opera cape. More of a supernatural feel to it than most episodes and I think that works well here.

I really enjoyed Cedric Smith as O'Neal. As you mention, the chemistry between he and Catherine Discher was great throughout the episode. He had just the right touch of gravitas with a bit of a dry sense of humor. The secondary flashback with very helpful as well. I am thinking he does vampire hunting as a side gig to his police career and as such would be known to someone like LaCroix who I would imagine keeps up with such things in the Community unlike Nick.

The character of Bridget Hellman and the actress who played her was wonderful as well. I would have liked to have seen her as a recurring character or even as Nick's 3rd season partner. I do think her death really served the episode well. It really was a visceral blow to see the Barber get her. We're used to characters we care about managing to escape harm, but not in this case. Sad.

And poor Janette playing intermediary again, both in the flashback and present day. I was touched by her concern for LC's wellbeing. It seemed very genuine. We don't often see that kind of emotion from her. I take it that LaCroix needs her to bring victims to him, to flush out the "bad blood." Something he knows Nick will not do. I can't really blame Nick for being suspicious of LaCroix's request that he make sure the Barber is dead. He's been tricked so many times before, but his skepticism was misplaced on this occasion.

It was funny to me that the three of them sit at the Raven all day dressed exactly as they were, right down to Nick wearing his overcoat. I'm sure it was a filming thing, but I'm thinking Janette might want to get out of that evening gown and let her hair down! Can Nick and LaCroix not even be left alone long enough for her to take a shower? Jeez!

I do think they seem to be building a path for O'Neal to return in another episode as well and I'm sorry it didn't happen. His last comment to Natalie, "I hope we never meet again" kind of says it all. I wonder why it never happened? Was it just circumstances that didn't come together, or did JP just decide to go in a different direction and bring Divia back instead? I wonder if that would have been a better end to the series--still a bloodbath potentially if they wanted to kill everyone off, but from an outside force not from a mental breakdown of characters we had come to care about. Hard to say.

I am going to shamelessly promote my own fiction. A returning Liam O'Neal is prominently featured. It's AU post-LK and a bit heavy on the N&N, but it has other redeeming features, and characters.

Unfinished Business
https://archiveofourown.org/works/34905031/chapters/86916388