Before Each Night Is Done, Their Plan Will Be Unfurled
I was amazed enough back in 2011 that I was able to update my Kindred: The Embraced Timeline, given that the series only had eight episodes in 1996 with no further output since then. I had to dig deep at the time, but at least it was possible.
Imagine my surprise last year, then, when a fancy new DVD boxset was announced that featured commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and "Daedalus: Last Will and Testament," a newly-shot clip with Jeff Kober reprising his character from the series. Even so, it took me a while to buy the set and longer still to sit down properly with everything it had to offer--it wasn't until the recent end of True Blood brought vampiric series to mind again that I was finally inspired to do so.
Considering how long ago the show was on (and how short-lived it was), it's a great and unexpected pleasure to get just a little more of a series that really worked for me through the new (or at least new to me) material. Not all of it works, of course--the Extended Pilot is mostly extended with a goofy subplot about enrolling Sasha (Brigid Walsh) in a Catholic school, which bears no relation to anything that happens later and was dropped for good reason--but there was quite a bit of information in the new clip and the commentaries about the mythology of that world and where the series was going.
With all of this additional material now in hand, then, I went back to that timeline (as opposed to working on any of the potential fictional timelines I talked about creating earlier this year or providing a much-needed update to The History of Things That Never Were itself) and gave it a thorough expansion and revision. Besides going over everything that was already there and adding more detail using online resources which weren't available back in the day, I was able to make a proper section for the period after the series and leading up to "Daedalus: Last Will and Testament," which is set in 2013.
Other than series creator John Leekley, I'm not sure how many people will end up reading or caring about the results of my work (okay, reddheart will probably enjoy it), but it felt great to dive back into this (admittedly niche) fandom for a while, even if I'm just making my own fun. (Having said that, some of the special features on the DVD set specifically mentioned the continued existence of Kindred: The Embraced fansites, so a commentary or interview shout-out would've been nice.)
Now, I know what some of you are going to say: "This timeline was originally created in 1997, and it looks the part." You're right about that, and I could hypothetically go back and make the whole thing look closer to a "modern" website, but I have no plans to do so. Despite the potential GeoCities vibe, I'm rather fond of this design aesthetic--not only did I base it on the look of the show's official website at the time, but it harkens back to an era when fansites were their own thing without the standardised look of Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, and the like. (Even the show's current official online presence is subject to this.) In general, I also don't think my coding skills or personal inclinations are that in tune with the nature of most websites today (an obsession with maintaining interactivity even when doing so doesn't add any value, for instance).
There is actually even more I could still add to the Kindred: The Embraced Timeline. I'm sure a complete rewatch would yield a fair amount of further information to incorporate--there are already two changes I've made in this revision based on onscreen dates which only became visible at the latest DVD set's resolution--so it's only a matter of time before I revisit this series once again.
Imagine my surprise last year, then, when a fancy new DVD boxset was announced that featured commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and "Daedalus: Last Will and Testament," a newly-shot clip with Jeff Kober reprising his character from the series. Even so, it took me a while to buy the set and longer still to sit down properly with everything it had to offer--it wasn't until the recent end of True Blood brought vampiric series to mind again that I was finally inspired to do so.
Considering how long ago the show was on (and how short-lived it was), it's a great and unexpected pleasure to get just a little more of a series that really worked for me through the new (or at least new to me) material. Not all of it works, of course--the Extended Pilot is mostly extended with a goofy subplot about enrolling Sasha (Brigid Walsh) in a Catholic school, which bears no relation to anything that happens later and was dropped for good reason--but there was quite a bit of information in the new clip and the commentaries about the mythology of that world and where the series was going.
With all of this additional material now in hand, then, I went back to that timeline (as opposed to working on any of the potential fictional timelines I talked about creating earlier this year or providing a much-needed update to The History of Things That Never Were itself) and gave it a thorough expansion and revision. Besides going over everything that was already there and adding more detail using online resources which weren't available back in the day, I was able to make a proper section for the period after the series and leading up to "Daedalus: Last Will and Testament," which is set in 2013.
Other than series creator John Leekley, I'm not sure how many people will end up reading or caring about the results of my work (okay, reddheart will probably enjoy it), but it felt great to dive back into this (admittedly niche) fandom for a while, even if I'm just making my own fun. (Having said that, some of the special features on the DVD set specifically mentioned the continued existence of Kindred: The Embraced fansites, so a commentary or interview shout-out would've been nice.)
Now, I know what some of you are going to say: "This timeline was originally created in 1997, and it looks the part." You're right about that, and I could hypothetically go back and make the whole thing look closer to a "modern" website, but I have no plans to do so. Despite the potential GeoCities vibe, I'm rather fond of this design aesthetic--not only did I base it on the look of the show's official website at the time, but it harkens back to an era when fansites were their own thing without the standardised look of Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, and the like. (Even the show's current official online presence is subject to this.) In general, I also don't think my coding skills or personal inclinations are that in tune with the nature of most websites today (an obsession with maintaining interactivity even when doing so doesn't add any value, for instance).
There is actually even more I could still add to the Kindred: The Embraced Timeline. I'm sure a complete rewatch would yield a fair amount of further information to incorporate--there are already two changes I've made in this revision based on onscreen dates which only became visible at the latest DVD set's resolution--so it's only a matter of time before I revisit this series once again.