e My Valentine
e My Valentine
Valentines day not only brings out a killer who lures in women with romantic cards, but turns Nick's thoughts to Natalie, and LaCroix's to past love. All this love in the air is bound to be dangerous.
I don't know what to make of the interaction between Nick and Natalie in this episode. Why does he suddenly open up and express his feelings for her? He's hinted in previous (and future) episodes, but has always avoided acting on them. Recall in "Dark Knight" how he had to be careful with the archaeologist, since he found it almost impossible to control his vampiric urges when he was that close to her. Has he progressed that far in becoming mortal?
Maybe it was just the strong hints that Natalie kept dropping, like the silver pill box she gave him. Or possibly, as he claims to LaCroix, he was just protecting her from the killer by making her feel loved (but I doubt it). And why make her forget meeting LaCroix? Just to spare her the pain, or to hide his words to LaCroix? Either way, it shows how much he cares for her. But then their finally realized relationship disappears for the next few episodes. I suppose that with the way this season is being aired completely out of order, having ongoing developments would be a bad idea. Still.
The flashbacks were nicely executed, but kind of strange. Nick, who's just been brought over, introduced LaCroix and Janette to his family, but uses their full names (since he doesn't know them well yet) -- a nice touch. But then LaCroix, who'd been a vampire for at least a thousand years, suddenly fell in love with Nick's sister Fleur (played by Claire Rankin). At the same time that he was teaching Nick to let go of mortal feelings and morals, he succumbed to them. Maybe the attraction was related to whatever he saw in Nick, since LaCroix is definitely picky about who he makes into a vampire.
But if LaCroix was truly in love with Fleur, why did he give her up so easily? Surely he couldn't feel such loyalty to a man he'd just met a week ago. Why trust the guidance of his protege, rather than his own instincts? And in other flashbacks, he wasn't particularly worried about acting against Nick's wishes. I also have a hard time picturing LaCroix sitting back and waiting hundreds of years for his vengeance against Nick, while still caring for him and protecting him.
In the end, Nick calls LaCroix's bluff, claiming that he doesn't really love Natalie. His "I know you too well" falls a little short, since there have been numerous references to Nick's inability to lie convincingly to LaCroix. It's unlikely that he really doesn't care for Natalie. So unless the bluff really did work, LaCroix must have reached some inner peace, and was just making a token attempt at vengeance. That would explain much, including the ending sequence with him crushing the flower in his hand. But it indicates a softer side of LaCroix that we haven't seen before.
Episode rating (0 to 10): 6
Please feel free to leave your own comments on this episode.