Blood Ties: on Henry

[butterfly]

Henry FitzRoy: Vampire at Large

There are two common models of the male vampire shown in television or in the movies -- evil (traditional) or tragic (modern). Henry surprised me by emphatically being neither. He enjoys what he is, doesn't regret his choice, and has his own morality that he's reconciled with what he's become. As he tells Vicki firmly in episode ten, he still has his soul.

He's himself, with impulses and desires that have been grafted onto his basic personality.

This is also the first time where I've seen a main vampire character that's meant to be a real historical figure -- Henry FitzRoy, acknowledged illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, who died young. Really, he kinda is the perfect opportunity for a writer to turn someone famous into a vampire -- his illness can be spun as the prolonged effects of vampire feeding, he died at seventeen (writers like vampires to be young and hot these days), and he was raised with an attitude that wouldn't conflict as much as some with the need to feed from people.

Tanya Huff's vampire mythology helps him with this -- Henry (and the other vampires in her world) have a much better chance of sliding by in normal life (albeit entirely at night) than most vampires. Their reflections can be seen, they have no fear of crosses or holy ground, and they don't typically feed to the killing point. They do have a bit of mesmerism going on, they're stronger than most people (though not most supernatural creatures), and they burst into flames when the sun hits them full-on.

Unlike the vampires of Buffy (who could be loners or hang out in gangs or have Eternal Love) or the vampires of Supernatural (who mate for life), the vampires in Blood Ties are solitary creatures who have a territorial instinct that, for the most part, inhibits any kind of permanent relationship between any two of them. They're also not quite undead -- they continue to age (though very slowly -- about one year for every hundred).

Now, Henry certainly isn't a 'good vampire' -- he's killed before and will kill again. "Every once in a while, someone's gotta die." However, he has control over himself and owns his choices and actions (when speaking of being turned, he says, "everything she took... everything I allowed her to take.") and I find him intriguing enough that I really want to know more about him. I don't have to agree with a fictional character's moral choices in order to like them (I like Dexter Morgan, after all).

Plus, to take off my 'analytical' hat for a bit -- he's hot. Not just physically, but in the way he moves and speaks and acts and is. He reminds me of Stuart Alan Jones (from Queer as Folk UK) in his absolute certainty of his own attractiveness.

Next, I plan to talk about Vicki Nelson, half-blind ex-cop, and why she totally kicks ass (and why she reminds me of a certain reporter with the initials LL).

Comments

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I liked reading this! I love Henry (and Vicki and Mike) -- I've been fans of the books since I discovered them in college. Mmmm, vampires. :-D

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I'm really enjoying Henry -- he's kinda like the Good Parts version of Angel plus Spike (intelligent, romantic artist who enjoys the world and his life).

Vicki is spectacular. I love her stubborn nature, her sense of humor and charm, and her clear sight. And Mike is great, too -- his dislike of Henry makes complete sense and his love for Vicki and his sense of integrity are very real.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I'm in total agreement. It's a really fascinating version of vampire mythology; much more gray than black, much more emphasis on the vampire's ability to choose his morality, not just blindly evil creatures going for the kill.
I love Vicki's toughness and strength, and I think Mike is a good counterbalance to Henry..and the chemistry between Vicky and Mike make it totally believable that she would still be drawn to him in spite of Henry's charisma.

[jic]

*beams*