Low Stakes – A "Kindred: The Embraced" Rewatch

We wrap up our rewatch of Kindred: The Embraced . We review the "Daedalus: Last Will and Testament" segment from the 2013 DVD release, react to other reviews and commentary from around the web, speculate about things we'd have liked to see in a second season, list our favorite episodes and characters, and pull back the curtain a bit on the podcast itself. Spoilers for "Daedalus: Last Will and Test...

We discuss the final episode of Kindred: The Embraced , which sees Julian and Caitlin on a vacation to the Sonoma wine country. The ascendant Brujah primogen (guest star Titus Welliver) uses the opportunity to strike at Julian and exploit a shameful secret of Archon's. This week's featured character creation options are the vampires that fall outside the thirteen "true" clans: the Caitiffs, the th...

We discuss the penultimate episode of Kindred: The Embraced , in which a pair of villainous Nosferatu (Skipp Sudduth and Patricia Charbonneau) abduct an infant child from a single mother ( Out of This World 's Maureen Flannigan). The effort to rescue the baby forces both Julian and Caitlin to confront their past decisions. This week's featured clans are the ones classically aligned with the Sabbat...

We discuss the sixth episode of Kindred: The Embraced , in which Eddie's ambitions against Julian finally come to a head. Eddie's sire and mentor (Ed O'Ross) employs the services of a face-changing assassin (Blair Valk) to kill Julian so that Eddie can seize control of the city at last. Caitlin becomes a pawn when a private investigator (Jack Conley), sent by a jealous Lillie, unexpectedly capture...

We discuss the fifth episode of Kindred: The Embraced . Meet Zane (guest star Ivan Sergei), Lillie's childe, a rising rock talent with an artist's passion for unlife. Zane recklessly Embraces a string of groupies, leaving Frank and Julian to pick up the pieces when one of them, Grace (Chandra West), turns up in the hospital scared, confused, and without a pulse. This week's featured clan that didn...

We discuss the fourth episode of  Kindred: The Embraced , in which Sasha's immortal fate is decided and Daedalus grapples with his sense of responsibility for an innocent child (played by a young Emile Hirsch). This week's featured clan that didn't make it into the TV show is one that also has strong opinions about the ties of blood: la Famiglia Giovanni. ℊ As mentioned in the podcast, here's a  l...

We discuss the unaired third episode of  Kindred: The Embraced . A fledgling vampire (guest star Nicky Katt) eschews Cash's guidance and goes on a reckless killing spree, to Julian's displeasure. Daedalus falls in love with a singer, Elaine (Kimberly Kates), and turns to alchemy in the hope of curing his cursed appearance so he can be with her. This week's featured clan that didn't make it into th...

We discuss the second episode of  Kindred: The Embraced , in which the Brujah clan faces consequences for a murdered mortal and Julian turns the tables on an investigative reporter. We confirm Sonny's status as the resident favorite character and contemplate Julian's role as a father figure. Ryan begins telling Diana about some of the  Vampire: The Masquerade clans that didn't make it into the ada...

We discuss the pilot episode of Kindred: The Embraced , in which our protagonist, police detective Frank Kohanek, pursues mob boss Julian Luna and is drawn into the secret world of immortal predators. We get our first look at the clans of the Kindred, which number only five in this version of the setting. For context on Sonny's actor and the "surprise, MF'er" meme, see  https://youtu.be/5gAenGrKHK...

Ryan looks back at the TV series  Kindred: The Embraced and how it fits into the larger history of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise. Diana recounts her experience as a fan of the show during its original 1996 run. Bluesky: @ryanskonnord.bsky.social‬ Check out our other podcast appearances: Happily Ever Aftermath Everything I Learned from Movies Chekhov's Whatever Music: "Epic Skies" by Ron Pa...