Blood Money (BM)

Blutgeld

Week starting February 19th, 1995

Jason Brett

Geraint Wyn Davies

Bernard Behrens as Charles Du Champs Gordon Currie as Sean Du Champs Colm Feore as Jules Walken Andrew Gillies as Feliks Twist

Ellen-Ray Hennessy as Jenkins Gary Robbins as the doorman Robert Thomas as henchman 1 Ron Van Hart as henchman 2

When Nick's old friend and financial advisor, Charles Du Champs, is murdered, Charles' son, Sean, takes over the family investment management business -- and Nick's entire fortune disappears.

The episode opens with Sean Du Champs (spoiled, surly, weak-willed) begging his father, Charles (reserved, dignified, focused), for a million-dollar loan to pay off gambling debts. The son's desperation and the father's comments suggest this is not an isolated incident. Reluctantly, Charles refuses Sean's request, hoping his denial will force Sean to confront his addictions.

Later, Sean is partying at the Paparazzi Club, his celebratory enthusiasm apparently intact. Dizzying club scenes are interwoven with Charles' stroll from his office to his car. Sean collapses, drunk, on the club floor as, blocks away, Charles turns the car ignition, triggering a massive explosion.

Across town, Schanke has "seen" the lucky lottery numbers, and is trying to borrow money from Nick as the call about the car-bombing comes in. At the crime scene, Nick learns that the bombing victim is an old friend, Charles Du Champs. We follow a nice segue from the crime scene to the gaming tables at Paparazzi, where Sean, stumbling drunk, is losing badly, as usual. When Nick and Schanke arrive at the club looking for Sean, to notify him of his father's death, the club's owner, Jules Walken (sleazy, cunning, ruthless), is denying Sean's request for gambling credit.

Cut to: an wonderfully disturbing view from INSIDE a body bag as it is unzipped for Sean to identify his father's remains. Meeting with Captain Cohen after interviewing Sean, Schanke pegs Sean as the murderer. Nick disagrees, noting that someone who was killing for an inheritance would want it to look like an accident, not a bomb that would invite scrutiny. Cohen orders a full investigation of all Du Champs' financial records. Nick is alarmed; an inquiry could reveal his secret financial holdings. We cut to the loft, where he's feeding page after page of de Brabant Foundation financial records to a fire. A close-up of one page shows his balance as $478 million.

The paper trail at least partially destroyed, Nick visits The Raven, where Janette describes Sean du Champs as a "lost and empty" young man. When Nick asks her if Sean is capable of murder, she responds, "Aren't we all?" She cautions him that his blood money might once again endanger all of them. As Nick and Janette visit, Sean is in the Du Champs' offices across town, surreptitiously preparing a wire transfer of funds, to send after the other employees leave.

We cut to the morgue, where Natalie tells Nick that the bomb's detonator is from a Japanese-manufactured garage door opener. Schanke is back at the precinct, getting on Cohen's bad side by trying to borrow lottery ticket money from other officers; Nick's arrival spares Schanke from most of Cohen's wrath. They discuss a potential bombing suspect, a repeat offender named Polchuk.

Meanwhile, alone in the Du Champs offices, Sean completes the wire transfer, receives a faxed confirmation, then deliberately short-circuits the fax machine to erase the evidence.

Concerned about his exposure in any financial investigations, Nick consults another old friend, Feliks Twist, a plant-loving vampire who's also a computer/financial wizard. Scenes of Feliks' attempts to access Nick's accounts are intercut with scenes of Sean Du Champs paying off his gambling debts to Jules Walken. Feliks and Nick are both stunned to discover that ALL of the de Brabant Foundation assets are missing. A shell-shocked and newly-impoverished Nick heads for Paparazzi.

Schanke stakes out the motel where Polchuk (the suspected bomber) is supposedly staying. At Paparazzi, Nick overhears Sean arguing with Walken, who is demanding a "partnership" and half of all the Foundation's assets. Walken shocks his "new partner" by revealing his own involvement with Charles' death, and insists that Sean shares responsibility. Shaken, Sean threatens to go to the authorities.

We cut to Sean's car, where Nick is waiting as Sean staggers out and falls into the driver's seat. When even hypnosis can't get Sean to cooperate with the investigation, Nick takes Sean's car keys, and leaves him sitting in the car to sober up.

Back at the stake-out, Schanke gets tired of waiting for Nick to show up. He gets out of his car, but takes only a few steps before a huge explosion shatters the hotel, leaving him battered, but alive. Polchuk is not as fortunate.

Afterwards, at the precinct, a bandaged Schanke catches up with Nick as Natalie shares her findings: the bomb was triggered by an altered pager - a pager registered to Sean Du Champs. Brought in for questioning, Sean still refuses to cooperate. When asked about his garage door opener, he says he lost it. He insists his pager must have been stolen; he didn't know for sure; he hadn't been using it. Schanke calls his bluff, showing him recent telephone records, highlighting calls to known drug dealers, etc. Obviously in over his head, Sean struggles to keep his composure.

An attorney arrives to post bail; as Sean leaves, Nick explains that he was with Sean when the bomb in Polchuk's room detonated, so Sean couldn't have dialed the number to trigger the bomb. Nick suspects someone is setting Sean up, that his life may be in danger. He convinces Cohen to allow them to tail Sean, albeit without official sanction. Sean's attorney drops him at the Du Champs offices; Nick and Schanke arrive in time to see Sean wrestled into a car and abducted by Walken's thugs.

At Paparazzi, Walken offers to spare Sean's life in exchange for one-half of all Foundation assets. Walken introduces Mr. Foster, who is bound and gagged; he identifies Foster as the man who built the bomb that killed Polchuk, who built the bomb that killed Charles Du Champs. Walken has already implicated Sean in his father's murder (via the garage door opener), and in Polchuk's murder (via the pager); he threatens to kill Foster and frame Sean for that murder, as well. On the fire escape outside Walken's office, Nick and Schanke listen as Sean finally agrees.

As Sean completes the wire transfer, Walken shoots Foster. He then turns to shoot Sean, but is interrupted by an alarm triggered by Nick's entry. Walken's henchmen rush to find Nick, and Sean escapes. Meanwhile, Schanke desperately searches for a way into the building. Whether driven by greed or good intentions, Sean returns to Walken's office to try to reverse the wire transfer. Nick and Schanke both rush in; when Walken moves to shoot Nick, Schanke nails Walken with a single shot.

Epilogue: Leaving the precinct, a less-arrogant Sean thanks Schanke for his help. Captain Cohen confirms that no serious irregularities were found in the audit of investments firm. Then a scream echoes through the precinct; Officer Jenkins has just learned that two coworkers have won the lottery. Jenkins blasts Schanke, saying it's his fault she didn't join the two winners on their lucky ticket.

Cut to: after closing time at The Raven, where Nick and Janette are sitting on the floor, legs comfortably entwined, talking about his fortune. A brief, sincere discussion about using tainted money for worthy purposes is followed by equally sincere smooches.

The theme of "blood money" is underscored in the episode's two flashbacks. In the first flashback:

Nick and Charles Du Champs are playing chess while discussing their 50-year friendship and the de Brabant Foundation, the numerous charitable contributions being made through the Foundation, and Nick's insistence on anonymity. There are a few references to "dark secrets" and to Nick's apparent view of his fortune as a curse.

The second flashback looks back several centuries, to show the origin of Nick's "blood money":

In a courtyard, Lacroix and Janette discuss leaving the region as Nick arrives with his accomplice, a ruthless (but personable) highwayman. They have stolen the ransom money paid for the crown prince, then murdered the prince. In a surprising twist, Nick betrays his accomplice. Brief but furious swordplay between Nick and the highwayman ends with Nick taking a blade to the heart.

Nick revives after the sword fight and kills his former accomplice. Appalled by Nick's fixation on the ransom, Lacroix and Janette try to dissuade him, but he refuses to give up the money.

Lacroix's monologue, broadcast as Nick leaves Felik's greenhouse, supports the theme of blood money:

"It is said that nature will not tolerate excess. Those who take more than their fair share are dealt with accordingly."

"When you have too much, someone will always want to take it away from you."

He finishes with the question, "Has your blood money been a blessing or a curse?"

Although the acting is excellent, the real treasure in this episode is definitely Geraint Wyn Davies' direction. Hint: don't attempt to watch this episode while balancing the checkbook; take the time to really watch it. The visuals alone are well worth it.

Nick's unexpected treachery (shown in the flashbacks) provides an interesting counterpoint to his usual character in the series. It emphasizes Nick's growth and progression through his vampiric "adolescence" to his later decision to regain his mortality.

Too often, when an actor directs, the results are uneven, sometimes muddy, sometimes empty fluff. Happily, that's NOT the case here. Geraint Wyn Davies' segues are imaginative and visually stimulating. His use of perspective from inside a body bag is exceptionally well done. In the "chase" scenes at Paparazzi, his direction provides intoxicating imagery with mirrored surfaces and staircases. {Rick Forsayeth's stunt choreography meshes well with the camera angles in these scenes.} In addition, GWD's directorial style is more cerebral than most; rather than pushing an obvious point, he expects his audience to be bright enough to catch on and keep up. What a nice change!

The story is well-timed and well-presented, clear enough to follow, and brisk enough to be interesting. High-interest, creative use of light, angles, and imagery, balanced by GWD's trademark parallel action-tracking, all combine to make "Blood Money" a keeper.

There's plenty of Nick and Schanke, not enough Lacroix, spice by Janette, a sprinkling of Cohen, and just a dash of Natalie. Fred Mollin (who created Forever Knight's delicious music) makes a brief appearance in a scene at the Raven. The only romantic exchange occurs in the epilogue, when Nick and Janette share a heart-to-heart, a glass of house-blend, and some hefty kisses.

Schanke:	(trying to borrow money from Nick) "I'm asking for a buck, not a kidney!"
Janette to Nick:	"Cover your ass-ets, mon ami."
Lacroix and Nick:	Lacroix: "Blood money brings only misfortune." Nick: "Oh, Lacroix, where's your sense of adventure?"

Available