Question:
In Human Factor, do you think Nick should
have let Janette die as a mortal?

Reva

This is a difficult question to answer. Using my own feelings, I believe he should have let her die. I think it was her destiny and she knew it. She thought it was the only way to rejoin Robert. She had lived so long as a vampire and had a short mortal life. I think it was too painful for her to continue. However, using Nick's point of view, how could he let her die when he had the power to save her? I know he brought her back across because he couldn't live without her but I don't think he could have dealt with his guilt if he had let her die.

Karen

The question should actually read: do you think Janette died at the end of the Human Factor? My answer is no, I truly think Nick did bring her across again, and she left Toronto once more to find herself. The people associated with Forever Knight the third season had a way of ending things without ending them. It was left to the imagination that Lacroix ran that stake through Nick, that Natalie indeed died and that Vachon is dead. (Remember, Tracey did remove the stake from him, so did he actually die?) Human Factor is no exception to the trend the third season and I'll finish by repeating my question, did Janette really die at the end of the show??? Who knows?

Richard Manly

No way ought Nick to have let Jeanette shuffle off her mortal coil. True, it meant Jeanette would be working nights and drinking cow blood for the next few hundred years. But on the upside, Jeanette is the only really fun person Nick knows. Poor Natalie is a good woman and we know how boring they are. LaCroix is just too damned worldly to ever unbend for grins. Jeanette was both an interesting woman (thanks especially to Deborah Duchene) and someone who enjoyed a good time enough to own her own bar. Besides, as Nick knows, there are few things worse than loneliness and Jeanette always had the cure for that. If there is a question between death and immortality, there is no question.

Nik

It did seem strange that for someone who hates his vampiric nature so much to "condemn" another to that life. But Nick is always torn about that, isn't he? To be or not to be...

Watcher

It was her wish... and for all I know it wasn't the moment's wish - it was a dream and a passion. That should answer it.

Julia Brooks

As far as Janette was concerned she would have preferred to die as a mortal. But, alas, poor Nicholah, once having found her, could not let her leave him again. He did not, I think, feel guilty about bringing her back across either. But, I am not sure what LaCroix meant when he said to Nick that Nick had not told him everything, since LaCroix had already figured out that Janette was a vampire again. It was a nice touch that she returned the DaVinci (?) portrait to Nick, perhaps indicating that she was his again. In that sense that was the best part about Nick bringing Janette back across, because she is still around in the darkness. And maybe we can presume that Deb Duchene agreed to this because she would not be averse to doing another Forever Knight!!

Jessica Roop

As much as I wanted Janette to live (and hey, who said she *really* died at the end of Human Factor, anyhow...), yes, he should of let her die as a mortal. If he never achieved mortality himself, he would know that Janette did, and that she died a mortal, died with a mortal heart, rather than an immortal one. It was Nick's only link to true mortality.

Sue R.

No!!!

Rebecca

Absolutely yes! After all, she had attained what Nick has been searching frantically for -- humanity and, of course, mortality! And she expressly told him NOT to bring her across. This should have been a two-edged sword lesson for Nick. In striving for the reattainment of his humanity, he must realize that the downside is that eventually, he too will die.

Chris Baxter

Actually I think Nick made the only choice he could, given his own feelings about mortality. There's been a lot written lately about Nick's quest for mortality being largely a search for redemption, a belief that as a human he has a better chance to atone for his sins as a vampire. And this does seem to be a major concern for him. In Near Death he was given a pretty vivid demonstration that despite all the work he has done, his soul is still in sorry shape and he has a great deal more atoning to do before he can die with any hope of forgiveness. He might well feel that to let Jeanette die without any attempt to make up for her actions, which are likely as bad as his, would just be to condemn her without offering her any chance at redemption. Jeanette as a vampire was sure they didn't have souls to save or damn, as a mortal she seemed to be having some conscience problems, but hadn't really had much time to work out her accommodation to the other kind of eternal life. We have tended to assume it was only because Nick loves her and didn't want to lose her himself that he ignored her request, but he could have just not believed she meant it (a lot of _fans_ find it impossibe to believe). He has known her intimately and for a long time, and people do in extreme circumstances, say uncharacteristic things they might later regret. (Look at Last Knight.) It's also possible, since we are given to understand that the blood exchange involved in bringing someone over includes a sharing of memories and emotions, that during the act itself it was clear to him that she really wanted to live in whatever form that required. I don't mean this to be just an apology for Nick, but even if he was unwilling to lose her, it couldn't have been an easy or completely self-serving decision for him to bring her back across, given his feelings about being a vampire. He's gonna feel guilty either way. And as Nat said he always does try to do the right thing. Or hey, maybe he just didn't want LaCroix to be all alone once Nick regains his own mortality.

Edna Mae Walker

No, I think that Nick will bring Jeanette across, but their relationship will probably be different than before. Before, Jeanette and Nick were lovers, now maybe Jeanette may resent being brought 'across', since she lost the mortal she loved and will not be with him in the 'afterlife'. But, Nick will and should get used to being disliked, he already is by the woman he brought across in "Baby, Baby".

Sharon Bauman

I don't think Nick should have let Janette die as a mortal. They had a long history together as lovers and friends. Nick brought others across to save them from dying [Natalie's brother, for one] as mortals, so it wasn't against his principals to do that for Janette. And I don't think he would have let her die. Eight hundred years together is just too difficult a bond to break. I think her dying was just a convenient way of writing her out of the series.

George Spelvin

Do you mean Nick didn't let Jeannette die as a mortal???!!! I could have sworn that once he offered to bring her across and she refused, he honored her request. I always thought that her "posthumous" gift of the portrait was intended to indicate that she had been wrong about having become mortal; that even though she had been becoming increasingly human, the transformation was incomplete. I cannot conceive of Nick bringing anyone across against his/her wishes. Can't wait to view this episode again and find out if there was something there that I missed! Update: After having seen Human Factor again, thanks to the Feb. 14 marathon, I have to admit that Nick did indeed bring Janette across. Although we never actually see him bite her, it is obvious from his conversation at the end with LaCroix that he did bring her across. Of all the explanations given, I like Chris Baxter's the best: he refused to let her die either because he knew her well enough to know that she didn't really mean it when she said she wanted to die or he was afraid that to let her die would be to condemn her to eternal damnation because he feared she hadn't had enough time to atone for her sins. Unfortunately, the episode does not give us any inkling of what Nick's reasons may have been; one has to read between the lines, and the average lit. crit. would complain that we are reading too much into the episode if we insist on either of these reasons. It may be that the real reason "Nick" (GWD? Parriot?) brought Janette across is so that she would still be available for future episodes/a future movie. Should the episode be criticized for not making Nick's reasons clear (or for letting us believe that he did it for purely selfish reasons? Maybe not; it certainly was effectively dramatic and suspenseful to let us witness fangs (but no bite), and only find out at the very end what had actually happened. [And, good heavens, they do spell it <Janette> in the credits and not <Jeannette>! --Jeanne (feminine form of Jean + diminutive ending ette). Nick's pronunciation of it is in accord with the <Janette> spelling. Given that she was brought across in the 1200's, are we dealing with an old French spelling here??]

Aims

He should have saved Janette and he should have saved Natalie and Tracy because what is the point of being a vampire if you can't keep your friends alive? No wonder he's always so depressed.

Heidi

Nick should have let Janette die as a mortal because that is what she wished. It was very hypocritical of him to search for his own mortality and then deny that mortality to Janette. She was a completely different woman, and was ready to make her peace with the world and whatever lies beyond.

Jackie I Wilson

No way! If TPTB ever decide to make a movie (lets all say a prayer here), the idea of a disgruntled Janette being there would make for an interesting plot. And more to the point: Nick couldn't live in a world where Janette did not exist... it would be like Ying without Yang.

Rebecca

Absolutely yes! It was her wish at the end NOT to be brought back across. Nick needs to realize that, in his quest for his humanity, mortality also has its part. He MUST accept the good with the bad if it is truly what he wants. On the other hand, I hate the writers for killing off Janette!

Regine

I feel very strongly that Nick did not bring Janette back across. If she is moving in beauty like the night as a vampire--and it's obvious from the ending of Human Factor that she may well be--there could be another explaination for her revamping. That would make an interesting story, no? But in answer to the question: No, I do not believe Nick should have brought Janette back across. They had meant a great deal to one another and would have respected, if not fully accepted, the other's wishes.

Navidia

I think that Nick did bring her across, but I think that he lost the very thing he was trying to save. She had been his companion since the begining of his vampiric exsistence, and he couldn't handle the rest of eternity without knowing she was around. I think that in a way she was his sanity, the only thing keeping him from going insane in his failure to become mortal. If she were gone he would not have been able to handle the weight immortality has on one such as Nick. As for my personal opinion, I think it was selfish of him to bring her across. He knew that she wanted to die as a mortal, and he was too scared to let her leave him. I am not saying that this makes his character any less noble, but in a way it shows our own weakness. I think he should have let her die.

J Aldred

This is hard to answer but here goes anyway. I'll start off by asking another question: Did Janette really want die? In reference to the episode "Near Death", I remember in Nick's flashback (after LaCroix had drained him) that there was a guardian at the door to the after life who told Nick that he may cross into the light and be welcomed or return to the evil and darkness that awaited. Nick was again given a choice after the scientist induced a "flatliner" state bringing Nick to once again face the guardian but this time in guise of LaCroix. Nick could be reclaimed as a mortal but must face his judgement. So considering all this, if Janette faced the same choice, it would be ultimately her decision to return as a vampire or go through that door and face whatever judgement that awaited. Therefore I think Nick only gave her the option to return, but the real choice was in *her* hands.

Anne Takeuchi

My love for Nick and my catty nature would say, yes. My unbiased opinion is no. I say that only for the love Nick has for her, besides, what else did she have to live for. Janette had found love, but he died. It seems like he was the great love of her life. When you lose that, what else is there to live for. She said she wanted to reaffirm the vampire in her, i'm certain with this tragedy, the vampire will be reaffirmed. Then again, she's lived over 800 years, her love is gone, what else is there to live for.

Beverly Turner

This question is a bit confusing because it deals with interpretation. I believe that Nick did bring Janette across. Everything that is said between him and LaCroix, at the end of the episode, suggests this to me. I wish I could say that I don't believe he was right in bringing her back across, but I do. I love Janette. I can't stand the thought of losing her any more than Nick could.

Dayna

No way! She had only been thinking about becoming mortal for a short time, certainly a VERY short time in relation to her 1000 year existance. Nick at least had been thinking about it and more importantly living among mortals for about 100 years and even then I don't think he really wanted mortality only absolution of his sins. Also she really was not seeking mortality it seemed to just happen as a result of the love making and trauma of Roberts' sudden death. So even though she thought it was the right thing at the time I wonder how she would feel in a few years had she had the option of living as a mortal. No, I think Nick did the right thing in bringing her back across. At least she will have some time to reconsider instead of making such a big decision under such trying circumstances.

Rosebud

Yes, cause maybe it would put her at ease.

Tracy Morris

Nick should not have brought Janette back across, because it went against everything he professed to believe in. When Janette was shot, she *asked* not to be brought across. She attained mortality, and through death, wanted to be with her love. By bringing her back across, Nick went against her wishes. In AMPH, Nick refused to bring Natalie across because he wouldn't condem her to his hell, yet he had no qualms about recondemning Janette. This not only went against his beliefs, but also against everything he told Natalie, LaCroix, and Janette. By Bringing Janette back across, he showed his subjective morality, and hypocracy.

Carolyn Alutius

Ambiguious though the ending of Human Factor was, I do think it points strongly to the fact that Nick did bring her across - otherwise one would have to assume that Nick was the one who bit the bad guy at the end and that would be really against his nature. I think Janette would have wanted to be brought back across anyway. I don't think she was totally comfortable with the powerlessness being mortal brings, and with her love gone and the little boy thinking she was dead, she had nothing left as a mortal - which is why she said she wanted to die. But let's face it - that's not the Janette we all know. Maybe she could even find a happy medium in being a vampire and help Nick find it too.

Star Allen

I can understand why he didn't but I do not agree with his decision. Janette had finally acheived what he could not it was not his right to make the decision for her, it was her choice. He saved her in a sense yes but really all he did was condemn her to a darkness he himself could not bare after she had regained the light because he couldn't lose her. It was selfish. He should have let her die so that she could be with her true love. I relize he loved her dearly, she had been every thing to him for centuries, sister, friend, lover but he should have loved her enough to let her go. Janette deserved better. In the end he loved Natalie enough to let her go (if you go on the assumption that she and Nick died which I don't really like to believe) and wanted to die with her so that they could be together. I know he had no idea at the time what decision he would make for himself and Natalie further down the road but he was in love, had found the love of his life, his soulmate if you will and he should have understood what Janette wanted. She too was in love and should have been allowed to share eternity (I mean life after death) with her love. Like I said I understand his reasons but it was a weakness on his part, one Janette paid for with her mortal life. In 'Last Knight' LaCroix didn't want to lose Nicholas but he found the strength to grant his son's wish even though it killed him to do it. Nick should have shown the same strength.

Katherine

No. I don't think Janette knew what she truly wanted. She has lived for almost 1,000 years, and in all this time, she has appeared content with being a vampire for the most part. I think it was unrealistic in the first place for her to completely reverse her position on this in a space of a few months. Besides, Janette fills a neccessary role in FK. She's the vampire that is neither evil, nor full of regrets. Sometimes the mediator between LaCroix and Nick, and always a sympathetic shoulder for Nick. To take her out of the show would be regretful, and when we get a fourth season and a movie, I hope Janette has a role.

K-A

Yes and not just because i didn't like her. She asked him to let her die. I think?

Lisa

In answer to your question I say yes.

Elaine

I think he should have brought her across again. Although she seemed happy at the end, having found what Nick had been searching for so long. A sad ending.

Meg

No---it was an accident that she became mortal. She was a close friend. He should have asked what she would rather have.

Michelle David

Yeah. Why? Because it says a lot about what Nick thinks of mortality. He has searched far and wide for it, then Janette discovers the cure (which of course, Nick would *never* try). She explicitly tells him that she does not want to be immortal again. Were it Nick in her position, he would have despised being brought across- he probably saw that POV.

Tina Moreschi

Although I can totally understand Nick's desire to keep Janette alive, albeit as a vampire, I think that it was clearly stated by Janette (she said NO, after all), that she did not want to be brought across again, that she no longer wanted to be a vampire. She stated earlier in the episode "800 years is a long time to live with a cold heart" and I think basically that when she became mortal, the vampire life was a thing of the past for her. But, as I said, knowing how much Nick loved Janette, he couldn't bear for her to die, although he should have been happy for her reaching her quest for mortality and honor her request as he has been trying for 100 years to be mortal and I'm sure he wouldn't want someone to do the same thing to him.

Calliope Monsoon

Yes. Bringing her back across at the end of THF after she said no was the ultimate betrayal, an act of utter hypocrisy, selfishness and disrespect.

Ann Blewett

Yes, Nick should have let Janette die. He knew the value of what she had attained, he has himself been searching for a way to reclaim his own motality for the last 800 years! To take that achievement away from Janette was not only a betrayal of her trust but was also a betrayal of his own beliefs and morality. Another viewpoint: If Nick couldn't let his vampire sister, Janette, die; how can he ever expect his vampire father, LaCroix, to let him go.