General Thoughts and Recap
In an awkward start for a new televisions series, the actual start time was pushed back about 10 minutes due to a UFC fight running late. Once that wrapped up though, the blood and gore could... well.. continue.

Let me first say that I enjoyed this first episode. While it wasn't great, and definitely had its flaws, I saw the potential that could be tapped with a very interesting world that has some very intriguing plot elements. I found that I was getting more and more into the underlying story as the show progressed, and will hopefully see future episodes build on the foundations created by this first episode.

So how do you start a television series starring Blade (Kirk Jones)? With him chasing down a vampire on a motorcycle of course. The opening scene in Moscow was done pretty well. It set the tone of the show as being dark and willing to show some gruesome deaths. The problem was that it also showed how weak the fight scenes would be.

After Blade's done in Moscow, the setting quickly shifted to Detroit where the show spent the next hour or so trying to introduce the audience to the story and new characters.

Krista Starr (Jill Wagner), definitely took the plot by the reigns the moment she stepped on screen. The real story takes its first steps forward with the death of Krista's twin brother, Zack, a death orchestrated by Marcus Van Sciver (Neil Jackson). Marcus is a high level vampire of the House of Chthon with more than a few hidden agendas. I liked how the story split the focus between Krista's search for her brother's killers and Blade's search for a way to get to Marcus.

Eventually Blade's search would lead him to Krista. While the reasons for Blade's interest in Krista and her brother were left unexplained until the end, it was a great way to bring the two characters together without making it seem forced. The interactions between the two were a bit brief as she was forced to the "darkside" by Marcus rather quickly. I had assumed she would become part of the House of Chthon from the previews, but I didn't expect it so soon.

After Marcus converts Krista, he tries teaching her the ways of the vampire while also trying to develop a vaccine that could potentially eliminate vampire weaknesses, like garlic. Blade decideds to try and save her with the same serum he takes to numb his bloodthirst

Blade's battle into Marcus' lab was pretty weak in my opinion. Blade is supposed to be a badass. In the movies the vampires feared him, while in the show he has trouble taking on even the lowliest of vampires. Combined with the bad choreography, the last few battles came up wanting. I did, however, enjoy how they illustrated the effects the vaccine could have by having one of Marcus' guys take a shot of garlic to the forehead.

It was a bit odd that Blade cared that much about Krista, even after we learned Zack was a partner of his. I guess it was part guilt (for Zack's death), part necessity (using Krista to get to Marcus), and maybe part love? Though they didn't allude to any sort of chemistry between the two, it just seems like something that will eventually come about. It would make the Marcus / Blade conflict even that much more exciting.

It'll also be interesting to see how Chase (Jessica Gower) fits into the story. At first, she seemed the loyal companion of Marcus. After the addition of Krista to the inner circle, however, Chase seems to have already decided to make Marcus pay. Her smirk as Marcus was called to meet with the purebloods seemed a likely give away that she ratted him out. However, I don't see her breaking her loyalty from him this early, so maybe she didn't rat him out, but was still a bit tickled to see him squirm.

As for the other characters, Shen and Detective Boone really weren't enough a part of the plot in my opinion. Shen is obviously the comic relief for the show, and his few interactions with Blade were pretty good. Boone's character seemed thrown in as he really didn't add much. The end previews show us that there will be more in store for the detective turned vampire, so I guess we'll have to see if his character develops a bit more.

The Good
As mentioned before, the best part of the episode was the underlying world that was created. You've got so many opportunities for intriguing plotlines that it's really very exciting. There's so much there that I didn't even really scratch the surface in my ramblings above. With the House of Lycan and the possibility of werewolves, the pureblood / Marcus potential power struggle, vampire experimentation and a possible "cure", and with Krista being caught in the middle, the show has created an intriguing world that I can't wait to see more of.

The Bad
Pretty much everything having to do with sound was bad. First, the sound effects were not only unbelievable and out of place, they were often either much too loud or much too soft; sometimes even drowning out the actors' conversations. The voices also seemed to be either too loud or too quiet, and usually felt "off". While the music wasn't bad, it didn't add anything and wasn't notable in any way. I really haven't watched a show that had sound issues as bad as this.

The Ugly
Many probably expected the fight scenes to be one of the more lacking aspects of the show. I, however, had hope. After watching this pilot episode, I've lost some of that hope. There really isn't much to say other than the fighting was ugly. Okay, so I could be more technical and say that the fighting seemed awkward and forced with camera angles that tried to hide this fact, though they ended up doing more harm than good. Which basically boils down to the fight scenes being ugly. As mentioned before, it was also odd to see Blade having trouble beating up even the bottom feeder vampires when he's supposed to be such a badass. I mean, he is a vampire hunter.

ClosingThoughts
As I've said a few times already, the show has potential. Yes, there was bad choreography and horrible sound effects, but the show did a good job of establishing an exciting world that should prove to be a great backdrop for a decent show. I find myself excited at the prospect of having huge power struggles between the purebloods and Marcus' group. Throw in the House of Lycan and we have something epic.

I'd like to see Blade actually being more of a vampire hunter and less of, well, whatever he was in the pilot. The story was much more about Krista than it was of Blade, which is fine, but I don't think the show can succeed if it doesn't place more emphasis on Blade.

From the previews at the end, it's clear that they are definitely going to try and tackle some interesting storylines, so let's hope they improve upon those few areas that need it.

Notable Scenes

• Marcus dropping Krista's body off a building onto a parked car.


• Detective Boone waking up as a vampire, happy for a moment, then realizes he is one of the test subjects.


• Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell's cameo as a vampire helping tattoo artist.