Blood Ties (TV)

I know, I know: I just said yesterday that The Lifetime Channel isn't my first choice for a horror fix, and here I am about to give a positive review to their vampire series, Blood Ties.

Well, first of all, Blood Ties isn't scary and isn't meant to be. It's really more of a P.I. show with snappy dialogue, a love triangle, and a supernatural twist. Not horror, but some genre fans may enjoy it anyway (it helps if you don't have a penis).

The Canadian-produced series, entering its second season October 12 at 11 p.m. on Lifetime, follows a strong female lead, blonde and brainy-beautiful Christina Cox, as Vicki Nelson, a police detective who lost her shield after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Now working as a private eye (get it?), Vicki is teamed up with a sexy vampire who helps her solve the more unusual crimes in her caseload.

That immortal hottie is Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid), who was once upon a time known as the illegitimate son of Henry the VIII, and is now working as a comic book artist (but looks more like a Calvin Klein underwear model)… and part time P.I. Complicating matters is Vickie's closest contact at the Toronto P.D., her ex-partner… and ex-lover… Detective Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal). He knows what Henry is, and he also knows — torch firmly in hand — that Vickie and Henry have romantic feelings for one another.

Rounding out the cast is Gina Holden as Vickie's goth Girl Friday, Coreen Fennel. Coreen was introduced in the premiere episode of Blood Ties: Season One as Vickie's first client to bring her a magical murder mystery to solve.

Season Two Review:

I watched a few episodes from Blood Ties: Season One and although I liked the show and gave it a fangs-up review, I ultimately felt I could take it or leave it. Season Two seems to have upped the ante, making the series more vital — not to mention funnier and sexier. (Think: Moonlighting meets Interview With The Vampire.) My only real complaint about the show is its over-use of CGI (and really, really shoody CGI at that).

The premiere episode, D.O.A., is particularly amusing and engaging. In this story, an old friend from Vickie's P.D. days, undercover officer Paul 'Dirty' Deeds (Steve Bacic), shows up as a ghost (unleashing a snarky "Paul is dead" aside, for all the Beatles fans out there) asking her to help solve his murder. He can't remember who did it… and when it turns out nobody did it — his body is still alive and walking around — the mystery deepens and the stakes increase.

The third episode, entitled 5:55, is one of the more horror-driven stories. It's about the deadly dangers of Pandora's Box, and throws in a bit of time-travel (Vickie has to keep reliving the same stitch in time, ala Groundhog Day, and she even has a comedic line worthy of Bill Murray: "I am not going to be Fate's bitch!"), neck biting, jealousy, and gratuitous goblet-gore.

Wrapped is another standout entry in the series, as it stars fright icon Danny Trejo as an ancient Incan mummy who comes back to life — it would stand to reason that only a fellow immortal (hi, Henry) can stop him, but what happens when the mummy enters the vampire's day-dreams?

Season Two Episode List (premiering 10/12/2007)

DOA

Wild Blood

5:55

Bugged

The Devil You Know

Drawn And Quartered

Wrapped

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

We'll Meet Again

Deep Dark

The Devil In Her

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