Blood Ties

Season 1 Episode 1

Blood Price (1)

1
Aired Sunday 9:00 PM Mar 11, 2007 on Lifetime
9.0
out of 10
User Rating
221 votes
11

EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

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Blood Price (1)
AIRED:
One late evening Vicki witnesses a gruesome murder – except because of her bad sight, she’s not really sure what she saw. She itches to get back to what she does best, solving crimes, but her old colleague, police detective Mike Cellucci warns her against getting involved. Meanwhile, Henry Fitzroy, a vampire living in Toronto, also decides to look into the murders lest they be blamed on a vampire – himself for example.
Vicki and Henry team up to solve the case and Vicki acquires an assistant, Coreen Fennel.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • Murders where all the blood is drained from the body and the fact that she herself witness one of them makes Vicki Nelson take an investigation into possible vampire serial killings. Her former partner Mike tries to keep her away from the case.moreless

    8.5
    By jyarter, Jun 06, 2009
    Very interesting beginning to a series on vampires and things that go bump in the night. I enjoy the characters that Huff puts into her stories. It is interesting though that Vicki even though she seems to be immune to the vampires charms was so easily taken in by the vampire.



    The Canadian cast of this show is pretty strong. Christina Cox plays the lead role of Victoria (Vicki) Nelson from Huff's novels. Her vampire paramour is Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid) a 476 year old vampire that was the former Duke of Richmond. Vicki's former partner and sometimes boyfriend Mike Celluci is played by Dylan Neal. Finally Vicki's soon to be assistant and client from this first episode is Coreen Fennel (Gina Holden).



    Coreen believes her boyfriend who was the second victim and the one witnessed by Vicki was killed by a vampire. Unfortunately for Vicki it is the only possible conclusion once the facts are all put into place. So where do you go when you're looking for a vampire.



    Vicki is an excellent investigator and a strong female lead. She manages to uncover a lot despite the dangers to herself. An important component to the story is Vicki's failing eyesight which caused her to leave the force and eventually will cause her to lose her eyesight all together. It will be interesting to see how vampire blood will eventually enter the story and cure that problem. This is part one of two of the Pilot episode. Thanks for reading...moreless

  • This episode, and all that followed, have "turned me" into a fan-addict. I have to say this was very special for me because it was my first.

    10
    By Mysticalsister, Jan 30, 2008
    I love the fact that Henry is who he is, and he makes no apologies for it. Very refreshing compared to other vampire shows and movies where the vampire is tortured and wants to be human. I love the Vickie character, too. The fact that she is slowly going blind allows her to see what is really important. Strong female lead characters are becoming more common, but few of them are so flawed and so compelling. The confusion she feels about the men in her life feels right somehow. Such choices shouldn't be easy in drama because they're not easy in reality.moreless

  • This pilot episode is a sexy begining to Vivki and Hnery.It showed her strength and willingness to move into the abnormal & his admiration for her strong will.From the start theres checmistry as a couple despite differences.moreless

    8.2
    By nickiapril, Dec 19, 2007
    I love the sexy yet subtle attraction within the first episode between Henry and Vickie. When his curiosity and Vickie's work collide in the club there is an immediate impression, on Henry that is. Vickie didn't as much as blink when he tried to control her will and it was an obvious reaction of admiration as well as surprise from Henry. Vickie barely noticed him I think only fuelling the fire. When they meet again without thinking of how strange or odd she immediately uses her own blood to save Henry because that is who Vickie is and always will be. React first and think later. Corrine's character who hires Vickie is strange and sexy as well. She comes looking for answers, she finds herself in the throws of unusual abduction, and after all she comes back for a job. I feel she is the perfect sidekick to Vickie. Her love for the gothic and her brains is just what a new comer to these sides of life Vickie needs in order to do her work. The ex partner and cop Mike Selluci makes an uptight and still pivotal first impression and from the second he enters you can tell he looks out for Vickie…was there something there before? Keep watching…I love this series. An ex cop turned private eye for the world of the abnormal and her secretary/partner who is a bit strange, the ex partner still cop who is all about reality and normal, and the vampire. Sounds strange but I am glad I gave it a chance.moreless

  • This is a serial about sexy vampire, detective and love.Interest for many teens who likes buffy or queen of damned.

    10
    By nymmmfa, Oct 13, 2007
    This is a serial about sexy vampire, detective and love.Interest for many teens who likes buffy or queen of damned. Blood Ties, set in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, centers around Christina Cox as Vicki Nelson, a former cop who left the force to become a private investigator after beginning to lose her eyesight. Through her work she teams up with a 480-year-old vampire, who happens to be the illegitimate son of Henry the VIII. The mutual attraction between them is complicated by Vicki's relationship with former partner and lover, Mike Celluci. In the beginning, he doesn't believe in the supernatural and thinks that Vicki is losing her mind along with her eyesight. Also in the picture is Vicki's assistant Coreen, who was hired because of her knowledge of the occult and to keep her quiet about Henry. Coreen is thoroughly enamored with both the occult and Henry, which can get her into trouble.moreless

  • I like the show, which is why I'm nitpicky. The Good-I like the changes the show has made from the book, and I like the casting. The Bad-continuity problems and things that don't make sense. The Ugly-motivation problems MAJOR SPOILERS inmoreless

    6.0
    By MJDragonfly, Mar 28, 2007
    My review is FULL OF SPOILERS.



    The Good



    They've set this up fairly similarly to Huff's books, except that Henry Fitzroy writes graphic novels instead of romance novels. Slight update, and I like it. It's visual, for one thing, which works better in the visual medium of TV. It still has that slightly surreal feel that Vicki got in the book from meeting a vampire who writes bodice-rippers. They replaced Tony in the book with Coreen, a mysticism-loving Goth student who blackmails her way in to being Vicki's assistant. I like it.



    I've decided I really like the casting for Henry. I like that he's average height - he's 500 years old and they grew them smaller back then. He manages to have sufficient presence to make up for height. He's pretty without being wimpy and he can really look dangerous or mysterious as needed. Yep, I've decided I really like Schmid in the role.



    Cox, despite being a tiny, flaxen-haired beauty like so many other actresses, is convincing as a tough guy type, unlike many others who have tried to pull that off in similar roles.



    The scene where Vicki gives Henry her blood to save his life. Good! Not overtly sexual, but those of us who've read the book know how erotic Vicki finds it, and you could see that in the scene too, if you looked.



    Good Lines

    Dave: Are you going to shoot him again?

    Vicki and Mike: That was an accident!



    Mike: (sarcastic) Good catch.

    Vicki: Clearly I need more beer.



    Vicki: You don't look a day over 450.

    Henry: I use a great moisturizer.



    Vicki: Just because you got in a lucky shot doesn't mean I'm easy to kill.

    Henry: Everybody's easy to kill.



    Mike: Vicki, what the hell did I just see?

    Vicki: It's a really long story. But I'm sure glad I'm not the one writing the report.



    The Bad



    Vicki tells Coreen to stay patient, "I told you this would take some time." Not true. She told her she would only dedicate a few days to such an unlikely assignment.



    Both Vicki and Henry plot the locations of the three murders and conclude that it makes the first three points of a pentagram on the map of the city. How does that work? Three dots makes a triangle. That's all. From there you can make all sorts of things, pentagrams, six-sided stars, lots of things. Norman wants to take clandestine pictures of Coreen, so he sits at a table where she's a waitress with a huge clunky camera he has to lift to his face to snap a shot and whip away before she can see. The demon gives him hot cars but he can't get a cameraphone?



    The Ugly



    The scene where Vicki wakes up in Henry's apartment. She should try to leave and doesn't. She tells him all about the retinitis pigmentosa within less than a minute of waking up in the home of the man she thinks might be a serial killer. At least she refuses to drink the drink he gives her. "I am a vampire," he says, and she still makes no attempt to leave, nor does she act angry or frightened.



    Maybe the scene doesn't qualify as "ugly;" a lot of things in it worked. But you don't tell the guy who knocked you out and took you home that you're half blind. In the sacrifice scene, Henry busts in as Norman literally is about to plunge a dagger into Vicki, but rather than grab his hand and stop it, he opens his grimoire and starts chanting something at the demon. Duh! The final sacrifice is what brings the demon through, Vicki is to be that sacrifice, so *stop Norman from killing her* then deal with the demon.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

Christina Cox (I)

Christina Cox (I)

Vicki Nelson
Dylan Neal

Dylan Neal

Mike Celluci
Gina Holden

Gina Holden

Coreen Fennel
Kyle Schmid

Kyle Schmid

Henry Fitzroy
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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

Michael Eklund

Michael Eklund

Norman Bridewell

Guest Star

Juan Riedinger

Juan Riedinger

Ian Reddick

Guest Star

Amber Borycki

Amber Borycki

Cassie

Guest Star

Nimet Kanji

Nimet Kanji

Mohadevan

Recurring Role

Françoise Yip

Françoise Yip

Kate

Recurring Role

Keith Dallas

Keith Dallas

Dave Graham

Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (7)

    • Goof: When plotting the killings to make the pentagram, Henry starts off holding his red marker/pencil in his left hand and a picture of a pentagram in his right. Then the view switches to an over his left shoulder one and the picture is now in his left hand and he is writing with the red pencil in his right.

    • Henry is not only a vampire but a graphic novel artist & writer.

    • Coreen Fennel hires Vicki to find her boyfriend's killer and then Vicki agrees to hire her as an assistant to keep Coreen from telling about Henry and for her knowledge of vampires.

    • Henry was turned (into a vampire) by a female lover he begged to make him a vampire so they could be together forever, even though she warned him that they couldn't share hunting grounds.

    • Henry says he is almost 500 years old. Using the real Henry Fitzroy as a reference in the year 2007 Henry would be 488.

    • The genetic eye condition that Vicki has is called Retinitis pigmentosa.

    • Vicki's nickname is Victory.

  • QUOTES (9)

  • NOTES (8)

    • Original International Air Dates:
      United Kingdom: August 16, 2007 on Living TV
      Canada: August 20, 2007 on Citytv
      Czech Republic: May 12, 2010 on AXN

    • Michael Eklund (plays Norman Bridewell) originally auditioned for the role of Mike Celluci.

    • In the books, Vicki is always wearing her glasses because without them she can't see at all. But in the series, she isn't always.

    • Athough the series is set in Toronto, the series is filmed in Vancouver. Production ran from Aug. '06 to Mid-March '07

    • Although a major character in the books, Tony -- a runaway turned male hooker turned informant from Vicki's police days -- does not appear in the series. This was the unfortunate result of another company owning the TV/film rights to Tanya Huff's Shadow Trilogy, a spinoff that takes place after the Blood books and features Tony as a lead character. In his place, Coreen was moved up from a one-book 'guest' to Vicki's assistant.

    • Blood Ties was funded for $3,600,000 in total.

    • Years ago, when Tanya Huff watched F/X: The Series, she said once Christina Cox grew older, she would be perfect to play Vicki Nelson.

    • The first episode will be a two-hour series premiere. This episode starts at 9pm ET. The show's real air time is 10pm ET.

  • ALLUSIONS (6)

    • Quote: There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of ... in the police officer's training manual.

      Source: Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 6
      Hamlet: (to Horatio) There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

      Meaning: Human knowledge is limited and there is more to something than is visible by a casual observer.

    • Count Dracula
      Dracula is the most famous vampire in literature, and originated in Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula", later adapted into an Oscar winning movie.

    • Everquest:
      Everquest is an online MMORPG computer game where people make characters and gain level, quests, and craft. Other similar games are World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 11.

    • Freddy Krueger

      Vicki makes an allusion to the horror movie character from the Nightmare on Elm Street films.

    • Character: Henry Fitzroy

      Henry Fitzroy is based off King Henry VIII son, Henry Duke of Richmond, who passed away at 17 years of age (1519-1536). Henry in the series gets turned into a vampire at a young age.

    • Episode Title: Blood Price
       The episode title was taken from the first book title of the Blood series, which Tanya Huff started back in 1992.

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Forums: Blood Ties

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Season 1 Episodes

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Ep 12
Norman
Ep 11
Post Partum
Ep 10
Necrodrome
Ep 9
Stone Cold
Ep 8
Heart of Fire
Ep 7
Heart of Ice
Ep 6
Love Hurts
Ep 5
Deadly Departed
Ep 4
Gifted
Ep 3
Bad JuJu
Ep 2
Blood Price (2)
Ep 1
Blood Price (1)

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