Last Knight

Last Knight

Broadcast Date	17 May 1996
Season	3
Broadcast Order	22nd
Episode Number	71
Production Number	322
Writer	Michael Sadowski
Director	Geraint Wyn Davies
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“	I'm asking for an end. For a resolution. I'm not willing to go on like this. We can be together.	”
	— Natalie, Last Knight

Summary[]

(Series finale.) When an old friend commits suicide, Natalie feels the need for change in her own life—and tries to persuade Nick to take their relationship a step further.

Guest Cast[]

Detailed Story Recap[]

Tn lastknight 586crop — As Nick kneels by Natalie, LaCroix readies himself

Vampire Lore[]

Fan Fiction[]

For fan fiction inspired by this episode, please see the list of Last Knight stories.

Fan Videos[]

The following fan videos were inspired by this episode:

"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" edited by Abby82 (May 2008). Music by Death Cab for Cutie.

Quotes[]

Natalie: Well, I won't accept that the sum of our existence can be measured in the few short years that we are alive here. It would make everything that we believe meaningless. It would make our whole lives here meaningless. I know that that's not true, and so do you. You have faith, Nick. And if it's a mortal folly, then you're the most mortal man I've ever known.

LaCroix: Guilt is a poison, and staying past our time is death.

LaCroix: Love. ... It warps our senses, twists our souls—can take us past hope, past cure, past help. I know about love. It's suffering, it's anguish, it's pain. Heaven makes means to kill our joy with love, and yet we must have it at any cost.

Nightcrawler Monologue[]

Life is a gift. As sweet as the freshest peach, as precious as a gilded jewel. I have never been able to understand the logic of willfully surrendering such a treasure.

How dark can your existence be when compared to an eternal void? Unless, of course, you have faith that there is something beyond.

What do you see from where you stand? A bright light at the end of the tunnel? Is it a ray of hope? A glimmer of something better? Or will it burn you like the rising sun? Are you hearing the trumpeting of St. Peter's angels or the screams of Memnoch's tortured souls?

You can't really answer that, can you? Because you will never know the answer until after the deed is done. And is your faith really that strong?

I understand the need to move on. It is something that happens to us all. But if your time has truly come, I also understand that with the beauty of this life, there comes pain and despair. No one is immune. But consider what you have in your hands! Don't trade a treasure for an empty box!

What about love? Heaven makes means to kill our joy with love. It's suffering. It's anguish. It's pain. And yet, we must have it--at any cost. But are you so enamoured that you'll overlook you love of life? And you do love it. I have seen you smell the sea, gaze at the stars at night. Are you willing to sacrifice one mistress for another? Look into your heart and tell me that you're willing to make the choice!

Aren't you tired of this incessant guilt? Hasn't it swayed your back and stooped your shoulders to the point of throwing it off? You insist on taking responsibility for the actions and emotions of those around you, when they alone are truly the point of throwing it off?

It's time for both of us. We have come full circle. Nicholas, don't you see? You have overstayed your welcome. The pain that you're causing your mortal friends is no longer acceptable to them. Those that do survive will not allow your relationship with them to continue the way it was. They will demand change, and you will be compromised. One way or another. Nicholas, the time has come. I will be at your loft tonight for your decision. And then, I am leaving. With or without you.

There's a price to be paid. Love may be tasted but never savored. In our darkest moments we may envy mortality, but we should never aspire to it. Guilt is a poison. And staying past our time is death. But it need not be. If we truly care for a mortal, if we love one, then we must go. Isn't that something that you taught me? Leaving is the purest form of love.

All that remains now is to lock the doors and turn out the lights...Time heals all...you cannot deny what you are.

Notes[]

Behind the Scenes[]

The German title of this episode, "Die letzte Nacht" ("The Last Night") is close to being a translation of the English title. However, the English spelling includes a pun that doesn't work in German, where the words that mean "night" and "knight" bear no resemblance to one another. ("Night" is die Nacht and "knight" is der Ritter.)

Flashbacks used in "Last Knight"[]

As Nick contemplates what to do when his life comes crashing down around him, he remembers pivotal events in his life. Footage from previous episodes is interpolated to represent his memories. In order of appearance, these come from:

During the love scene, images of violence overshadow Nick and Natalie. It is not clear if Nick or Natalie is seeing these events:

Continuity[]

The following exchange between Natalie and Nick in "Last Knight" presents two potential continuity problems:

Natalie: Six years ago, April 14.
Nick: What's that?
Natalie: Day they brought you in.

First is the question of the actual date given here. The episode "Only the Lonely" takes place on Natalie's birthday; and it is explicit that this is the anniversary of its flashback, in which Nick and Natalie meet for the first time when his supposed corpse is brought to the morgue after a pipe bomb attack. Fans had worked out a probable date for Natalie's birthday from the air date, the weather, prop calendars on the morgue wall, and, for some, astrology. They had settled on a different date, not April 14.

Second is the reference to "six" years ago, given that the series only lasted for three seasons. However, the figures work out if the hiatus between Seasons One and Two is taken into account. Forever Knight was canceled after Season One. Filming ended, sets were struck. Only after a writing campaign to revive the show did it return. The first episode of Season Two, "Killer Instinct", aired sixteen months after Season One had ended. That's Natalie's "six years ago": the year of the flashbacks of "Only the Lonely" (1990-1991), another year (1991-1992), season one (1992-1993), the hiatus (1993-1994), season two (1994-1995), season three (1995-1996).^[1]

Canadian Content[]

Goofs[]

External Links[]

transcript of "Last Knight" - illustrated with screencaps
"Last Knight" discussions from FKSPOILR 1996: archived e-mail messages from the FKSPOILR mailing list, with the initial reaction to and discussion of the episode.
discussion of "Last Knight" by Lightbird on DW (26 December 2015)

References[]

↑ Adapted from brightknightie's LiveJournal blog, entry for 19 September 2009.

[1] Adapted from brightknightie's LiveJournal blog, entry for 19 September 2009.

[1]