As the second season of Castlevania progresses, we begin to grasp just how well the writers are doing taking a simple story and weaving it into something with incredible depth and so many moving parts that it almost becomes as complicated as the clock tower in Dracula’s castle. On a side note, screw that clock tower and its stupid cogs. Back to the show, in the first two episodes you could sense that many in Dracula’s court had their own agendas, especially a certain femme fatale named Carmilla who is fast becoming one of my favorite characters on the show.

I thought this game was supposed to be fun.

The third and fourth episode of this season definitely showcase the interweaving of several plots, schemes, and a decent amount of lore and fan service (internally screams….LEON BELMONT!) with the excellent writing to create something truly special to behold. If my faith was ever rekindled in video game adaptations, it was with this series. While we approach mid season, and the announcement of a third season, video game fans can only predict what the final four episodes will contain both in retrospect to the plot of Castlevania 3 and original ideas that the writers will include. But now, let’s get into these two great episodes.

Shadow Battles

Hector is the main focus at the start of this episode, and we see the start of his morbid obsession with reanimating the dead. It’s disturbing but at the same time almost innocent in intention. In a flashback, we see him happen upon a dead and slightly decayed dog. Using his two magical coins, he sparks life back into it. Of course, this light-hearted scene turns once he decides to bring the undead dog to his home just judging by his mother’s unseen reaction.

We return to the present as he’s is bringing a demon back to life and Carmilla intrudes. She comes to offer praise and Hector gives a short history lesson on Devil Forgers. Apparently there are not many and most of them are in hiding due to the nature of their craft. Carmilla shows her admiration even more, especially because Dracula seems to trust Hector and Issac in ways that make the rest of his army feel uneasy. It’s clear this show of admiration on Carmilla’s part is a ploy to influence others to her will.

She begins to play more on his emotions and his care for Dracula and shares his worry for Dracula’s mental state. Like in the previous episode, she brings up attacking the Belmont state, to which Hector agrees but he still wants Dracula’s permission. Loyal to a fault it would seem. When she realizes the brute force tactic wouldn’t work, Carmilla switches it up to a more emotional oriented ploy.

A flash back of Dracula and Hectors first meeting gives a lot of insight into the way Hector feels about his current master. A somber Dracula calls upon Hector to raise him an army for killing Lisa. The two bond over their hatred of humanity; Dracula’s wants a culling, but Hector wants them to remain livestock. He does not believe in suffering, only effective population control to keep humans from harming the world. Carmilla uses the seeds of doubt in his mind to convince Hector to create a personal army to attack Braila, another goal she is hell bent on attaining.

Back with our trio of Alucard, Trevor, and Sypha, Trevor is as poetic as ever when he sees a tree he played on when he was a child, obviously signaling that they are close to the Belmont estate. What I love most about these three is the dialogue between them all. The sass of Alucard, the unintentional hilarity of Trevor’s grim disposition, and the pure yet wise and funny attitude of Sypha. As they enter the grounds of the derelict and decaying estate, Trevor goes on about his teenage years and we get more bromance between him and Alucard. Apparently Alucard had the better childhood.

Alucard doesn’t let up with the sass as they find the secret entrance to the underground of the estate. Turns out it was sealed by dark magic thanks to Sypha, to which Alucard is happy to make fun of. Honestly he’s my patronus at this point.

To be fair I ship them just as much as with Sypha.

Inside the keep, Trevor continues with the history of the Belmonts. Their origins in France, but they moved on with the dark creatures to the east with Leon Belmont as the patriarch. Deeper in the library is a plethora of books, weapons, scrolls, and countless artifacts or as Alucard would call it, an episode of Hoarders.

We get another piece of lore as Sypha asks what Leon Belmont was doing in Wallachia. For those of you who played Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, you’ll know that he was searching for the man who would one day become Dracula, more or less anyway. Even more exciting is that Trevor finds the most iconic artifact of the game series: the famous Belmont maced whip Vampire Killer, or as they call it in the show, Morning Star, which in game is the highest power upgraded version of the former. Alucard is less impressed at the fact that he’s in a museum dedicated to the art of killing his kind.

*SCREAMS IN NERD*

The episode ends with Godbrand approaching Dracula about killing all of humanity and what they will eat after they run out of rations. It seems Dracula is in no mood as he puts Godbrand in his place in a truly horrifying way. On his way out, Godbrand runs into Carmilla and lets her know his worries as well as the fact that he thinks their master hasn’t fed in some time. She lets us in on her past as well after Godbrand tries to storm off, and suddenly her motivations become a little clearer. Old, mad men will not control her destiny, it seems, and she will make sure of it.

Broken Mast

The next episode offers more in terms of action as Godbrand begins a reign of bloody terror, taking a handful of vampires and inflicting a bloody retribution on the local armies. Body parts litter the snow as blood stains the open woods in a vicious spectacle. Sadly for Godbrand, it is only a memory destroyed by a pig given to him to feed on. Back with the heroes, even more sarcasm and sass flow as Trevor finds a magical mirror that no longer works. Sypha does her best to make Trevor and Alucard two work better without fighting.

Back in Dracula’s castle, Carmilla works on Hector even more than she did in the previous episode, bringing up Dracula not turning Lisa. She questions Dracula’s sanity and Hector’s loyalty, saying if Dracula kills all humans, where will that leave him? If he refused to turn Lisa, whom he loved, why would he allow others to live? It is here that the basis of Hector’s future betrayal begins to take root. Braila again comes up. Her plan is to have Dracula’s forces take Braila and while away, a personal army made by Hector for her will usurp Dracula. Hector does not disagree at this point.

As with Hector, we get a flashback to when Dracula recruited Issac. The dialogue is almost Tarantino-like in style, with the exposition told through tales between the two. It seems Issac’s insanity is more in league with Dracula’s motives than Hector’s. This foreshadows the fact that he will not join Hector in Carmilla’s plan, though this is not the only time we will see it portrayed. Back in the present Godbrand losses all sense and takes a pack of Vampires to a local village to feed as they will, against Dracula’s wishes. This doesn’t help with Dracula’s already growing sense that he feels like he is losing the loyalty of his generals.

As Dracula and Issac ponder Hector’s supposed immaturity, Godbrand and his company inflict the bloody massacre upon a nearby town. Slaughtering with no hesitation and with no mercy. This is the series at its goriest, and we can’t even imagine what this would be like in live action—certainly not for the feint of heart. It seems the only light within this dark episode is a moment of tenderness between Trevor and Sypha as the two share a blanket. She talks about the difference between loneliness and sadness. Where Alucard is a lonely soul, cold and distant, Trevor has a melancholy to him that to her, drowns everything around him. I ship them so hard.

I’m not blushing, you are.

The episode ends with the aftermath of Godbrands rampage. He goes to see Issac to insult his self-flagellation, and we learn Isaac’s motivation and demented thought process about purifying the human race through extermination. Godbrand makes the fatal mistake of mentioning Carmilla’s doubts to one so loyal. He even brings up the fact that Alucard presents a very real threat to their war. The final costly sentence hints at his plan to usurp the castle, which in the end causes Issac to violently and mercilessly kill Godbrand in a most bloody fashion. With Issac now knowing about the coming coup, who knows what’s in store for his war now?

Images Courtesy of Netflix and Konami 

On her 16th birthday, a half-human, half-witch Sabrina Spellman must sign the book of the Dark Lord Satan himself and finally join her family’s coven. It will grant her prolonged youth and enormous power among other things, but there is a great price to be paid: if she signs the book, Sabrina must renounce her human part, and that includes her school, friends, and her boyfriend.

Confused as to why she has to deny an entire part of herself, Sabrina is determined to get some answers before making the most important decision of her life. She refuses to blindly follow the rules she doesn’t understand and/or agree with and challenges the old order at every turn.

The show, among other things, explores themes of agency and personal choice. Sabrina’s biggest concern about signing the book is the loss of her freedom. She doesn’t want to be at the Dark Lord’s command. So instead of just accepting everything at face value, she asks questions and demands answers.

Sabrina’s Dark Baptism

Apart from its titular heroine, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (CAOS) has plenty of great characters to go around: there’s Sabrina’s family, aunties Zelda and Hilda, who are very different in their approach to both life and witchcraft. Zelda is a strong-willed and traditional, fiercely loyal to her coven and its High Priest. Hilda is a more gentle, open-minded soul, but not without a strong core. There’s also Ambrose, Sabrina’s charming pansexual cousin who isn’t allowed to leave the Spellman house as a punishment for a crime (no spoilers, but it’s a fun one).

Ros and Susie, Sabrina’s schoolmates and best friends, aren’t there to just be background props. Sure, Sabrina is understandably the focus of the show, but they’re still allowed to be their own people, with their own adventures and struggles. Ros is a vibrant and outspoken daughter of a minister. Susie is a non-binary teen, struggling with self-identity and bullying and looking for a place to belong.

Then there’s, of course, Harvey Kinkle, Sabrina’s boyfriend. He is sweet and supportive, with a passion for drawing. When he’s not making googly eyes at Sabrina, he’s dealing with his brute of a father shoving that good ol’ toxic masculinity down his throat. Thankfully, Harvey has an older brother Tommy who is nothing but supportive of Harvey’s hopes and dreams.

The magic part of Sabrina’s life includes a strict High Priest of the Church of Night (Spellmans’ coven), antagonistic young witches aka Weird Sisters with the absolutely fabulous Prudence Night as their leader, a seductive warlock classmate Nick Scratch, and a cunning teacher with a secret agenda, Ms. Wardwell.

One of my favorite things about the show is Sabrina’s relationships with her witch side. Her magic isn’t a burden, she isn’t scared or embarrassed by it. Sabrina enjoys having powers, and she fully embraces them. She also isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, when the situation calls for it. If helping her friends calls involves a murder, then so be it!

Weird Sisters

But of course, like everything in life, CAOS also has its flaws. The overall feminist message of the show is pretty basic; they didn’t exactly move any mountains. The Harry Potter-like parallels between fictional and real-life oppression also gained some attention, mostly because white Sabrina is the one being prejudiced against, while a mixed woc is the antagonist (at least in the beginning). There are definitely things that could’ve been handled with more consideration, but for what it’s worth, Tati Gabrielle’s Prudence remains of the most interesting and memorable characters of the series. Here’s hoping for more of her side of the story in S2.

On a personal note, I would’ve loved if the show was a little more tongue-in-cheek, a little goofier maybe. But on the other hand, I do appreciate how dark they were willing to go at times.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a visually beautiful, cozy tale of spells and womanhood, perfect for the Halloween season. The show’s main driving force is its many diverse female characters, full of their individual strengths and weaknesses. It has plenty of fun to offer but also has a place to grow. So if you’re in a mood for some hellraising, literal or otherwise, give a try!

Images Courtesy of Netflix

Has it really been a year since we last saw an episode of the surprisingly great anime that is Castlevania? I know it’s hard to believe but with so many great additions to Netflix it is truly hard to prioritize what you should watch during this Halloween season. For those like me were eagerly awaiting the second season to this fantastic series, you will not be disappointed. After the debut series, I was left with the bitter taste of having such a quality video game adaptation be on the short side. At an average of just under half an hour runtime and with only 4 episodes, the first season felt like episodic film but this time around the creators opted for double the episodes which I’m sure no one is complaining about.

With the second season comes more fan service to those who loved the game it is based on: Castlevania 3. Not only that, but similar to certain elements of the first season, we see more brought into the continuity from other games in the series, including certain well loved spin-off’s such as Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. All in all, the creators really took a love for this classic series once again, and made something veterans of the series and newcomers a like can enjoy.

For those who need a reminder of what happened last season, here’s a short recap. After falling in love with a Wallachian woman named Lisa, Dracula slowly learns the ways of humanity, until she is burned as a witch for unknown reasons. In his despair, he declares war on the city of Gresit. The church blames a group of Seekers in the area for the demon slaughter that is now destroying their city. Trevor Belmont, drunk and disgraced, is convinced to make them leave but it comes at a price. The elder of the order asks him to seek out his granddaughter who went into the catacombs of Dracula’s mobile castle in order to find a hero who would end Dracula’s reign of terror. When Trevor happens upon Sypha’s petrified body he fights a Cyclopes in order to restore her.

After their return, Trevor is abducted by the Bishop of Gresit and learns he plans to incite the remainder or the city’s town folk against the Seeker’s in order to expel them from the city. Trevor returns to the Seeker’s to warn them and eventually help with their defense. Not long after, the city is upon them and the fight is grand and bloody—even more so when the demons arrive. Before the fight reaches its end, the floor beneath Trevor and Sypha gives way and fall to the Catacoombs where the lonely tomb of Dracula’s son, Alucard, slumbers. He is awakened and fights with Trevor until ultimately being convinced to join our hero’s in taking him down. Now I left out a lot but if you want to see more detail feel free to read my reviews of the previous season.

War Council

In the first episode of the second season, we get a much more intimate look as to why Lisa Tepes was burned alive at the stake, for all accounts the one event that caused Dracula’s current insanity. As we know from the first season, the whole reason Lisa sought out Dracula in the first was to gain more knowledge and understanding of medicine and the healing arts. Instead, it seems that what he taught was the powers of the old world…of natural remedies and cures that were long since condemned by the church as witchcraft and alchemy. It seems her jealous predecessor, the elder healer of the city of Gresit, sold her out to the Bishop and he immediately took action.

As Lisa convinced her husband to see the world to better understand humans and their culture; he was not there to protect. She gave as much warning to the clergy of the fury of his wroth, but they had fallen upon deaf ears and they ultimately sealed the entire fate of Gresit. In his sorrow, Dracula summoned vampire leaders from around the world and an army of darkness to fulfill his plans of first, taking Wallachia, then the world. Among his elite are two Demon Forgers who fans of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness will immediately recognize. Hector and Issac are given the paramount responsibility of planning the strategies Dracula will use to conquer Wallachia. Many of the vampire generals, notably Godbrand a viking vampire, are not keen to follow humans orders and are quite vocal about it.

Dracula in private gives these two humans his motives for trusting them more than the entirety of his vampire generals as they are not driven the thirst of blood or the destruction of humans. Rather their hatred for their own species takes center stage and their lord see’s this as better suited for destroying the human race as a whole rather than seeing them enslaved or farmed. In this scene we get a glimpse of Hectors past in the form of mental voices. His mother saying he sickens her and that she never wanted him. Clearly he was taught alchemy in order to defend himself, but it was not out of love from his parents as we can hear. Apparently he caused a fire that led to their demise as well, it was clear it was intentional.

Back in Gresit, the survivors are doing their best to tend the wounded and rebuild what little remains after the last night horde attack. The Seekers also leave the city to help other cities. Only Sypha remains to aid Trevor and Alucard in their coming fight. The relationship between Trevor and Sypha is quite strained and adorable as the two are so different that it makes perfect for one another. As fans of the game know what happens after the game, but my lips are sealed.

The final scenes of the first episode are dedicated to showing the viewer the art of devil forging and how Dracula’s army is made up of demons, the undead, and the reanimated dead. As their art suggests they are tasked with creating new demons from dead ones. Godbrand comes into also offer his apologies, though it is clear they are not sincere. In the final moment we see the relic that gives Dracula’s castle the ability to transport itself, as it does so to middle of the woods. A setting all too familiar to any fan of the game series.

Old Homes

In the start of this episode, we are treated more delightfully adorable dialogue between Trevor and Sypha about him being just in general an angry person who doesn’t know how to play nice. Duh, he’s no Richter Belmont… The two make their way to Alucard who apparently knows more than Trevor how to be nice. Their first order of bushiness is to find the castle and keep it from moving on them. Yet, Trevor has other plans. He wants the group to return the Belmont Estate, where the library survives and includes generations of knowledge of how to fight vampires. Perhaps in one of the tomes, lies the answer to destroying Dracula. Then we get some wholesome bromance between the two and I honestly couldn’t be happier about it.

Oh, children

As the group departs Gresit, Dracula’s generals continue to disobey Hector and Issac. That is until Carmilla arrives and makes things infinitely worse. Not only does she remark on the fact that he failed to destroy Gresit, but that his generals are a muck, and the most controversial of all: why did Dracula never turn Lisa into a vampire? If it was her plan to piss him off, it certainly worked. Yet she gives reasons to all her outcries. Her first being to basically unsettle all the men there, giving her the position of power and dominance.

Back with our trio of heroes. Alucard reflects on the life of his mother, Lisa Tepes. Most importantly, her role in influencing his father. To Alucard, the centuries that Dracula lived act as a reservoir for all knowledge unlearned and forgotten. The little he showed to his wife was nothing compared to what he could have shown the world. Of course, Trevor is disgusted by this idea and is quick to brand him monster. Now he goes on to his insanity and we see the truth of the transformation of Dracula.

Not soon after they are attacked by yet another famous series boss. The duo Gaibon and Slogra, amongst a group of lesser demons. The fight is both bloody and exciting. We get to see Alucard and Trevor in action with whip and sword. We also get to see some part of Sypha’s true potential as she calls upon great storms of fire and burns the demons to ash. Leaving only one to escape.

Back in the Castle we see some of Issac’s past. He flagellates himself as a vision of his past appears before us. He was a slave of sorts and was being brutalized by what looked like a Knight he was serving, for the crime of reading his books. His cries and pleas were that he was only trying to help and learn in order to assist his master. When asked why, he replies because he loves him. At this point it’s easy to see where his hatred is rooted. He master claims he loves him too and this is why he is punishing him so severely. That is until Issac counters and ends the Knights life. Godbrand appears to give Issac the body of the demon who returned from the fight, so that Issac could help it live again. In these scenes we see the insanity of Issac and the plans he has to see the world purified once more.

Another council follows this scene as the two devil forgers argue over which city they should have attacked. Arges was highly populated and would take the most toll on human life, yet it would cause nearby settlements to empty. Braila on the other hand was the major port city of Wallachia and if taken could prevent anyone from leaving the country. Braila presents an issue though due to running water, which Vampires cannot cross. Issac also gives the news that a Belmont- Alucard alliance has been forged, Carmilla intelligently suggests they attack the Belmont estate and destroy it once and for all. In a heated and passion filled monologue, it seems that the ultimate power in this room is she, which begs the question of what her endgame is?

My name is Carmilla and I’m here to ruin every mans day. I love her honestly

The first two episode we’re both well balanced with story telling and action. The dialogue was excellent and the chemistry of actors was on point. Between Alucard and Trevor we see a sort of respect and also some animosity on both ends. Yet that bromance better endure. Hector and Issac came as much of a surprise to me. As they are never mentioned outside of their game we do know that they were among Dracula’s elite generals. Fans of the game also know that (spoiler alert!) Hector eventually betrays Dracula.

Will we see that in this season? Other questions remain as well, like what is Carmilla up to, what will the state of Dracula’s generals mean for his war as a whole? How surprised are we that Peter Stormare is actually playing a Scandinavian and not a Russian for once?! Okay, maybe that last one is just me.

I am really looking forward to the rest of this season, and I’ll see you all next week for a review of the following two episodes!

Images Courtesy of Netflix