After reading the first “Twilight” book and watching season one of “The Vampire Diaries,” I never thought I would love a television show featuring vampires. The predictable lusting for blood and overdone love triangles bored me. Needless to say, my recent and intense adoration of “Castlevania” has blindsided me. If you have already read my recap of season one in last week’s issue, welcome to part two, where I reminisce over the highlights of second season. If you haven’t watched season one yet, no worries! I won’t spoil anything too crucial to the plot.
First of all, Godbrand is the best addition to the cast of characters in season two. The redheaded, Viking vampire is a strange seasoning added to a potluck of monstrosities. One of the undead generals Dracula summons in an international call, Godbrand is both parts terrifying and hilarious. One moment he terrorizes an unsuspecting town in a hungry, blind frenzy, and in another moment, he complains about how drinking pig’s blood upsets his bowel movements. Other members of Dracula’s war council make fun of him to his face and behind his back, including the cold and calculating Carmilla.
From the moment Carmilla makes her first dramatic entrance, she embodies the essence of girl power; she often refers to the other male vampires in court as “children” and relies on her own abilities to further her ambitious goals. Carmilla is a girl who wants the world, and her hunger for power focuses on usurping Dracula’s throne. Carmilla turns the vampire court into an echo chamber of whispers and secretive plots through flimsy alliances and puppeteer-like manipulations. The most notable of her manipulations occurs with the character Hector, voiced by “Divergent” actor Theo James.
Hector is one of two humans present at Dracula’s court and is referred to as a forgemaster. With an interesting weapon resembling a hammer, he is able to bring creatures back from the dead and even owns a half-dead zombie pug. Hector seems to be a sympathetic and even vulnerable character but, at the same time, assists Dracula with the systematic destruction of the human race. The show hints at the fact Hector grew up in an abusive household, explaining why he resents other people and is mistrustful of the human species. His partner is a human forgemaster named Isaac who hates humans even more than Hector. Whereas Hector wants to cull the human population, Isaac seeks to wipe out everyone. Isaac also experienced childhood abuse, which the audience observes in flashbacks. Between Isaac and Hector, the show frames Isaac as the more crazed and unbalanced character. The only predictable element of Isaac’s personality is his fierce and unyielding devotion to Dracula, which borders on irrational. As much as I enjoy Dracula as the tragic, gothic antihero that he is, I would hesitate in becoming his murderous lapdog.
Overall, season two includes everything I loved about season one, including quirky quips between the formidable trifecta of Sypha, Alucard and Trevor. My least favorite part of the “Castlevania” series is how long I’m going to have to wait, which is until at least Oct. 2019 for season three.
Doménica Castro is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in Spanish. DC874612@wcupa.edu