Well, my little blood suckers, last week’s episode of “Dracula” revealed a few surprising secrets; Van Helsing (Thomas Kretschmann) and Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) are comrades working to bring down the powerful petroleum mega rich men who belong to the Order of the Dragon; Dracula does not sparkle, but he is sexy! And who is the one really doing the seducing, Lady Jane or Dracula? Find out after the jump.
Flashback
We get a bit more back story on how Van Helsing and Dracula became BFF’s. Seems the Order of the Dragon had destroyed both of their lives, taking what was most precious to them; their loved ones. Their plan is to bring down the Order of the Dragon by hitting them in their most vulnerable spot. No, my little kittens, not their hearts, but their purses. If Dracula/Grayson can convince Victorian England to go with alternative energy, the petroleum kingpins will fail and their tower of greed; crumble. Sounds like a plan to me, but there are roadblocks.
Ninja Jane
I know Lady Jane (Victoria Smurfit) is supposed to be one of the bad guys, but I like her. She can whip out a sword and slice off a head without a drop of blood spoiling her pretty frock. When one of the Dragon henchmen, Kruger (Michael Nardone) is found dead, Lady Jane offers to hunt the vampire down herself. No one knows who the vampire is, which is kind of strange since Grayson is as pale as a ghost and only comes out at night. Even when Lady Jane has Dracula/Grayson over for dinner, drinks and a romp in bed, she’s still clueless to the fact that he’s the person she’s hunting down. Later, Lady Jane heads over to the nearest opium parlor and has two druggies use a magic mirror to find vampires? Don’t ask. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
Backroom Deals
Sir Laurent (Anthony Howell) has stocks in a business that Dracula/Grayson wants to own outright. But, Sir Laurent is more frightened of Lord Thomas Davenport than he is greedy. He turns down the offer, but Dracula is holding the Ace in this pack of cards. Seems that Sir Laurent is in lust for Daniel (Lewis Rainer) the only son of Lord Thomas Davenport (Robert Bathurst) and now Dracula/Grayson has the upper hand.
Part of the backroom deal is Dracula/Grayson offering Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen a job and a big house. Why? It’s a way for Dracula to win Mina’s (Jessica DeGouw) heart. Harker refuses at first, but he likes hanging with the upper crust even if he doesn’t have the money to do so and his rent’s been raised. I’m not too crazy about Harker and he shows his true feelings about Mina’s career choice and loses her.
Walk in the Sun
Van Helsing is treating Dracula with shots so that he can one day be able to walk in the sun. Been there, done that. Maybe Dracula should talk with the vamps on “True Blood.” Ask Eric Northman how that worked out for him.
Conclusion
I really want to give this show a chance because I love vampires and I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I especially enjoy the premise of the show; Dracula bringing down big oil with alternative energy. But so far, the only character on the show that looks promising is Ninja Lady Jane. NBC already has a powerhouse show with “Grimm,” and if Dracula does well, they’ll have Friday nights sealed up. But NBC and Carnival Films need to up the horror a bit more, if they want to hold on to their audience.
Totally agree it needs more horror and suspense. I am all for Dracula wanting revenge but start terrorizing people already. So far it seems to be lacking i will give it a few more episodes but I am on the fence on this one. I should have know it wouldnt meet my expectations when I turned it off halfway through the first episode
I’m keeping my fingers crossed, maybe they need to borrow Eric from True Blood to start the blood spilling:)
Marie, I totally agree the show needs to up their game. I thought the first 1/2 was too milktoast for the story line and the last half held all the ‘heat’, Lady Jane is by far the most interesting new character in this Dracula story and likewise, I was lost with the Opium den scene. Rhys Meyers exudes the sensuality that seemed to start with Frank Langella’s Dracula and if he wasn’t so pretty, I think the show would lose my interest sooner. I like vengeance story line, it’s an interesting change up to an old classic. Keeping my fingers crossed that it gets better!
I’m hoping that Jonathan Rhys Meyers will bring some of his Henry Tudor smart ass ways to his Dracula character. Ninja Jane is awesome.