For all those that have yet to
watch last night’s episode of Dracula,
entitled ‘Goblin Merchant Man’, now is your last chance to do so without the
threat of spoilers before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve
been warned.
Let me begin by saying that this
is not an altogether bad series. When an open mind is kept such as I had with
this evening’s episode, it is quite a pleasant series to watch. That being
said, I do have some issues with it, the most prevalent being how it is often
filmed much like an English television series, just with a slightly higher
budget. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy English films, accents, and the setting,
but I’ve never been able to care about their television. There’s just something
in the way they film their television that is just off with me, something I
find evident whenever watching something in HD. Not only that, but some of the
music in this episode was a tad tedious, while other songs were quite fitting.
It was much of a toss up.
Now, I do have to say that the
mythology behind this series is quite intriguing when an open mind is kept.
Based on what we’ve seen, and knowing that it is bias to his character, I find
myself cheering Grayson on, hoping he gets his revenge. There’s just something
so visceral in the seeking of vengeance that is such a human trait just
magnified in his vampiric mind. But again concerning the mythology, it is very
rich to the telling of this story, however heavy it may be at times. I’m really
curious to know what the Order’s reasoning behind turning Grayson into a
“monster”. They mention it was because of his defiance, but surely that cannot
be all, that would be awfully petty of them if it were, as well as pretty damn
stupid.
Another thing I love about this
series is the opening titles. The whole construct of them, including the actual
actors into the slides and then having the puppet master at the end pulling all
the strings, it’s quite genius. There is such great thought put into it, that
it reflects the series in such a metaphorical way. And also Renfield, I really
like him. He is so large and all-encompassing that he just demands a person’s
attention immediately with his presence. I’m quite curious to learn more about
his character and how he came to work for Grayson. Also, can I just say how
amazingly good-looking Jonathan Rhys Meyers looks? If only he were a few inches
taller and maybe five years younger.
All in all, this was a pretty
decent hour of television. I do love the extravagance of this series; it makes
me wish I still lived in Europe, and in a different time. There were definitely
several near squeal moments for me this week, one being Grayson’s smile after
Van Helsing killed the seers, and the other was when he rescued Mina from that rather
rude and belligerent artist man. I am curious to know, not recalling whether it
was part of the books, whether Lucy is in love with Mina. I think she may have
been, in the books, but I can’t remember, it has been a long time since I read
it. Either way, I’m sure we’ll see more of this going forward. This is a darker
series to watch, but it is rather fun to invest in.
My rating: 6.5 out of 10.
Okay, no memorable lines for the night, so I’m off to watch Haven. I’m not guaranteeing I’ll review
it tonight though, so if I don’t check back in this time or a little earlier
tomorrow.
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