Summary
“Horror Beyond Nightmares” makes some more important introductions, leaning a little too heavily on exposition.
“Horror Beyond Nightmares”, Episode 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1, continues to keep few secrets about the intentions of its various characters or the threat of its multiple enemies.
You’ll recall that in Episode 1, we learned about the pending arrival of a Vampire Messiah who would lead the long-toothed to glory in the midst of the French Revolution. “Horror Beyond Nightmares” opens, in a montage of rain-lashed guillotine executions, rioting peasants, and pious assemblies, by suggesting that the salvation of the vampires and that of France’s religious orthodoxy are one and the same.
Spoilers to follow.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 2 Recap
We already suspected the Abbot of Machecoul of wrongdoing, but his opening monologue here confirms it.
The Abbot and his religious sect, the Knights of Saint John, would rather die than bend the knee to the Godless revolution. However, he’s hoping they won’t have to. A new Joan of Arc is coming, a new warrior queen who will lead the righteous. Her introduction is a murderous one, and when she claims to be a representative of the Messiah, it’s obvious she doesn’t mean Jesus.
The Vampire Messiah, Countess Erzebet Bathory, and Drolta Tzeuentes
We’re immediately provided some backstory on this new character thanks to Maria’s mother, Tera.
After Annette and Edouard explain how they have traveled from Saint-Domingue following slave revolts against vampiric colonialists (one of whom survived), Annette explains how she was instructed to find Richter by her master, a powerful seer who warned her of the Vampire Messiah.
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Historically, vampires have retained their influence by cozying up to human aristocrats across Europe. The Messiah intends to do away with their reliance on human princes and kings, keeping them as figureheads but having vampires pulling all the strings.
The Messiah’s name is Countess Erzsebet Bathory, a name that Tera recognizes. She grew up in Russia among a Speaker community that was raided by soldiers and vampires at the behest of Countess Bathory. The attack was carried out by her “attack dog”, Drolta Tzeuentes, the woman we saw the Abbot talk about earlier.
Countess Bathory was, apparently, a monster before she became a vampire. She delights in torture and death, which Tera knows firsthand since her own sister was captured and tortured by the countess. Tera had to euthanize her before fleeing Russia and heading West.
The Comte de Vaublanc
Richter, Maria, Annette, and Edouard go to investigate the chateau, outside which they see a cart full of bodies – including Jacques – being handed over for the Forgemaster to turn into more Night Creatures.
Annette recognizes the Comte de Vaublanc, whom we met very briefly at the end of the premiere, as the man who enslaved her and murdered her mother – the one who escaped Saint-Domingue. Using her powers over metal and rock, apparently inherited from a distant Orisha ancestor, she draws a little too much attention to herself, causing the vampires and Night Creatures to set upon the heroes.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 2 Ending Explained
In the ensuing action sequence, the first and only proper one of the episode, Edouard is killed.
In the final scene, we see Edouard’s body, among others, being fed into a magical-looking machine in front of a few attendees, including the Abbot and Olrox. A blue-eyed, winged Night Creature emerges from it, and the episode ends once again with another quote from Olrox: “Well, well. Glory be to God.”
You can stream Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 2, “Horror Beyond Nightmares”, exclusively on Netflix.
