At the midpoint of Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1, we’re treated to the obligatory stake-raising episode wherein the heroes confront the villains – or some of them, at least – but don’t quite get the chance to settle things once and for all. Episode 4, “Horrors Rising from the Earth” lives up to its title in a couple of ways, too, functioning as both a description and a warning for what’s to come in the back half of the season.
With a better balance of action and exposition here and a more forward-looking narrative, including a couple of interesting dynamics developing between secondary characters, let’s look at what went down.
Spoilers ahead.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 4 Recap
In the cold open of “Horrors Rising from the Earth”, the Abbot berates a surprisingly aware Edouard for saving Annette at the end of Episode 3.
Thus far, we have no real explanation for why Edouard has so much more self-awareness than the other Night Creatures, but I imagine we’ll probably find out. His monstrous design, too, with his hands covering his eyes, is very cool.
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He’s not on-screen much, but Edouard forms an important part of this episode, with various characters, including himself, responding to his new nature.
A Secret Passage
Meanwhile, the gang are beginning to clash about how they should proceed. Annette is driven almost entirely by a need for revenge; Richter, who isn’t as personally invested in the loss of Edouard or even the idea of the French Revolution in general, wants to come up with a slightly safer plan; and Maria and Tera want to put the future of France above all other concerns.
Either way, nobody is altogether sure of the Abbot’s involvement, so the first step is decided to be a stealthy incursion into the abbey to get a sense of what’s really going on.
Luckily, Tera knows of a secret passage inside, but she also insists on coming along personally.
Olrox and Mizrak
On the vampire side of things, it turns out Olrox and Mizrak are sleeping with each other, which seems a sudden development after their conversation in the previous episode, and the former remains oddly dissenting of the Vampire Messiah.
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This, and a throwaway line later which we’ll get to, implies that Olrox is somehow important to Countess Bathory, but we’re not yet sure why, and likewise aren’t entirely sure of his allegiances. He also has a conversation with Edouard later which suggests a softer side of his character.
There’s also a lot of tension and crossed purposes on this side of the aisle. The Marquis is on-site with Drolta so that the Abbot can give her a tour of his Forgemaster operations, but nobody seems to trust anyone else, and it seems like the balance of power could tip very easily and at any given moment.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 4 Ending Explained
Predictably, Richter, Maria, Annette, and Tera sneak into the abbey’s dungeons – where Edouard is being kept – at the same time as the Marquis, Drolta, the Abbot, and Mizrak all arrive. While Edouard sings, the others all fight, mostly to a stalemate, though Richter does kill the Marquis, who turns out to not have been that important anyway.
When Olrox presents himself, though, Richter flees. Suddenly outnumbered, the other heroes also escape. It’s here that Drolta refers to Olrox as “The Aztec”, though doesn’t elaborate on why he’s apparently so important to the Messiah.
Either way, she’s expecting him.
You can stream Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Episode 4, “Horrors Rising from the Earth”, exclusively on Netflix.
