Castlevania: Nocturne season 1 recap guide: All 8 episodes reviewed
Episode 2 – “Horror Beyond Nightmares”
This episode opens with Drolta Tzuendes, the most beautiful vampire lady I’ve ever seen, arriving in Paris, paving the way for the Messiah. She attacks and kills two guards, just because she can, and then starts to “sample” a few girls selected for the Messiah herself. That’s… creepy. Yet it’s done in such a way that’s both disturbing and not-so-disturbing to watch. It’s almost beautiful, in a way.
We fast-forward to Annette, Edouard, Richter, Maria, and Tera talking about the Messiah, when Annette confirms there is a Messiah and she knows who it is. It’s none other than Erzsebet Báthory – the same vampire who took over Tera’s village in Russia, taking dozens upon dozens of girls hostage for her feeding, including Tera’s sister. And the scene where we see Tera infiltrating Erzsebet’s lair in an attempt to save her sister, only to see she had been turned… Horrifying, to say the least. That creepy face gave me Corpse Party flashbacks. And I felt really bad for Tera.
At this point, Maria decides to bury her little bird friend and we are graced with a less-than-acceptable song in a very bad pitch by the surprisingly better-singer-than-this-song-demonstrates Edouard. I was okay with the song, but the pitch of this melody…. Made me reach for my Loop earplugs (not sponsored). For someone with such a lovely voice, it felt entirely out of place and not very soothing to my ears.
However, the song must have made the group focus, because they decide then and there to go to the chateau “just to spy on the rich”. They spot the Marquis and a night creature taking a cart full of corpses to be transported to make more night creatures, bringing a whole new meaning to “bring out your dead”.
As our quartet, made up of Richter, Maria, Annette, and Edouard, are watching a few feet away, unspotted, just watching and scheming. This then turns into a fight for their lives as Annette spots one specific vampire, Comte de Vaublanc, and absolutely loses her cool, calling attention to the very spot they’re at. Great job, Annette.
After an intense fight, we see the very unfortunate death of Edouard, who gets attacked by multiple vampires and a night creature as Annette tries to keep her concentration on building a bridge for their escape. As she sees him being dragged away, reaching for her, she has the mother of all sobfests, and rightfully so. I think we all cried with her.
Edouard, along with other corpses, is sent away on a rowboat as a smoky Olrox watches. The corpses are then taken to – surprise, surprise – the Abbot’s abbey.
Rest in peace, sweet Edouard, the opera singer. Hello there, beautifully made Edouard night creature. In all seriousness, he is the prettiest night creature in the show.
And Mister Abbot – you, sir, are beyond sus at this point.