Episode 4 – “Horrors Rising from Earth”
The episode opens with the Abbot speaking to night creature Edouard, reminding him of what he is now, saying that he’s only been created to obey him and his cause. With Edouard being the only night creature to show any kind of free will or any sort of memories from his previous life as a young opera singer, it makes you wonder if he had any kind of magic in him that never allowed his transformation to change the essence of who he is.
Are his glowing blue eyes an indication that he does have magic powers? Annette did say he could see people’s soul’s colors – will we have a super night creature, Edouard? So many questions at this point.
Tera and Maria are chatting about the possibility of the Abbot helping the vampires, and Tera seems to refuse to think he’s the type of man to turn on his own kind. Maria brings up good points regarding the church’s history and his shady ways recently, on top of the fact Edouard was taken there by his fellow monsters. Annette suggests going back to face the Forgemaster in the abbey to rescue Edouard and the rest of their now-night-creatures friends and attempt to save them.
Richter at this point is the only one who has any sort of good sense: he states they need a plan, a strategy, so what happened in the chateau doesn’t happen again. Annette’s response is “We have magic” and accuses Richter of being afraid. I have to say I agree with him. Annette and Maria both saw their friends die and, once dead, turned into night creatures – their reaction is very much revenge-geared and without much thought.
Again, the emotional trauma level in Nocturne is more intense and somewhat relatable than in the original Castlevania series. The characters are still pretty complex, if not more, and their rationale and motives are translated very well to the screen and relayed to the viewer.
Well, what do you know – Olrox and Mizrak are definitely interested in each other after all. After meeting under more comfortable circumstances, they talk about the Abbot and his part in all of this. Apparently, the Abbot made a pact with a devil in order to make night creatures, and Erzsebet needs him to make her those for her conquering to begin. Olrox warns him that as soon as Erzsebet is done with them and no longer needs his help, she will kill every single one of them and asks if he thinks this is the right path he wants to take.
Mizrak then goes on a rant about how there’s only one god and that’ll never change – meaning he does not believe in the Messiah and her powers. The contrast between devoting himself to his god and serving him while making a deal with a demon so he can make night creatures to squash the rebels (this is the reason he’s pairing up with Erzsebet to begin with – she helps him get rid of these rebels who are going against the church and he provides her with night creatures to help her conquer the world… while not thinking he’d have to pay for that, apparently). His part in this deal makes no sense unless he really believes he’ll be able to survive once the Messiah doesn’t have a purpose for him.
Tera then suggests going into the catacombs of the abbey to look for any trace of a Forgemaster or a demonic night-creature-making machine, and we see Drolta enter the abbey and meet the Abbot. Her banter with him is pretty entertaining – she sees right through his crap and calls him out on it. It seems she’s not entirely sure he’ll remain loyal, and Mizrak offending her doesn’t really help his cause. There’s no way she’d let them survive through the Messiah’s plan.
While she’s touring the facilities, we see Olrox approach the transformed Edouard. Olrox is definitely my favorite character in this series so far, and I’m very pleased with his portrayal in the show. He does not seem to be on the Messiah’s side of the court, but I do feel he has his own motives for playing the Devil’s Advocate for both sides. He’s very interesting and seems to care about what happens to the fate of humans, unlike every single other vampire shown so far.
Edouard’s singing is much, much better while he’s locked away – and it’s wonderfully timed. The haunting vocals, while our squad faces off against night creatures in the cellar, make for absolutely beautiful storytelling – with each fighter’s unique skills and abilities being showcased. Once they run into Drolta and the Abbot, the fighting gets more intense – and so does the overall vibe when Annette finds Edouard in his cell and Drolta tries to slash at Maria.
The Abbot stops her from killing her. She’s a rebel, and he wants them all gone, and he doesn’t seem like the kind of person to let the fact she’s a child stop a rebel from being eliminated… So why Maria? He doesn’t stop Drolta from going to Annette either, and Annette isn’t much more than a very young adult, either.
Richter destroys the Marquis, and the Abbot says he’s doing what he needs to do to protect the world. Richter is prepared to keep the vampire murdering going when a ghost from the past appears – Olrox. As if he was still his 10-year-old self again, all he could do was run away.
Once the fighting is done, Drolta tells the Abbot the Messiah will be needing more night creatures “very soon”, which means the clock is ticking and Richter and company are almost out of time. This Messiah doesn’t seem to be the kind to waste time, and she’s definitely proving it. The pace picks up a lot more in this episode as well as the next few – and we get to see more and more plot points come to fruition.
Richter runs away, and Annette, Maria, and Tera are not able to find him. Annette is rightfully upset, calling him a coward. I feel bad for her. She saw the man responsible for giving her a new family die, then saw him turned into a night creature who proceeded to save her life, and when she tried to let him know that she could take him out of his misery, she scared him. I love that she shows her vulnerable side – how she gets upset and how she does feel her feelings, but is always able to bounce back and keep her head in the game. She is, without a doubt, one of the strongest characters in this series so far.