Did you know Dracula had his own TV show in 1990? This is the Halloween season, so let’s watch it!

When you’ve got Dracula set in modern times, you’ve got to deal with modern technology. That’s what Dracula the Series attempts in episode four, “The Boffin.”

Cemetery plot: Max befriends a bumbling yet brilliant scientist, Dr. Smith, who has invented the world’s only anti-vampire gun, capable of firing concentrated sunlight. It turns out Smith’s financier is Lucard (a.k.a. Dracula) who wants the gun for himself. During the final confrontation, the gun fails to kill one of Lucard’s vamp henchmen. Our heroes escape, thinking they’ve won. Later, the henchman burns up, and Lucard boasts that he owns the world’s only delayed-action anti-vampire gun.

Not creepy at all.

King of the vampires: Showing how he’s kept up with science, Lucard boasts about his organization has produced powerful sunblock and synthetic reflective surfaces.

Blood brothers: The episode’s B-story is Chris and Sophie discussing dating and what dating is like. In a roundabout way, they end up going to the same restaurant at the same time, all the while not certain whether it counts as an actual, honest-to-gosh date.

Love is in the air.

The new Mina: Sophie asks Chris how she compares to American girls he knows. So, where is she from? Her accent sounds American to me.

Stake master: We’re meant to believe that Uncle Gustav’s old fashioned vampire hunting is nothing compared to Smith’s high-tech approach. Then it’s revealed that Gustav was working undercover in Smith’s lab the whole time, secretly staying one step ahead of everyone.

Science bros.

Slayer’s handbook: Smith tests the weapon against wood made from a vampire’s coffin, suggesting that such wood has special properties.

Killer quotes: Smith: “Garlic, an aromatic little herb, which has outlived its usefulness.”

Behind the screams: Good ol’ Drac is played by Geordie Johnson. While he’s been in a number of TV shows and movies, including a role in The English Patient, most of his career has been acting for the stage, including tons of Shakespeare. He’s performed live theater all over North America. Prior to Dracula the Series, he once played Dracula on stage.

Ta-DAH!

Bite me: Another episode that packs a ton of plot into 30 minutes. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I liked the old-school special effects, and the fact that the show is willing to go sci-fi for one episode.

Next: What’s the solution?

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