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

On the previous episode of Dracula the Series, Sophie was transformed into a vampire and joined forces with Lucard (a.k.a. Dracula). In episode 15, we get part two, “Sophie, Queen of the Night.”

Cemetery plot: Sophie, now living in Lucard’s castle, learns the ways of vampirism from him, and befriends his new business manager, Mrs. Fenning. Fenning is secretly plotting to kill Lucard and take over his empire, trying to recruit Sophie, as well as Lucard’s zombie henchmen. Chris, Max, and Uncle Gustav arrive at the castle to save Sophie just as Fenning attacks Lucard. After a lot of chases and fights, Fenning kills herself rather than let Lucard defeat her. Chris then uses the depolluted water from last week’s episode to cure Sophie. He sprays the water on his lips and kisses her. But, wait. Did the water save her, or was it… love?

Lovers’ quarrel.

King of the vampires: Lucard regales Sophie with tales of being a vampire in the dark ages, which he calls his youth. He wants Sophie’s first kill to be a local politician who took a bribe from Lucard but still didn’t follow Lucard’s orders.

Blood brothers: Just when it seems like everything’s okay and Chris and Sophie are a couple now, the episode ends with another cliffhanger: Chris’s old girlfriend from America shows up for a visit. Uh-oh!

The new Mina: Sophie’s first victim is a former teacher of hers, who once threw her out of class for being a know-it-all. Later, Chris and Max say they’ve talked to all of Sophie’s friends to find out where she’s been. What friends? We’ve never seen these friends. Also, the show remembers that Sophie is a music student, showing that music comes easier to her as a vampire.

Fang shot.

Stake master: Gustav is the one who comes up with the idea to use the de-polluted water to cure Sophie, knowing that she’d been bitten by a vampire who’d been exposed to the pollution.

Slayer’s handbook: The episode (and this whole series) is iffy on how someone becomes a vampire, and just what it means to be partially a vampire or fully a vampire. At some points in this episode, Sophie is a vampire, while at others, she’s becoming a vampire. The episode can’t make up its mind.

Killer quotes: Sophie: “Kill you? Why, I could never do that. I’m gonna make you live forever. You wouldn’t believe what a kick it is to be undead, to be eternally young. It’s sort of like Peter Pan… except with fangs.”

Pretty Vampire Woman.

Behind the screams: This show is neither the first nor the last to use “A. Lucard” (or “Alucard”) in reference to Dracula or vampirism. Alucard was first used as the name of the title character in 1943’s Son of Dracula. Alucard was also the son of Dracula in the Castelvania series of games. Alucard was an alias for Dracula in the anime/manga Hellsing and the direct-to-video animated movie The Batman vs. Dracula. Original characters named Alucard have appeared in the film Dr. Terror’s Gallery of Horror, the kids’ show Wizards of Waverly Place, the video game BlazBlue, the anime/mange Rosario + Vampire, and the Lost Books series of novels.

The big lip-lock.

Bite me: This episode is a fan favorite, mostly thanks to Mia Kirchner chewing the scenery as vampire Sophie. But it also offers genuine character development for Chris and Sophie, revealing that the showrunners were willing to push the boundaries of just what this otherwise silly show could be.

Next: Girl trouble.

****

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