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

Here’s Dracula the Series episode 16, “My Fair Vampire.” The title mostly says it all.

Cemetery plot: Uncle Gustav visits his mentor, Frederick, who is now in a nursing home suffering the early stages of senility. Frederick fears a vampire is in the home, feeding off the old folks. Meanwhile, Lucard (a.k.a. Dracula) meets an aspiring singer named Amber and decides to train her in the finer things in life before turning her into a vampire. Frederick tries to stop Lucard, revealing that Frederick has become a vampire, and he’s the one who’s been feeding on the old folks. Lucard slays Frederick and Gustav rescues Amber.

For your Emmy consideration.

King of the vampires: Turns out the singer is secretly a vampire hunter, seeking revenge for a family member Lucard once killed.

Blood brothers: The kids don’t do much in this episode. Chris helps out during the final fight, and there’s a gag with him, Max, and Sophie playing baseball at the end.

Battah, battah, swing battah!

The new Mina: Sophie takes younger brother Max to a carnival in one scene, establishing that the two of them have become friends by now.

Stake master: Gustav frets about growing older after seeing what’s become of Frederick. By the end of the episode, though, he turns a corner, enjoying life for however long it lasts. To prove this point, he goes on a date with the lovely young Amber.

Slayer’s handbook: A vampire is shown being killed with a stake to the back, as opposed to the chest. Makes sense, but “stake to the chest” is normally the tradition.

Mesmerized.

Killer quotes: Amber (about a broken vase): “Was it expensive?” Lucard: “Priceless.” Amber: “Well, that’s all right then.”

Behind the screams: Frederick was played by veteran actor Barry Morse, who must have been quite a “get” for this show. Morse is arguably best known for playing Lt. Gerard in the original TV version of The Fugitive. He was also a regular on Space: 1999 and War and Remembrance, among a list of credits a mile long.

“Check every henhouse, doghouse… wait, how does that go again?”

Bite me: Another overly jokey episode, where the dramatic concerns about growing old are overshadowed by slapstick shtick. After everything that happened in the previous three-parter, this episode feels like a place-holder.

Next: Roaming, roaming, roaming…

****

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