Castlevania Season 3 (the Netflix show)

[Ramza00]

So the new season of Castlevania came out today. 10 Episodes so a little more than 4 hours of video.

Does anyone have thoughts or opinions? Oh there are some background references to other properties if you are into that.


Edit: I forgot...

I do not know if there is a Season 2 thread, but here is the Season 1 thread.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...evania-Netflix

[Olinser]

So the new season of Castlevania came out today. 10 Episodes so a little more than 4 hours of video.

Does anyone have thoughts or opinions? Oh there are some background references to other properties if you are into that.


Edit: I forgot...

I do not know if there is a Season 2 thread, but here is the Season 1 thread.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...evania-Netflix

Oh **** I missed that it was coming out!



Must binge watch and report back.

[Wraith]

I completely missed that it was coming out this week - I thought it wasn't due until the end of April. Must have remembered 04/03 as 30/04 while skim-reading, or something

I thought that season 1 was excellent, and while comparatively a little flabby in the middle I really enjoyed season 2 as well.
I will definitely start my binge of season 3 tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it - my knowledge of the Castlevania plot (such as it is) ended with the death of Dracula, and while I know the current antagonists are important I don't know why, so I'm looking forward to finding out more.

[Lemmy]

Watched 5 episodes... Will watch the rest today.

So far, it's been a really slow season. Completely focused on character development. Which is fine... But the forte of the series has always been its action scenes. And there pnly 2 so far, one of which was rather short... Hopefully the 2nd half of fhe season is more exciting.

[Lemmy]

Finished watching it... By far the weakest season. We spend a bunch of time with a bunch of new characters, and yet... I couldn't care less about any of them or about what's going on.

Alucard is completely wastes. Trevor and Sypha are better... They at least so things, but by the end of the season, I was rolling my eyes.

A few good action scenes here and there, but overall, it felt very slow, pretentious and pointless.
This season really should have 4~6 episodes long. And could have used a better writer too.

[JadedDM]

This season really should have 4~6 episodes long. And could have used a better writer too.

The writer for every episode this season, last season and the first season is the same person--Warren Ellis.

[Lemmy]

The writer for every episode this season, last season and the first season is the same person--Warren Ellis.

Well... Then he should go back to doing whatever he was doing before.

[khadgar567]

Well entire season is kinda hog as not much reason to use meteor hammer. But good thing is in future plot gonna speed up a quite a bit as forge masters gonna clash( here is a obscure part of games plot) and our lovely duo gonna be cleaning their mess.

[Ortho]

Well, this is certainly different. Not bad different - it never felt like it was jumping the shark or anything - but it did get a lot more sci-fi than I was expecting. Seems like they got a budget bump, too, judging by the large amount of CG set pieces.

The only things that really bugged me were Sypha using her fire spells as rocket propulsion (am I the only one who thinks it would make more sense for her to fly using, I don't know, the air?) and the gratuitous vampire sex. Minor nitpicks, though. Aside from those, pretty good season. I appreciate the slower pace; it made the world feel less hectic and more grounded, and snuck in some character development.

[BisectedBrioche]

I've watched Episode 3.01 and just starting 3.02. First impressions:

Spoiler: Season 3

Show

• Ship (on wheels) confirmed, ship confirmed and SHIP CONFIRMED!
• Sucks to be Hector
• Isaac somehow managing to be chill and completely extra. I love it!
• EDIT: Not so chill

Further EDIT: Most of the dialogue seems to be everyone snarking each other. This is what I signed up for!

[Olinser]

It was pretty good and I'll definitely watch Season 4 when it comes out.

But my main knock this season is that it quite frankly ISN'T a complete season. There's a lot of setup and a lot of movement and character/world building, but no resolution to the main plot threads for Hector/Isaac.

It's basically just the first half of a season.

[Ramza00]

It was pretty good and I'll definitely watch Season 4 when it comes out.

But my main knock this season is that it quite frankly ISN'T a complete season. There's a lot of setup and a lot of movement and character/world building, but no resolution to the main plot threads for Hector/Isaac.

It's basically just the first half of a season.

Why do we "need" resolution?

While I am not talking spoilers in the spoiler blocks. I am still putting it in the spoiler blocks for some people are only 1 or 2 episodes into this 10 episode 4+ hour season.

Spoiler: End of Season 2 vs Season 3

Show

The story is not over and ending each season with a resolution creates expectation of a specific form.
While ending a season without a resolution creates a different form of expectation.

Let's view this from another perspective. The traditional 3 act structure for storytelling is good for certain types of stories like we are telling an action story and we want cathartic relief at the end of the story. I will argue Castlevania Season 3 is trying to trigger a different genre and that one is more similar to horror, and thus denying cathartic relief at the end of the season was precisely the point, it was precisely the expectation the writers, creator, producers, directors, etc wanted to leave the audience with.

Remember there are different types of horror relief at the end of the Season. For example in She Ra Season 4 the Antagonists seem to have all the cards in their hands and thus the Protagonists future is uncertain. This is one type of horror but there are many forms of horrible tension to leave the audience with. Well Castlevania is arguing from a nightmare framework where the idea of certainty about the future is inherently uncertain, you can't trust anything after the events of Season 3 of Castlevania, betrayal may happen from the people you trust the most.

The Season 3 nightmare ending is meant to disavow and rebut the Season 2 ending where the protagonists are triumphant at the end of Season 2. After a triumph we forsee, as most human instinct is, a resolution with the resolution being positive and optimistic. Put another way Season 3 is deconstructing Season 2's tropes.

If Castlevania never gets a 4th season it would be like a horror short story / novella where the ending is meant to create dread and uncertainty like it is a twilight zone episode. If Castlevania does get a 4th season then we just saw Act 1, 2, and 3 of a 5 act story structure with Season 4 providing Act 4 and 5. Cramming 5 acts in a single season is sometimes counterproductive, many works of fiction purposefully ad a break of weeks, months, years, to create a sense of time where your thoughts linger, explore, and forget so you grapple with your emotions during that time.


------

So what I am saying, how is a positive or negative "Knock" it is just a different taste, a different expectation. Some people expected sweet and we got sour plus some spicy. A legitimate taste in its own right.

[BisectedBrioche]

Up to episode 4

Spoiler: Spoilers

Show

• More corrupt monks, but at least they're openly corrupt instead?
• I like how they're contrasting Alucard and his new students with Hector. Unless they wind up thinking he's crazy because of the dolls or something.
• Isaac continues to be both an awful person and living the dream
• The apple metaphor is pretty on the nose (I mean, the judge looks pretty untrustworthy, so I'm guessing he's in on the conspiracy somehow?).

[druid91]

So, just finished.

Spoiler

Show

Splitting this up by general plot thread.

Alucard: Somehow more dull than the Hector plot. Important Character development in ruining his prior commitment to humanity with two flatly misanthropic twins. 4th place.

Hector & the Carmilla Crew: Honestly, pretty darn dull. I know a lot of people had a pretty strong reaction to Lenore and her shenanigans, but it was only just barely above Alucard's plot in that it actually had some solid jokes in the earliest bits, and has some potential interest going forward. A weak 3rd.

Isaac: So. I'd already liked Isaac from Season 2. And Season 3 Isaac did not disappoint. His entire storyline here was one of the two better ones though pretty simplistic. It was a bad*** Necromancer Army Building Romp with a side of re-discovering himself. An unlikely second place because I enjoyed it a lot, but...

Belmont & Belnades: So, this whole plot was a lot. And it was just amazing. I didn't think they'd be able to best Isaac's rampage across the desert. But honestly? The entire plot with the Dracula cult was amazing, and the fights were just as crazy as before. Definite 1st place.

Points I still don't get:

*What's with the 'Judge' and his pit?

*Who is the Pirate of the Roads and will we ever see him?

*Where did Saint Germain go?

[Ramza00]

So, just finished.

Spoiler

Show

Splitting this up by general plot thread.

Alucard: Somehow more dull than the Hector plot. Important Character development in ruining his prior commitment to humanity with two flatly misanthropic twins. 4th place.

Hector & the Carmilla Crew: Honestly, pretty darn dull. I know a lot of people had a pretty strong reaction to Lenore and her shenanigans, but it was only just barely above Alucard's plot in that it actually had some solid jokes in the earliest bits, and has some potential interest going forward. A weak 3rd.

Isaac: So. I'd already liked Isaac from Season 2. And Season 3 Isaac did not disappoint. His entire storyline here was one of the two better ones though pretty simplistic. It was a bad*** Necromancer Army Building Romp with a side of re-discovering himself. An unlikely second place because I enjoyed it a lot, but...

Belmont & Belnades: So, this whole plot was a lot. And it was just amazing. I didn't think they'd be able to best Isaac's rampage across the desert. But honestly? The entire plot with the Dracula cult was amazing, and the fights were just as crazy as before. Definite 1st place.

Points I still don't get:

*What's with the 'Judge' and his pit?

*Who is the Pirate of the Roads and will we ever see him?

*Where did Saint Germain go?

Spoiler: Judge and St Germain stuff at the end of the season.

Show

I am going to keep this real basic for the rules of the forum. Trying to keep it basic will make some of my post cryptic and I am sorry for that. That said if you are curious for more I figure it will be enough you can use google and wikipedia to answer your questions if you still have them.

The Judge part with the Apple Tree, and his serial killer pit around the apple tree is about the Garden of Eden and the nature of choice. Furthermore why an apple tree? Well in later christian writings the idea of the tree with eden in art became an apple tree due to a latin pun. Borrowing from wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_(symbolism)

• The classical Greek word μήλον (mēlon), or dialectal μᾶλον (mālon), now a loanword in English as melon, meant tree fruit in general,
• but was borrowed into Latin as mālum, meaning 'apple'.
• The similarity of this word to Latin mălum, meaning 'evil', may also have influenced the apple's becoming interpreted as the biblical "forbidden fruit" in the commonly used Latin translation called "Vulgate".

Aka how you stress the a in mălum (evil / wicked) vs mālum (apple) signifies to the reader / listener which word you are talking about. The a in mălum sounds like the a in the word malice (which also descends from Latin) while the a in mălum (apple) is more like an a in the word about.

[Sidenote a similar pun is used with the word utopia. eutopia means "The Good Place" in Greek, while "outopia" means "No Place" and thus Sir Thomas More in the 1500s when he coined the term utopia he was signify this place does not exist in the material world, only in the world of our mind / imaginations.]

-----

The nature of good and evil in religion with the garden of eden I can't really talk about in this forum. That said if we have an incomplete view in the show of someone's perspective of the nature of good and evil. Incomplete for it is not elaborated upon.

The speakers believe that man can cooperate and perfect this material world. What this means, and how you would do it is not elaborated on, it was a single line drop by Sypha (Something about the speakers are against god for something something tower of babel that is not clearly laid out in the show, and I can't speculate more on it due to forum rules.)

The whole point though with the Judge character is to challenge Sypha and Trevor's view on the nature of humanity, but Sypha more for she was the optimist of this couple, while Trevor has seen depravity of humanity but through his relationship with Sypha and Alucard...Trevor is remembering humans can be good, worth saving, and that bonds with other humans is what makes life worth living. [Not just Beer.]

-----








St. Germain is a character in the Castlevania Curse of Darkness where he is a time traveler. This is the same game with Hector and Issac. I haven't played this game and we know Warren Ellis via interviews do not play the games either though he does read summaries of games and borrows ideas from them.

But St Germain in myth is also a thing if I were to put money down Warren Ellis is also familiar with based off his previous writings. Count of St. Germain was a real life person who rubbed shoulders with the famous people in the 1700s in England, France, and the Netherlands / Dutch Republic. He claimed many outrageous things and would not divulge his true origins, when he was pressed he claimed to be 500 years old and from Transylvania where at his birth he was a prince. Well many people of the time did not take him seriously but he did rub shoulders with the upper classes of the 1700s where lots of people found him interesting.

Supposedly St Germain was interested in Alchemy, Philosophy, Mysticism, Medicine, Art, Secret Societies etc.

Well after his death his myth grew and he was supposed to be the secret prophet who know many things such as being a key figure in the occult traditions of Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy. Some Theosophist believed this immortal was incarnated in previous lifetimes as people such as Plato, Hesiod who wrote the Greek Chronology of the Gods, Merlin, Christopher Columbus, Francis Bacon (and Bacon also wrote Shakespeare's plays) etc, etc with a dozen other people.

Other traditions said Saint Germain was somehow connected to Jesus. [Skips sharing more due to forum rules.] You can figure it out from here with google and wikipedia if you are still curious for more.

-----

So what I am saying who is St Germain in this Castlevania season is a moment of question. All we know is time and space is weird now in Castlevania Season 3 for those Gateways allow you to revive the dead but also go to different worlds, different universes, and different times and space.

[Eldan]

I knew about the real St. Germain before, and he is quite fascinating.

[Eldan]

So, just finished.

Spoiler

Show

Splitting this up by general plot thread.

Alucard: Somehow more dull than the Hector plot. Important Character development in ruining his prior commitment to humanity with two flatly misanthropic twins. 4th place.

Hector & the Carmilla Crew: Honestly, pretty darn dull. I know a lot of people had a pretty strong reaction to Lenore and her shenanigans, but it was only just barely above Alucard's plot in that it actually had some solid jokes in the earliest bits, and has some potential interest going forward. A weak 3rd.

Isaac: So. I'd already liked Isaac from Season 2. And Season 3 Isaac did not disappoint. His entire storyline here was one of the two better ones though pretty simplistic. It was a bad*** Necromancer Army Building Romp with a side of re-discovering himself. An unlikely second place because I enjoyed it a lot, but...

Belmont & Belnades: So, this whole plot was a lot. And it was just amazing. I didn't think they'd be able to best Isaac's rampage across the desert. But honestly? The entire plot with the Dracula cult was amazing, and the fights were just as crazy as before. Definite 1st place.

Points I still don't get:

*What's with the 'Judge' and his pit?

*Who is the Pirate of the Roads and will we ever see him?

*Where did Saint Germain go?

"Alucard adupts two human puppies" was definitely the weakest part of the season. I enjoyed it otherwise.

[Wraith]

Binged the last 7 episodes. I have to say that I was disappointed, not because it was bad but because it wasn't what I was hoping for. I recognise that there is a difference between the two things.

Spoiler

Show

As has been pointed out, Season 3 is a lot of setup for Season 4, which is always a very brave move - let's say that fans don't get the 'long term plan' for the show and think that Season 3 is just a bit dull, so the show is cancelled - Castlevania is forever remembered as being the show that had a boring last season, which isn't strictly true and I'm sure there are examples in other shows to whom exactly that happened.

The problem I have is that the main characters all go through an arc and basically go right back to where they started in some recognisable fashion, just in different physical locations and having killed a whole bunch of secondary characters that we hadn't met before and really didn't care about.

I really like the dynamic between Sypher and Trevor, who is fast becoming one of my favourite heroes across many forms of media. Together they have a great dynamic, I enjoy the choreography that goes into their different fighting styles, and I never feel that what they're doing is dull. They just don't achieve anything in series 3, though; they come into a random town, spend a long time arguing with mad monks, then go and fight a big monster at the end when everyone is already dead.
The monster has no name, no voice, no goals or motivations other than "do monstery stuff" - I wouldn't call it a "token" fight scene to end the show with some action because I enjoyed the action a lot, but it could have been just some Monster Of The Week and it left me wanting something more... significant? It's a very good example of how insignificant the life of an adventurer really is, compared to the machinations of warlords and powerful wizards, but I'm not sure that's the lesson I should be taking away from a show about the heir to the Belmont family, of all things.
Either way, over 10 episodes Trevor and Sypher end up back on the road having earned nothing or really learnt anything, except now Sypher is sad and Trevor is jaded again. This could have been condensed by quite a bit, I feel.

I grew to like Isaac a lot more during this season. He explored his motivations and heard some differing opinions and I'm really interested in seeing what he chooses to do next, because at the minute he *technically* opposes the vampires but only insofar as they have something he wants. Even so, he ends the series very similar to how he began - alone with just his monsters, wandering a strange place and looking for a way to bring back Dracula while deciding if he should kill everyone first or do it later. Again, it could have been condensed and we could have ended the season on a more substantial note where the various factions are actually ready to start their campaigns, not just on the verge of beginning to prepare for them.

I like Hector. He's a more-or-less sympathetic character and not the monster that his profession might suggest, but goddamn it I was hoping for some growth! Having been manipulated by a vampire and betrayed, he ends the season by... being betrayed by another vampire who manipulated him. Inside I was screaming how little it takes to gain his trust and how little he has learned while literally standing there with a leash around his neck.
I realise that I am probably projecting - I *want* Hector to unleash what he can do, because he's the quietest of the characters so far and it would be so cathartic to see him tear everything down. The show, however, makes him look stupidly gullible and his suffering is bordering on self-inflicted. Of all the plots, his is the one I want to see more of, if only to hear him justify why he is like he is and what he's going to do about it. Meanwhile it's just slightly infuriating.

Alucard is... tricky. On the one hand, I get what the writers were trying to portray - that he is lonely and craves company, but if he lets down his guard then the world itself will suffer as others plunder his father's knowledge. That he realises this and becomes more jaded like his father - he even points out at the very end what he's doing is what Dracula did - is logical character progression. On the other, it just takes forever and by the end of it he hasn't interacted with anyone or done anything beyond exist and grow slightly more callous. Again, I think it needed condensing and to push him into a position of doing or achieving something of significance at the end of the season, because at present he's so utterly remote from the rest of the plot and characters that he might as well not exist. If anything, I wanted to see more of him talking to his dolls of Sypher and Trevor, so that we could see that he had even SOME connection to them, vague as it might be.

Oh yes, and I also didn't like the overlapping of the sex/fight scenes in the penultimate episode. I get what they writers were going for - various puns on the word 'climax' will be involved somewhere, I'm sure - and I get the importance of showing the converging events that define the characters' efforts in the season so far.
Yet, there were 4 different plots all going on at the same time, two of which big pitched battles with very beautiful imagery and very intricate direction, and I think I would have preferred them to take place at different times - it would have been easier to watch without the sudden 4-way cuts, and each were impressive enough that they deserved some time being dedicated to them alone and sharing screen-time did slightly spoil the overall effect.

I liked it. I am glad that I watched it, and I enjoyed the studies of the different characters, their motivations and I will definitely enjoy speculating on where they're going to go with it next. I really wish that more time had been spent on character achieving some goals and arriving at a cliffhanger before they engaged in conflict, because right now everyone is still far away from direct conflict and that makes me feel less confident about the beginning of season 4; I feel like it will start with more manoeuvring and more exposition, when what I want is pacing more like Season 1 where we get into the meat of the story quickly and have milestone events to keep piquing my interest every so often rather than save it all up for the end.

[Eldan]

I just remembered one scene that unreasonably annoyed me.

Spoiler

Show

So, Episode 9, the Men at Arms of the city march up to the monastery in a spear/halberd formation, with armour. They face monks, mostly armed with daggers. Should be a very quick massacre, especially since they also have Belmont and Belnades.

Except... just seconds later, most of the Men at Arms don't have polearms anymore, they have swords. As do the monks.

[druid91]

Binged the last 7 episodes. I have to say that I was disappointed, not because it was bad but because it wasn't what I was hoping for. I recognise that there is a difference between the two things.

Spoiler

Show

As has been pointed out, Season 3 is a lot of setup for Season 4, which is always a very brave move - let's say that fans don't get the 'long term plan' for the show and think that Season 3 is just a bit dull, so the show is cancelled - Castlevania is forever remembered as being the show that had a boring last season, which isn't strictly true and I'm sure there are examples in other shows to whom exactly that happened.

The problem I have is that the main characters all go through an arc and basically go right back to where they started in some recognisable fashion, just in different physical locations and having killed a whole bunch of secondary characters that we hadn't met before and really didn't care about.

I really like the dynamic between Sypher and Trevor, who is fast becoming one of my favourite heroes across many forms of media. Together they have a great dynamic, I enjoy the choreography that goes into their different fighting styles, and I never feel that what they're doing is dull. They just don't achieve anything in series 3, though; they come into a random town, spend a long time arguing with mad monks, then go and fight a big monster at the end when everyone is already dead.
The monster has no name, no voice, no goals or motivations other than "do monstery stuff" - I wouldn't call it a "token" fight scene to end the show with some action because I enjoyed the action a lot, but it could have been just some Monster Of The Week and it left me wanting something more... significant? It's a very good example of how insignificant the life of an adventurer really is, compared to the machinations of warlords and powerful wizards, but I'm not sure that's the lesson I should be taking away from a show about the heir to the Belmont family, of all things.
Either way, over 10 episodes Trevor and Sypher end up back on the road having earned nothing or really learnt anything, except now Sypher is sad and Trevor is jaded again. This could have been condensed by quite a bit, I feel.

I grew to like Isaac a lot more during this season. He explored his motivations and heard some differing opinions and I'm really interested in seeing what he chooses to do next, because at the minute he *technically* opposes the vampires but only insofar as they have something he wants. Even so, he ends the series very similar to how he began - alone with just his monsters, wandering a strange place and looking for a way to bring back Dracula while deciding if he should kill everyone first or do it later. Again, it could have been condensed and we could have ended the season on a more substantial note where the various factions are actually ready to start their campaigns, not just on the verge of beginning to prepare for them.

I like Hector. He's a more-or-less sympathetic character and not the monster that his profession might suggest, but goddamn it I was hoping for some growth! Having been manipulated by a vampire and betrayed, he ends the season by... being betrayed by another vampire who manipulated him. Inside I was screaming how little it takes to gain his trust and how little he has learned while literally standing there with a leash around his neck.
I realise that I am probably projecting - I *want* Hector to unleash what he can do, because he's the quietest of the characters so far and it would be so cathartic to see him tear everything down. The show, however, makes him look stupidly gullible and his suffering is bordering on self-inflicted. Of all the plots, his is the one I want to see more of, if only to hear him justify why he is like he is and what he's going to do about it. Meanwhile it's just slightly infuriating.

Alucard is... tricky. On the one hand, I get what the writers were trying to portray - that he is lonely and craves company, but if he lets down his guard then the world itself will suffer as others plunder his father's knowledge. That he realises this and becomes more jaded like his father - he even points out at the very end what he's doing is what Dracula did - is logical character progression. On the other, it just takes forever and by the end of it he hasn't interacted with anyone or done anything beyond exist and grow slightly more callous. Again, I think it needed condensing and to push him into a position of doing or achieving something of significance at the end of the season, because at present he's so utterly remote from the rest of the plot and characters that he might as well not exist. If anything, I wanted to see more of him talking to his dolls of Sypher and Trevor, so that we could see that he had even SOME connection to them, vague as it might be.

Oh yes, and I also didn't like the overlapping of the sex/fight scenes in the penultimate episode. I get what they writers were going for - various puns on the word 'climax' will be involved somewhere, I'm sure - and I get the importance of showing the converging events that define the characters' efforts in the season so far.
Yet, there were 4 different plots all going on at the same time, two of which big pitched battles with very beautiful imagery and very intricate direction, and I think I would have preferred them to take place at different times - it would have been easier to watch without the sudden 4-way cuts, and each were impressive enough that they deserved some time being dedicated to them alone and sharing screen-time did slightly spoil the overall effect.

I liked it. I am glad that I watched it, and I enjoyed the studies of the different characters, their motivations and I will definitely enjoy speculating on where they're going to go with it next. I really wish that more time had been spent on character achieving some goals and arriving at a cliffhanger before they engaged in conflict, because right now everyone is still far away from direct conflict and that makes me feel less confident about the beginning of season 4; I feel like it will start with more manoeuvring and more exposition, when what I want is pacing more like Season 1 where we get into the meat of the story quickly and have milestone events to keep piquing my interest every so often rather than save it all up for the end.

Spoiler

Show

I feel like, in large part the Night Creature trying, and nearly succeeding, at resurrecting Dracula was supposed to be sort of foreshadowing. If ONE night creature did that, what could Isaac achieve with his army? And so, it's a setup to show that Isaac really could realistically resurrect Dracula.

And thinking about it. Isaac pulls his Night creatures from Hell. And intends to empty it entirely, so the chances of him raising the Judge, or Priory head cult guy are fairly good.

[Ramza00]

I will write more later, but here is a short quippy answer about Hector, responding to Wraith.

Spoiler: Hector

Show

I like Hector. He's a more-or-less sympathetic character and not the monster that his profession might suggest, but goddamn it I was hoping for some growth! Having been manipulated by a vampire and betrayed, he ends the season by... being betrayed by another vampire who manipulated him. Inside I was screaming how little it takes to gain his trust and how little he has learned while literally standing there with a leash around his neck.
I realise that I am probably projecting - I *want* Hector to unleash what he can do, because he's the quietest of the characters so far and it would be so cathartic to see him tear everything down. The show, however, makes him look stupidly gullible and his suffering is bordering on self-inflicted. Of all the plots, his is the one I want to see more of, if only to hear him justify why he is like he is and what he's going to do about it. Meanwhile it's just slightly infuriating.

Hector's core desire, the one underneath everything is he is allowed to take up space, and the space he takes up mattered, and he created a positive difference.

Hector hates conflict, but he longs to hear your presence matters. Note this desire is so fundamental, so raw, and so basic he is not aware of it for it is layered under many layers of defenses like a suit of armor, or like an onion has layers ... layered on top of the core. Put another way see Hector as a person who thinks he is Luke Skywalker.

I can write more later, but this is a short reply. Pretty much Hector is never going to get what he wants with his vampire friend group, for his core desire is not compatible around toxic people. Around non-toxic people people can validate him, but also create requests of Hector can you help me with this for it will make the world a better place. Thus to be Hector is to suffer in Castlevania.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Overall, I quite liked this season, it wasn't as action packed as the first two but that's not a bad thing. It could stand to take some time to build up to a truly epic confrontation further down the line because after the first season, I felt the second one really rushed the whole 'we're going to kill Dracula!' plot point to leave the show with a trio of undeveloped villains.

Now? Now there have some development! Issac I went from being ambivalent about to quite enjoying as both a badass and a character, Carmilla's council of vampires got some development that gave more depth to Carmilla herself (and Lenore is great in general), and Hector can go die in a fire for being a stupid prat. But hey, at least the dumb prat has something smarter looking out for him!

I do feel as if the reveal with the Judge wasn't necessary, it was a dark moment sure but..it didn't really serve a purpose that the mad monks themselves didn't already. More importantly, I think they detracted from the story being told by turning the Judge's story about like that.

That said..I quite enjoyed the monks themselves and their entire plot line.

Just about the only story I didn't fancy was Alucard's...largely because it was drawn out over the course of an entire season. If it had just been a one and done (which it easily could have been) I think I would have enjoyed it more. Also the earlier fights didn't feel as..smooth as in the other seasons, noticeably so, but it looks like they had been saving up for the fights in episode 8 onward so I can't really complain considering how good they were.

[Spacewolf]

I seems like the seasons are planned to be split across two seasons each.

But yea Alucard story line was ok but took to long to get to the point. Judge was obviously abit evil but it didn't serve the story by having him actually be evil in that way. Issacs story was actually just good and drove the story forward. Camillas castle storyline was pretty good as well, Camilla has clearly fallen into not as smart as she thinks territory.

Spoiler: Late season specific spoilers

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The visitor was a cool monster although Belmont and Cypher seem to have gotten weaker since they fought Vlad, unless demons are supposed to be generally stronger than normal nightspawn.

I do wonder if Vlad is going to come back at the end of this series since Issacs apparently has monsters all over trying to bring him back. I'd actually like Vlad to come back save Issacs from getting killed at the last second and Vlad, his wife and Issacs all go off into the sunset if this season is the last.

[Olinser]

I seems like the seasons are planned to be split across two seasons each.

But yea Alucard story line was ok but took to long to get to the point. Judge was obviously abit evil but it didn't serve the story by having him actually be evil in that way. Issacs story was actually just good and drove the story forward. Camillas castle storyline was pretty good as well, Camilla has clearly fallen into not as smart as she thinks territory.

Spoiler: Late season specific spoilers

Show

The visitor was a cool monster although Belmont and Cypher seem to have gotten weaker since they fought Vlad, unless demons are supposed to be generally stronger than normal nightspawn.

I do wonder if Vlad is going to come back at the end of this series since Issacs apparently has monsters all over trying to bring him back. I'd actually like Vlad to come back save Issacs from getting killed at the last second and Vlad, his wife and Issacs all go off into the sunset if this season is the last.

Disagree on the ending.

Spoiler: Ending

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TBH I don't think Dracula DESERVES a happy ending. Lisa does, but he doesn't. He's a completely unrepentant mass murdering monster that doesn't care about any human not named Lisa. While she was alive he acted better not because he actually cared, but because SHE wanted him to.

What I'd like to THINK they're working themselves up to doing, is having Alucard mirror Dracula's path.

This season was a significant blow to his normally idealistic view of humans.

I think they're working themselves up to resurrecting Dracula, having Alucard join him this time, then introducing Maria as a parallel to Lisa to snap Alucard back to humanity's side, leading to a final confrontation between Alucard and Dracula a la Symphony of the Night. Isaac is a great parallel for Shaft from that game as well.

[Eldan]

Judge was obviously abit evil but it didn't serve the story by having him actually be evil in that wa

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Yeaaah... I actually started coming around a bit on the judge after a while. I mean, when he first came on screen, I was all "Oh hello, evil authority figure", but then I started to think "maybe they aren't actually going there and he's just coldly competent like a budget Vetinari", which I would have preferred. And then of course, he had to send a little kid out to the forbidden apple tree.

The visitor was a cool monster

Spoiler

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Eh? A cool looking monster, but it didn't do enough for my taste. I'd love to have at least seen it speak to the monks before it unleased the giant ritual of firey souls. Hear it corrupt people.

[Rakaydos]

Spoiler

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Yeaaah... I actually started coming around a bit on the judge after a while. I mean, when he first came on screen, I was all "Oh hello, evil authority figure", but then I started to think "maybe they aren't actually going there and he's just coldly competent like a budget Vetinari", which I would have preferred. And then of course, he had to send a little kid out to the forbidden apple tree.

Spoiler

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Eh? A cool looking monster, but it didn't do enough for my taste. I'd love to have at least seen it speak to the monks before it unleased the giant ritual of firey souls. Hear it corrupt people.

Sometimes a lawful evil authority figure, is the lesser of the evils you have to deal with.

[DigoDragon]

I'm going to mirror Callos_DeTerran's post. Season three was pretty good. Not season two good, but hey, it is rather hard to top killing Dracula in an epic battle.

Sypha and Trevor's bantering was fun.


Judge man... why you did that?!

[Anyr]

I do feel as if the reveal with the Judge wasn't necessary, it was a dark moment sure but..it didn't really serve a purpose that the mad monks themselves didn't already. More importantly, I think they detracted from the story being told by turning the Judge's story about like that.

I think its purpose was to reinforce a theme of this season: The dilemma of whether to trust a stranger. Trevor, Sypha, Isaac, Alucard and Hector are all confronted by it. They live in a cruel world. Everyone is a potential enemy. When someone extends a hand of friendship, does their other hand conceal a dagger? Is the risk worth taking? In this season, all the main characters choose to trust; And all but one of them get betrayed. The Judge was a power hungry serial killer. The apprentices were awaiting their chance to strike. Lenore was just as terrible as her sisters.

Ironically, Isaac is the only exception. He keeps expecting deception from humanity. But everyone he meets has honest intentions: Whether as friend or foe. The shopkeeper, captain and old woman all keep their word to him. The guards and wizard are straightforwardly open in their hostility. I enjoyed that.

[Ramza00]

I think its purpose was to reinforce a theme of this season: The dilemma of whether to trust a stranger. Trevor, Sypha, Isaac, Alucard and Hector are all confronted by it. They live in a cruel world. Everyone is a potential enemy. When someone extends a hand of friendship, does their other hand conceal a dagger? Is the risk worth taking? In this season, all the main characters choose to trust; And all but one of them get betrayed. The Judge was a power hungry serial killer. The apprentices were awaiting their chance to strike. Lenore was just as terrible as her sisters.

Ironically, Isaac is the only exception. He keeps expecting deception from humanity. But everyone he meets has honest intentions: Whether as friend or foe. The shopkeeper, captain and old woman all keep their word to him. The guards and wizard are straightforwardly open in their hostility. I enjoyed that.

Agrees and let circle it back to the Season 1 and Season 2 themes of Superstition. English Superstition comes from Latin "superstō +‎ -tiō", superstō means 1) I stand upon, 2) I stand over, 3) I survive and the tiō suffix modifes the root so A) "the result of (a verb) or B) "the action of (a verb)." Put another way the tiō / tion is the "consequence" and the result of the choice made with the prefix, cause and effect.

All of these decisions in Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 whether you trust or not. And Season 3 introduces the idea of a golden mean where you need to trust but also to be skeptical at the same time. Castlevania's Lisa / Risa wanted to teach the people the true sciences so they will be less superstitious and thus they will live better lives and longer lives. The Speakers and one of the 3 protagonists Sypha think it is culture, language, stories that are actively practiced and shared that will drive out Superstition.

How do you handle the Stranger? What do you Stand upon during uncertainty? That is the nature of the questions Castlevania is exploring. After all the Priests and the Bishops thought they could banish the stranger by burning them and via doing so you can make the world pure again. Is this any different than Issac or Dracula? Are they not just mirror images of each other?

The only difference I see is why they want to Banish the Stranger.

• Dracula is Immortal and thus does not need to fear his mortal life from a Stranger, instead only fearing pain and loss, things that attack ones heart / soul and leaves indelible marks. Dracula does not fear like everyone else, he may grieve, he may have hot anger, but it is different.
• Issac does not care if he lives or dies for he has only faced a life of pain before becoming a forgemaster. He is fine with dying, only living to be a zealot and create a better world and to remove the people in this world that will prevent it.
• Bishop / Priests / Various other People such as Villagers. These people are mortal and when they are afraid they want to banish or slay the stranger. It is not methodical, it is not precise, instead it is emotional like fear unleashed. Mob violence, running directly in front of a person and stabbing them if Trevor Belmont scapegoats them (sure it was a valid point, but how that person died was not a duel or a trial but instead an emotional afraid person running up and stabbing them.)

Lastly there is a 4th person who is different than those above 3 who want to eliminate specific humans or humanity and that is Carmella and the 4 Women Vampire coven. They are crafty, they are schemers, they want a sense of control over the stranger. By restricting the options of others the stranger is no longer scarry of something to be afraid of.

[Spacewolf]

Disagree on the ending.

Spoiler: Ending

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TBH I don't think Dracula DESERVES a happy ending. Lisa does, but he doesn't. He's a completely unrepentant mass murdering monster that doesn't care about any human not named Lisa. While she was alive he acted better not because he actually cared, but because SHE wanted him to.

What I'd like to THINK they're working themselves up to doing, is having Alucard mirror Dracula's path.

This season was a significant blow to his normally idealistic view of humans.

I think they're working themselves up to resurrecting Dracula, having Alucard join him this time, then introducing Maria as a parallel to Lisa to snap Alucard back to humanity's side, leading to a final confrontation between Alucard and Dracula a la Symphony of the Night. Isaac is a great parallel for Shaft from that game as well.

Spoiler: Ending

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By off into the sunset I don't mean it as an unambiguously happy ending but more of a continuation of Draculas wanderings of the world. With the implication being Humanity gets a new chance to prove itself but potentially getting destroyed if they fail.