Season Review: Castlevania Season Four

Overview: Trevor (Richard Armitage), Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis) return as they seek to help anywhere they can and to stop the resurrection of Dracula (Graham McTavish). 

Our Take: When news was first relayed that Castlevania was ending with it’s fourth season, I was quite skeptical. The Netflix series had staked a special place in my heart and I greedily wanted to drink my fill even more from the bloody well. But it was more than that. The enormous scale the series had cultivated along with the vast breadth of character’s unfinished plotlines had me curious as to how the series could be brought to a satisfying conclusion within the span of ten episodes. This final season truly was the night creature I never saw coming as it tore through my doubts and expectations to deliver an awe-inspiring finale for the hit show. 

To try to touch on every detail of every character’s storyline and important story beat would be a monumentally mundane and tedious task. What’s important is the attention to that detail along with the love and care given to each respective member of its multilayered ensemble cast. Alucard attempts to dig himself out of the morbid hole he was in despairing in. Trevor and Sypha seek to be active instead of reactive. Issac grows and learns to include legacy into his future. Hector seeks to make amends for Dracula’s death whether he needs to or not. Carmilla’s unquenchable thirst for power is called into question, not to mention how Lenore, Striga and Morana fit within her grand plan. Saint Germain receives the closure that he rightfully deserves. Every character’s arc is meticulously cultivated with the complexity and diligence that each so rightfully deserves. What’s more is all these characters, vampire or not, are innately human and reflect that through various aspects, the key throughline being not necessarily humanity but something much deeper and more relatable: self-love. Even the new sharp fanged foes in Varney and Ratko, prove to be more than just your run-of-the-mill vampires with both proving to be subservient to their true nature. Malcolm McDowell is absolute comedy perfection as the incorrigible Varney while Titus Welliver personifies strength as Ratko. And better yet is how both are able to seamlessly transition into being their own menacing antagonists. 

Chemistry amongst the cast burns brighter than ever before with Trevor and Sypha building on the foundation of their romance with even more lighthearted wit and charm along with a genuine warmth that’s inherently second nature. New addition, Greta, acts as a down-to-earth kindred spirit to Alucard. One that is also a wonderful counterbalance that he so desperately needed in his melancholy state, rekindling his faith as a whole. Hector acts as a confidant for Lenore and her past trauma. Striga and Morana ponder whether a tireless war is something they’d be willing to fight for. Issac’s humanity begins to shine through in the most unlikely of places with his night creatures. Every relationship, whether new or returning, goes through an organic, grounded evolution and builds upon what made most of the characters so special from the beginning. 

The bulk of the story is carried by each protagonist’s respective story and the relationships they’ve built. However, there are some wrinkles in regards to the plot, towards the latter half. Trevor and Sypha’s aid of Targoviste is abruptly ended in favor of Dracula’s resurrection. While understandable, that specific plot is dropped in what is almost inconsequential to the story on account of how little it contributes to the overarching plot. Almost being the key word here as there are other elements surrounding it that contribute to the building of characters and the MacGuffin of the tale. But the latter feels hastily thrown together at best so had it had more development it would’ve been executed a heck of a lot better. In Issac’s case, there isn’t much precedent leading up to the invasion of Carmilla’s castle. It really just happens with no explanation beforehand. It was almost as if there was an entire episode with extra exposition and details that I had somehow missed in between. It’s this bizarre pacing where an extra two or three episodes would’ve really come in handy to help flesh out those storylines more. 

But where Castlevania falls short in a few minor respects, it more than delivers on thereafter. There are so many shocking, jaw-dropping moments, especially within the last few episodes. One of which being Trevor’s final showdown with Death (or the closest thing to it) with it evoking the same grand anticipation as facing off with a final boss in a video game with a huge scale and tense atmosphere. And of course those visuals wouldn’t be possible without the anime wizardry that Powerhouse Animation has been conjuring up from the get go. The animation staff have really outdone themselves and delivered numerous artful masterpieces. Carmilla’s final scene is a beautiful blue and blood soaked canvas of a scene with the colors contrasting exceptionally. The Avengers-style teamup scene with Alucard, Syph and Trevor is pure hype at its finest with magic manipulation, sword swipes and Morningstars’ bouncing off the screen. And this is just to name a few. The only small hiccup is the odd slower frame rate and lack of fluidity in a handful of scenes, which can be especially jarring if you’re accustomed to Japanese anime. However, it’s much less prominent compared to past seasons and shouldn’t affect the experience too much.

Expectedly, the cast is phenomenal as ever. Richard Armitage’s wisecracking is as funny as ever in Trevor Belmont. Alejandra Reynoso returns as the always fierce firecracker Sypha Belnades. James Callis’ dry wit as Alucard Tepes is as comical as ever. There are also some great newcomers as well with Marsha Thompson, a welcome addition as Greta, with her genuine heart and playful nature. If you’ve been with the series for long, you know I could go on and on. The entire cast, both returning and new alike, are so eerily comfortable in their roles they knock it out of the park in their sleep with their continuously exceptional performances. 

One could argue the final outing for our vampire hunting trio doesn’t take enough risks. That it plays it safe. After all, we get the ideal ending for many characters that most probably wanted. Not to mention we leave the series with newly resurrected characters offering them a new sense of hope. But it’s because of this very reason that the series ends as perfectly as it does as well as what we’ve been given. We’ve sunken our teeth into what has been a blood-soaked, hellish, nightmare-fueled thrill ride, from start to finish. With freakishly gorgeous animation, a gothic dystopian playground to frolic in along with scarily relatable characters to lose ourselves in, I’ve drank my fill. And like Trevor, Sypha and Alucard, I too basked in the warm sunlight as I sent my three friends off into the little slice of heaven they and the series had all earned themselves. And this is where I will stay as I wait for the next series in the Castlavania universe as I will always be thirsty for more.