Blood Vessel
- Episode aired Jan 4, 2020
- TV-14
- 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5.4K
YOUR RATING
The crew aboard the Russian ship, The Demeter, are locked in a life-or-death struggle to stop Count Dracula before he reaches England.The crew aboard the Russian ship, The Demeter, are locked in a life-or-death struggle to stop Count Dracula before he reaches England.The crew aboard the Russian ship, The Demeter, are locked in a life-or-death struggle to stop Count Dracula before he reaches England.
Rob Horrocks
- Harker Staff
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCount Dracula dresses in Bela Lugosi's classic vampire costume for the dinner aboard the Demeter.
- GoofsDracula tells Piotr the story of admiral Nelson, and how he was brought back to Britain after being killed in battle by putting him in a barrel of rum. Actually, Nelson was put inside a barrel of brandy. Given the fact Dracula absorbs the knowledge of his victims by feeding on them (and previously had killed a very cultured Englishman), he should know that.
Featured review
What if Dracula in an Agatha Christie novel?
This episode is the highlight of the series. It is completely original, it is clever and it is well executed. The first episode was a classical horror story with a twist, the third is more Black-mirror-ish. This one is its own unique thing, it is part murder mystery part adventure story.
The reason I liked this episode is because in the original novel Dracula there is a part explaining how Dracula came from Transylvania to London. It is short, it is creepy but there is no plot development nor character growth, it is purely to get the character from A to B and to build up the lore, explain how he got Romanian soil in England. Be it the books or the movies, everyone always discarded this chapter, it is short, it is technical, there is nothing of importance happening.
This episode is a prime example of why TV is in a golden age right now. It is so good because this format allows precisely for these kinds of episodes. Modern TV has the luxury of focusing on a speck of dust on a characters shoulder and pull out and episode, even an entire arc around it. It can either crush your show or elevate it to high art. When it is successful, it stops the main action; yet it allows us, the audience, to get to know characters a bit better. You get the characters in vacation so to speak, outside of their natural surroundings. You get to see qualities and traits that you wouldn't have had time to see in the regular narrative.
Obviously, the main character is Dracula and we know everything there is to know already. In that regard the episode is kind off making fun of the tropes. Yet, if you consider that Sister Agatha is the main hero, this episode is helpful in fleshing her out as a unique and original character.
The episode's premise is simple yet perfectly executed; it stretches out that boring Dracula boat chapter into a detective murder mystery of sorts. It is Dracula meets Death on the Nile. It is the Count Vampire in an Agatha Christie story. It is at the same time ridiculous yet genius. Firstly, because it plays it straight and explores the adventures of the Count on an actual sea voyage. Secondly, because the episode wears it's self-awareness on its sleeve. You end up with a crime-mystery plot, filled with gothic-horror characters with just enough humour to blend it together seamlessly. It is funny, is it scary, it is intriguing, but most of all it is fresh and original.
In terms of a part of a larger series, the effect of the episode is harder to jauge. It is so disconnected from the main narrative that the next episode is struggling to be as interesting, while introducing new characters and motives. Similarly, because the first episode was more of a classical horror story this episode feels jarring at first. Fortunately, the tone is consistent, and Dracula and Sister Agatha have enough charisma to carry whatever the plot throws at them. Which in turn, shows how well these characters are written.
The reason I liked this episode is because in the original novel Dracula there is a part explaining how Dracula came from Transylvania to London. It is short, it is creepy but there is no plot development nor character growth, it is purely to get the character from A to B and to build up the lore, explain how he got Romanian soil in England. Be it the books or the movies, everyone always discarded this chapter, it is short, it is technical, there is nothing of importance happening.
This episode is a prime example of why TV is in a golden age right now. It is so good because this format allows precisely for these kinds of episodes. Modern TV has the luxury of focusing on a speck of dust on a characters shoulder and pull out and episode, even an entire arc around it. It can either crush your show or elevate it to high art. When it is successful, it stops the main action; yet it allows us, the audience, to get to know characters a bit better. You get the characters in vacation so to speak, outside of their natural surroundings. You get to see qualities and traits that you wouldn't have had time to see in the regular narrative.
Obviously, the main character is Dracula and we know everything there is to know already. In that regard the episode is kind off making fun of the tropes. Yet, if you consider that Sister Agatha is the main hero, this episode is helpful in fleshing her out as a unique and original character.
The episode's premise is simple yet perfectly executed; it stretches out that boring Dracula boat chapter into a detective murder mystery of sorts. It is Dracula meets Death on the Nile. It is the Count Vampire in an Agatha Christie story. It is at the same time ridiculous yet genius. Firstly, because it plays it straight and explores the adventures of the Count on an actual sea voyage. Secondly, because the episode wears it's self-awareness on its sleeve. You end up with a crime-mystery plot, filled with gothic-horror characters with just enough humour to blend it together seamlessly. It is funny, is it scary, it is intriguing, but most of all it is fresh and original.
In terms of a part of a larger series, the effect of the episode is harder to jauge. It is so disconnected from the main narrative that the next episode is struggling to be as interesting, while introducing new characters and motives. Similarly, because the first episode was more of a classical horror story this episode feels jarring at first. Fortunately, the tone is consistent, and Dracula and Sister Agatha have enough charisma to carry whatever the plot throws at them. Which in turn, shows how well these characters are written.
helpful•51
- Criticalstaff
- Oct 23, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Filming locations
- Orava castle, Slovakia(Castle of Dracula)
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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