In Season 1, Episode 3 of the Netflix series Castlevania: Nocturne, titled “Freedom Was Sweeter,” Annette (Thuso Mbedu) shares with Richter and the Renards the story of her escape from slavery and her journey to becoming a Maroon in Saint-Domingue. The episode begins with Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) indoctrinating Vaublanc (Alastair Duncan) into Erzsebet Bathory’s (Franka Potente) vampiric cult. Vaublanc swears his devotion to Bathory forever before Drolta uses a branding iron to mark his forehead with an eclipse symbol, representing Bathory’s cult and its followers.
At the Renard household, Richter (Edward Bluemel), Maria (Pixie Davies), and Tera (Nastassja Kinski) attempt to console Annette following the death of Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt) the previous night at the hands of the vampires and Nightcreatures. Edouard’s death haunts Annette because he was like a brother to her and the only family she had after her mother’s murder. Annette tells Richter and the Renards her backstory and journey in Saint-Domingue, from being a victimized slave to a Maroon.
In Saint-Domingue in the year 1780, a young Annette and her mother, Esther (Erica Luttrell), were plantation slaves under the ownership of the vampire Vaublanc. Annette’s mother would sing a lullaby that invoked Iwa, a Haitian Vodou protective spirit, to protect them from harm by Vaublanc’s guards. One night, Vaublanc overheard Esther singing to Annette in their hut, leading him to destroy their furniture and reveal hidden marks of their native tradition. Vaublanc was furious because he had forbidden his slaves from displaying signs of their native cultures on his plantation. Additionally, he was angered by how Esther and Annette used a magic spell to protect themselves from harm. As a result, Vaublanc brutally executed Esther in front of Annette. Following her mother’s death, Annette held on to her mother’s lullabies in her heart and learned they were ancestral calls that connected her to African deities beyond the plantation. Ten years later, the sixteen-year-old Annette attempted to escape Vaublanc’s plantation, but the slave guards captured her. A slave guard tries to brand Annette until her powers awaken in front of the guard: the magical powers of the god of war and iron, Ogun. Annette inherited these powers because she was a descendant of Ogun on her father’s side. Ecstatic at what happened, Vaublanc sadistically told Annette to run away. Annette fled but was chased by Vaublanc, his men, and his dogs as they hunted her for sport.
Annette escaped to the city of Saint-Domingue’s opera house, where she saw Edouard singing for the first time and became enamored by him. Soon, Vaublanc tracked Annette to the opera house and rudely interrupted Edouard’s singing, justifying his need to reclaim his property. Nevertheless, Vaublanc chose to wait until the opera house performance was over before resuming his hunt for Annette.
Annette hid in Edouard’s room’s closet, where Edouard found and kindly took her in. Edouard revealed himself as a Maroon. Maroons were a military force of escaped slaves who mobiled a resistance. He took Annette to the Maroons’ base in the mountains, where she began to master Ogun and Orunmila’s powers and magic under the mentorship of the high priestess Cecile (Sharon D. Clarke). Annette joined the Maroons in attacking Saint-Domingue and killing the slave masters, both vampires and humans. She hunted Vaublanc to his plantation, but he escaped after taunting and defeating Annette in a fight, shocking her by shapeshifting into a bat.
After successful attacks on Saint-Domingue’s slave masters, Annette met with her mentor, Cecile. She witnessed Cecile having a vision of the Vampire Messiah and the terror she would bring in the future. The Vampire Messiah is now attempting to conquer Europe before moving her attention to the New World, including Saint-Domingue. Thus, Annette and Edouard began their journey to France.
At Machecoul’s church, Olrox (Zahn McClarnon) watched Mizrak (Aaron Neil) training in the courtyard. Mizrak noticed the Aztec Vampire and ambushed him. Impressed, Olrox countered and put Mizrak’s dagger to the knight’s throat. The Aztec Vampire questioned Mizrak about Abbot Emmanuel’s (Richard Dormer) status as a Forgemaster who created Nightcreatures for the Vampire Messiah. Olrox also asks why Mizrak and his comrades would join vampires, an act that contradicts their faith in God. Mizrak justified his faith that the Abbot’s alliance with the Vampire Messiah would end the revolution and crush the French Republic. However, Olrox warned Mizrak that Bathory was treacherous and would betray the Abbot when she no longer needed them.
At the Marquis’ chateau, Drolta called her master, Erzsebet Bathory, with a diamond communication device. Tzuentes reported that the vampire cultists and vampire guests had all arrived at the chateau, and Drolta herself would meet the Abbot the next day. The Countess excitedly shares with Drolta a dream she had of the rulers of Europe and Asia kneeling before her. Drolta assured her messiah that they would all kneel before her.
At Machecoul, Maria and Richter took Annette to a public gathering to inspire the revolutionaries in the town. Annette delivered a successful revolutionary speech that roused the revolutionists in the crowd. Simultaneously, the Abbot gave a sermon in the church about the barbarism of the French Revolution. Soon, a group of Nightcreatures ambushed the public gathering to kill the revolutionaries present. Richter, Annette, and Maria fended off the monsters until Annette saw that one Nightcreature had Edouard as its vessel. A Nightcreature attempted to kill Annette, but “Edouard” killed the Nightcreature to save her, shocking the other Nightcreatures. They escaped with “Edouard” to the church, leaving Annette in shock, horror, and disbelief. Annette cries and mourns at what Edouard has become.
The Maroons of Saint-Domingue
In Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1, Episode 3, directors Sam Deats and Tam Lu, along with writer Zodwa Nyoni, delivered an engaging episode that delves into the backstories of Annette and Edouard. The episode seamlessly incorporates a significant historical event, the first slave uprising in Saint-Domingue in 1791, beginning the Haitian Revolution. This blending of historical events with the Castlevania world adds a unique dimension to the series, where monsters and magic coexist to be harnessed by humans and supernatural creatures during the events aside from conventional tools.
Moreover, this episode introduces Annette as a demigod due to her lineage, being a descendant of the Yoruba Gods Ogun and Orunmila. This revelation hints at the possibility of the series incorporating deities into the storyline to introduce new antagonists alongside vampires, forgemasters, and Nightcreatures. We notably witness Olrox’s transformation into a winged-serpent form resembling the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl and later vampires worshipping Erzsebet Bathory as a deity.
Overall, the introduction of deities in the Castlevania: Nocturne series adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, and it will be fascinating to see it further explored in the show’s future storylines.
Rating: 9/10