Season 2, Episode 1, titled “A Living Legend,” directed by Sam Deats and Adam Deats and written by Clive Bradley, centers on Alucard and the vital intelligence he gathers about the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Alucard’s arrival in France, along with the information he brings, ignites newfound hope among the protagonists in their fight against Countess Erzsebet Bathory. They realize that if Erzsebet is defeated, her followers will disperse, effectively ending the crisis. Consequently, the season is dedicated to discovering the ideal weapon and strategy to assassinate the so-called Vampire Messiah.
The episode’s central theme is hope. Alucard serves as a beacon of hope for Team Belmont, as his unparalleled skill and experience in defeating vampires and other supernatural creatures surpass that of the rest of the team. Maria, in particular, is inspired when Alucard shares that vampires can be redeemed through love, citing Dracula’s transformation when he experienced his first love. However, the episode also challenges this notion, demonstrating that love is not always a redemptive force. Vampires, too, can feel genuine love while committing horrific acts. An example of this is Erzsebet’s love for her priestess and companion, Drolta. Erzsebet’s grief over Drolta’s death seems sincere, yet her hope is reignited when Emmanuel accidentally reveals that his night creatures retain their souls, giving her a new avenue to pursue her ambitions.
Team Belmont
Three years ago, Alucard (James Callis) traveled to Egypt to gather intelligence on Sekhmet, hoping to find a way to eliminate the goddess’s influence from the world. During his research, he learned that Sekhmet’s soul is divided into three parts: her blood, her heart, and her physical body. To neutralize her, all three components must be located and destroyed. Alucard initially focused on finding her physical body, but his search led him to an empty sarcophagus in Sekhmet’s temple—a trap designed to mislead him. Undeterred, Alucard continued his hunt and uncovered that Sekhmet’s true body had been hidden in Paris, likely as a precautionary measure orchestrated by Drolta.
Alucard shares his findings with Team Belmont, which consists of Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), Annette (Thuso Mbedu), Maria Renard (Pixie Davies), and Mizrak (Aaron Neil). With this crucial information, the team determines their next course of action and welcomes Alucard into their ranks. However, Maria is unable to join the mission as she is grieving her mother’s recent transformation into a vampire. Instead, she remains behind with Mizrak, who acts as her protector.
Alucard helps ease Maria’s despair over her mother’s fate by sharing his belief that vampires can find redemption through love. He recounts how Dracula was able to suppress his cruel impulses during his marriage to Lisa Tepes, offering Maria a glimmer of hope amidst her sorrow.
Team Sekhmet
Countess Erzsebet Bathory (Franka Potente) returns to her base of operations after the eclipse ends, a consequence of her failure to fully harness Sekhmet’s powers. Furious over Drolta’s death at the hands of Alucard, Bathory vows to exact a slow and excruciating revenge on Dracula’s son. Determined to restore her closest ally, Bathory devises a plan to resurrect Drolta. Through her new servant, Tera Renard (Nastassja Kinski), she manipulates Emmanuel (Richard Dormer) into creating a vampire-night creature hybrid from Drolta’s remains. The resurrection succeeds, and the vampiric priestess of Sekhmet returns to the mortal realm, ready to resume her dark work.
The resurrection of Drolta builds on lore established in Castlevania Seasons 3 and 4, which confirmed that vampires possess souls, as evidenced by Dracula’s soul being sent to Hell after his mortal death. This episode further reveals that when vampires are resurrected as night creatures, they retain their autonomy rather than becoming enslaved to the forgemaster who raised them. Drolta’s return shakes Emmanuel to his core as he realizes the profound implications of this: every monster, vampire, and night creature retains a soul. This revelation terrifies and saddens him, underscoring that all sentient entities require souls to exist and interact in the mortal world. In essence, there is no such thing as a soulless being.
Rating: 9/10