Forget about those Cullens and the diaries — it’s time to talk about the original vampire: Dracula.
“Dracula” starts in the country of Romania in 1881, where viewers meet two explorers as they drop into what seems to be a grave — a very eerie-looking one, to be exact. On top of the coffin is a monstrous figure and around it are images that are more than a bit disturbing.
One explorer, viewers discover, is simply looking for treasure. The other, however, is there for something else. He runs his hand across the images, as if recognizing them. The two begin to destroy the coffin. When a part of its wall collapses, viewers are treated to view of the grotesque corpse.
A little bit (okay, a lot) of blood later and the corpse comes to life.
Fast forward to London, 1896 where the newly alive corpse is American industrialist Alexander Grayson (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who is holding a grand party to reveal his latest discovery.
After mingling with his guests, Grayson introduces the concept of a geomagnetic power source. While it impresses most people in the party, it threatens the big economists — one even calls him a fraud.
And then everything starts to slowly unfold.
Viewers find out it was Grayson who killed the man and that he is trying to find the leader of a group called the Order of the Dragon.
Several events happen soon after: vampires are suspected to be back in Britain, Grayson gets interviewed by journalist Jonathan Harker, professor Van Helsing is introduced, Mina Murray, a medical student, confesses her problems with surgical procedures and Grayson spends a little time with a Lady Jane.
The moment that viewers were waiting for come soon after as Grayson gets into a fight with Hermann Kruger who, on his deathbed, says to Grayson, “You are Dracula.”
A little while later, viewers find out that Professor Van Helsing was the explorer who raised Dracula from the dead, and, for the past 10 years, he and Dracula have built up a business to eventually thwart the Order of the Dragon.
“Dracula” returns to the age of the original vampires where vegetarianism isn’t an option and their skin burns in the sunlight. The show is dark, mysterious and beautiful.
NBC went all out and undoubtedly spent a lot of money on the show, as is evident in the party scene. They created a beautiful ballroom setting, complete with extravagant gowns that I wish existed in my closet.
While the show received good ratings and people tuned in to watch, the future of the show is a bit unclear. There is no doubt that there is a certain lure to the show that would keep audiences coming back, but some people are just not pleased.
I, for one, am both attracted to it and a bit wary of it. The return of original vampires, the science that is incorporated in the show and the beauty of the setting amuses me; however, so far, the plot doesn’t quite bring me in enough to keep watching. And, personally, I don’t always feel the 1800s setting.
Finally, I admit that the concept of vampires, old or new, is really starting to get a little old.
Will I watch future episodes? Maybe — at least to see if it gets better and interests me further.
