Castlevania Season 3 Episode 5 Review: A Seat of Civilisation and Refinement
A more streamlined episode hones in on fewer characters and the season's bigger story arcs.
By M.T. Bates
Season 3 of Netflix's Castlevania is in full swing at this point, with so many different moving parts involving so many gripping characters. It’s come to the point where Trevor needs some alone time to…reflect, so to speak. His bout of self-reflection doesn’t last long, however, as the Judge decides it is time for him to have a one-on-one with the vampire hunter.
It goes differently than you might expect and it's clear the Judge is a man with secrets, but his keen eye and watchful leadership over his town doesn’t miss a thing.
Saint Germain continues his residency at the Priory and he becomes more adventurous at this point. He is indeed searching for something and while he may have found it, he quickly realizes he won’t be able to retrieve it alone. His story is about to unfurl itself into something otherworldly, but given the character’s video game lore, it feels entirely appropriate.
Alucard continues his training of Sumi and Taka as they spar in the forest. It’s easy to see how he is enjoying their companionship more than anything. Being able to hold conversations with living beings again is bringing him much-needed joy and fulfillment that his life was missing ever since Trevor and Sypha departed. With young blood surrounding him, his humanity seems to be flowing like never before and it makes him incredibly endearing. He’s letting himself break out.
The Good
This is a more focused episode honing in on what our main characters are up to, pushing the overall season story forward. Alucard's humanity remains a highlight.
The Not-So-Good
Some of our side stories are brushed aside for the time being, including the journeys of Issac and Hector.
7.0/10
This episode flies by, despite only visiting half the characters. It was more focused to allow for buildup on the bigger story arcs in play. Not to say the tale of the two forgemasters isn’t important, but I feel many would agree that our three heroes deserve more of the spotlight. The mystery surrounding Saint Germain has been unveiled, and his goal is now clear. While the foreshadowing is clear on what is going to happen in episodes to come, that doesn’t make it any less exciting. With Trevor and Sypha preparing to do battle with the spawns of hell and Alucard enjoying his life, it seems all is right within the world of Castlevania.
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