Clearly, an end to the Twilight series hasn’t curbed the American public’s love of vampires, as is evident in the premiere of NBC’s mini horror drama Dracula, directed by Andy Goddard, Steve Shill, and Brian Kelly, which aired its pilot episode on Oct. 25.
The new series, a modern take on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, focuses on protagonist Alexander Grayson (Jonathan Meyers), an American entrepreneur who arrives in 1890s London in an attempt to modernize Victorian society. What the rest of London doesn’t realize, however, is that Grayson is actually a reincarnation of Vlad Tepes, a 16th Century warrior who was cursed into a life of bloodsucking by the mysterious Order of the Dragon. The pilot episode focuses on Grayson’s arrival in London, where he hopes to wreak havoc on the people who ruined his life ages ago, the Order of the Dragon included.
Grayson’s plan is thrown into jeopardy when he falls in love with a woman he believes to be a reincarnation of his dead wife, Mina Murray (played by Jessica de Gouw), which adds yet another wrinkle to a pilot episode that offers more mysteries than answers.
Despite what may appear as a decent storyline to the casual viewer, Dracula lacks the bite of the original blood-sucking vampire. The slogan for the show is “The legend takes new life,” which is accurate in more ways than one. Dracula offers a fresh take on a classic horror story, which appeals to a much broader audience. The addition of the romance aspect provides a more engaging story and adds depth to the series, instead of just blood-sucking violence and gore. Despite this, hardcore fans of the original novel by Bram Stoker may feel that the 2013 version of the vampire just isn’t portrayed in the way that he once was. NBC’s Dracula seems like a softer depiction of the original vampire, with added fluff that, to some, may detract from the overall idea of the story.
Another critique on the pilot episode is the lack of action. Viewers who expected fights from the get-go will be disappointed. The little action that there is in the first episode comes at the very beginning and toward the end, which may be too late to rescue the viewer’s opinion of the series.
However, this may be a byproduct of the fact that it is a pilot episode and is simply setting up the storyline for the rest of the series.
Despite the lack of action and relatively slow pace, Dracula keeps its viewers entertained through fantastic visuals and costumes. The buildings and castles look incredible and keep the viewer’s attention from wavering.
Dracula does have a lot of blood and gore, as well as some suggestive scenes that make it inappropriate for young children. Dracula has moments that make it great, but a somewhat dull storyline coupled with little action makes the show boring for some. Add this to the blood and gore, and the viewing audience is limited to mature adults. Dracula seems to be off to an average start, but it definitely has the pieces necessary to build it into one of the top horror-drama series of the year.
Episodes of Dracula air Friday nights on NBC at 9 p.m.
