We’re into season three of Castlevania on Netflix, and everyone is waiting for season four even though virtually nothing is guaranteed for the future. The last season was hotly anticipated and landed with a fiery bang on the streaming service, where it was promptly devoured by a horde of ravenous fans. However, that’s not to say that the series had some rocky moments in season three, like dull plotlines and a number of things fans were hoping to see that never materialized.
The result of this is that we still got to watch our favorite characters kicking some demonic butt, but we also had to sit through some tedious moments with characters we don’t care for. Here are a few characters we like, and a few that we don’t, in Castlevania on Netflix.
Love: Trevor Belmont
Trevor’s character arc is still a pleasure to watch, composed of dark humor, genuine heroism, and brooding moments. Sypha describes it best when she says he’s so sad that he “doesn’t even notice it anymore.” Personally, things seem to get better for Trevor, but professionally it’s another story, and the experience tests himself and his new partner.
She’s another fan favorite. It’s important that the main character stays a consistent favorite, which is why Castlevania is still popular after mixed reviews of the third season.
Don’t Love: Sala
There are a few characters that appear in season three for what appears to be no reason at all, and this dullard is one of them. Sula’s not only boring, but he’s also stupid, and because the character is set up to be something more at his introduction, he’s even more disappointing when the season closes.
He wasn’t some sort of evil genius secretly conspiring with one of Isaac’s constructs, he’s a cowardly fool. The light shining through those big eyes is the sun shining through the back of his head.
Love: The Judge
Yeah, you did love this guy. Don’t feel bad, he fooled all of us, and that’s the point. We never find out his name, only his title, and the Judge was a dose of secularism and sanity in a world of twisted religious dogma and the stupid crazies like Sala.
His eventual betrayal is all the more shocking not only because of the hideous nature of his crimes but because he tricks the audience into thinking he’s a good guy. Beware the person that everyone likes, that’s the real face of evil.
Don’t Love: Hector
Carmilla said it herself, man-children. She’s right when it comes to Hector. He was more sympathetic in the first couple of seasons, but by the time Carmilla throws him in a dungeon, it’s hard to retain our interest. He’s just a tool now that the vampire girls pass around.
First Carmilla’s plaything, now Lenore’s pet, all Hector seems to have going for him is his power as a Forgemaster. With another, much more interesting Forgemaster as part of another plotline, he’s become a lot less interesting.
Love: Isaac
Second only to Trevor when it comes to a compelling character armed with magical weapons and amazing dialogue, Isaac has become our main antagonist. He was previously the last ally of Dracula, and in the most recent season, he has become the Tepis heir apparent.
His storyline is exciting and driven, far surpassing the dull plot we have to sit through for the actual son of Dracula. His literal journey coincides with an interesting spiritual evolution and both are interesting to observe.
Don’t Love: Sumi and Taka
We put these two in the same entry because we could do without one of them or both of them. Their storyline as part of Alucard’s descent even further into mopey madness is predictable, which is part of what makes it so boring. This storyline could have been much better since all of the characters have an interesting backstory that intertwines with the son of Dracula, his father’s knowledge, and the Belmont Hold, but that all gets thrown away.
We waited ten episodes for this?
Love: St. Germaine
Sypha and Trevor don’t really have their own story in this season. It’s really St. Germaine’s story and our heroes are along for the ride. He’s a reference to the video games, so the fanservice is nice even though his appearance is different, but he also has a mysterious backstory that we want to hear about more.
There are several new characters introduced in season three, and St. Germain is probably the one we’re most likely to see again. There are a lot of reasons to like St. Germaine, even though he’s a late addition to the series and we don’t learn that much about him. It’s strongly hinted that he’ll reappear again in a later season.
Don’t Love: Carmilla
The Vampire Sisters are a great addition to the show, and one reason why is because we were sick of Carmilla stomping about all by herself. She needed some other characters to contrast her aggressive character. Watching her beat on Hector at the end of season two was like watching an eight-year-old bully a four-year-old.
How many indications do we need that she’s angry, compulsive and greedy? We get it, already. It’s nice to know that there’s a method to her madness because she was getting on our last nerve. One of the Sisters, Striga, is the one who defies Carmilla the most openly which is why we like her.
Love: Sypha
Sypha gets even better in this season. She has a few new powers, like firey propulsion and throwing lightning, and it’s fun to watch her use them while increasing her knowledge and experience of fighting monsters.
That includes the bitter failure that ends the episode. Sypha keeps a cool head and doesn’t shrink from a brutal fight, but the knowledge of the Judge’s heinous crimes brings her close to the breaking point. The pain and doubt of her partner have become infectious. How this affects Sypha’s character will keep us on our toes for season four.
Don’t Love: Alucard
Talk about wasted potential. That’s what makes the Alucard storyline so frustrating, especially seeing how it culminates in season three. There are some great moments between Alucard and his houseguests, but it goes in such a predictable direction that it feels contrived, and the audience just can’t get behind it.
Alucard just seems painfully naive at this point and we wonder if the writers didn’t get him mixed up with Hector. Initially, his solitude is tragic and almost funny, but with sympathize less with him the more he wallows. Alucard clearly just needs a hobby that doesn’t involve hanging people on stakes.
