God, monsters, and creatures of the night return to haunt the gothic trappings of Castlevania as Netflix’s acclaimed Castlevania: Nocturne premieres its second season. With the master vampire Countess Erzsebeth Bathory—a vessel of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet—trying to bring eternal night and spread chaos and anarchy over the world with her army of undead bloodthirsty creatures, it is an uphill battle for Richter, Annette, Maria, and the group of vampire hunters to restore peace and sanity. However, in the final moments of the finale of the first season, the team of vampire hunters found a major boost in their resolve as Alucard, the Dhampir son of Dracula, made a return to join them by their side and killed Erzsebet’s associate Drolta TTzuentes. The ongoing battle between the undead and the living has roots in changing world order as well, as the backdrop of the French Revolution provides an intriguing setup pitting the revolutionaries against the real-life bloodsuckers—aristocracy and fanatics. The second season feels like a conclusion to the ongoing plot threads, although the character arcs do not necessarily conclude and can take the franchise in newer directions, as hinted through the course of nine episodes.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Alucard Need Sekhmet’s Mummy?
Alucard’s arrival at Machecoul was no coincidence, as he had been trying to take down Sekhmet’s vessel—Erzsebet Bathory—for quite a long while. As Alucard reveals to Richter and co., Egyptian gods like Sekhmet have their souls divided into two parts—Ba and Ka. As it turns out, eons ago, when she used to be a mortal of flesh and blood, Drolta Tzuentes was goddess Sekhmet’s high priestess—who gave in to darker powers and accepted the life of an undead. In order to bring Sekhmet to the mortal plane, Tzuentes turned the notorious mass-murdering Countess Erzsebet Bathory into a vampire and gave him Sekhmet’s blood to turn her into a vessel of the goddess. Alucard assumes that Sekhmet’s heart, which holds the other part of her soul, might be the key to stop Bathory for good, and learning that it is kept in Sekhmet’s mummy in the Louvre, he decides to venture there. Annette decides to join him by his side, and Richter follows suit as well after facing resentment from an aggrieved Maria, who wants him to leave Machecoul. Meanwhile, Erzsebet coerces Forgemaster Abbot Emmanuel to resurrect Drolta as a Night Creature, who wreaks havoc by massacring the revolutionary army, who end up getting turned into Night Creatures—adding numbers to Erzsebet’s army of the undead.
During the course of their journey, Alucard, Richter, and Annette continue facing hordes of vampires, one of whom manages to escape with the intel about their destination and purpose and inform Erzsebet about it. As a result, despite being able to locate Sekhmet’s corpse in the Louvre, Alucard and co. fail to obtain it after Drolta manages to take it away.
Maria’s Self-Discovery
Previously, Tera had sacrificed herself to Erzsebet in order to save Maria and got turned into a vampire—much to the shock and horror of her daughter. Losing her mother, Maria becomes jaded and bitter, which affects her speaker magic, as the creatures she summons appear to have been corrupted by her darker thoughts. Before leaving Machecoul, Richter had entrusted his grandfather, Juste, to take care of Maria—knowing that her pent-up anger and agony might take her down a dark path.
Tera, on the other hand, has somewhat retained her humanity despite being turned into a vampire, and she tries to reach her daughter. Seeing her mother’s condition, Maria begins to hate her father, Abbot Emmanuel, even more, given he had offered Maria to Erzsebet in the first place, prompting Tera to sacrifice her life. In her anger, Maria ends up killing her own father by summoning a corrupted creature inside the church. It should be mentioned that Mephistopheles, who provided the means to Emmanuel to create Night Creatures, arrives to take his soul to Hell—as the wretched ones like the abbot are condemned to eternal damnation.
Being unable to control her emotions, Maria almost ends up setting the creature upon herself—until Juste manages to save her by accidentally reawakening his magic in an absolute crisis situation. In her desperation, a grief-stricken Maria tries to implore Tera to turn her into a vampire, as she wishes to bargain her humanity to have the chance of spending eternity with her mother. Tera realizes her presence has been casting a dark influence on her daughter, and she decides to leave Machecoul to go on a journey of self-discovery. Juste helps Maria to get over her trauma.aAs she reconnects with memories of her good old life, Maria manages to escape from her emotional burdens, and her Speaker magic finds its former purity once again.
In the meantime, Drolta brings Sekhmet’s heart to Erzsebet, after which the countess transforms into an even more powerful, demonic entity—and decides to venture to Paris with her army of undead to begin her quest of world domination by assuming control over the capital of France.
Annette Gets Possessed By Sekhmet’s Third Soul
Throughout the course of the second season, Annette, who had previously established a stronger connection with her ancestral roots by communicating with the orishas, was getting strange premonitions from her ancestors. It is only after Richter, Annette, and Alucard fail to get their hands on the mummy of Sekhmet that she realizes the true purpose of the visions from the spirit world. Apparently, Egyptian gods possess a third soul, Aakh, which preserve their benevolent self, and Sekhmet’s Aakh is trapped inside the spirit world after Drolta desecrates the other two halves of her soul. Annette decides to reach out to Sekhmet’s third soul and, through a ritual, leaves her mortal physical form to enter the spirit world as a soul, where she is reunited with her mentor and her mother’s spirit. Annette finds strength and guidance from Ogun, the Orisha of iron and war, who creates an interdimensional portal to send Annette to the Underworld, where she finds Sekhmet’s Aakh standing in front of the scale of justice. Drolta’s transgressions have led to great cosmic imbalance, resulting in Sekhmet’s Aakh to be awaiting judgment of Ammit—the devourer of souls. As Annette’s soul arrives at the underworld, Sekhmet’s third soul takes control over her physical form, leaving Annette’s soul stranded in the underworld—battling with the devourer of souls. Richter and Annette fall for each other through the course of two seasons, and now as Annette remains trapped in the underworld, Alucard motivates Richter to be at the side of the person he loves.
Alucard’s Resistance and Final Showdown
In the second season, Aztec vampire Olrox’s role is somewhat undermined in the context of the larger narrative, and his relationship with Mizrak also hits a rocky patch due to their differing ideologies and motivations. Olrox gets branded by Erzsebet, and for a brief period, he continues to feign his allegiance to her until Mizrak turns his back on Olrox’s proposition of leaving together. Mizrak is devastated after witnessing the revolutionaries being slaughtered by Drolta and her forces and almost tries to make a rash decision of facing the powerful forces of darkness head-on until Olrox stops him from embarking on such a suicide mission.
Additionally, the second season showcases a brief, bittersweet arc involving Edouard and Night Creatures, whose lingering humanity contributes to a sense of pathos. The captain of the revolutionary army is turned into a Night Creature as well, who, much like Edouard, appears to be a tormented soul who has retained much of her autonomy despite being turned into an abomination.
Meanwhile, anticipating the arrival of Erzsebet and her dark forces, Alucard decides to join hands with the revolutionaries in France, as he advises insurrection leader, Robespierre, to gather strength to defend the capital. From the conversation among Alucard, Richter, and Annette, it is quite clear that three centuries worth of experience has convinced Alucard that true change is not possible, as humanity, marred by its own hubris and propensity to violence, is bound to get caught up in a cycle of self-destruction. Alucard didn’t fully believe that the French Revolution would usher human civilization towards an age of greatness. But in order to counter the failing existing system—which allowed monsters like Bathory or Abbot Emmanuel to propagate inequality, oppression, and horrors of every other kind—the revolution is the only weapon. Maria, Juste, and Mizrak make their way to Paris and reunite with Richter and Alucard. With “Viva la revolución” on their lips, the group of vampire hunters prepares for the final showdown.
Did Bathory Bring Eternal Night?
Finally, Erzsebet arrives in Paris with her undead army, and the combined might of the revolutionary army and vampire hunters led by Alucard engage in a prolonged battle with them. Edouard turns his back on Erzsebet, and his loyalists follow suit as a civil war begins among Night Creatures. Drolta keeps Alucard on his toes for a long while, and on one occasion, Olrox decides to join the battle as well and takes on the mutated Night Creature. However, he soon retreats after finding Mizrak to be wounded and proceeds to take him to safety.
An empowered Erzsebet takes on Juste, Richter, and Maria, and on one occasion, Maria is able to go toe to toe with her—really proving how much stronger she has grown as a character. The reason Erzsebet isn’t able to tap into her full demonic potential is because Sekhmet keeps her powers in check by assuming limited control over her through Annette’s body. But in the process, Annette’s physical form is barely able to contain the soul of a god and almost overexerts herself. Eventually, Richter, Juste, and Maria unleash hell upon Erzsebet and manage to defeat her, once and for all. But before Sekhmet is able to reunite with the other two portions of her souls, Drolta arrives at the scene to take Erzsebet away. Deeming Erzsebet to be unfit for the higher purpose of becoming Sekhmet’s vessel, she takes it upon herself to become the chosen one, and by drinking Erzsebet’s blood, takes the essence of the goddess’ soul within her.
In a final battle, Alucard and Richter begin a fierce battle with an empowered Drolta Tzuentes, who manages to get an upper hand until gathering the strength from Annette’s failing physical form, Sekhmet makes a final stand and absorbs her two souls by taking over Drolta. The ensuing psychic pressure overwhelms Annette, and she is forever lost in the underworld until Richter’s impassioned, loving plea allows her to regain her resolve and strength. Annette’s spirit fights back against the devourer of souls, and, finally, she is able to cross over to the mortal plane. Annette survives in the end and is reunited with her lover, Richter. However, Drolta is still alive and continues to be a nuisance, as she pins down Alucard—when Richter taps into his Belmont family legacy to go for a pound-for-pound brawl with Drolta. Olrox helps Richter at this crucial juncture, and Alucard lends his Belmont protege his iconic sword—using which Richter finishes off Drolta for good. Richter spares Olrox’s life for now but vows to complete his revenge in the future. Olrox returns to Mizrak, and later on, it is revealed that he has decided to transform his lover into a vampire as well—with the intention to spend an eternity together.
Maria and Juste are left incapacitated during the battle, and after Drolta and her forces are vanquished, they regain their senses. Horrors of the past fade away with the beginning of a new age as the sun pierces through the darkened skies. Annette decides to return to her home at Saint Domingue and asks her good friend Edouard to join her, as she is certain that, irrespective of his present condition as a Night Creature, he will find a place among his own people. Richter decides to follow Annette as well as he takes leave from Maria, following a heartfelt reconciliation. Juste stays by Maria’s side as a guardian figure, and Alucard too expresses his willingness to stay in Paris along with the duo for a while instead of wandering off to a lonesome existence, as he wants to see this new chapter of humanity unfold a bit closely. However, Maria appears to still hold on to some of her darker thoughts, as she feels it is justified for the revolutionaries to execute vampire loyalists, showing that she hasn’t let go of her extremist mindset. Tera watches over her daughter from afar, and it is indicated that Mephistopheles is latched on to her as well, although the reason isn’t explained by the end of the second season. Edouard’s soulful, melancholic tunes fill the air as the second season comes to a close, leaving a number of questions unanswered, which I would like to address in a separate article.
