Dracula Episode 1

The Blood Is The Life

 

Dirt and debris rain down from a hole knocked into the ceiling of a crypt. A rope is dropped through and two men lower themselves down. They examine the lone coffin in the pit. While the guy with the hat breaks open the side of the coffin, the other guy celebrates finding a couple of gold bars. He doesn't celebrate for long as Hat Guy takes a knife and slits his accomplice's throat, allowing the dying man's blood to flow down over the dried-up cadaver in the tomb. Replenished with fresh hemoglobin, the mummy re-hydrates into the form of Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

 

The story now moves to London, 1896. A cleaned-up Dracula is getting dressed as Renfield reports on the guests arriving for a demonstration. Dracula is now going to portray himself as American industrialist Alexander Grayson.

 

(This Renfield doesn't look like the type to eat flies.)

 

Horse-drawn carriages pull up to Carfax Manor where the party is in full swing. An orchestra plays (music that sounds non-19th century) as dancing couples whirl around. Journalist Jonathan Harker escorts two women (wearing non-19th century dresses) into the party. The blond woman is Lucy Westenra, so if you know your Dracula you know things won't go well for her. (But then if you know your Dracula you know Jonathan Harker wasn't a journalist.) The woman with brown hair is medical student Mina Murray and 19th century women wouldn't be kissing their dates in a crowded ballroom like that.

 

With much fanfare "Alexander Grayson" is introduced to his guests. Right before he is to make a toast his eyes meet Mina's. Dracula is momentarily stunned as Mina resembles his long-lost love. After making the toast, Dracula instructs Renfield to find out everything on the woman.

 

It's time to meet his guests. First up is Jayne Wetherby, a hot-to-trot lady who is attending the party not with her husband but with some German officer. Next up are a bunch of old fogey stogies and their 'Lady' wives. The men are on the board of some British patent office and Dracula wants access to some patents concerning cooling units. Whatever, the Brits turn him down cold since he's just a Yank.

 

Per his boss's instructions, Renfield pulls Jonathan aside and offers the journalist an opportunity to interview the mysterious industrialist. Tomorrow at 4:30 good for you?

 

The lights are lowered and "Grayson" starts handing out light bulbs to his guests. Claiming to be able to tap into the magnetosphere, Dracula tells the people he can supply them with safe and wireless energy. Down in the basement, engineers start pulling levers around a steampunk-ish type of contraption. Upstairs, the bulbs all start to glow in the hands of the guests. Ooh, pretty.

 

Uh-oh, sever technical difficulties down in the basement. All that steam from the steampunk-ish contraptions is escaping.

 

The old fogey stogies are worried Grayson's new invention will put a dent in their petroleum empire. (While Tesla groupies are all up in arms.)

 

Later that evening after the party, Mina and Lucy are at her house talking while Jonathan is in his room speaking with his roommate with a foreign accent. Suddenly everyone hears a strange sound and is looking out their windows while dogs all over town begin to bark. Elsewhere, Mr. Clive (head fogey stogie) has just been dropped off at his front door when something grabs him and snarls. Great splatters of blood mar the white pillars.

 

Back at Carfax Manor, Dracula and Renfield have a floor covered in pictures and files. Dracula talks about the Order of the Dragon, which these fogey stogies appear to be a branch of. Dracula has a beef with the Dragon.

 

A foggy night in London (go figure!) sees that German dude that was hanging out with Jayne Wetherby now breaking into the dead Mr. Clive's house. Not only breaking into the house, he's now breaking into the dead Mr. Clive's coffin.

 

From his Coat of Many Weapons, the German takes out a wicked long knife and cuts off Clive's head, taking it with him. He goes to a military tailor's store where he passes off the hat/head box to Jayne who takes it upstairs to a distinguished older man who was already seen at the party. Is this the leader of the Order of the Dragon that Dracula is searching for? How do I know? I don't even know this guy's name.

 

Anyway, they already know they're dealing with a vampire. Remember that vampire from eight years ago? Jack the Ripper?

 

Mina is at a medical lecture being held by Professor Van Helsing. And that's all we get about that.

 

Jonathan arrives at Carfax Manor for his exclusive interview. The room he's left in is terrible dark so he opens the shutters to allow sunlight in. When Dracula joins his guest, Jonathan doesn't pick up on the fact that Dracula sizzles a bit from the exposure to the sun.

 

Evening falls and Mina's classes are over with. She waits alone outside as Dracula secretly watches from the shadows. Mina is soon joined by another woman and they walk off together. Dracula is left to suck the blood from another female victim (who doesn't sound like she's bothered by this at all).

 

Mina and Jonathan have a date to attend the opera. Jayne, whose dresses get tighter and tighter, is also in attendance. Jayne and her breasts are sitting alone in her box when Dracula appears behind her. He's watching Mina and Jonathan getting all snuggly so he gets all snuggly with Jayne's cleavage.

 

Lord Laurent and Lord Davenport, fogey stogies, are riding in a carriage and bemoaning the fact that "Alexander Grayson" was able to coerce Clive's widow into selling the dead man's stocks to him. As Laurent is being dropped off at his home, Dracula is watching from the roof across the street. Suddenly he's hit by an arrow in the leg. It's Krueger, the German dude.

 

Dracula pulls out the arrow, then he pulls out a sword. Action time as the two men battle atop the roof. (Is anyone at home? Does anyone wonder what the heck is all that noise coming from the roof?) German dude pulls out his handy crucifix. Dracula barely pauses as he slits Krueger's throat.

 

Elsewhere, Jayne Wetherby (wearing more comfortable clothes) is training with kukri. Nearby in a huge metal cage is a woman with a foreign accent being held prisoner. One of Dracula's brides?

 

Dracula returns home for a good stiff drink of whiskey when he's joined by Van Helsing. It was Van Helsing from the beginning of the show who revived Dracula. The professor scolds the vampire for killing Clive as this wasn't part of The Plan. Theirs is a tumultuous partnership.