Do we really need another Dracula adaptation? I say, if it does something new and clever, then yes! And I think the new miniseries released earlier this year on Netflix and BBC One delivers on that. Dracula, created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, is a very loose retelling of Bram Stoker’s novel that takes the vampiric Count in a unique direction and explores his relationship with a new, original character: Agatha Van Helsing. If you’re looking for something quick to watch during quarantine, I definitely recommend it!
The Dracula miniseries is only three episodes long. It opens much like Stoker’s novel, with Jonathan Harker traveling to a Transylvanian castle to meet his client Count Dracula. After his arrival, however, the story diverges. Rather than the two ladies in Stoker’s novel, it is Jonathan himself who becomes Dracula’s victim, and much of the story is told in flashbacks by an addled and emaciated Jonathan as he recovers from the ordeal in a nearby convent. It is here that we meet one of the Sisters, Agatha Van Helsing—a snarky nun who is obsessed with learning everything she can about Dracula and figuring out how vampires work. The second episode follows Dracula’s voyage from Eastern Europe to London by ship, and the colorful cast of victims that Dracula has selected for the trip. Dracula recounts the story to Agatha over a tense game of chess that stands in for their intellectual sparring. The final episode picks up 123 years later, when Dracula finally arrives in modern London. There, he encounters the irresistible young socialite, Lucy Westenra, and Zoe Van Helsing, one of Agatha’s descendants who carries on her work.
Netflix’s Dracula has no intention of telling the exact same story as Bram Stoker, so if you go in expecting a straight adaptation, you will be disappointed. Despite this, Dracula has many small and clever allusions to the original that dedicated fans will appreciate. There are many little moments in episode 1 that recall exact scenes from the book, such as when Jonathan Harker rides up with a mysterious coachman who is implied to be Dracula himself, and when the count can be seen scaling the walls of the castle like a lizard. Though the storyline of episode 2 is entirely new, the Russian ship named Demeter with a cargo hold full of Transylvanian soil is straight out of Stoker’s novel. And while modern-day party girl Lucy is different in some significant ways from Stoker’s Lucy, their stories follow a roughly similar arc. Even a young child who calls Lucy a “bloofer lady,” makes an appearance, though the context is quite different and the impact on the plot is more significant than merely being one of Lucy’s victims. Lastly, there are several clever allusions to other early vampire works, apart from Dracula. Take note of Lord Ruthven aboard the Demeter—named for the despicable vampire in Polidori’s tale.
But the best part of Netflix’s Dracula isn’t its similarities to the original—it’s the differences. In particular, the character of Agatha Van Helsing, played by Dolly Wells, is what made the series for me. She is Dracula’s intellectual equal, and her quest to find out what makes him tick leads her to be the only one who truly understands him. Throughout the show, the two are playing an elaborate metaphorical game of chess, and you’re never quite sure which one is winning. Their relationship reminds me of other investigator and criminal mastermind pairs in television whose pursuit of each other creates a bond so intense that it is almost like friendship. But in the end, if I were under attack by a vampire, I would definitely want this badass Sister by my side.
Have you seen the Dracula miniseries yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!