Once Scarlett and her mother find the door to the Elder’s chamber, we discover that “only a Van Helsing can open the crypt,” and that a life will be the price to pay. This Elder then turns out to be only a cog in the machine, while another rung is added to the ladder of evil. It turns out the Elder is only one of many, and the Van Helsings captured this one and imprisoned him to prevent his clan from creating an opening for the Dark One. Unlike Dmitri’s later death at the hands of the Elder, Ivory is the innocent here.Īlong the way, amidst Ivory’s screams and Scab’s claustrophobia, Abigail releases a wealth of information to her daughter. We glimpse her tied to a stake surrounded by robed monks demanding that she convert to Christianity, and though we don’t learn who or what belief system she adheres to, her plaintive screams as she awaits her fate stand as the most horrific scene of the episode. Ivory’s past turns out to be much darker and much more compelling even though we witness only a tiny aspect of her struggles. In his case it’s not a stretch to say he’s likely happier and more fulfilled as a vampire than he was when human. With both Julius and Dmitri he’s been seen as a valued member of the team and accepted for how he aids the greater good. He suffered from some sort of emotional or anxiety driven condition that virtually paralyzes him with fear, and while that still appears to manifest itself through his body movements, he’s clearly found a home. When the company hires him permanently, viewing the ostracization by his fellow workers, opens a window into the loyalty he’s shown Julius and Dmitri. Learning that Scab, (Rowland Pidlubny) or Scott as he was known in his pre-vampire days, actually crossed a picket line for work speaks to his desperation at the time. The manifestations experienced by Scab and Ivory (Jennifer Cheon) tell fascinating and compelling tales, though how much these stories will add to the overall arc remains a question. It’s never made clear who or what generates the visions that test the mettle of the five in the tunnels, but it’s clear each provides clarity for turning points in their lives. While it may at first seem the visions of Scarlett and Vanessa’s childhood simply rehash what we already know, the single scene in which Harrison recognizes the girls’ power, highlights the point at which Abigail knows she must take drastic measures to protect her children. A pupil of de Sade, we see Dmitri eventually turned by the Elder, and witness the seeds of his obsession with his sister Antanasia, all of which gives substance to the newest foe facing the Van Helsing sisters and mankind. And while it’s not necessarily his arrogance that does him in, he once again underestimates the Van Helsing clan and suffers a gruesome death in the end.Īs a narrative device, the visions generated by the cave present some rather engaging backstory details, and learning that Dmitri stood by the side of the Marquis de Sade, while tantalizing, also reveals a significant facet that could impact the events of next season. Without the knowledge that Abigail possesses, Dmitri (Paul Johansson) enlists the aid of The Sisterhood and the Oracle (Jesse Stanley) to guide him to the Elder, but it’s the initial scene in which he refuses to kneel before the one that will help him, that sets the stage for his swan song at the hands of the one they all seek. Abigail throws out some tidbits about Scarlett’s great grandmother and stories associated with the cave, but while her attempt to justify the abandonment of her two daughters sounds coldly clinical, it does make sense. There’s not been much of a chance for these two to get to know each other, and we don’t really feel a strong emotional connection as they crawl through the tunnels on their journey to the Elder. Abigail (Andee Frizzell) uses the journey to impart some family history to her daughter Scarlett (Missy Peregrym) with varying degrees of success. Structurally, “Black Days” takes a simple, yet effective, parallel approach as it follows two groups on their way to find the Elder, albeit with different end games in mind.
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