Castlevania Season 2 Review: 7 Ups And 2 Downs
5. Up: Dracula's Demise
Where most other shows would try to milk as much of the leadup to the battle against Dracula as possible, season 2 went a different route, showing the effects of Dracula's rage on him as a person and giving him a conclusion worthy of the deep and complex character he was introduced as in season 1.
Instead of the rage-filled, beast-like man hellbent on revenge for his wife, we find someone empty, wanting silence, as a portent for what's to come.
It's a more nuanced portrayal of rage and loss than has been seen in the fantasy genre in a while, with Dracula following patterns of grief instead of stoking the flame of his vengeance almost endlessly, like other villains seem to.
He even comes to himself when he sees Alucard's childhood room, a father seeing his son for the first time since he was consumed by wrath, and realising what he's become.
The heartbreaking fight between Dracula and Alucard reveals to all what Alucard seemed to understand early on—that he was only fighting now for the sake of fighting, even if he'd died the day his wife did, and had been writing "the world's longest suicide note" ever since.