Dracula Series on Netflix - Episode One

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Dracula: Netflix Episode 1
By:Lauryn Wentzel



In this episode of the Netflix miniseries Bram Stoker's Dracula still follows most of the same characters such as Jonathan Harker, Mina Murry, Van Helsing, and of course Dracula as they share and explain the experiences that they have gone through.  This episode follows the storyline but it does add some bumps and questions to keep us curious and asking questions as to why.  



Image result for dracula netflix episode 1
There were two gender-related differences that I noticed in this episode of Dracula. The first one is I started to realize that Dracula started going after men specifically Jonathan Harker to be a potential bride.  In the way Bram Stoker did it, it seems that Dracula only drinks from women and he would never even dream of going after men to become a bride, considering Dracula would never do that because then he would be portrayed as gay.  With today's generation it is acceptable to be included with the LGBTQ community.  In this Netflix episode they had Dracula going after Jonathan instead of having him going after a woman character. There was a point in the episode where Agatha asks Jonathan if he has has any sexual interactions with Dracula, as a reminder you would have never seen this in the novel. Dracula has bitten Jonathan several times in this episode, which is why we see a large scar on his neck in the one part of the episode, also Dracula is starting to get stronger and younger. It is obvious that Dracula wants more to do with Jonathan and is pretty invested in going after him than women in this episode, which is making room for people to talk about the gender differences.  






The second one is that they cast Van Helsing as a woman. When I saw that for the first time I was really surprised because normally Van Helsing is playing a man.  In the novel, Van Helsing is a man who knows a lot about vampires and fights to end Dracula.  For the majority of this episode we see a nun named Agatha who is later acknowledged as Van Helsing. Netflix has taken a character that writes a letter to Mina and the character of Van Helsing and combined them into one.  It is awesome to see such a powerful man in Stoker's novel portraying a woman in this Netflix episode.  It is so nice to see that because women are now feeling equal to men.  






Comments

  1. Lainey MastFebruary 21, 2020 at 10:16 AM

    I loved that you mentioned Van Helsing's gender change in the TV show. I think it says a lot that such a strong, integral character was portrayed by a woman, especially since such female characters were, for the most part, lacking in the novel. Mina comes closest to filling this role, but even so is described as having a man's brain rather than just being a highly intelligent woman. Having a strong female character without having to liken her to a man shows how far pop culture has come in terms of gender equality.

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  2. Madison GustinFebruary 21, 2020 at 12:02 PM

    After also watching the mini series I picked up on many of the same elements that you did. I found it so interesting that they casted Van Helsing as a woman. I really wasn't expecting to see that because in all the other versions of Dracula I've watched he was a man. I also picked up on the fact that Dracula didn't only feed off of woman in this series.

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