Netflix Dracula Episode 2 vs Novel Dracula
Netflix's Dracula Episode 2 :Blood Vessel
By: Paige Treibley
Bram Stoker lets our imagination flow when we read about the Demeter in chapter seven and eight. He explains what has happened through the eyes of the captain and letting us fill in the gaps. Due to there being one account of what happen, who are we to say that it didn't happen differently.
Although it takes an entire episode in the series, it's good the book doesn't spend too much time on the Demeter because it would seem unnecessary to the viewers who are already aware the dangers of Dracula. In the book, it tells us that Dracula has arrived in England and that's enough to know so the story can continue to follow our original group. It informs us how Dracula survived on the trip to England but in the Netflix show but it also allows you to see Dracula around people and how much self control he has around his "trapped prey".
The Netflix original, Dracula, we see a more humane Dracula who is actually trying to prepare for his life in England by interacting with the guests who come on board, unlike in the book. Dracula is telling his story about his journey to the still alive Sister Agatha Van Helsing. He tells her that he goes to England on a ship taking eight other passages. Dracula actually started his killings with the Portman to impress the Duchess, who is an old lover of his. The crew starts to notice people are missing and suspect someone is killing them.
Dracula even plays along with the other ship members and goes on to support the idea that the killer might one of the people on board. He is doing fine until someone is injured and has an open wound to which Dracula has to run away from the sight and smell of blood. When he tells Sister Agatha this, she makes a discovery about Dracula that blood is an addiction and not needed just to survive.
This is not what Bram Stoker's Dracula is about at all. His Dracula is about chaotic power and showing that he gets what he wants shown by him making a panic of the original group and Dracula not giving up after Lucy is saved time and time again. Claes Bang's Dracula seems to want to keep some of his humanity and interact with people instead of living in the night and terrorizing the towns people.
It was cool to see what you took away from this series because I also watched this for the assignment and walked away from it focused on different topics. I liked how you talked about Dracula being portrayed as more human like in the film, it was odd to see him looking and at times acting like a normal human being when typically viewers just see him as a supernatural like monster of a man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your remarks in the blog as well as Madison's! I watched this adaptation as well and I initially couldn't get over how much more attractive Dracula is! I also agree that this adaption definitely did show much more of Dracula's "human" side versus what the book tells us.
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