My Spoiler Free Thoughts on Castlevania.

I just finished watching Castlevania season 3 on Netflix. It was good. It was so good. To (probably) quote Trevor Belmont, “It was so fucking good.” I’ve been in love with this show since its super-brief first season, and each following season has only gotten better. Since it’s fresh on my mind, here are my spoiler-free thoughts on Castlevania, both season 3 and in general:

I love love LOVE that the main characters are mostly all the protagonists from Castlevania 3 for the NES. That was my favorite of the Castlevania games growing up, and Trevor is the only one I think of when I hear the name “Belmont.” It’s especially delightful for me because Sypha was my favorite of the companions you could choose. Everyone who played that game was always telling me “Sypha and Alucard both suck as companions! Grant is the best!” Ha. Ha. Ha.

I wasn’t prepared for the second season to have the ensemble format that it did, but once I got into that groove I started looking forward to what each character was up to. The third season’s ensemble narrative felt much more streamlined, and each character’s turn in the spotlight was really engaging.

Castlevania makes perfect use of f-bombs. Not too little to feel out-of-place, not too much to feel gratuitous. It’s fucking perfect.

Isaac is an amazing character. Compelling, complicated, and tragic. I love him. From the shopkeeper and the sea captain, to the night creature who could talk well, to the solitary witch/Forgemaster, Isaac had some of the best interactions in season 3.

Season 3 is a slow build to an incredible, explosive finale. From fight scenes to narrative twists to heartbreaking betrayals, this season was a slow burn done right.