I just watched the first episode of this show. I'm a massive horror buff, so this may be the horror show I've been waiting for. The tone is ****ing perfect.
Spoiler:
Frankenstein and his monster in the first episode, and allusions toward Jack the Ripper, Dracula, and werewolves. I'm in.
There really should be a lot more posts about this show.
I finished the first season!
Spoiler:
This show seems to be almost completely about character development. There isn't much payoff to all the build up besides a sad or ****ed up scene that leads to more character development. Thats not a bad thing. Having a bunch of 3 dimensional characters is great. They managed to establish the team and make me care about every single member (although Dorian seems like he's just observing or passing through).And when I say there isn't much payoff, there isn't much payoff. All the build up with Frankenstein and his monster made me think he would start personally targeting the doctors closest friends (the team) which would lead to a brutal team vs monster confrontation.
Bringing in Dr. Van Helsing, one of the most notable characters in horror literature and the single biggest vampire authority in the show, only to have him killed by Frankensteins monster two episodes after he's introduced. I mean, the prospect of Van Helsing encountering Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is epic, but they way they did it was just straight shock factor. Having Helsing dragged down a dirty alley to get his neck snapped? It's not like he's never encountered beings with massive strength. You'd think he'd have little combat maneuvers or measures in place just in case something like this happened. It would have been better if they drawn out the fight between him and the monster to show that he's a force to be reckoned with. Even if he got overwhelmed at the end. Him passing the torch to young Frankenstein was cool though. Still, I was reeeaaally hoping he would join the team. Having him encounter Dracula again in his life would have been awesome, although it would retread old ground in his past I suppose. The dude was at the end of his life and long retired after all.
Also, Ethan being the Wolfman had no big payoff either. I was expecting him to transform from stress or something when they were all being overwhelmed by Dracula girls. I was expecting him to transform during one of the teams outings or something too, for a Hulk vs Avengers type situation, but they still don't have the slightest idea about his past or disease. I was also expecting a Wolfman vs Dracula encounter in the season finale, but it turns out that wasn't even Dracula. Thats a good thing though. I wanted Dracula to be a much bigger force to be reckoned with. Thank god they saved him for season two. Hopefully they cast him well. Now that the team is fully established (with the exception of Dorian Gray), and we know/care about the characters, we can get a good story in next season.
One thing I'll say had awesome pay off was Vanessa's entire 'Exorcist' plot. Seeing her past with Mina, her first possession, and then episode 7 blowing everything up was well done. Eva Green is a great actress.
I'm very much looking forward to the next season. It should be epic.