Witchbottle

Witchbottle is the first episode and pilot of the first season of Netflix's original series, Castlevania.

Synopsis

 * A headstrong young woman seeks out forbidden knowledge, and a corrupt bishop courts disaster by enraging a legend.

Plot
Wallachia, 1455 — Across a field are skeletons set on pikes. Bats fly across the bodies, but a knife pieces through one of them. A woman stands before a rather imposing castle. She inhales sharply as she knocks on the doors. As the doors slowly open, she enters and an opulent hallway greets her.

Upon entering the castle, She introduces her self as Lisa of Lupu. She is then greeted by its master: Vlad Dracula Tepes. She seeks forbidden knowledge to become a doctor. Vlad asks what Lisa has to offer in exchange for his knowledge, to which Lisa explains that she does not believe Vlad to have traveled much, even though his scientific wonder of a castle could move across the land. She offers to teach him the ways of the humans and travel the world with him, so he can live like humans do. He then confesses that he might like her, as she feels different from other humans.

Targoviste, Wallachia, 1475 — Lisa is burned alive on the order of the Bishop, who considers her as a witch. With her last dying breath, she cries out for Dracula, now her husband, to not seek revenge against the city and beseeches her love to not give in to the same hatred born of ignorance as other humans. Dracula arrives to Lisa's house only to find it in ruins, after being burnt down, learning about her fate from a neighbor who detests the injustice brought against his wife and instead visits her burnt house to pay her respects. In anger, he warns the old woman to take her family and flee from Wallachia, only for his wife's sake, before vanishing in flames before her.

Moments later, Dracula appears in smoke and flames in the square where his wife is now but ashes. He then gives the humans one year to make peace with their Lord; for in one year, he would return to purge humanity from Wallachia. Dracula proceeds to start summoning an army from Hell, but his son, Alucard, confronts him. He begs his father to reconsider his course of actions and to not condemn innocents to die, however, Dracula refuses, he reasons that the people's inaction contributed to the death of his wife. The two briefly fight and Dracula emerges superior.

1476 — At Targoviste, the city celebrate one year since Lisa's death as a witch. As the archbishop speaks to his congregation, claiming that the warning of the devil were empty threats, the sky darkens and blood falls, staining the city. Dracula's visage appears above them in flames as he condemns the people, unleashing his army upon the rest of Wallachia.

In a tavern in another city, a man listens to villagers talking about the Belmont family, who supposedly dealt with black magic and Dracula. He is Trevor Belmont.

Cast

 * Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont
 * Graham McTavish as Count Dracula
 * Matt Frewer as the Bishop
 * Emily Swallow as Lisa Tepes
 * James Callis as Alucard