 Warning! This article contains spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.
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You Must Sacrifice is the fourth episode of the fourth season, and the 26th episode overall, of the Netflix original series, Castlevania.
Synopsis[]
- Alucard travels to Danesti, where he makes a dramatic entrance in the nick of time. Also, the scholar Saint Germain reflects on his own twisted path.
Plot[]
Targoviste[]
Still in the ruined city of Targoviste, Trevor and Sypha find a place to rest. Sypha asks why Trevor was so anxious to get away from Zamfir. Trevor replies that he simply wanted to get away from everyone for a few moments.
Trevor points out that they've been doing nothing but bouncing from one chaotic situation to the next for weeks. Trevor wants them to take control of their lives and begin acting rather than reacting. Trevor believes that way, they can choose their life and death rather than leave it to someone else.
Sypha agrees and asks Trevor where he'd like to start. He replies that they need to start from the beginning of everything that occurred in Targoviste.
Danesti[]
Alucard arrives at Danesti in time to make a dramatic entrance in front of its surviving villagers. As night creatures attempt to break down the barricades that protect the town, Alucard rides his horse through the night into battle. Despite not being as sharp as normal, Alucard manages to overpower the beasts and protects the people.
Following the battle, Alucard introduces himself to the village headwoman, Greta. Marius was the name of the rider who delivered the letter and Alucard reveals his fate to Greta. Greta thanks Alucard for his help but she also reveals that he is her last resort. She doesn't know him, he has people spiked on stakes outside Dracula's castle, he's half-vampire, and he stinks of wine to top it all off. Alucard hears her out and agrees to help.
Saint Germain makes a sudden appearance from inside a latrine. He introduces himself and recalls the time he's spent as a scholar and several courts. It's how he eventually found his love until she was lost inside the Infinite Corridor. Even after Trevor and Sypha helped him return to it, Saint Germain was unable to find his beloved. Instead, he was met with a mysterious entity known as the Alchemist.
The Alchemist challenged Saint Germain to perform the ultimate task, to control the Infinite Corridor. To do so, he would have to tap into the power of death by sacrificing human souls just as the Visitor did in Lindenfeld. To achieve that end, Saint Germain would need to create a Rebis, a pure fusion of two souls into one body, both male and female. The Rebis would be able to control the Infinite Corridor, but Saint Germain doesn't quite believe that such a being is the true great work of Alchemy.
The Alchemist clarifies that this is the truth, and Saint Germain realizes "who" he would need to fuse to create the Rebis. The Alchemist gives Saint Germain a key for opening the corridor, content with staying inside and navigating the system of doors as a goddess. She implores him to commit to the work of alchemy and do what needs to be done. Saint Germain reluctantly agreed to sacrifice and willingly dedicated himself to Alchemy completely.
This all occurred six weeks ago, before Saint Germain arrived in Danesti after exiting the Infinite Corridor. He began down a dark path to collect the necessary items and information, killing and blackmailing along the way. Saint Germain was eventually contacted by Varney via a transmission mirror and agreed to work with the vampires on their mutual project. In the forest outside Danesti, he confers with Dragan, coaching him to attack the village and drive the inhabitants to Dracula's castle.
Back in the present day, Saint Germain convinces Alucard to relocate everyone in the village to Dracula's castle. Alucard curses the situation with a phrase about God, relieving Himself in his dinner. Shocked, Alucard takes a moment to realize that he really is turning into Trevor as he wonders if life is still worth living for.
Cast[]
- Richard Armitage as Trevor
- Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha
- James Callis as Alucard
- Bill Nighy as Saint Germain
- Malcolm McDowell as Varney
- Marsha Thomason as Greta
- Matthew Waterson as Dragan
- Christine Adams as the Alchemist
Quotes[]
- – Sypha: Whoever lived here left in a hurry.
- – Trevor: (turns toward her when he enters a bedroom.) A little light? (Sypha conjures a fireball with both her hands and split them into five floating flames that illuminate the room. Trevor sits on the bed.)
- – Sypha: Speaking of leaving in a hurry, you really wanted to get away from Zamfir.
- – Trevor: (looks at her and grunts) Sit down.
- – Sypha: (sits next to Trevor.) Comfy bed. (She touches it and slyly smirks.) Is this why you wanted us to be alone?
- – Trevor: Hmm? I wanted to get away from everyone else for five *** minutes. All we've been doing for weeks is reacting, being bounced from one thing to the next. And we do best when we've got time to think and talk things over.
- – Sypha: (nods her head in agreement) I'm glad you think so.
- – Trevor: (smiles back) I'm not completely stupid.
- – Sypha: (leans closer for a few seconds) I'm glad you think so.
- – Trevor: Ha ha. Very funny. (places his hand on Sypha's palm.) Listen, we need to stop reacting and start acting. If I'm gonna get killed, I'd rather choose it than get tricked into it by someone else.
- – Sypha: (closes her eyes) All right. (looks at Trevor.) Where would you like to start?
- – Trevor: At the beginning, before we find ourselves backed into the end.
- – Alucard: You sent me a letter?
- – Greta: Yes. Welcome to Danesti.
- – Alucard: I presume it's seen better days.
- – Greta: Quieter ones. I'm Greta, the village headwoman.
- – Alucard: Call me Alucard. No "The."
- – Greta: (looks ahead of him.) Did Marius...
- – Alucard: Was that your rider? I'm afraid not. He was attacked en route and bled out from his wounds. His horse carried him the rest of the way with your message in his hand.
- – Greta: (solemnly closes her eyes.) Oh.
- – Alucard: I'm sorry.
- – Greta: Well, he's not the only one we've lost. But he was the last of his family, which is why he risked the journey. Still, I'd hoped... That's what hoping gets you, I suppose. I have a lot more people to save, Alucard. (turns to her fellow villagers.) Get some rest, everybody, while you can. (They go home while she continues to brief Alucard.)
- – Alucard: How long have you been under attack?
- – Greta: Four days. First it was just one of those bastards. More every night. We barely made it through last night. We're lucky only a third of us are dead. Will you help us?
- – Alucard: (his sword magically sheaths itself) I'm sure I can do something for you.
- – Greta: I'm not interested in magic tricks and one fight. These people are under my care. Will you stay and defend them for as long as it takes?
- – Alucard: I said--
- – Greta: (in an urgent tone) You have to understand. I don't know you. You've been 20-odd miles away for months. You creep around the forest. You've got bodies on stakes outside your weird castle. You're obviously half-vampire, and you stink of wine, and you appear to me to be at least half-crazy. But you were the only possible advantage I could think of. I don't need to be impressed by low-key swagger. I need you to commit to saving these people. Because my life isn't worth living if I can't save theirs.
- – Alucard: All done?
- – Greta: Did it work?
- – Alucard: Yes.
- – Greta: (with a hopeful smile) Then I'm all done. Thank you. And that was one hell of an entrance.
- – Saint Germain: (from inside an outhouse.) Yes, indeed so. You really are a very impressive young man. Sickening violence isn't especially in my skill set, you understand, but I can recognize a fellow expert, no matter what the field.
- – Greta: Oh, God. This one.
- – Saint Germain: You would be Adrian Tepes, yes?
- – Alucard: Yes.
- – Saint Germain: Do allow me to present myself. I am the Count Saint Germain, scholar in residence to many of the great courts of Europe.
- – Alucard: Why are cowering in a latrine hut in Wallachia?
- – Saint Germain: Oh (laugh). Is this a latrine? I just-- I just thought someone had gotten very scared. I'm traveling, sir. Interesting times in Wallachia. I felt that a man of letters should bear witness.
- – Alucard: And are you enjoying your tourism so far?
- – Saint Germain: (hesitantly) Um... it has been, um... (sigh) enlightening.
- – The Alchemist: You must sacrifice, give willingly.
- – Saint Germain: Give what? What's left?
- – The Alchemist: Sacrifice your ethics, your morals, Sacrifice your soul to the task. You must give everything to it, and you must cause pain in the doing of it. Do you love her enough to do that... Saint Germain?
- – Saint Germain: I'll do anything... anything to able to actually tell her... that I love her.
- – Varney: Would you be the famous Saint Germain?
- – Saint Germain: I have that pleasure. And you would be...
- – Varney: Varney of London, sir. Friends of friends tell me we have a project in common.
- – Saint Germain: And what might that be, Varney of Lundenwic, thousand-year-old vampire beggar and tramp?
- – Varney: You've heard of me.
- – Saint Germain: Generations of the learned have written of detecting you from a thousand paces by your stench. I say again... what project?
- – Varney: Returning Dracula to this world.
- – Saint Germain: I am of course not a military man, although I have certainly advised generals and kings, but might I suggest that this village is inherently indefensible?
- – Greta: It hasn't worked out well, so far, has it?
- – Alucard: You may have a point, Saint Germain.
- – Saint Germain: Perhaps, just until we all find out what's going on, perhaps the remaining persons in your charge might be moved to more a secure location, like um... y-your castle... (Alucard gasps) possibly.
- – Alucard: (growls and then sighs) And God *** in my dinner once again. Oh, no. I am really am turning into Belmont. Is life even worth living now?
Gallery[]
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Storyboards and key art[]
