WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Castlevania Season 4, available now on Netflix.
The fourth and final season of Castlevania effectively ends the story of Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades and Alucard’s continuing efforts to keep Dracula at bay, but the story itself doesn’t end without imparting wisdom that the viewer can take into their daily lives to help them overcome their own trials and tribulations. The main lesson is that the best way to thrive and overcome obstacles is with stable relationships, and those without them suffer in the end.
For instance, during his early years, Saint Germain was shown spending time with an adventurous woman who becomes his reason for being, but when she is lost within the Infinite Corridor, it becomes Saint Germain’s goal to find her and confess his love. Over time, his desperation and loneliness eat away at him until he uses murder to achieve his goals, proving that he was susceptible to corruption without a relationship.
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Another example shown in the series is much more blatant when Lenore talks about Carmilla. According to her, when Carmilla is left alone, she schemes. Her scheming eventually brings the Forgemaster, Isaac, to her front door, where they fight until she kills herself in front of him. Lenore explains that she and her sisters keep a balance within Carmilla, but the moment she’s left alone, her desire for world domination becomes her obsession and downfall.
Not all characters who lack strong relationships venture directly to villainy; other stories are far more tragic. For example, when Trevor and Sypha venture to Targoviste, the village Dracula destroyed, they meet Zamfir. Initially, Zamfir acts as an ally and voice of the underground court. However, it becomes evident that her relationship is stronger with her king and queen than with the people. In reality, she worships the corpses of dead royalty, admitting she mentally broke following Dracula’s attack.
Her fake relationship keeps her from nurturing a genuine bond with the city’s people, leading to poverty and famine. Thanks to Sypha’s earlier interjection, she realizes her mistakes with just enough time to sacrifice herself to save a mother and daughter. Zamfir’s understanding that maintaining a relationship with the living is more important than the dead ensured the survival of those she fought for.
Meanwhile, the heroes of the series fare much better than most, thanks to their reliance on one another. For Alucard, he spends most of his time alone in Dracula’s castle. His decision to seclude himself was born from a betrayal when two aspiring hunters try to kill him after weeks of earning his trust. Alucard responded by killing them and leaving their bodies impaled in front of his home, hinting at a gradual loss of humanity.
For weeks, Alucard only drank wine, wallowing in his loneliness, but after answering a cry for help from the neighboring town of Danesti, he meets Greta and her villagers. Alucard offers to keep them safe in his home, and by nurturing this relationship and protecting those around him, Alucard slowly begins to regain his humanity.
His relationships with others are bolstered even further with the return of Trevor and Sypha, who have built a stable and loving bond with one another since they last met. As a trio, they cut through hordes of Night Creatures and put an end to Death’s schemes. Characters like Carmilla and Saint Germain prove that isolation is often a recipe for disaster, but for Alucard and his friends, they understand that no person is an island, and together they can accomplish anything.
Castlevania often appears as a morbid show about the endless battle against Dracula and his followers, but the real heart of the series comes from the characters who believe they don’t need help, when in reality, they’re stronger as a team. Castlevania is a show about the strength that lies in relationships and how without them humanity risks falling into the all-consuming darkness.
Castlevania stars Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha Belnades, James Callis as Alucard, Theo James as Hector, Adetokumboh M’Cormack as Isaac, Jaime Murray as Carmilla, Jessica Brown Findlay as Lenore, Bill Nighy as St. Germain, Jason Isaacs as The Judge and Rila Fukushima as Sumi. The entire series is available now on Netflix.
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