Last week Celluci’s jealousy (coupled with Henry’s obtuse
need to be as mysterious and non-communicative as possible) lead to Henry
getting the ugly sun brooch to drain his powers and leave him vulnerable to
Javier the vampire hunter.
Vicki is not pleased by this turn of events. No, no she
is not and makes her displeasure very well known with judicious application of
knuckles to jaw. Celluci seems to think that working with vigilante priests is
part of his job – wow, the job description of a police officer just got way
wider. They agree to work together because Vicki wants Henry back and Celluci
wants Javier Mendosa – why? In what way has Javier acted differently to what Celluci
expected?
Henry is a chained up for the pleasure of Javier, who is
quoting the trippier parts of Revelations. Henry spends a lot of time rather
pointlessly flailing in his chains and trying to bite Javier from a distance of
several feet. We also get some wonderful flashbacks about the last time Henry
was held captive by the Catholic Church. We also see that it was the same priest in
both cases – making Javier over 400 years old.
Javier drains his blood and offers him a rat to eat –
which Henry rejects out of mercy. There follows classic inquisition techniques
of torture for confession and showing henry video of Delphine, one of his
vampire children who Javier also tortured into confession. This goes on in
extremely dramatic fashion – it’s very thematic but it’s also very
melodramatic. In the past eh escapes by winning the sympathy of Mendosa’s
female assistant, Maria – and praying over the rosarie to convince her he’s not
evil. Then he eats her – hey, he’s hungry, snack time! But he also offers her
his blood to make her a vampire. She wakes – sees Mendosa and calls him her
love – and he stakes her (with a hammer as well – very realistic and
traditional).
Celluci goes back to the police station for more flirting
with Kate (to his cluelessness) and boss lady Crowley on the warpath (because
she doesn’t like Vicki, because strong, independent tough women must hate each other,
It’s a Rule). And Vicki sets Coreen on the research trail.
Police work includes harassing prostitutes for more
information (there was a prostitute murdered last week as well). I dislike the
harassment but I do like how the sex-worker makes it clear that she needs the
money and makes their harassment clear as harassment. She takes them to an abandoned
church where Javier tried to take her to
feed the last vampire he had kidnapped (Delphine)
They find Delphine, chained and starving Vicki feeds her
and asks her a few questions – but then the sun comes up and Delphine burns to
ash. They do find the research that Javier left behind. We also get Celluci
being all sad because it was such a horrible way for Delphine to die.
More research later, including awesome pathologist,
reveals a Chinese herb revered for immortality mixed with vampire blood (yes,
the pathologist is awesome). And Coreen finds that the 8 rayed sun is also of
Chinese origin – again for eternity (I think the mythology is played very fast
and loose here). They also learn that there was a priest in the Sapnish Inquisition
called Javier Mendosa as well. It’s at this point I back away from the screen
in case it wants to slap me any harder with blatantly obvious clues. With this barrage they finally come to the
conclusion that Javier is using vampire blood to extend his own lifespan.
Searching for Mendosa, Vicki enters his church alone and
is captured – and brought into the room with the starving and out of control
Henry. He tries to use her to force Henry to confess killing Maria. Which is as
much about purging Mendosa’s guilt as it is about any dedication to confession.
Vicki manages to free herself from her chair – just as
Henry manages to break his chains – but Mike arrives in time for a rescue,
knocking out the priest and getting snacked on by Henry, though he stops before
causing major damage. They find the key and free Henry from his Sun brooch. Henry
then gets his own revenge on Mendosa. And, somewhat suspiciously for some
reason (by the shifty way she acts) Vicki picks up the sun brooch. Presumably
for reasons other than it being too dangerous to leave lying around
One of the things that is so unique about Vicki is that
she is a disabled character. Her condition means she has very little – and shrinking
– peripheral vision, has to wear powerful glasses, has next to no night vision
and her sight is slowly deteriorating. But the TV series is increasingly
forgetting this, often having her without her glasses, staying in darkened
rooms (even her own office) without turning on bright lighting and having
frequent nocturnal adventures without her vision being apparently compromised.
It’s great we have a disabled protagonist – but less so when the disability is
turned off when it gets in the way of the plot or forgotten about except for
odd references.
I also really wish that Vicki wouldn’t keep being
kidnapped. It’s getting habitual.
Inclusionwise the series is still poor – a bit part POC here
and there that’s never sustained. Which is a shame, because the characters they
do have are great – for those few seconds they’re on screen.
Now I’m interested to see what happens next –especially whether
Vicki and Henry suddenly forgive Celluci because he helped fix the mess he
made. I will be irritated if they do. Rescuing someone you arranged to have
kidnapped doesn’t redeem you in my eyes.
