Van Helsing - In Redemption - Review

'In Redemption' refers to Doc and her journey to make up for her unforgivable sin of leaving Axle to die, only to return in vampiric glory.

The separate storylines that have made up these past couple of episodes have done wonders for the show, as it allows each character to be fleshed out more.

First up was the aforementioned Doc arc. Due to having left Axle to die, Doc felt obligated to steal the supply of blood from the survivors fridge, or maybe she does it out of fear? Nevertheless, actress Rukiya Bernard did a nice job in this episode conveying that pull. It was great to see the progression in her character as she resolutely walks out of the compound with the stolen blood despite having a gun pointed at her.

Also, how awesome is vampire Axel? Hopefully, he doesn't turn back into a human as this whole return to human beat has been getting kind of repetitive with Flesh, then Doc, and now, at the end of this episode, Julius.

Scarfe and Bernard have always played well off each other, so the Axle-Doc storyline was a welcome addition to the episode. I especially loved the directing in that scene when we follow the lowly vampire in the woods before it attacks Doc. The camera work somehow made that moment amusing, even more humorous was Axel letting her fend for herself.

The other storyline involved Flesh who continues to be a strong character. The former vampire has been going through a redemptive arc himself, following the horrendous atrocities he committed as a vampire. This season we see him doing the best he can as part of the good fight while searching for his saviour, Vanessa. The character was not given that much to work with in 'In Redemption,' we just see him helping a downed Mohamad, despite the kids insistence to be left alone. The reunion was pleasant to see.

How Mohamad got left alone could've been done better though. It did not make any sense how he and Vanessa could not take on a few lowly vampires and Anastasia. I mean, they had the firepower. Regardless, the arrival of Anastasia and her cronies led to the separation of Mohamad and Vanessa, with the latter continuing her journey of redemption with her daughter, Dylan, who was angry at her for not being there when she was kidnapped.

It has been heartbreaking to see Vanessa continually rejected by her daughter, despite doing the best she can to redeem herself by protecting Dylan.

Speaking of protection, Vanessa hasn't really proven yet to be that skilled of a fighter as viewers expect the ancestor of a famous vampire hunter to be. Her strength lies less in her physicality and more in her ability to bite vampires and turn them back into human. It would be nice to see Vanessa for once become a bit more bad ass, and less lost and clueless.

Her fight with Julius was exciting and it was shocking to see him turned back into a human so soon. As mentioned, this whole turning back into a human beat has been getting repetitive with Flesh, Doc, and now the former vampire leader, but at the same time, Julius could bring an interesting dynamic to team Van Helsing.

Overall, the separate storylines allows the show to explore different dynamics, while fleshing out each character more, and this was a big plus for 'In Redemption.' It was also great to see Axle back as he brings a much needed dynamic to the show.

7/10