'Van Helsing' season 4 episode 3 introduces Richard Harmon as Max Borman, Axel's new best friend and warden of Loveland prison
There's something about a vampire apocalypse that brings out the inner psychopath in people. 'Van Helsing' has featured a number of insane murderers, most notably the vampire serial killer Sam (Christopher Heyerdahl), and in season 4's third episode we meet Max Borman (Richard Harmon), the newest psycho to join the show.
We first run into Max when Axel Miller (Jonathan Scarfe) saves him from a vampire attack while driving down the road. Despite his usual gruff manner, Axel takes a liking to Max, or at least to his near-endless supply of alcohol. The two have a nice bonding session and Max tries to convince Axel to let go of his grief and move on, a speech that falls on deaf ears.
Axel is clearly still angry about the death of Scarlett Harker (Missy Peregrym) and he makes it quite clear that he will not stop until he has avenged her death by murdering Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton). However, when Max offers him a job transporting alcohol and other supplies in exchange for getting his fair share of the booze, Axel readily accepts.
Meanwhile, Flesh (Vincent Gale) and Jolene (Caroline Cave) are captured while trying to rescue Flesh's wife from Loveland. They are separated and kept in chains until the warden can arrive and decide what to do with them, which is when we find out Max's true colors.
As it turns out, Max is Loveland's warden and he uses the prison mine as a front for a trafficking business that deals in everything from guns to human beings. He takes sadistic pleasure in torturing his newest prisoners and shoots Flesh once he gets bored with the poor man.
Of course, thanks to his special abilities, Flesh revives from the fatal wound, which prompts Max to send Jolene into the mines and take Flesh away for more torture, just so he can test the limits of Flesh's immortality. Harmon does a pretty spectacular job playing the volatile character, combining boyish flamboyance with just the right amount of menace.
Towards the end of the episode, Axel arrives in Loveland with his first shipment of guns and alcohol and Jolene manages to attract his attention. Unfortunately for Flesh and Jolene, Axel leaves without doing anything to help them though hopefully he will eventually return to free the two hapless prisoners and take down his new psycho best friend.
'Van Helsing' Season 4 airs exclusively on Syfy. The next episode 'Broken Promises' will arrive on October 18.