'Van Helsing' Season 4 Episode 8 review: 'The Prism' shows the family legacy in good hands with Violet and Jack taking a stand
Spoiler alert for Season 4, episode 8 of ‘Van Helsing’
Last episode, Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton) met her lab-grown daughters, the new Van Helsing-lings, Jack (Nicole Munoz) and Violet (Keeya King) and the girls learned of their role in the war against the vampires. Vanessa’s sacrifice, binding herself in the Dark Realm with Dracula (Tricia Helfer), is a passing of the torch of sorts to the younger Van Helsings. The torch is well taken this episode, as Violet and Jack show themselves well up to the task of not just fighting against the vampires, but stepping in as compelling leads for the show itself.
Violet, so far, hasn’t been given much of a chance to be anything but mad, afraid, or tough. This episode gives her a chance to breathe a little bit, starting with a flashback to a somewhat happier time in the arms of bartender Lee (Ryan Jinn). The two talk about their past and a possible future, finding rumored safety and a happy ending in Hawaii - courtesy of someone named the ‘Coyote’ who smuggles people to safety. It’s one of the few times we get to see Violet happy. The chemistry between the two characters is strong, and the intimacy so raw and apparent that you almost want the camera to cut away to give the young lovers a moment of privacy.
Cut to the present, and Violet has made her way to what is apparently a pick-up point for people seeking a safe haven. There is a wall filled with messages from people who have moved on to safer havens, telling their loved ones where they’ve gone to in case they’re still alive, and can see their message. It’s a wall of desperate, fragile hope, and Violet breaks down on reading one of its messages. Violet’s been through a lot, and her taking time to process her grief is a powerful scene made additionally so by the music. ‘Eat for Free’ by Haley Bonar can be heard playing through her earphones, instead of just being the background score, and there’s something about hearing that quiet, sad song in that tinny quality that emphasizes the emptiness of a post-Rising world. It hits hard.
It turns out Lee is still alive, however, and had come to the same waypoint seeking Violet out. Violet catches Lee up, but then is hit by a psychic vision. The vision loops, and heartbreakingly, Lee betrays Violet over and over again as she tries to search for the missing pages she needs to defeat the Dark One.
In the meanwhile, we’re treated to sad dad Hansen (Neil McDonough). As Bathory and Michaela (Heather Doerksen) bicker like the Real Housewives of Transylvania, we see that Hansen truly cares for his daughters as he tries to connect with Jack. Hansen is given a rare moment of vulnerability, and we’re given a flashback to his origin. As the human, Willem (young Willem played by Dakota Daulby), he was a loyal acolyte to the Van Helsing brothers. Bathory turned him, and forced Willem to turn Jacob Van Helsing. Willem was able to resist, just enough to hide the three crucial pages that everyone is looking for. It seems that Hansen is on the side of the angels after all, helping Violet see through the psychic illusion she’s trapped in and then helping Jack escape. Mad dad Hansen has had enough of the vampires forcing him to betray the people he loves. With the Dark One gone, the Fourth Elder destroyed, and now Hansen switching sides, the vampires are in a very bad place.
With Hansen’s psychic help, Violet is able to find that, thankfully, Lee isn’t a traitor after all. More importantly, she knows where the missing three pages are. We see what she’s sacrificing, as the Coyote’s van arrives. Violet could escape, and be with Lee, but it’s not time yet for her happy ending. It’s a hard decision, and she makes it without the slightest hesitation, but she won’t let Lee deprive himself of it, either. She knocks him out and loads him into the van to make sure he gets to safety. It’s the lack of hesitation that really stands out - Violet has embraced her duty, and nothing is going to get in the way of that.
Between Jack’s moments of confrontation with her dad, and Violet’s chance to glimpse her happy ending before turning away from it, we have strong moments for both of the Van Helsing-lings. The Van Helsing legacy is in good hands, and for the first time, it looks like the vampires are the ones on the run.
The next episode of ‘Van Helsing’ airs November 22, on Syfy