On the season two penultimate episode of Reginald the Vampire, the angel Bolestro readies to make good on his threat: to destroy all vampires. Can Reginald and his friends complete a last second Hail Mary to save all their kind?
The beginning of “The Final Countdown” takes full advantage of Jacob Batalon’s talents in a courtroom setting. The actor is charmingly persuasive with his arguments in favor of vampire kind, and spotlights one of Reginald’s best qualities, his brain. It’s a nice build as you see him grow in confidence as the procedural goes on.
The words are more than a mere defense. It’s a good mix of insight and comedy that reminds you of the growth of some of these beloved characters during the series. The scenes are fun filled with the explosive theatrics you would expect from a courtroom drama. Special shout out to Georgia Watters and Sean Yves Lessar as Penelope and Lebron James respectively. They are so delightful as the detestable sycophants and entertaining in the peanut gallery.
Things become muddled when the episode changes into a therapy session losing the positive momentum. The desperate attempts at humor aren’t as effective, and it serves more as a reason to bring back powerful ally, Abraham. Though we do see glimpses of Bolestro’s vulnerability wrestling with his love and disappointment for his son.
The eventual confrontation is anticlimactic with no real battle between sides. It’s filled with too much exposition and explanations rather than any action resulting in disappointment for a season long Reginald the Vampire narrative. The only positive is that it begins to set the stage for the future.
The other main storyline revolves around Sarah stuck in limbo. Despite containing a lovely, random, some might say forced, moment of a brief character, much of learning the rules for the setting feels like filler. At least Mike receives the sendoff he deserves after his shocking death. It’s very reflective and bittersweet, and most importantly, he wasn’t alone when he said goodbye.
“The Final Countdown” has all the feelings of a finale with its many resolutions and future set up. The closing minutes with Todd’s awkward but sweet attempts for consoling a friend particularly seemed like a nice way to end the season. But, there’s still more Reginald the Vampire adding to the feeling this season could have been more succinct and tighter with less episodes.
This week’s episode is an inconsistent, but mostly positive, way to resolve the main conflict of the season.
Reginald the Vampire airs Wednesdays on Syfy.
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