Episode Recap: Super Unknown

In order to prepare for the future, you have to understand the past, right? Well, we’re traveling back to the early 1900s to learn a little more about the Van Helsings of previous generations, at least about one named Lily who checked herself into an asylum in order to kill the vampire feeding on its patients. Unfortunately, Lily was no match for the creature in the basement, which is why more than a century later, her great-great-great granddaughters are traveling to the same asylum to locate the first of the Elder totems.

They are aided in their endeavor by a stranger who trades his services for one of Axel’s Kit-Kat bars. Of course, as soon as they arrive The Elder attacks and kills him, because it’s still a vampire even if it looks like Vanessa’s best friend. Vanessa reacts oddly to the attack, her eyes glowing read for a moment before she brushes it off and they all head inside to see what awaits.

What awaits are dead people. But not just any dead people, vampires. And not just any vampires, but a scary new kind of vampire with psychic powers. The Van Helsing ladies fight off the effects long enough to take most of them down before Scarlett resorts to an old Van Helsing family trick and bites the last one who, as they will, turns back into a human doctor.

The doctor remembers when their ancestor was a patient in the hospital and died under “mysterious circumstances” (that’s code for vampire) and tells them that she is buried out in the potter’s field with the rest of the patients who passed away. He and Axel go to get some shovels and give the women time to have a heart to heart.

Scarlett wants to know what Vanessa’s problem is. Vanessa wants to know what the hell Scarlett is talking about. Scarlett points out that they are supposed to be sisters, but ever since they met Vanessa has shown no interest in getting to know Scarlett and they pretty much know nothing about each other. Vanessa confesses that when the Elder bit her, something happened. She doesn’t just use blood to get stronger now. She craves it. She’s afraid she might be turning into a vampire and if that happens Scarlett is going to have to kill her, and where the hell is Axel?

Axel is tied to a chair in a creepy, creepy laboratory because the good doctor is actually a crazy murderer who wants to suck the life out of them with his scary electric chair. Axel is understandably perturbed by this so he gets the doc to tell him where Lily is really buried, breaks free, and crushes the doctor’s head with his chair. You know, like you do.

Now with the correct information, Vanessa, Scarlett, and Axel head into the basement to find the mausoleum where Lily is interred. First, though, they’re going to have to get past the original vampire, the one that killed Lily in the first place. His psychic effects hurt Axel so Vanessa orders Scarlet to take him to safety and send the Elder to help her fight the vampire. That turns out to be a great idea because while a Van Helsing might not be able to kill it, the Elder easily rips out the vampire’s throat. Those Elder vampires seem pretty handy.

They finally find Lilly’s body, almost perfectly preserved, and with her a silver bracelet – the Elder’s totem – and a large dagger. The Elder warns Vanessa not to take the dagger, a warning she ignores, then tells Vanessa that the dagger is stained with Elder blood. Lily must have fought the Ba. Who is the Ba? Oh, apparently just some really scary boss Elder Vanessa is going to have to fight at some point in the future. The Elder tells Vanessa she is unprepared for what she will face, that she can’t even fathom it. Vanessa wants the Elder to teach her, but it decides it will be better to show, not tell.

Then it grabs Vanessa’s head and she wakes up in 1900s Hong Kong. This should be interesting.