After various time
travelling shenanigans, Vanessa, Scarlett and Axel head to San Francisco -
because that’s where the B’ah sailed to a couple of hundred years ago so of
course she’s definitely still there? Apparently?
Anyway, they arrive
in the city and find three very young soldiers who are the only remnant of the
military presence in the city. They talk about how their unit was working to
try and secure the city until new vampires with shiny powers showed up and started
murdering them all. They also recognise Vanessa by her super powers, have
apparently heard of her and think she is their saviour.
Axel is obviously moved by the plight of these teens, struggling to keep fighting but not knowing what to do without any leadership. Vanessa decides to encourage Axel to stay with them and help them partly because she rather blatantly doesn’t want him there and is as fluffy and friendly as a honey badger.
With Axel dumped,
Vanessa and Scarlett head off, Scarlett suggests some level of concern for Axel
and Vanessa is not having this - caring for people is not allowed! There can
only be endless rage!!!!!
 |
| Pictured: Vanessa |
Scarlett does manage to get Vanessa to almost smile talking about her daughter Dylan before we get a combat scene with Chinese vampires throwing around lots of martial arts including pointless side flips done only to look impressive. They fight and fight and fight and fighter and ye gods this fight goes on and on and it would have more effect if it weren’t for the fact Vanessa is pretty much immortal. They win with the completely unnecessary help from Barry, a human in a luchador mask. He introduces them to his little group sort of led by Marybeth, a local weather anchor who has become kind of defacto leader simply because everyone recognises her.
They tell Vanessa
that the vampire influx is recent and she assumes that the B’ah was asleep
until she had her memory dream which woke her up. Ok…. I guess… your dream
wakes up vampires across the country who are apparently asleep? Ooookay, not
the most ridiculous plot I’ve seen
Of course Vanessa
feels super guilty - because she woke the B’ah. She’s also worried because
Scarlett has been poisoned with B’ah poison and is now dying - but mainly so
Vanessa can go off lone wolfing.
She does with Barry
the disposable guide heading to a warehouse with many boxes which they conclude
there are many vampires
Well. No. Shit.
While Axel leads his
baby soldiers into an ambush in which they’re all imprisoned. Oops.
Over to the rest of
the cast who, surprisingly, haven’t just disappeared because they’re
irrelevant. At Denver, a haven of humanity, Julius, Flesh (Phill), Joline and
Doc (Sarah) have all arrived and passed through quarantine. At which point
they’re duly shaken to find how normal Denver is. How everyone leads relatively
normal lives, the availability of regular food and something resembling safety.
It’s a major culture shock
They’re all signed
housing - Julius sharing with Phil which does not go well because Julius as a vampire
is the one who actually turned Phil in the first time. Phil is holding grudges.
Julius gets work in a bar
While Joline and
Sarah live together in a house with one bed and a lot of awkwardness. There’s a
lot of very very well presented chemistry Sarah doesn’t know what to do with.
They both get a job in a hospital which gives Sarah access to a lab so she can
study the Eldest blood she has, and gives Joline a lot of anxiety because she’s
not a medical professional and is faking it. It’s not like anyone is checking
and she does her best to wing it with help from Sarah and creepy Jared who asks
her on a date: Joline sets him back saying she has a girlfriend
When she tells Sarah this the awkwardness ratchets up to 10,000 - Joline says she only said it because she wanted to put Jared off… but she also likes Sarah. And Sarah agrees the same… and they kiss
Following which Sarah
completely blanks Joline and puts up all kinds of walls which infuriates
Jolene. In this world where you can die at any time she doesn’t want to leave
things unsaid. And if this has made things awarked with Sarah she’ll move
Sarah begs her to
stay and in panic tells Joline she’s a virgin to much shock, embarrassment and
Joline’s reassurance. Sarah’s story is powerful and surprisingly deep and
implies a lot - living a life pushing people away because she had no interest
in a relationships follows the story of a lot of closeted LGBTQ people who
haven’t accepted they were LGBTQ because same-sex relationships have been
completely off her radar of things that are possible. And now she has Joline
who she is attracted to and interested with and kind of scared and lost and not
knowing what to do with it. It’s a powerful and very real story.
