In concert with its impressive first season, Nocture continues its penchant for rich dialogue. Be it Alucard and Richter feeling each other out and butting heads on their perilous journey, Erzsebeth and a devilishly resurrected Drolta conditioning their victory, or Maria maturing into her hero, every line is purposeful and exacting. Even seemingly cannon-fodder characters like the night creatures have poignant conversations on the liminal state of their existence as soldiers enacting an unholy war on the world while harboring their memories as humans.
Another highlight of Nocturne is how its fantastical narrative seamlessly melds with historical events, coloring the backdrop of its story. While the show is set during the French Revolution, it also adds texture to the global scale of its story by incorporating Egyptian, African, and West African mythologies into the mix. Nocturne also continues the series’ stellar exploration of its Black characters, Annette and Drolta, who are the driving force behind the show’s most intriguing developments.
This isn’t to say Nocturne‘s writing is only excellent when it’s threading how its fictional story coincides with real-world events. The show also flexes its creative muscles, fleshing out characters in its mythos. Key among them are Maria, who is on the precipice of something dark manifesting with her beast-summoning powers following the vampiric turning of her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski)—and Juste Belmont (Iaian Glen), rekindling the sparks of heroism he thought died long ago.