State of the Union

**State of the Union** is the fourth episode of fifth season of Syfy's *Van Helsing* and the fifty-sixth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

Axel and Julius awaken in the Sunshine Unit, where a familiar face reveals the truth about their injuries; at Fort Collins, Violet and Ivory must convince their captors they are not traitors.

## Plot

Axel awakens in an underground bunker after having been stabbed with a syringe. He removes the syringe and makes his way down the corridor. There, he discovers Doc working on Julius, who has become unstable.

Violet is tortured by Sgt. Weathers, who is demanding to know why she attempted to assassinate the President. Violet attempts to explain that the real President Archer is probably dead and that the Dark One has taken over her persona. However, Sgt. Weathers isn't convinced as they haven't found any bodies. Sgt. Weathers then accuses Violet of being in league with vampires. When Violet accuses Sgt. Weathers of having a power trip, she strikes Violet.

Ivory awakens to find her hands cuffed and Violet being moved into the room next door.

Doc warns Axel that there are more hulked up vampires outside. Hansen sent Doc to the bunker to fix their new vampire control agent — the orange substance that Axel and Julius came into contact with. Doc isn't exactly sure why it effected Axel and Julius, though she recalls telling the doctors that they needed more trials, but they rushed it and found out the hard way it has side effects on humans, which accounts for the fact that Axel isn't healing as he usually would. The compound was designed to kill vampires, including Daywalkers, but it wasn't stable, and when the vampires attacked, the doctors released it into the air. It killed off 95% of the vampires but the 5% that survived became more dangerous, the same vampires that Axel and Julius encountered outside. One even got inside and killed many people. Doc isn't exactly sure how she survived it, and when chaos erupted and everyone ran, she wanted to run too, but the orange compound was all in the air. Axel then tells Doc that he has to get back to Fort Collins and instructs her to stabilize Julius. When Doc proves hesitant, Axel reveals that Jolene is alive.

At the White House, Dracula remains disguised as President Archer and Bathory disguised as Avery. Archer is being encouraged to make a statement., as there's been whispers that she's lost her edge. Many have noticed that she's been distracted since her return from Fort Collins and near assassination. As for Violet and Ivory, Dracula orders for the two of them to be executed and beheaded. Until Dracula's power is regained, they must remain hidden.

Axel discovers two of the control agent vampires just outside the bunker on one of the cameras. A large male and a smaller woman. The male vampire detaches one of the woman's arms and throws it at the camera.

Violet and Ivory stage a plan to escape. Ivory screams for the guard to come over and directs him to Violet, who has seemingly hung herself with a sheet. When he enters the cell to tend to Violet, she manages to hold one of the Blak Tek guard and holds him hostage, but she is forced to release him upon Sgt. Weathers' arrival, who reveals that the President has ordered for their execution. After the guards leave, Violet reveals that she stole the Blak Tek guard's key card and uses it to escape along with Ivory.

Julius is conscious, but just barely. Doc has restrained him to a bed and proceeds to experiment on him with a new serum. The alarm then begins to sound after a perimeter breach. The alarm suddenly stops, and both Axel and Doc are hopeful that it was merely a false alarm.

Sgt. Weathers discovers that Violet and Ivory have escaped. However, she finds them in the utility room, where Violet reveals that her father kept a backup storage of all security footage that shows Dracula killing and disposing of the real President Archer's body.

Doc engineers bullets with the orange compound to take down Daywalkers. Axel then calls her into one of the rooms, where they've found an empty air duct with the smaller woman vampire from outside hidden inside. He realizes that the bigger vampire tore the other vampire's arm off so that it could fit through the vent. The vampire falls out of the vent and opens the door for the bigger vampire to enter whilst Doc retrieves the new bullet compound she was working on, however, she is unable to get to it.

Axel shoots at the control agent vampire, but they have little to no effect. The wounded vampire makes its way to the operation room, where Julius lays unconscious. Doc then reveals that the bigger vampire is the doctor that designed the orange compound. Axel shocks the vampire with an electrical cord, allowing for Doc to sneak up from behind and try to kill the vampire, but she fails to take off its head. She and Axel then flee into a protective room, strong enough to keep out a silver back gorilla according to Doc.

The wounded vampire makes its way into Julius' room.

The vampire turns off the oxygen line to the room and instead fills the room with CO2. Doc takes Axel's grenade and just as she is about to sacrifice herself to kill the vampire outside, Julius kills the vampire with a single compound laced bullet to the head.

Sgt. Weathers comes to her senses and returns Violet and Ivory's weapons as well as Violet's amulet, which now looks different, Violet notices. The darkness within the amulet calls to Violet. The pull is so strong that she releases a small amount of the darkness and suspects that it's part of Dracula.

President Archer's advisor approaches her regrading her plans to address the nation on live TV. He attempts to convince Dracula against a press conference, informing her that moments like this define a presidency and that she should make sure she's on the right side of history or else the people will rise up against her.

Violet questions how a piece of the Dark One got into the amulet, but they don't have much time to sit and wait. They have to move out. Sgt. Weathers warns Violet and Ivory that the Dark One is sending extra forces after them.

Doc hands Julius her latest serum that'll help him heal. He may even feel a boost of adrenaline or enhanced strength. She warns him that his heart could explode is he uses any more than an ounce. Axel then makes contact with Violet over the radio, and she informs him that Jack never came out and that Dracula has taken over the White House with Bathroy. Just as Violet is about to reveal where they're headed, Axel tells her to stop talking, as the line isn't secure. He promises her that he will find her. Lastly, Axel warns Violet about the orang vampire control agent that's deadly to both humans and vampires. Doc then reveals that she has no intentions of leaving with them. She hands them a cartridge of orange compound bullets and parts ways with Julius and Axel to go find Jolene.

Dracula, disguised as President Archer, holds a press conference to address the nation. She reveals that there is no cure and that the broadcast they saw of a woman being cured was a hoax created by a new breed of more dangerous vampires. She declares martial law and issues curfew. Search warrants will no longer be required, and her personal security team will also run the White House, but she claims it is imperative to seeing that they survive as a species.

Jolene and Jeremy prepare to leave Loveland after freeing the prisoners. Just then, Doc arrives and the two embrace one another. "You found me," Jolene says. "I never lost you," Doc replies before kissing her. The two then join the others on the bus leaving Loveland.

Dracula and Bathory feed on a couple guards and discuss her earlier speech. Dracula had hoped the feed would give her vigar, but she still misses her strength. Bathory promises to return her power and bring her the Van Helsings' heads as well. However, the Dark One isn't convinced she will, though she's never questioned Bathory's loyalty. Bathory then has a vision of her death, claiming to her beloved that she saw Dracula's victory, with the two of them standing over a pile of corpses. Bathory then leaves to read her cards, during which time a wisp of darkness returns to the Dark One. Dracula then cuts open her palm and creates a beast from the darkness merged with her blood, ordering it to fetch what she desires. Meanwhile, Bathory discovers that darkness will bring her death. Her cards also show "Death", "The Fool", Jack, Violet, and Vanessa.

## Cast

* Aleks Paunovic as Julius
* Rukiya Bernard as Doc
* Keeya King as Violet
* Jesse Stanley as Bathory
* Jennifer Cheon Garcia as Ivory
* Caroline Cave as Jolene
* Tricia Helfer as Dracula
* Peter Bryant as Vice President Eli Newton
* Anna Galvin as Avery
* Donald Sales as Jeremy
* Joshua Hinkson as Sid
* Luvia Petersen as Sgt. Weathers

## Gallery

### Videos

Doc Prepares Axel and Julius to Take on Mutant Vampires - Van Helsing - SYFYPresident Dracula Addresses the Nation With a New Plan for Survival - Van Helsing - SYFY

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Van Helsing - Episode 5.04 - State of the Union - Promo + Promotional Photos - SpoilerTV