Old Friends

**Old Friends** is the second episode of fifth season of Syfy's *Van Helsing* and the fifty-fourth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

Jack joins forces with her once sworn enemy who reveals a dangerous weapon that will help the Van Helsings kill the Dark One, but the consequences of using this weapon are dire.

## Plot

As Captain Rasto escorts Jack to her execution, she pleads with Florian to kill Michaela. Bathory and Roberto watch from nearby as a noose is placed around Jack's neck and she is left to hang in front of the entire village. "Death to the witch!" Florian exclaims.

Michaela and the Sisterhood prepare for the resurrection ritual despite the fact that Jack killed their vessel Olivia. Michaela reveals that there is still an ancient way to complete the ritual, though it will require an abundance of fresh blood. While the Sisters round up the villagers, Michaela tasks Alexandra and Tattiana with finding Jack's body and bring her back, as she carried the mark of bewitchment. Michaela seeks to know who sent her. She also warns the girls to sever Jack's head from her body once she's out of the grave.

Count Dalibor sits next to Olivia's body and tells her how he's avenged her death. Michaela interrupts with plans to prepare the body for the funeral, so she claims. Count Dalibor reveals that he saw Michaela's true form and asks what she is. Michaela suspects that he must've had some idea of her power considering that she delivered him a son when it seemed impossible. She used hand-crafted tinctures composed of sacrificial blood from the villagers in order to spark life in a dead womb.

As requested, Alexandra and Tattiana dig up Jack's body. However, Jack awakens before they can sever her head and she bites Alexandra, who is cured of her vampirism and instructed by Jack to go and find her brother. Tattiana charges towards Jack but is killed by Bathory. Jack then attacks Bathory before realizing that she's human as well as a vampire hunter herself. In fact, Bathory comes from a long line of vampire hunters.

Florian blames himself for being fooled by Jack. Just as it seems they can finally live in peace, the villagers find themselves under attack by the Sisterhood. Florian remains hidden inside the tavern, where he is nearly killed by a vampire until Alexandra saves him. She reveals that Jack rose from her grave and turned her back before embracing Florian.

Bathory takes Jack back to her camp, where Bathory reveals that she was trained to be a vampire hunter by her mother. Unfortunately, Bathory has lost much in her fight with Michaela, including her mother. She then asks about Jack, who was never in the cards before, and suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere. Jack explains that she intends to stop the rising of the Dark One, but Bathory cards grow more ominous with every turn, leading her to believe that the worst is far from over.

Roberto assures Jack that she can trust Bathory, as she wants nothing more than to defeat the Sisterhood and avenge the death of her mother. He notices Jack looking at his amulet containing the Dark One's blood. She asks where he got it. Roberto explains that it belonged to Bathory and her mother before her. It has been passed down for generations. He then encourages Jack to eat and rest whilst drawing a picture of her.

Michaela has placed Olivia's body in a tub filled with sacrificial blood. She then leans Sorina over Olivia's body and slices her throat open while reciting a spell. Suddenly, Olivia's eyes open, having been resurrected from the dead.

Count Dalibor awakens to find that Olivia has risen and in her hand she holds their baby boy. She notes that she has such a chill. Even while standing by the fire she is without warmth. Count Dalibor is in disbelief and asks Olivia to hand the child over to him. Olivia gives him Christoff and goes to rest.

Michaela learns from one of the Sisters that Tattiana and Alexandra never returned with Jack's body and that the grave stands empty in the field. Michaela realizes that Jack is still alive and orders her death. Count Dalibor then confronts Michaela for resurrecting Olivia. Sword drawn, he threatens to kill Michaela, but she isn't convinced and mentions how he's spilled as much blood as she has in battle. Should Count Dalibor's insubordination persists, Michaela threatens to order the Sisters to kill all the villagers. This is the fate he has made, willingly or otherwise. Michaela instructs Dalibor to keep his wife safe from prying eyes, as his people already fear what they don't understand, and should anyone see her, it will be Olivia swinging from the gallows next.

Olivia awakens, startled and alone. She hears a soft voice whispering to her, accompanied by flashes of her death. She looks in the mirror and examines the wound where she was stabbed by Jack before proceeding to search for Dalibor. Instead, she finds a casket and a mural of herself, recalling her death with full memory. Dalibor finds her and asks her to follow him. She asks what has become of her, as she can feel the life inside her dying.

The following morning, Bathory awakens Jack from her sleep and reveals that she is taking her people out of Transylvania. She refuses to lead them to their deaths, which is what they would surely face in going up against Michaela. Jack attempts to convince her to stay and fight, but Bathory recalls how her own mother gathered knowledge of the darkness and tapped into its power. Eventually, the darkness entered her soul and it could not be removed. Bathroy's mother became vicious and violent, met with an unpeaceful death. Bathory has seen her future and refuses to end as her mother did.

Count Dalibor takes Olivia to a secluded room in the castle, where she must remain so as not to be seen. Olivia asks if he will still be her protector and love. She places his hand on her heart and reminds him that they made a promise to love each other until death. Dalibor replies that her heart no longer beats and that she is not what she once was.

Jack enters the tavern and apologizes to Florian for lying to him about her intentions to kill Olivia. However, he's more concerned with Alexandra, who Jack saved. Jack then asks Alexandra why they were digging her up. Alexandra reveals that she was simply following Michaela's orders. She wanted to investigate the marking on Jack's arm. Alexandra then reveals that the Sisterhood have been openly attacking villagers, gathering as much blood as they can as fast as they can for Olivia's resurrection.

Jack returns to Bathroy's camp with Alexandra and reveals Michaela's plan to raise the Dark One that night. Alexandra reveals that she was a vampire but that Jack turned her back. Bathory wonders if Jack can turn Michaela as well. Either that or kill her, Jack explains before brandishing her bewitchment mark and explaining that she can use it to make contact with Michaela.

Jack leads Bathory, Roberto, and their group to a clearing, where she intends to use the mark to lure Michaela. Jack cuts her palm with a blade and squeezes her blood onto the mark, which sizzles and burns upon contact before putting Jack in a trance-like state. Jack appears to Michaela and pressures her into coming after her. Jack returns to her body and tells Bathory and the others to wait for her signal.

Olivia bangs on the door, demanding to be released, though her screams go unanswered. She then starts to cry as she hears the echoing of her baby's cries. She then grabs a mirror off the wall, looking at her own reflection in disbelief before smashing the mirror.

Michaela tracks Jack down in the woods. Jack shouts for Bathory, but she doesn't appear and Michaela proceeds to attack Jack, who regains her footing and charges towards Michaela before biting her. However, Michaela remains a vampire, and in fact, it's Jack who is turned. Jack then regains consciousness and sees Bathory and Roberto standing before her, realizing that Michaela was never actually there and that she tricked Jack into revealing her plan. As the moon rises, Jack and Bathory rush for the castle.

Count Dalibor stands hidden behind a door with his child as Michaela and the Sisterhood make their way through the corridor.

Olivia has taken a shard of glass and sliced her wrists multiple times, though she doesn't die. There's not even blood flow. Michaela joins her and explains that she no longer controls her own destiny and that the time has come to meet her fate.

Michaela leads Olivia and places her in the center of a large pentagram, surrounded by the Sisterhood. They each cut the palm of their hands and begin to recite the ritual to call on the Dark One. A cloud of dark smoke manifests and enters Olivia's body, and the Dark One rises.

## Cast

* Heather Doerksen as Michaela
* Dan Cade as Roberto
* Jesse Stanley as Bathory
* Kim Coates as Count Dalibor
* Tricia Helfer as Dracula/Countess Olivia von Dracula
* Sarah Arató as Alexandra
* Viktória Valúchová as Sorina
* Juraj Rasla as Mehai
* Raresh DiMofte as Captain Rasto
* Alexandra Lukácová as Tattiana
* Andrea Blesáková as Sister

## Gallery

### Videos

Van Helsing 5x02 Promo "Old Friends" (HD)Michaela Uses Her Dark Magic on Jack - Van Helsing - SYFYMichaela Carries Out Her Evil Plan - Van Helsing - SYFY

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Van Helsing - Episode 5.02 - Old Friends - Press Release - SpoilerTV