Past Tense

**Past Tense** is the first episode of fifth season of Syfy's *Van Helsing* and the fifty-third episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

After waking in the Dark Realm, Jack is sent through a portal with only the words "Kill the Dark One" to guide her. Jack discovers some familiar faces as she hunts for the Dark One.

## Plot

Jack finds herself teleported centuries into the past — specifically in a cemetery, where she crosses paths with a man named Florian, who is in search of his missing sister Alexandra. Florian runs away from Jack in fear that she is a witch. Jack chases Florian through the woods and into a neighboring town, where she tackles him on the ground. He pleads with her to let him go in exchange for him not revealing that she’s a witch. However, when she removes her hand from over his mouth, he shouts to the fellow villagers that Jack is a witch, who in turn attacks Jack and knocks her unconscious.

Jack awakens to the sound of Vanessa’s voice while inside a coffin in the Dark Realm. She exits the coffin to find Vanessa standing near a portal, which she claims is a portal to the Dark One. Vanessa holds off the menacing red eyed beasts as Jack escapes through the portal. All the while Vanessa never shows her face, all Jack sees is her silhouette.

Jack has been restrained by the countrymen with a pillory. She’s now come to realize that she’s trapped in the past and asks Florian what year it is. He doesn’t answer, though he does inform Jack that she will be executed at sunrise. He then asks Jack about his sister Alexandra. Jack offers to help find Alexandra, whose disappearance could be tied to the Dark One. Florian is distracted by the sounds of creatures wrestling in the dark and goes searching for help. By the time he returns, Jack is face-to-face with a vampire. Florian returns and charges at the vampire with an axe, but is no match, forcing Jack to break free and fend off the vampire. She checks on Florian as the vampire flees into the woods. Mehai and the villagers join them and their accusations of witchcraft are only further proven when Jack heals before their very eyes. Florian comes to Jack’s defense, insisting that she saved him. In exchange for Jack helping them kill the vampire, Mehai agrees to allow her to live.

Jack leads Florian and the villagers into the woods, where Mehai is attacked by Alexandra, who has been turned into a vampire. She bites Mehai and flees into the forest. Jack bites the wounded countryman before exposing to the others that what they encountered was a vampire and that she’s the cure to vampirism.

Count Dalibor returns to his castle just as his wife Olivia gives birth to their son. He is eternally grateful to Michaela, who came to them months ago disguised as a midwife offering her help. Count Dalibor never thought it possible, but through Michaela and what she claims was faith, he now has an heir to carry on his family legacy and a child for them both to love and teach, Olivia adds. Count Dalibor promises to always cherish them both and rushes to close the window after a sudden wind blows out the candles.

Florian regrets stopping Jack from saving his sister and pleads with her to help him. She tells him that she’s in need of food and shelter. He informs her of the hay loft within the barn and then tells her that they’re in the town of Abel, Transylvania.

Bathory leads a fleet of men through the woods near Abel. Roberto informs her that the town is full of whispers and fear of night phantoms and missing women. He also senses the footprint of the Sisterhood. Bathory can see them and suspects they’re close. Roberto lastly reveals that there’s been word of a mysterious woman claiming to be a vampire hunter. Bathory tasks Roberto with finding the woman and learning what he can about her.

Florian takes Jack to a tavern and asks her to further explain time travel. Jack starts to question why exactly Vanessa sent her to Transylvania and even begins to fear that she won’t be able to make it back home. Florian quotes his grandmother and tells Jack to follow her heart down the right path. In doing just that, Jack mentions that they’re going to need help with tracking down Alexandra and the Sisterhood. Florian believes that Count Dalibor may be able to lend a hand, as Florian once served him as a page in the war. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Roberto listens from across the tavern.

Now that his and Olivia’s son has been born into the world, Count Dalibor wishes for Michaela to leave, as her service is no longer needed. Michaela agrees to leave without complication. On her way out, she tells Olivia that she is strong and destined for greatness.

Jack and Florian greet Count Dalibor at his castle and explains that she’s come to help with the vampires, but Count Dalibor is convinced that vampires are nothing more than a myth, but Florian insists that Jack speaks the truth, recounting their encounter with Alexandra in the woods. While he still doesn’t believe in vampires, he does offer his men to go on a search for Alexandra. Jack continues to push, even mentioning the Sisterhood, the mere mention of whom seems to momentarily peek Count Dalibor’s interest before he tells them to keep these tales of vampires to themselves in fear of mass panic.

Sorina finds Olivia lying in bed, unresponsive and barely breathing, with a bottle of tincture lying at her feet. She screams for help, and Count Dalibor goes searching for Michaela, who isn’t concerned with Olivia’s state, reminding Count Dalibor that he told her to leave. Count Dalibor concedes and pleads with Michaela to save his wife.

Florian informs Jack that Count Dalibor’s wife has just had a baby. Most were truly surprised, as they had been trying for years. It was believed that Countess Olivia wasn’t capable of bearing a child. However, it wasn’t long after the midwife’s arrival at the castle that word spread of Olivia’s pregnancy. Jack is suspicious, as the midwife typically shows up after conception. Shortly after her arrival, attacks began to happen throughout the neighboring villages. Jack recalls how interested Dalibor was in the Sisterhood and suspects some form of connection. However, Florian insists that he’s a good man. He takes Jack to a room where a portrait for every Count of Transylvania has been painted. A legacy dating back a thousand years. Count Dalibor is the only Count to request his official portrait be painted with his wife at his side, that being Olivia von Dracula. "Dracula?" Jack asks. She now understands why she was sent back in time.

Michaela saves Olivia’s life and tells her to recover. When Olivia recalls the stories about the missing girls and monsters in the forest, Michaela warns her that these dark fantasies are the root of her sickness. Olivia claims a "little birdie" told her, in reference to Sorina. For this, Michaela says, there is an old proverb "Birds who sing too loudly, no matter how sweet their tune, are the first to fall to the hunter." Michaela catches Olivia as she almost collapses and instructs her to rest before gazing up to Sorina, who abruptly exits. Once alone with a now sleeping Olivia, Michaela gently caresses the Countess’ face remarking that she finds her fascinating. She then proceeds to snip off a small lock of Olivia’s long blonde hair.

Jack and Florian reconvene at the tavern and discuss Countess Olivia, who Jack insists will one day become the most dangerous vampire. She suspects that maybe Count Dalibor will be the cause, but Florian begs to differ. He recalls the previous Count, Anton, who ruled with fear, killed for no reason, and made his own people slaves. Then Count Dalibor struck him down and freed them. Jack wonders how much could’ve been prevented if Dalibor had struck the Count down earlier, leading Florian to suspect that Jack means to kill Olivia before she can become Dracula. He pleads with Jack to seek an alternative, perhaps stopping whatever it is that turns her dark. Florian makes Jack promise to at least try to save Olivia. She does so but sneakily slips a blade up her sleeve. Once she agrees, Florian tells Jack that their best chance at Olivia will be tomorrow during the fair in the town center.

Olivia awakens to the sounds of mysterious whispers and a feels a compulsion to follow them, nearly resulting in her jumping out of the window; Count Dalibor walks into the room and pulls her away from the window just in time. She explains that she felt as if she needed to get free of the castle and fly away like a bird. She could feel the moon calling to her and asks if Dalibor is ever compelled by dreams. He confides in Olivia that his greatest fear was seeing her as close to death as he had. He promises to protect her, even from the dangers that not even the eyes can see. He then looks over at her nightstand and notices Michaela’s bottles of tincture.

Count Dalibor creeps down into the cellar, where he finds Michaela, Sorina, and the Sisterhood discussing her waning strength as she gazes at herself in a mirror. Alexandra offers to hunt for her, and Michaela reminds her of her previous encounter with the hunter in the village, though Alexandra insists that she won’t fail again. Count Dalibor watches from the pathway as an aged Michaela drinks a bottle of tincture and rapidly grows younger. In fear for his life, he flees the cellar, narrowly avoiding Michaela.

Count Dalibor and Countess Olivia arrive at the fair to introduce their son, Christoff von Dracula. Count Dalibor then gets word that one of his horses is dying and leaves the festival to tend to the matter, leaving Olivia in the care of Captain Rasto and Sorina, who is admittedly worried for Olivia and fears for her safety. Sorina warns Olivia about Michaela and how the monastery she claims to come from had burned to the ground a century ago. There were no survivors and all the nuns were murdered, but Olivia isn’t convinced by tales and myths. Roberto approaches and invites Olivia to sit with the fortune teller. Olivia agrees and leaves baby Chrisoff outside the tent with Sorina and the Captain. Jack and Florian arrive moments later, just missing the Countess.

Bathory reads Olivia her fortune. One card details a child — a blessing which she was not meant to receive. Bathory sees two futures diverging, as well as two women, each looking to shape Olivia’s fate. She then draws the “Death” card resulting in Olivia commenting that she knows enough of tarot to know that this card doesn’t always represent an actual death. Bathory pointedly replies that it has been known to mean a lack of awareness or an unseen threat. Bathory asks Olivia about vampires, which she insists are nothing more than fairytales. Bathory then draws the "Ten of Swords" and "The Hanged Man" cards. Something dark and inescapable awaits Olivia, Bathory warns. However, rather than taking heed of the warning, Olivia grows flustered and displeased, she tells Bathory that she should take her things and leave before rushing out of the tent.

The Sisterhood surrounds Michaela as she prepares for the ceremony. When burned by the sunlight piercing through the glass window, Michaela drinks an unknown tincture, which seems to cure her problem. She declares that she will resurrect the Dark One and provide them with a mortal vessel. Michaela then drops the lock of Olivia’s hair into the mixture in the cauldron before her. This seemingly ignites Jack’s pentagram brand on her right forearm and simultaneously weakens Olivia causing her to stumble. Jack fears that she may be too late and that the Dark One is merely putting on an act; she runs from Florian’s side and charges at Olivia with a blade. She pushes past the Captain and drives a knife into Olivia’s heart. Jack gracefully lays her on the ground and apologizes for her actions. This single act derails Michaela’s plan, as she screams in a fit of rage. Olivia lays on the cobbled ground, bleeding out, as Captain Rasto and Sorino try to save her life. The townspeople gathered around her watch on in horror at the fate that has befallen their beloved Countess.

Michaela visits Jack in her cell; given that they don’t meet for centuries, Michaela doesn’t recognize Jack and asks about her brand, though Jack refuses to answer any of her questions. Jack explains that she killed Olivia in order to prevent the rise of the Dark One. Without a host, there’s no path back. However, Michaela tells Jack that while she may have moved the pieces around the board, the game will continue to be played but without her as she’s to be executed at dawn.

## 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

## Gallery

### Videos

Jack Takes a Stab at Changing the Future - Van Helsing - SYFYThis Family Portrait Answers all of Jack's Questions - Van Helsing - SYFY

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Van Helsing - Episode 5.01 - Past Tense - Press Release - SpoilerTV