From Dusk Till Dawn: La Conquista Review

This week's episode of From Dusk Till Dawn focuses on lore and backstory, but still moves us forward towards imminent destruction.

Is it good or bad that I can recognize Spanish Conquistadors on sight? Anyone?

This week’s episode of From Dusk Till Dawn focuses on the beginnings, the lore for these snake vampires that we’d been able to assume and guess at and gave some details as to how and why it all started. Also, for those who don’t know spanish, La Conquista means “The Conquest.” Finding out that Carlos was a Conquistador was interesting, and I found it funny that Carlos Felipe was both rewarded by his captain as a “most loyal soldier” and shown as nothing but a greedy lout in the same episode. I also want to give them props for remembering to give the spaniards the castillian accent to their spanish, as is both historically accurate and proper. 

So, with the Goddess’ origin story explained a bit more and Carlos’ vampire origins revealed as well, it gives us more fuel for the fire, especially since Carlos is having a certain someone spy on Richie and the Goddess as she tries to convince him to join her and set her free. She mentions that Richie has to go through some trials in order to do so, which of course has me wondering the kind of trials they are. Considering that the belief system they’re explaining has everything from sun worship, vision snake lords and blood sacrifice, it could honestly be quite gory if the trials are meant to be something only a certain once-in-a-lifetime kind of vampire could do. Five centuries and Carlos never made it; talk about disappointing.

We also met Sgt. Frost this week. My only problem with Frost was the utter convenience of his existence and help. First, he’s adamant about not helping. Then he pulls out a little Wheel Of Fortune where whatever spin you get decides the amount of help (or death) he gives you. One choice literally said “Go To Hell.” In an RPG, he’d be the random convenient merchant lost in the ancient ruins you’re exploring and just happens to have some health potions and a really good piece of armor that you probably need to get through the next boss. Don’t forget to save!

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So, during the rest of the episode, we had Kate seeing visions of her mom and possible implications of the way she died, we see Scott lost in the pyramid and stalked by some glowing green snake eyes behind him, and Gonzalez “el rinche” having a decent fight with Carlos, though it got broken up and he had to make a quick escape. Carlos, in the usual villain I’m going to win so I’ll tell you stuff you would never find out without my telling you monologue, told Gonzalez that he’s from a special bloodline (vampire hunters maybe?) which is why we saw the snake venom ooze out of his neck last week instead of turning him into a vamp. It also may explain the sweet though near incredible feat of him throwing a spear-like table leg across the bar and through Carlos, pinning him to a chair so he could then stab his arms down and proceed to interrogate him.

Oh, and Carlos called Gonzalez ‘mal parido‘ which means ‘ill born’ or sort of like a bastard. Don’t you love knowing? 

Spoiler section:

Anyone care to venture how Jacob will react to Scott’s new alternative lifestyle? I don’t know if he’ll flip out or just try to put him out of his misery quickly. I also think there’s a fifty-fifty chance Kate will do it instead of Jacob, but you never know. I could always be way wrong, Richie finds out he’s been turned and does the mercy killing himself. Who knows? I did love the line the professor said explaining his biker name. Taking Deus Ex Machina and just adding that S. Latin-speakers everywhere are hopefully having a chuckle, just as I did.

If Pandemonium has visions too, either from her connection to the vision serpent, being the vampire serpent queen or just being stuck in the temple which causes them in general, it makes me wonder how long she’s been seeing visions of Richie and how long she’s truly been waiting for him. Is it really destiny, or is it just a line as Richie suspects? While I can’t wait to see what the future holds, I also hope they keep filling in little bits of the past as well. I’m a sucker for good story and “the devil’s in the details,” right? 

So, with any luck, next week we see what trials Richie needs to go through in order to free Pandemonium (that can’t be her real name, can it?), we’ll see more wacky visions the gang has as they make their way through the heart of the temple, and maybe someone will finally kill Carlos? Yeah, I doubt it, too. He’s too good a character to kill yet.

I do want to include one last thing: As lines go, Pandemonium has some good and poetic ones:

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You’ll become more than you ever were: beyond fire and water, beyond light and dark, beyond dusk and dawn…”

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Rating:

4.5 out of 5