Main cast: David Warner (Vassu), Jacob Tierney (Snake), Marina Orsini (Princess Daragan Draculus), and David Bowie (The Host)
Director: Russell Mulcahy

Nunc Dimittis—something like “now dismissed” in Latin—is based off the short story of the same name by the late Tanith Lee.

This is also the obligatory better-pedigreed episode that shows like this put in a season to fool people into believing the rest of the show has similar profile and not, ahem, mostly episodes made on a miniscule budget by a French crew. Hence, there are David Warner and Russell Mulcahy in the credits.

The dear and sadly late Mr Warner plays Vassu, the dying manservant of the vampire Princess Daragan Draculus—I’m following the way her name is spelled in the credits so don’t come at me, people that have read the source material. With only a few days left to live, he decides to seek out someone that can replace him in his mistress’s undying life.

Oh dear, Mr Warner is the only cast member here that seems to be aware that he’s supposed to be acting.

Marina Orsini doesn’t have much to do here, and she puts in the bare minimal effort required to earn her paycheck. Then again, it can be hard to put on a good show when she’s stuck with some of the worst make-up and special effects I’ve seen so far on this show.

Poor Jacob Tierney has to share his scenes with Mr Warner and that fellow comes off even more wooden as a result. Snake is supposed to be a charismatic rebel without a cause that reminds both the Princess and Vassu of a younger Vassu, but I am only seeing a stiff amateur.

The story has potential, reminiscent of the emo vampire angst that was all the rage when Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire made moping pale-faced undead pretty boys all the rage, but sadly, the episode itself falls very short of meeting even an iota of that expectation.

Mr Warner tries, but the whole thing turns out to be a cold and lifeless exercise in terminal boredom and amateur hour acting.