This adaptation of Dracula is terrifically creepy. Very little I watch now genuinely freaks me out, but this did. To begin with, I was uncertain about the changes from Stoker's novel, but as the episode progressed I was less bothered. Gattis and Moffat are doing something different - what matters is that they are doing it well, notwithstanding a few cringey/contrived moments.
It is true that part of what makes the book great is the slow, tragic and harrowing realisation that Lucy is changing, the characters are helpless to stop it, and they'll have no choice but to kill her. [Edit: in the first two episodes,] The BBC's Dracula has eschewed the subtlety of such horror in favour of grotesque spectacle. However, this is fair enough, as it is an approach that may well be better suited to television. Indeed, the meandering second half of Stoker's novel where they chase Dracula through Europe would be difficult to adapt - and had they been faithful I think it would have been too drawn out and repetitive, whereas the TV series takes us straight into the action. In other words, the changes seem reasonable enough, and the ones they have made give the story focus. Still, I will be disappointed if we don't get some Whitby and hospital/familiar scenes [update, we did, to an extent!]
UPDATE: 2nd episode was superb - real sense of menace. And unlike many people, I actually enjoyed the 3rd episode. Despite being set in the present day, it was, in some respects, the episode that most resembled the book. Having previously thought they weren't going to include Lucy and Renwick, I was pleasantly surprised to see they did, and it accurately conveyed the growing feeling of horrible inevitability that surrounds Lucy's death and transformation. It was slower than previous episodes - in other words, it matched the pace of the book - so I understand why it wouldn't be for everyone. Still, the modern setting stopped it feeling repetitive (as I'd initially feared it could be) and I appreciated the classic Moffat/Gattis humour. Make what you will of the final explanation for Dracula's weaknesses - it felt unnecessary, but it could have been worse.
All in all, all the episodes had very different feels to them, and I think they all worked on their own terms. Whether they work together is another matter, and their varying styles is perhaps why some who enjoyed the first 2 weren't convinced by the last one. But, personally speaking, I enjoyed all three.
It is true that part of what makes the book great is the slow, tragic and harrowing realisation that Lucy is changing, the characters are helpless to stop it, and they'll have no choice but to kill her. [Edit: in the first two episodes,] The BBC's Dracula has eschewed the subtlety of such horror in favour of grotesque spectacle. However, this is fair enough, as it is an approach that may well be better suited to television. Indeed, the meandering second half of Stoker's novel where they chase Dracula through Europe would be difficult to adapt - and had they been faithful I think it would have been too drawn out and repetitive, whereas the TV series takes us straight into the action. In other words, the changes seem reasonable enough, and the ones they have made give the story focus. Still, I will be disappointed if we don't get some Whitby and hospital/familiar scenes [update, we did, to an extent!]
UPDATE: 2nd episode was superb - real sense of menace. And unlike many people, I actually enjoyed the 3rd episode. Despite being set in the present day, it was, in some respects, the episode that most resembled the book. Having previously thought they weren't going to include Lucy and Renwick, I was pleasantly surprised to see they did, and it accurately conveyed the growing feeling of horrible inevitability that surrounds Lucy's death and transformation. It was slower than previous episodes - in other words, it matched the pace of the book - so I understand why it wouldn't be for everyone. Still, the modern setting stopped it feeling repetitive (as I'd initially feared it could be) and I appreciated the classic Moffat/Gattis humour. Make what you will of the final explanation for Dracula's weaknesses - it felt unnecessary, but it could have been worse.
All in all, all the episodes had very different feels to them, and I think they all worked on their own terms. Whether they work together is another matter, and their varying styles is perhaps why some who enjoyed the first 2 weren't convinced by the last one. But, personally speaking, I enjoyed all three.