The premiere episode of The Fourth Wall, “Clipped Wings,” will run this Wednesday, September 27th. Over the last several weeks here on the blog we’ve run brief introductions to the characters for the show. We began with the series’ lead, Abigail Westing. Read all about her here. Second, we caught up with the aging sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, MD. Read all about him, here. Last week we got to know Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” a little bit better. It turns out his name is Reggie, and you can read all about him here.
This week, we take the long, winding journey up the Carpathian Mountains. The villagers at the base of the mountain insist that you take a crucifix with you, if only for your mother’s sake. At the peak, you find a lonely castle, nearly abandoned. Here, you will find the vampire, Count Dracula, although, sadly, you will not return the same as when you arrived.
Or, at least you would have found him there. One might think that the story would be over after the Harker party dispatched the one who once lived as Vlad Țepeș*, but one could not be more wrong. The vampire Dracula went on myriad adventures after Bram Stoker finished with him. Now, he lies in wait, one clear thought going through his mind: revenge on The Fourth Wall.
The Fourth Wall fears his resurgence, even though they’ve had ninety years to get ready. He could—and will—strike at any time. Vigilance might save you, but then again, he’s already all around you. He could be right behind you as you read this.
Dracula is essayed by CJ Miles IV. One factor above all else put him at the top of the list for the role: his absolute passion for the character. Miles said, “It’s… a pleasure to play one of my favorite literary characters ever… Dracula knows what he is: a monster, a villain. He doesn’t want to be redeemed; he might have once, but not anymore. He is ruthless, he is powerful, he is cunning, he is intelligent, and he can turn your allies against you. The Fourth Wall’s Dracula is aware enough of his losses in his own story that he knows leading from the front is unlikely to go well, and that only makes him more dangerous.”
Since the beginning of 2016, we have posted an entry every week here at the blog. Some have been longer. some have been shorter. I wrote most of them, a few were written by guest bloggers. Next week, we’re going to take seven weeks off as the show runs. I will be posting here, but just with some information about each week’s episode. Here is the schedule:
September 27th - Episode 1: “Clipped Wings” (Series Premiere)
October 4th - Episode 2: “Incomplete”
October 11th - Episode 3: “Pilgrim’s Progress”
October 18th - The Fourth Wall podcast will be taking a week off, but fear not! There will still be new The Fourth Wall to consume. Party Now, Apocalypse Later Industries will release a Pick-the-Plot tie-in book “Have Time, Will Travel.” The Time Traveller from H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine makes a visit to the The Fourth Wall. Hilarity ensues. At least, I think it does. We’ll be sure to post more details about that when they become available.
October 25th: Episode 4: “A Visit From an Old Friend”
November 1st: Episode 5: “A Study in Flashback”
November 8th: Episode 6: “Backwards and in High Heels” (Season Finale)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle willing and the creek don’t rise, we’ll be back with regular blog posts here on November 19th. Meanwhile, strike while the iron is hot! Find out where to subscribe to The Fourth Wall podcast here.
*I’ve had to type that name more than a few times in the year-plus since I’ve started working on The Fourth Wall, and every time I’ve had to copy and paste it from the script of episode 1.