Episode 1
Saturday 3rd January 2009
While trying to juggle an ordinary life of school exams, parties and learning to drive – not to mention keeping it all from his mum – Luke is catapulted into a world of vampires, demons and zombies, along with his best friend Ruby (Holliday Granger). But he remains cool – it’s in his blood after all…
Helping Galvin to train Luke in his quest is the beautiful but icy cold Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper) a blind concert pianist with a history, who is also the foremost authority on the undesirable entities preying on humanity. The sinister and mouldering Father Simeon (Richard Wilson) is Luke’s other source of information on the lore and myth behind the creatures he faces.
But before they have time to properly prepare Luke, he is faced with a daunting opponent in the form of the villainous Gladiolus Thrip (Mackenzie Crook) a sinister vampire with a burning hatred for the Van Helsing line and all they stand for.
Episode 2
Saturday 10th January 2009
Six-year-old Madge (Kizzy Mee) might think her sister has been ‘taken up to heaven by an angel’ but Galvin (Philip Glenister) suspects otherwise. Everything points to half-life involvement and he thinks it’s the perfect project for Luke (Christian Cooke).
A visit to zombie priest, Father Simeon (Richard Wilson) confirms Galvin’s suspicions. Gilgamel is no angel – he’s a demon, a travesty demon, a grade nine entity attracted by the odour of sanctity. When, due to Luke’s carelessness, Ruby’s (Holliday Grainger) younger brother Jamie (Ben Walker) becomes his latest victim, they are left with no choice and must summon the two thousand year old half-life and defeat him if the children are not to be lost forever.
But Gilgamel refuses to submit easily and he’s prepared to fight dirty. As they raise him, the demon takes on Jamie’s form and appears in the middle of a ring of flames. During the confusion that ensues, Gilgamel escapes and Galvin is left badly burnt. With Galvin now unable to fight properly, it falls to Luke to defeat Gilgamel alone – this surely is the ultimate test of his prowess, but is he ready? Luke has inherited amazing reflexes and fighting instinct from his father, but has he committed enough to the task to succeed?
Faced with the demon’s true likeness, a hideous tormented gargoyle from some medieval hell, this is no easy task. As Luke fights for his life he realises things will never be the same again.
Episode 3
Saturday 17th January 2009
Galvin (Philip Glenister) lets his emotions get the better of him when his wife’s murderer, Mr Tibbs (Kevin McNally), arrives in town. Hell bent on revenge and with no regard for his own safety, Galvin arms himself to the hilt and embarks on what amounts to little more than a suicide mission, attempting to break into the hideous rat mans lair alone to exact his much dreamt of retribution.
Once inside, Mr Tibbs is nowhere to be found but evidence of his presence is all around. Jars of laboratory bottles line the shelves containing terrifying specimens and in the corner, a young woman (Grace) is locked in a cage. With a gaggle of nasty type fours hot on his tail, Galvin makes a desperate bid to escape but with the woman in tow it’s increasingly difficult. Luke (Christian Cooke), Mina (Zoe Tapper) and Ruby (Holliday Grainger) arrive just in time to save the couple. They speed off, leaving the baying half-lives in their wake.
He might have saved the girl, but Galvin isn’t satisfied, thirsty for vengeance, he won’t rest until Mr Tibbs is dead. He and Luke head off to the sewers to find the rat man leaving Mina and Grace safe in the Stacks. But Galvin, blinded by his emotions has played straight into Mr Tibbs’ hands. Before long, Grace lies dead in the stacks, with Mina unconscious next to her, a bomb ticking at her feet.
Meanwhile Luke and Galvin reach a dead end in the sewer and it slowly dawns on them, the water levels are rising and that they’ve walked into a trap. Help for Mina comes in an unlikely form – Ruby, who is stunned to discover the scene that confronts her. With the timer reading one minute and Mina out for the count, there’s only one thing for it – Ruby must take a wild guess at which wire to cut. Meanwhile Galvin and Luke are up to their eyeballs in sewage water. With only seconds left to live they begin saying their last goodbyes.
Episode 4
Saturday 24th January 2009
When a bad boy vampire arrives on the scene and Mina (Zoe Tapper) starts behaving strangely, Galvin (Philip Glenister) gets suspicious. Mina confesses that Quincey (Ciaran McMenamin) is back. He has come for her – he wants her to give in to her half-blood heritage. For Mina is immortal – the Mina Harker of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The blood of Dracula flows through her veins giving her power and eternal youth.
Galvin knows Quincey’s return is painful for Mina – this is only confirmed when she tells him that she knows it’s wrong, but she still loves Quincey. Galvin reassures her that he, of all people, understands – but they both know that sentiment has no place in the smiting game. Mina knows her duty. Galvin tells her they will set a trap and rid the world of Quincey for good.
But when Mina can’t go through with it Galvin is taken hostage. Luke is furious – Mina sacrificed Galvin for a vampire? Mina tells him she couldn’t let Quincey die. Luke’s (Christian Cooke) not impressed – so he used to be her boyfriend, so what? When Mina replies that Quincey is not her lover, but her son, Luke is dumbstruck.
Meanwhile, Quincey is preparing to use Galvin as bait to capture Luke, the biggest prize in the half-life. Quincey’s plan works – Luke comes to rescue Galvin with Mina’s help, Quincey goes for Luke – it is the beginning of an epic fight.
Episode 5
Saturday 31st January 2009
With news of a strange murder in the capital, Mina (Zoe Tapper) and Galvin (Philip Glenister) investigate. Mina’s abilities give her terrifying visions and she begins to fear for Luke’s (Christian Cooke) safety. When a symbol Mina ‘sees’ is identified as that of vengeance and Galvin gets wind that the half-lives are fleeing town, he knows that something serious is up. Keen to keep Luke out of danger, Galvin tells him to lie low. But Luke’s not unduly concerned, after all, he is the Übersmiter. However, if it’s a holiday Galvin is suggesting, Luke’s well up for that – especially with new girl Alice (Laura Aikman) on the scene.
When Ruby (Holliday Grainger) discovers that the entity chasing Luke can take the form of a woman in order to stalk her prey, alarm bells start to ring. They realise Alice could well be more half-life than human and she’s got Luke just where she wants him.
Galvin confronts Luke with their suspicions, but he refuses to listen. For the first time since this whole thing began, Luke isn’t running around in sewers or coming face-to-face with villainous entities –he’s being an ordinary teenager and he’s actually quite enjoying it. Just because Galvin’s so messed up that he sees half-lives at every turn, doesn’t mean they are there. Luke’s got himself a life – maybe it’s time Galvin did too.
But when Luke is forced to face the truth, he finds himself with an impossible dilemma. Can he smite the girl he is falling in love with? If he doesn’t, he risks almost certain death. In his hardest encounter yet, Luke has to fight both a physical and mental battle of huge proportions. Ultimately he knows there is only one thing he can do.
Episode 6
Saturday 7th February 2009
In the final episode, after a run in with a pyromancer, Luke (Christian Cooke) starts to have terrible dreams – dreams which lead him back to his father’s death and Galvin’s (Philip Glenister) part in it. Confused and desperate for answers, Luke begins to wonder who he can trust and turns to psychic, Karen (Pauline McLynn), for help. When she appears to have a message for Luke from his father and is able to access intimate details about his life, Luke becomes more and more convinced Galvin is not the man he seems.
But with Thrip (Mackenzie Crook) back on the scene paying an unhealthy amount of attention to Luke’s past himself, Galvin realises the evil half-life is trying to rip the duo apart.
When the truth is uncovered it proves more painful than Luke could have ever imagined. His mentor and guide, Galvin did indeed leave his father to die – but not even Thrip could have reasoned why. The pair are reunited, but Luke’s desire to find out more about his past has raised more questions and concerns than it answered. Luke is more confused than ever about who he really is.