Within minutes of turning on Netflix’s Dracula, I knew Sister Agatha would be one of my favorite characters.
I don’t just mean one of my favorite characters in Dracula either. By the end of the first (albeit lengthy) episode, I was willing to bet she’d be held up as one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Dracula series.
We couldn’t have known exactly who Agatha Van Helsing would become when we first met her in the opening scene of Dracula, but it was immediately clear that she wasn’t a regular nun. She was a cool nun. In fact, she’s the coolest nun I’ve ever seen portrayed in media. Move over Sister Act, Dracula’s Sister Agatha is here.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Sister Agatha being “sequestered in study” wasn’t entirely her choice. She has opinions and she isn’t afraid to share them, which certainly isn’t the level of discipline we’ve come to expect from our fictional nuns.
However, I would argue that this actually makes her not just the coolest, but one of the best examples of a nun, or any religious figure that I’ve ever seen on TV.
When we meet Sister Agatha, her faith has been shaken. She scoffs at the idea of their surroundings being a “house of God,” laughing it off and saying they could “use a man around the house.” As she put it herself, “I have looked for God everywhere in this realm and found nothing.”
Her life at the convent isn’t necessarily the one she would’ve chosen for herself. Rather, it’s a necessary compromise for a woman (like many at the time, according to Agatha) who’s “trapped in a loveless marriage for the sake of maintaining a roof over my head.”
This isn’t her only mention of an important metaphorical turned literal roof either. Later, in the same conversation in the early moments of Dracula, she mentions that nearby, a so-called “house of God” was destroyed as its roof completely caved in. She jokes that instead of praying and maintaining his faith, the clergyman “should’ve maintained his roof.”
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Sister Agatha’s practical and skeptical approach to religion and faith is precisely the reason why I think she’s one of the best religious figures I’ve ever seen portrayed on TV. Her faith is not blind or boundless. It’s full of questions and concerns and wonderings and discoveries.
That being said, as we see in Dracula, no matter how many times her search comes up empty, Sister Agatha remains open. In fact, it’s her dubious nature and curiosity that, when she eventually comes to the realization that their must be a higher force for good to counter Dracula’s evil, results in her concrete and steadfast belief in the faith and lifestyle she’s chosen. When she does see the light, she’s filled with an unflappable confidence in the power that it holds.
On top of that, she truly exemplifies the qualities that her station as a nun boasts. Throughout Dracula, we see her display sincere goodness, whether it’s driven by faith or not. She has a hunger for the truth, but she also wishes to see the good in those around her.
She’s consistently courageous, throwing herself into the line of fire and doing whatever it takes to keep others safe. She’s in perpetual service to others, all while persistently battling the constant threat that is Dracula.
She’s also willing to admit fault when she’s made an error in judgement or speech. She confidently holds herself with all the power and strength that her faith provides. A woman without fear with an unquenchable thirst for justice.
As if all of that wasn’t enough, she’s incredibly witty. Lines like “you are an English man — a combination of presumptions beyond compare,” sum up her character perfectly. She’s constantly making smart observations about the world and handing them to us in hilarious packaging.
Almost every word that came out of her mouth either made me laugh or gave me chills. Her carefully crafted lines were perfectly delivered by Dolly Wells, elevating the character of Agatha Van Helsing to even more than she was on the page. An icon of wit, sass, power, and faith unlike the world has even seen.
While Sister Agatha’s unexpected candor at the beginning of the Dracula series is unsettling to a viewer who’s struggling to get a sense of their surroundings (she is initially just one more strange addition to the bizarre world that we’re dropped into), once she fully takes charge of the situation, her immediate openness adds a depth of trust and accountability to her character that I rarely experience with works of fiction. By telling us what she shouldn’t, she allows us to trust what we must.
I’m so glad Netflix’s Dracula decided to give Sister Agatha the role of Van Helsing in their adaptation. I would’ve appreciated anything we got from this character, but playing her opposite Dracula was such a gift, and allowed us to experience everything that she had to offer.
I would’ve appreciated Netflix’s Dracula adaptation for its quality and story-telling, but Sister Agatha made me fall in love with it and will have me returning for a rewatch in the near future!