Is it? Or was herr Starr just acting out his fantasy?

"Yeah, sorry, that's dumb." Try explaining the plot to someone who hasn't seen the show or read the comics and you'll get the same reaction.

Mark my words - Denis will become season 3's arch-nemesis. We still don't know anything about him, except his relationship to his estranged father. He won't be a responsible vampire like Cassidy, and he might be weaponized by The Grail.

Screw the source material. The tv show is it's own thing. I think that ambiguity is exactly what the screenwriters were aiming for. Remember that Herr Starr: 1. is clearly drawn as a long-time bisexual sado-masochist in this version (not a neophyte, as in the comics); 2. is a peak fighter and he would've dispatched…