I want to talk about the supposed "thrall" that Buffy was under during the Buffy vs Dracula episode. I have been pretty confused about the affect that Dracula has on his victims. Other than Lucy and Xander, we have yet to see Dracula's ability to put people under his "thrall" actually be completely successful. In the episode, Buffy certainly feels the affects of Dracula's power over her. Although some of it may be a ploy to get him to think he has control, I believe that there are instances where he does actually have power over Buffy. Yet, in the end she comes back to "reality" and realizes the enemy she is facing and vanquishes him. For comparison, lets also take a look at Renfield. Even crazy Renfield is not completely under the Count's influence. Clearly he has a weaker mind to begin with and I think that is what allows Dracula to have control initially, but even Renfield breaks the spell. Despite his lunacy Renfield finds the wherewithal to break the Count's thrall and rebel against him. Because of the inconsistency I think it reinforces Van Helsing's theory that Dracula still has a child's mind. Although he has super-human ability, I think we are all to believe that it is not completely sharpened just yet. Ultimately, Dracula's abilities are not as powerful as he would like. Van Helsing and the gang are correct to follow Dracula as he flees. We are to believe that any delay will make it more difficult in the future because Dracula's powers will mature and make him even more difficult to kill.
I think you make a really interesting point about the flawed nature of Dracula's "thrall" and its connection to his "child's mind." However, I think that in addition to this, it is important to remember that Reinfield is able to break from Dracula only when he realizes the Count is praying on Mina. It helps to reinforce the dynamic between the patriarchal male protectors and the "saint-like" Mina.
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