Penny Dreadful definitely picked up the pace after last week’s flashback episode. Though I really did enjoy a lot of this week’s story, I found Caliban’s transformation into a stone-cold killer to be a little rushed. The guy got dissed by a girl – hardly enough to trigger sociopathic behavior. Of course, the counterargument to that is that Caliban is a sociopath by nature. Though he wants love, he’s a hateful creature inclined towards terrible violence. Still, RIP Van Helsing. I, for one, never saw that coming, even though it now seems pretty obvious that his long information session with Victor was hinting at his impending departure. On a semi-related note, viewers could do a drinking game every time someone says, “I’m not long for this world” or something like that. Between Brona, Vanessa and Van Helsing, this episode would have been a prime time to get that going.
The Mina plot was exciting and fast-paced, which I really appreciated. That thread has been really drawn out this season by the show’s determination to have five main characters with their own intertwined storylines, but I really hope that the two episodes left keep Mina’s story going strong. The next episode is called “Possession,” which likely means we’ll be getting a whole lot of Vanessa (not surprising, given that Logan literally left her hanging) but also a lot of Mina (who has been under the Master’s spell all season) and probably a big development with Victor (if we harken back to him saying that he’s “compelled” by his work, which is really possession of a different ilk).
As an episode which worked tirelessly to move all the pieces in Penny Dreadful‘s chess game around the board, “What Death Can Join Together” worked very well. Particularly when thinking about the Caliban plot, it wasn’t flawless, but the acting was impeccable all around, the plague ship battle was staged with style and intelligence, the atmospheric direction and score did wonders to sell the more far-out moments (like Vanessa’s mid-coitus encounter with a demon) and I’m really happy with where the episode left us.
Logan only has two hours left, but it seems pretty clear where he’s going, which wasn’t true just one episode ago. Mina is going to wind up getting staked, Vanessa is getting dangerously close to joining with Amun-Ra and ending the world, Brona is going to croak and hopefully end up on Frankenstein’s table, and one of the other main characters probably isn’t going to make it out alive. My money’s on Malcolm, seeing as Mina is what has driven him this entire time, but losing Timothy Dalton would be a tough blow for Penny Dreadful, so perhaps he’ll find another (lost) cause to rally behind. Ethan’s still an unknown as far as I’m concerned, but I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll get to see him wolf out in the finale. After all, it’s called “Grand Guignol,” and the play currently on offer there is The Transformed Beast.
Whatever is controlling Vanessa, it doesn’t seem willing to get out of her head anytime soon – so more unhinged Eva Green (aka the best Eva Green, in pretty much everyone’s opinion) is definitely on the way. The show is becoming more action-oriented, so I’m looking forward to seeing Ethan actually brawl (and maybe, like Vanessa, also lose control). Surrendering oneself to the demons inside has been a major theme this season, and Vanessa has already slipped. Victor may be on his way to that same kind of surrender, and I’m sure Ethan will have to make some tough choices in the next episodes that will make it hard for him not to let the beast out. Malcolm surrendered his morals a long time ago, but he may do so again if it turns out that dangling Vanessa in front of the Master/Amun-Ra is what it will take to save Mina. The only character who stands outside of that theme is Sembene – but something tells me we’ll have to wait until next season to get much more out of him.
Oh, and one last thing. We got zilch on the Ethan/Dorian hook-up this week, which you’re probably all steaming about (I know I’m a little peeved it got dropped). Rest assured, the two will have to share the screen again at some point this season, so we’ll get some resolution soon enough. Whether that’ll include flashbacks, I could not tell you. That’s all I’ve got for this week’s Penny Dreadful, but I do want to hear what you guys thought. Are you liking the twists and turns so far, or has the show lost you? We’ve got an assured second season at this point, so it looks like I’m in it for the long haul with these recaps – and I’m hoping you’ll all stick around here with me.
