Previously on Penny Dreadful: Caliban wanted a girlfriend, Ethan’s girlfriend lay dying, and Vanessa’s love life led to her being possessed, though on the upside, she found out where Mina is during said possession.

Vanessa tells Malcolm she thinks Mina’s trying to be found, at the theatre. Malcolm’s somewhat encouraged, but there’s a hard truth he has to face: if Mina can’t be saved, he’ll have to kill her. He goes to contact the boys so they can all go to the theatre after it closes. Alone, Vanessa looks contemplative, and then senses something. A moment later, Sembene announces that a gentleman is there to see her. It’s Dorian, as she knows, and he’s rather cutely like a schoolboy with a crush. Vanessa invites him to sit and he politely says it’s good to see her doing better. He babbles about having gone travelling while she was ill, hitting up Italy for some shopping, as you do. Noting her tarot cards, he asks her to read his future. She wearily says she’s not sure he has one. He asks to read his past, but she says that would rob him of his mystery. He desperately tries to ask her out, but she lies that she’s permanently busy. He tells her he’ll be waiting for her somewhere at four o’clock that afternoon. She shortly informs him that their time together is done and sweeps out.

Continue reading “Penny Dreadful: Night of the Living Dead”

Previously on Penny Dreadful: Vanessa’s sexy date with Dorian was interrupted by the arrival of her old possession demon friend.

Vanessa reclines on a sofa in the sitting room, a steaming cup of tea at her side, musing on how messed up Victorian ideas of feminine beauty are, while Malcolm listens nearby. Malcolm tells her that the evening before she went into some bizarre fit. She’s oddly relaxed about that and apparently doesn’t remember it. She starts chatting and it quickly becomes obvious she’s channeling Mina. She’s got that little kid voice on again and babbles about how her fat mother cried in her loneliness whenever he was away, and that he hated her for being fat and preferred pursuing lean ladies. Her voice growing dark, she tells him to tell her about the other women, scolding him for not going to Mrs Ives’s funeral. She goes on to list the other women he was with, the prostitutes in Zanzibar and the native women he met along his journeys. He tries to contain his rage as she goes on, and then her anger starts to create a hurricane in the room powerful enough to throw furniture and books around. She stares at him as Sembene comes in and Malcolm looks helpless. Sembene takes things into his own hands and hits her twice, knocking her out. The enchantment breaks. He takes her upstairs as Malcolm looks at the wreckage of the room.

Continue reading “Penny Dreadful: The Beast Within”

Previously on Penny Dreadful: Vanessa started flirting with Dorian, who apparently slept with Ethan after a strange night at the theatre and perhaps too much absinthe. Ethan was dating Brona, the dying prostitute, who told him she was too lost a cause and he should just eff off already. Caliban wanted a girlfriend and threatened to take out anyone Victor passes the time of day with if he didn’t produce a girl immediately, and Malcolm lost his best link to the creature that has Mina.

In the immediate aftermath of the events from two weeks ago, Vanessa and Malcolm discuss the appearance of the creature and Fenton’s death. She refuses to stay in the room and he asks if she sensed anything the night before. She did not, because she can’t just summon these things at will. She can’t? She seemed pretty possessed of her abilities in the premiere. He accuses her of having forgotten Mina and why they’re doing this and reminds her that he lost his family. Speaking of, whatever happened to his wife? She just disappeared without an explanation. Same with Vanessa’s dad. She snaps that she lost her family as well and he backs down. She frowns beautifully and promises to try harder. Can anyone glower as glamorously as Eva Green?

Continue reading “Penny Dreadful: Getting Freaky”

Previously on Penny Dreadful: Vanessa became possessed at a séance and started (maybe) spilling some dirty Murray family secrets, Ethan met a consumptive Irish prostitute, and Frankenstein got to have a little fun with his adorable new creation before his firstborn showed up and destroyed it.

Rewind to Victor’s childhood. He walks through a field of daffodils and recites some romantic poetry before coming upon the maggot-ridden corpse of a dog. His dog. His mother comes upon him and tells him how sorry she is about the dog’s loss.

Continue reading “Penny Dreadful: The Firstborn”