It’s the end of the line for Penny Dreadful in a surprisingly sudden series finale.
What They Say:
Perpetual Night / The Blessed Dark – Dr. Seward Hypnotizes Renfield, the Creature must make a moral decision, the group tries to save Vanessa.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The final two episodes of Penny Dreadful come together as a double episode event and that’s both exciting and frustrating. With the show building well over the course of the season as it worked through several great stories, particularly for Ethan, it’s also kept us engaged with Vanessa’s story involving Dracula. Everything has been coming together without the usual we’d get elsewhere of a slog of twenty-two episodes and now at the end, the team finally reunites. I’ve really enjoyed this season but also frustrated that we get the final two together because it almost feels like too much at once as I really enjoy the weekly single episode experience as I’d hate to binge on this show as soaking up the atmosphere is a big part of what works. It’s also simply disappointing that we’re at the end of the season what feels like it’s far too quick. And this is made more so by the reveal that not only is it the season but series finale with Logan making it clear that this is how he wanted to end it, though Showtime would have been on board for more.
The nature of the arcs all returning to London is something that was expected, and as much as I dislike that they spent so much time away, I love the feeling of the trio returning now and the city feeling like it’s surreal as the darkness has begun to consume it because of what Dracula has done in pledging his service to Vanessa. There’s a darkness taking hold here and while it’s symbolized through the fog, it’s utterly disturbing with all the smaller pieces, the creatures of the night. Frogs rising from the sewers in Seward’s office, where Renfield has gone batshit crazy, to rats running loose across the streets as though they own it. That unease permeates everything and we even see it through Kaetenay just how he senses things within Malcolm’s home when they go there to find Vanessa. That they discover the sacrifices made there reinforces that bad things are going on and that they may just be too late, particularly as Dracula’s thralls have taken up residence there. At least we get Catriona showing up to help out – can we get a spinoff series for her that digs into it all, please?
The sense of bringing things to a close is interesting here, knowing after the fact that it’s the end, as we see Malcolm almost ready to off himself after getting bit by one of the thralls. Catriona’s knowledgeable enough to try something different that could help. And she’s also aware of the larger plague at work with the fog that’s mixed with nasty business through what the factories throw in the air. These are small moments but help set the bleak stage even more. There’s also a good sense of that with how things begin with Lily and Victor as Dorian has found himself done with her as she is, not giving in to her attempts to try and sway or kill him. Dorian’s story feels like it should be so much bigger than it is and Lily’s still has so much that it can work with that it all feels a bit frustrating in knowing that they can’t be fully and richly explored. That’s not to say we don’t get good material out of all of this, but it feels different than the kind of seeming closure that some like John Clare got in being reunited with his family – though even that is badly tinged with events here.
That said, Billie Piper puts in an amazing performance here as Lily as she pleads with Victor for the life she has because of the memories that exist within it. It’s an extended piece that lets her just go big here and really digs into what drives her and who she is. Considering the twisted nature of their relationship, this end point for the two of them is definitely strong overall, though it’s more in her favor than his, though at least he grows a bit in not trying to control who she is and make her who he wants to be. Lily’s path and what she’s been through is likely a familiar one for many from the time, and true enough today as well, but it’s presented in a hugely compelling way here so as to make you empathize with her in a way that many may not have before.
What really got me in a way is that the first half of this two-part finale is that Eva Green isn’t in it at all as Vanessa, though’ she’s mentioned several times. We’ve had her bottle episodes to be sure, but her not being in it even a little? That feels exceedingly rare in this series. So when we do see her through flashback pieces in the second half’s opening sequence, which is done differently than most episodes are done, it’s a reminder of just how her presence makes such an impact. When we connect with her again within the show, fully on the side of Dracula at this point, the two are intriguing in how they’re aligned now. Coming after Dracula’s first encounter with Ethan that made it clear that Ethan is his singular and most dangerous of enemies, it reinforces the larger role that Ethan will be playing. It didn’t hurt that we get to see Kaetenay go big with his ability to turn as well, something that Ethan didn’t know, nor did anyone else.
When the show shifts to go after Dracula straight out, assembling an unusual group once again that’s similar but different from past collections, it’s certainly enticing as they make their way into the slaughterhouse. We’ve seen this method before but each instance stands on its own and the pairings definitely makes it exciting. It’s a wonderfully tense sequence as we get the group coming across Dracula and him saying that Vanessa wants them to live, so they should go before he changes his mind on her wishes. There’s some great tension as they’re surrounded by the thralls and Malcolm gets the answer to the question about what Dracula did with Mina all those years ago. The reactions of the group as Malcolm makes it clear this is a doomed situation is wonderful, especially from Seward as she plays up her New York side a bit more. It’s a lot of chaos above combined with Ethan and Kaetenay in the sewers, and there’s a real thrill to it all – though it keeps making me want to know a lot more about Catriona.
While everyone gets time to shine, it does all narrow down as Dracula gets involved and essentially brushes them all aside as only Ethan is the threat. There’s some great power shown here, but it’s when it moves to Ethan finding Vanessa that it just hits its stride in a big way. She’s so given over to the choice she’s seemingly made and accepted it that she’s positively haunting at this point. A lot of it really does revolve around the idea that there is no other path for Vanessa, that she can’t be free of this and that free will is gone at this point. Accepting it is the only path, though one made harder by seeing Ethan and knowing that there was a chance, ever so slight, with him. But in the end, it has to go in only one direction as Penny Dreadful has never hidden from the hard and realistic choices that these people have to make in this complex and dark time. Vanessa and Ethan sell this scene perfectly with all that it represents, made more so by the visuals, but even if it was just two of them on an empty stage it would have been just as powerful, if not more so.
In Summary:
“And then all light will end, and the world will live in darkness.”
Such is the case in that the world is a bit bleaker without Penny Dreadful in it. The show did some truly fantastic work that will be recognized for years to come as people discover it on demand and elsewhere. It’s a show I tried by chance, intrigued by the opening sequence and the people involved with it, and it turned out to be one of the consistently best shows I saw over the last few years with what it built. These are defining role-s for the actors and for Showtime in bringing something truly creative and original to the screen. It’s a passion project that shone through with nearly every episode and gave each actor plenty of challenges that they rose to. Though the finale may be a touch underwhelming because of the nature of it being a suddenly revealed series finale as well, the work as a whole is simply fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough.
Grade: A
