Penny Dreadful Season 3 Overview: The End (Series Finale)

When season three begins, our characters are strewn to the corners of the Earth. John Claire/The Creature is on a ship in the Arctic, Ethan Chandler is being taken back to the States on orders from his father. Sir Malcolm is in African burying Sembene and poor Miss Ives is alone in London. She has cut off all contact with the outside world until Ferdinand Lyle (I just love that guy) barges in and offers her the name of his counselor.

When Vanessa finally visits Dr Florence Seward she is the doppleganger of Vanessa's old friend Joan Clayton. Yeah, Patti LaPone is back! Remember Joan was killed years ago by the townsfolk for being a witch. Her arch enemy Evelyn Poole/Madame Kali quietly orchestrated the attack.

We meet a new character is the form of Dr Jekyll. I'm still perplexed as to why they never allowed him to turn into Mr Hyde? Maybe that was planned for a later season. Meanwhile Dorian and Lily/Brona are still hanging out. They rescue a young prostitute named Justine and soon end up with a house full of hookers. Lily plans to build an army to right all the wrongs they have been subjected to.

Victor Frankenstein doesnt like the new Lily and works with Jekyll to find a way to make her more docile. They capture Lily (well, she's actually sold out by Dorian). Victor eventually decides against the treatment. In the end, Dorian tells Lily she will be back to see him at some point. This is after he snaps Justine's neck. Lily begs to differ. I know Lily has done terrible things but I find her to be very sympathetic character. And Billie Piper knocks all her monologues out of the park (especially the one about her dead daughter). Someone hand me the tissues.

Vanessa meets a zoologist named Dr Alexander Sweet. He is quite charming but we can tell from the start that he is actually Count Dracula. Dr Seward hypnotizes her new patient. She remembers back to her time in the asylum. Poor Vanessa has had a rough life. Despite her tremendous faith, she is stuck in an impossible situation.

In an interesting twist, Vanessa is kindly cared for by Caliban (in his pre-Creature days). I find it interesting that both Lucifer and his brother Dracula want Vanessa. Boys, there are plenty of ladies to go around. You dont need to fight over the same one.

Back in the US, Ethan is taken to his father Jared Talbot's home in New Mexico. Sir Malcom and Kaetney (an Apache Indian from Ethan's past) are in hot pursuit. Hecate is also following them. Remember Evelyn's daughter? She's still has a thing for Ethan. This traipsing around the countryside takes far to long IMHO (but no one asked me). Eventually Rusk (the Scotland Yard detective) and Hecate are killed. Ethan cant bring himself to off his father so Sir Malcolm does the deed. They head back to London with Kaetenay in tow. Once there Ethan takes his wolfie form and is joined by Kaetenay (Wes Studi). Kae was responsible for turning Ethan into a werewolf. Uh, it would be nice to be asked first.

The Creature also returns to England and unsuccessfully attempts to save his son from death (or at least have him reanimated). Things dont go as planned.

Vanessa succumbs to Dracula's powers and darkness settles over London. All manner of pestilence (frogs, rats, etc) abound. The End Of Days has arrived. Dr Seward confronts Renfield who has been secretly listening to Vanessa's recorded sessions. He's trying to gather dirt for the Master. He's later interrogated by Seward, Malcolm and a new character named Catriona. They learn Vanessa's location. I like Cat. She's a total bad ass. Too bad we dont learn more about her. Maybe this is something else they had planning for the next season.

Much of the time during the finale is spent with the good guys fighting Dracula's creatures of the night. We dont however see much of Vanessa. The Wolf of God eventually locates her. Knowing that she has no hope of escaping her torment, she asks Ethan to shoot her (thus fulfilling his destiny). Before dying Vanessa has visions of what her life with Ethan and their children could have been. I kept hoping Vanessa would overcome but in the end she sacrifices herself for the sake of humanity saying "My battle must end or there will never be peace on Earth".

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5) A fitting ending to the series but it seemed a bit rushed. Showtime apparently canceled "Penny Dreadful" and the show had to wrap up quickly. There was no previous announcement when the final two episodes aired on the same night. It's a shame since I think there were more stories to be told (even if Vanessa isnt around). After all, we are dealing with several immortal beings.

The final scene shows the words "The End" so it's pretty evident "Penny Dreadful" wont be coming back. I do hope Eva Green gets some awards for her portrayal of Miss Ives. Her acting over three season has been a wonder to behold. She definitely doesnt get enough credit. And the rest of the cast is not too shabby either. Everything about the show is top notch-- the acting, the costumes, the sets, the story and the cinematography. I will miss "Penny Dreadful" and the monsters we've come to love.