Penny Dreadful Season 2 Review: There Is No Walking Away From What I Am

I'm a season behind with watching "Penny Dreadful". I viewed all of season 2 in two days. I'd forgotten how excellent the show is. The acting, the cinematography, the sets, the writing-- all are top notch. And with only 10 episodes total, it's a quick watch. Here's a refresher of our main characters:

Vanessa Ives (Eva Green)- Vanessa as been stalked by the Devil since episode 1. He wants Vanessa to be his bride. She doesnt think much of the idea.
Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton)- Vanessa's adopted father. Vanessa and Malcolm's daughter Mina were childhood friends. Mina was captured by a vampire (presumably Dracula). She was released (ie killed) last season by our heroes.
Dr Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadway)- Victor spends his time doing drugs and trying to bring the dead back to life. Thus far he's been successful with Caliban (who's going by Jon Clare these days) and Proteus (who faced an untimely death-- for the second time).
Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney)- You know the story. Dorian never ages but the self portrait he keeps hidden does. Dorian is quiet adventurous sexually having already bedded both Vanessa and Ethan.
Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett)- We learned last season that Ethan was a werewolf and has committed a number of murders. At the beginning of season 2 no one knows his secret (except for the audience).
Sembene (Danny Sapani)- Sir Malcolm's right hand man, Sembene has previous experience with the supernatural and join the team on their quest to fight evil. He also eventually learns Ethan's secret.

As the story picks up in season 2, Frankenstein attempts to resurrect Brona as a partner for Jon Clare. He keeps her hidden away and has to reintroduce her to everything (since she has no knowledge of her past life). Victor takes this opportunity to change Brona's name to Lily. Frankenstein falls in love with Lily (much to the chagrin of Jon). Let us also not forget that Brona was previously Ethan's girlfriend. That should be an interesting reunion.

Dorian Gray is back and still up to his bohemian ways. Someone catches his eye at the local house of prostitution. Angelique is transgendered. They have lots of explicit sexy times. I'm all for it but I'd be interested to know what the straight male viewers though. Dorian and Angelique carry on passionately for a while...until Dorian gets bored and seeks entertainment elsewhere. He returns home to find Angelique holding his aging portrait. Dorian kills her with a poisoned drink. Dorian is not one for long term commitments.

Remember Madame Kali/Evelyn Poole from season 1? She's the entertainer who performed the seance at Egyptologist Ferdinand Lyle's party (where Vanessa become possessed and frightened off the guests). Evelyn is not what she seems. She is in fact a very old and powerful witch. Her Master is none other than the Devil (the same Devil that's been chasing after Vanessa since the beginning of the series). Evelyn (with the help of her witch daughters) plans to give the Master what he wants. They initially try to kidnap Vanessa during her carriage ride with Ethan but that doesnt work. On A Side Note: Those witches sure do look bad without their makeup. Eeekkk! Never leave the house without it ladies!

Much of the season involves flashbacks of when Vanessa visited a witch named Joan Clayton (or just "the Cut-Wife" because she performs abortions). Joan is played by the always spectacular Patti LuPone. The two women initially have a frosty relationship. Joan has a hex protecting her house. Vanessa stands outside for days in the cold and rain refusing to leave. They eventually warm up. Vanessa becomes an apprentice to Joan. Joan recognizes per pupil's immense power and teacher her how to control it.

Evelyn and daughters arrive outside the cottage. Again, they can not cross due to the hex. It seems Joan and Evelyn were in the same coven eons ago. Evelyn chose the dark side. Sure she worships Satan but she gets to keep her good looks. Joan refused to submit. She was branded and driven out. She is also forced to age naturally .

Evelyn puts a spell on a local estate owner (Sir Geoffrey) and encourages him to kill Joan. Geoffrey rallies the townspeople. The Cut Wife is burned alive. That was an excellent scene but hard to watch. Vanessa is branded as punishment. Joan deeds the house to Vanessa. She stays there alone for a while but but eventually returns to London.

In present time, Ferdinand eventually helps the gang decipher the Verbis Diablo (which is in several ancient languages on a number of artifacts). It was supposedly written by a deranged monk who got his instructions straight from Lucifer. We dont find out till later that Ferdinand is being blackmailed by the witches into spying on our crew. Hmmm, I wonder if Ferd will make it out of this season alive?

When Dr Lyle finally translates the text it reads "And now the rest of the tale. We were cleaved apart-- two brothers cast out to two realms. One brother to Earth and the other brother to Hell. And thus will be set to eternal enmity. My brother on Earth to feed on the blood of the living at night and myself in Hell to feed on the souls of the dead. Both in a quest for the Mother of Evil," So, let me get this straight. The same Devil that has stalking Vanessa since season 1 has a brother who is the vampire who kidnapped Mina (and was later after Vanessa)? Small world.

The police close. Detective Rusk has it in for Ethan and will not rest until he pays. One of the men survived the Mariner's Inn Massacre (although he was severely disfigured). Roper later visits the cottage and tries to blackmail Ethan. Really bad idea. Ethan and Vanessa work together to kill Roper. Sure they murdered someone... but it was self defense in my opinion.
Evelyn has her sights set on Sir Malcolm. She makes voodoo dolls (called "fetishes) of both Malcolm and Vanessa. An infant's heart must be used in the doll in order for the spell to work. Hecate is happy to oblige and turns into her scary self . She murders a baby's parents on a train. Yep, that child is a goner. The spell over Malcolm works. He falls hopelessly in love with Mrs Poole. Meanwhile Evelyn knocks off Sir Murray's wife Gladys (by poking a fetish door of her in the head with a needle). The poor woman is in excruciating pain and sees visions of her dead children. Gladys eventually slits her own throat.  Don't get on the wrong side of the witches. They are brutal!

Ethan and Vanessa retreat to Joan's cottage in the moors. The two have feelings for each other but never manage to consummate them. It might be good to wait though since every time Vanessa has sex she becomes possessed. And guess who Vanessa runs into again? It's none other than Sir Geoffrey. Vanessa plots to off him. Ethan tries to talk her out of it. Ethan knows what it means to kill someone (or in his case LOTS of someones). Ethan hides outside Geoffrey's estate in order to do the deed himself. But Vanessa beats him to the punch by using the spirit book Joan left behind.

Uh oh. Vanessa has already killed two people this season. Is she crossing over to the dark side? Victor notifies the couple that Malcolm has been kidnapped. They head back to London.

In the end, Lily teams up with Dorian. She has been playing Victor all along. She plans to take over the world and doesnt care how many people she has to murder to get there. Victor doesnt take the news well and shoots Dorian and Lily. It is at this point he figures out he cant kill them. Blood drips off them into the floor. They dance in their white outfits smearing the blood across the floor. Very effective visual!

Jon Clare is once again unlucky in love. Even the blind daughter of Mr Putney (the owner of the wax museum) turns on him. The Putneys plan to make Jon Clare the main attraction in their freak show (since he's disfigured). But the Putneys underestimate the Creature. He kills the mother and father and leaves their bodies for Lavinia to discover.

The rest of the crew heads to Evelyn's castle to rescue Malcolm. Things initially do not go well. Sir Malcolm is locked in a room and has visions of his dead wife and children. He did neglect all three so maybe he should feel a bit guilty. Frankenstein later joins him but is tormented by Caliban and Lilly.

Sembene is locked with Ethan in a stairwell. Unfortunately it's a full moon. Ethan turns full werewolf and kills him.

Vanessa and Evelyn are staged for a knock down drag out fight in her secret doll room (memento mori). Interesting visual. I assume the dolls are the physical manifestations of all the people Evelyn has destroyed throughout the centuries. Vanessa fights with her twin doll. Luckily it isn't nearly as stupid as it sounds. Satan shows Vanessa a vision of what her life could be-- with Ethan and two charming children. Vanesssa doesnt give up though and recites the Verbis Diablo (in that strange voice). The doll's face cracks. Scorpions scurry about. One is absorbed into Ms Ives' palm.

Evelyn reverts back to her REALLY OLD self. Ethan-As-Werewolf (released by Hecate) scurries in and rips Evelyn's throat out. This fulfills the prophecy of him being the "Hound Of God". Two more witches are killed. The castle burns to the ground. Hecate safely exits. She always wanted to take her mother's place anyway.

So at the end of the season, only one of the core group is dead. It is of course the only person of color Sembene. Like we couldnt see that coming. My vote would have been to kill off Dorian instead... but no one asked me.

All the other main characters are separated. Ethan turns himself into Rusk and is on his way back to America to face his father. Vanessa is left alone in the mansion. She takes the crucifix that always hung on her wall and throws it into the fire. Has Vanessa given up on God? Victor falls into a drug stupor after being rejected by Lily. Caliban is on a steamer to some cold weather locale. Sir Malcolm is also on a ship heading to Africa to bury Sembene. And Ferdinand somehow manages to survive after all.

Favorite Quotes:

Jon Clare: "Come with me... our desolate shore." Vanessa:: "Mr Clare, around me that is a shroud that brings only pain. I wont allow you to suffer. Not you. I think you are the most human man I have ever met."
"Leave everything you were outside this door."- The Cut Wife to Vanessa.
"I'm sorry you feel unloved. You are a beautiful monster and there are those who will love you and shall. Life awaits you."- Vanessa to Jon Clare.
Ethan: "There is no walking away from what I am." Vanessa: "What we both are. I have run from the darkness for so long-- only to find myself in a darker place still. Walk with me."
Vanessa: "And all of this (the witches, the attacks) just to bring me here? Devil: "I've missed you Vanessa." Vanessa: "No, you need me to agree. You can't take my soul. I have to give it." Devil: "You must give it freely and of your own accord."
Ferdinand: "I dont for a moment deny my complicity with that evil woman but you must believe me when I say it's done. And I am willing to suffer the consequences of my disloyalty to her-- which are ruinous.
"And now the rest of the tale. We were cleaved apart-- two brothers cast out to two realms. One brother to Earth and the other brother to Hell. And thus will be set to eternal enmity. My brother on Earth to feed on the blood of the living at night and myself in Hell to feed on the souls of the dead. Both in a quest for the Mother of Evil,"- Ferdinand translating the Verbis Diablo.
"She called me her little scorpion and only said my name aloud once... before she was murdered tied to that tree outside."- Vanessa about Joan to Ethan.
"I have the strangest feeling we met before. Do you think that's possible. Perhaps in some other life time?"- Dorian to Lily.
"We must prepare for battle. When it comes, it comes fully and to the end."- Joan to Vanessa.
"Never again will I kneel to any man. Now they will kneel to me."- Lily/Brona.
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."- Joan to Vanessa.
Vanessa: "Whatever you have done. Whoever you have made yourself. I'm here to accept you. We're together for a reason." Ethan: "God's plan?" Vanessa: "Yes."

Grade: 4 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). An excellent season. I would have given it a 5 if only the finale was a bit better. The lead up to the final episode was stellar. It kinda petered out in the end though. I thought there would be an epic battle between Vanessa and Evelyn. Alas, it was a smack down between Vanessa and her doll (complete with scary voices reciting Latin).

Eva Green continues to be stupendous in her role as Vanessa. I'm not sure why she hasnt won an Emmy yet (other than horror shows seem to be frowned upon when it comes time for nominations). Helen McCrory is also excellent in her role as Evelyn. She could scare the bejesus out of me just by looking at me.