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"I would never chart a river or scale a peak to take its measure or plant a flag; there's no point. It's solipsistic self-aggrandizement. So too those scientists who study the planets seeking astronomical enlightenment for its own sake, the botanists studying the varigation of an Amazonian fern, the zoologists caught up in the endless fascination of an adder's coils. And for what? Knowledge for itself alone. The elation of discovery. Plant your flag on the truth. Hah. There is only one worthy goal for scientific exploration. Piercing the tissue that separates life from death. Everything else, from the deep bottom of the sea to the top of the highest mountain, on the farthest planet, is insignificant. Life, and death, Sir Malcolm. The flicker that separates one from the other. Fast as a bat's wing, more beautiful than any sonnet! That.. is my river. That is my mountain. There... I will plant my flag." "You have the soul of a poet, sir." "And the bank account to match." Ever picked up a Penny Dreadful? It's the worst sort of street story, the Victorian equivalent of detective noire or cheap cyberpunk. It is a bodice-ripping thriller, designed to delight and scandalize, but never to intrigue or provoke thought. It is a cheap entertainment for common folk that demands nothing of its reader beyond the proverbial penny. The Showtime TV series Penny Dreadful makes good on its sensual promises, with lavish sets and constumery and pornographically dripping gore and tasteful yet even-handed nudity where necessary. Where it shocks is in the quality of the writing and the acting. This series strikes out to build a mythos based on tropes familliar to lovers of the Gothic novel, or of High Gothic trappings in general, and - two episodes in, at least - succeeds admirably. It is a blatant, yet delightful, ripoff of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, delivering exactly what the deeply regrettable movie of the same title could not. The writing is rich and soulful, the cast is superb, with one exception, and the entire production is just unspeakably gorgeous. Also, I could listen to Eva Green read the phone book all day. Let us begin.  Vanessa Ives A lady of quality with a dark past, it is implied that Ms. Ives has considerable supernatural power - as well as hidden demons. Portrayed by Eva Green, she stares down a vampire and sells it. The partner of Sir Malcolm, whether in business, love, crime or exploration - or all of the above - is unclear.  Sir Malcolm Murray A famous explorer of Africa, has named a mountain that is "not the tallest, but not the shortest either". He seems to have remarkable insight into the dark doings in London town... in part because his daughter has been stolen away by vampires. He and Ms. Ives are on a mission to rescue her, and stop various supernatural threats in the process. Played by Timothy Dalton, who merrily gnaws on every piece of scenery available in the role; also notable for being a former Bond playing opposite a former Bond girl from very different eras. His daughter's name is Mina.  Ethan Chandler An American sharpshooter. To date, deeply boring; obvious audience viewpoint character. Hints of a dark past and hidden depths, but what do you expect? This is Victorian Gothic As gently caress. I don't even remember who the actor is, he's basically the worst thing about this show, though I'll be delighted if he proves me wrong. Recruited by Sir Malcolm and Ms. Ives to be the muscle in their little supernatural investigative team.  Brona Croft An Irish immigrant with, well, aheh, a dark past! Shocking. But she's also played by Billie Piper, best known for portraying the beloved Doctor Who companion, Rose Tyler. Piper is actually a very good actress and I have high hopes for her in the role, but her Irish accent is pretty cringeworthy to date. Thankfully she makes up for it by having a positively unfair amount of charisma. Her character is afflicted with consumption (that's Victorian for tuberculosis), which is, you guessed it, Goth As gently caress. Only the too-good-for-this-world heroines of tragic operas die of consumption. Thus far, Brona has proven to be both naughty and hard-drinking, which speaks well of her chances in life.  Dorian Gray Whom you should know from literature, because of course you are a well-rounded individual with an extensive education the liberal arts. He is apparently young and... Handsome is perhaps the wrong word. Pretty. Young and pretty, and very inappropriately aroused by Brona's consumption. He's never hosed something that is dying before. A real class act, this one. How he fits into the League of Off-Brand Gentlemen, we do not yet know, but things are obviously going in that direction because they go to the same parties and he hits on Ms. Ives.  Victor Frankenstein No, seriously. Victor Frankenstein. As in, the guy with the monster. I was totally dubious about this character until I heard the monologue at the top of this post. Afterward: SOLD. Harry Treadaway has got this. The story of his Monster is twisting rapidly. Ferdinand Lyle Not main-cast enough to get a photo, but a memorable character who has been in both episodes to date. A florid, foppish Egyptologist with an oddly sinister mien, whom Sir Malcolm and Miss Ives consult with on matters relating to persons of a sanguinary bent. Played by Simon Russell Beale, we will hopefully see much more of this colorful fellow. In conclusion: This show is both smarter, more literate and better-produced than it has any right to be. You should watch it. It's not Orphan Black, but hell, what is?
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May 13, 2014 23:18
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 06:26 |
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Ethan Chandler has to be the Ripper right? Hangs out with prostitutes. Also I feel like I should assume that Americans are evil in penny dreadfuls though I have nothing to back that up.
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May 14, 2014 02:51
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Soylentbits posted:Ethan Chandler has to be the Ripper right? Hangs out with prostitutes. Also I feel like I should assume that Americans are evil in penny dreadfuls though I have nothing to back that up. That makes no sense to me. Why would you feel the need to bring in an American, only to make him the ripper? Either he is some American literary character from the same period, or he's a werewolf who's killing the people we've seen die in the show.
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May 14, 2014 11:56
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I have high hopes for this show! I'm definitely digging the cast and the atmosphere, though I feel like it has had sort of an oddly ambling start. It seems like nothing of real note happened in the second episode - just hints at more back story.
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May 14, 2014 14:36
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 happened at the end of the second episode?!?
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May 14, 2014 14:52
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"The best TV show ever made." - my wife the Goth (I like it too.)
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May 14, 2014 21:27
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Well this is an awfully quiet thread. I quite liked those first two episodes. I will definitely be making an effort to keep up with this one. And to echo what has already been said about the end of ep 2... the gently caress?
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May 15, 2014 14:04
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Karl pilkington dying in the second episode was very suprising.
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May 15, 2014 20:29
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Was it Sir Murray's son?
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May 15, 2014 20:45
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Seance scene was amazing. Eva Green sold it. And I really appreciate how sparing they are with special effects. I was expecting them to make her eyes weird or something. Nope! Just 100% pure Eva Green. I also really like Brona, so far. I hope she clears up that consumption!
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May 16, 2014 01:07
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Wiggy Marie posted:I also really like Brona, so far. I hope she clears up that consumption! Like I said in the OP, the only folks who die of consumption in Victorian fiction are people who are literally too good for this world. Brona's a hard-drinking saucy wench; I think she'll be fine. Mind you, she might end up with a slight case of vampirism or something.
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May 16, 2014 04:33
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This show is loving killer. It'll be a tragedy at Deadwood proportions if it doesn't continue.
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May 16, 2014 05:07
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Definitely a fan of this one, despite low initial expectations. The seance scene really was amazing, though I found myself having trouble following the story that possessed-Vanessa was telling. From what she was saying (unless Malcolm had two daughters), it sounded like Mina died in Africa and was also molested by Sir Malcolm. It's more than possible that I just misunderstood what was going on though.
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May 16, 2014 05:25
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ShakeZula posted:Definitely a fan of this one, despite low initial expectations. The seance scene really was amazing, though I found myself having trouble following the story that possessed-Vanessa was telling. From what she was saying (unless Malcolm had two daughters), it sounded like Mina died in Africa and was also molested by Sir Malcolm. It's more than possible that I just misunderstood what was going on though. I think he had a son who died of dysentery (or some other disease that made him poo poo blood) in Africa while Malcom was climbing mountains. It sounded like Eva Green was alternating between channeling him and the daughter, Mina.
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May 16, 2014 05:34
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Frankenstein completely steals the show, which is saying a lot considering his competition (Josh Hartnett notwithstanding).
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May 16, 2014 06:07
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Let me get in on the ground floor of this thread. I thought the first episode was little slow, despite the great vampire fight. The, what, three scenes where someone asks to be told what's going on, only to be met with metaphor were a little annoying. But then all of "Seance" was amazing. Eva Green's work during the possession scene was incredible, even if I too had trouble determining which spirits she was channeling. It was nice to learn a little more about Ethan and Sir Malcolm, and I was really looking forward to seeing Proteus understand his nature. is the only was I can describe the Monster's introduction.
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May 16, 2014 19:05
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First episode was good enough that I wanted to watch more - second episode was just fantastic. Show's really good. Except for the ending of the second episode, which was the worst. I really liked Proteus 
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May 16, 2014 22:54
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eriktown posted:Like I said in the OP, the only folks who die of consumption in Victorian fiction are people who are literally too good for this world. Brona's a hard-drinking saucy wench; I think she'll be fine. You make good points on both counts. I have the same vampiric suspicions. There's also the maybe-Ripper running about. Hang in there, Brona. amaranthine posted:First episode was good enough that I wanted to watch more - second episode was just fantastic. I shrieked at my poor laptop. I really liked Victor for most of the episode, and that ending had me questioning his methods. You done messed up the first time, Victor!
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May 16, 2014 23:44
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I don't get the hate for Josh Hartnett in this. He's always kind of wooden, but he plays a quiet, sarcastic American pretty well. The part in the first episode where he sasses Frankenstein was pretty well-handled, I thought.
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May 17, 2014 00:09
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Blue Raider posted:I don't get the hate for Josh Hartnett in this. He's always kind of wooden, but he plays a quiet, sarcastic American pretty well. The part in the first episode where he sasses Frankenstein was pretty well-handled, I thought. I'm probably harder on him than he deserves because I love the rest of the cast so much and I was never big into Wild West showmen. (I grew up in the town at the base of the mountain where Buffalo Bill is buried, so the Wild West schtick wore out when I was five).
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May 17, 2014 02:13
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Blue Raider posted:I don't get the hate for Josh Hartnett in this. He's always kind of wooden, but he plays a quiet, sarcastic American pretty well. The part in the first episode where he sasses Frankenstein was pretty well-handled, I thought. To be honest the fact that Josh Hartnett was in it this show was the only thing I knew about it and a large reason why I watched it in the first place. His monobrow is hypnotizing. With Brona I was getting more of a future bride of frankenstein vibe going on. That is... until proteus got gibbed which was an amazing twist.
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May 17, 2014 02:56
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TheMopeSquad posted:To be honest the fact that Josh Hartnett was in it this show was the only thing I knew about it and a large reason why I watched it in the first place. His monobrow is hypnotizing. That was perfect. I was super annoyed that Proteus was so pretty. But if he's not the monster then that clears everything up. Also who was it that Eva Green was doing in the alley? That scene was too dark for me.
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May 17, 2014 03:03
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I have mixed feelings so far, I really liked the start where it seemed like these people were were forming a group to go after some monsters, but then after that they decided that we needed to spend an hour watching Frankenstein teach words to his creation, and have the sharpshooter get drunk, none of it was any interesting. It really just seemed like everyone forgot the main plot. Also I must admit that I found the seance kinda cheesy.
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May 17, 2014 16:33
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I do think it's funny that they couldn't be foreshadowing some of these things harder if they tried. They could have at least let Malcolm's daughter's name be a mystery for one episode, but nope!
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May 17, 2014 17:40
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ShakeZula posted:Definitely a fan of this one, despite low initial expectations. The seance scene really was amazing, though I found myself having trouble following the story that possessed-Vanessa was telling. From what she was saying (unless Malcolm had two daughters), it sounded like Mina died in Africa and was also molested by Sir Malcolm. It's more than possible that I just misunderstood what was going on though. Having seen the first 4 episodes so far, I can assure you that some of the confusing things that they mention off-handedly in the first couple episodes are pieced together throughout. It seems it'll be one of those shows that watching it again once the season is done will have a completely different understanding of exactly what's going on.
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May 17, 2014 17:55
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eriktown posted:
eriktown posted:Ferdinand Lyle Loving this show so far. It's definitely the League of Fairly Interesting Gentlefolk but that's not a bad thing when they have good writing and a decent budget to back it up. It doesn't hurt that Eva Green is lovely in period outfits. 
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May 17, 2014 23:30
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KasioDiscoRock posted:Having seen the first 4 episodes so far, I can assure you that some of the confusing things that they mention off-handedly in the first couple episodes are pieced together throughout. It seems it'll be one of those shows that watching it again once the season is done will have a completely different understanding of exactly what's going on. Lucky sod. Are you a TV critic irl or something?
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May 18, 2014 00:18
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I had zero expectations going in and I wasn't disappointed, but the show is kind of awful in a thoroughly endearing way. It actually reminds me of Supernatural in that regard, and it's at least a better adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen than that godawful film was. That said, I just cringed with embarrassment at the end of episode 2, that was just terrible. Billie Piper's accent is perhaps one of the worst things I have ever heard in my life, and Josh Hartnett is so far living up to his career of playing utterly wooden and uninteresting characters. Timothy Dalton was good (only to be expected) but the guy stealing the show so far is absolutely Simon Russell Beale as Ferdinand Lyle. I hope he continues to cameo, and long may his complaints about his gin-drinking wife continue. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 11:57 on May 18, 2014 |
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May 18, 2014 11:55
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Oh hey, there's a Penny Dreadful thread. Cool. I can't decide if I like this show or not. There's something about it that makes me want to keep watching, but some of the acting is just... ugh. I don't know. I'm gonna stick with it for now since it's just starting and might get a lot better, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
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May 18, 2014 22:12
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the kawaiiest posted:I can't decide if I like this show or not. There's something about it that makes me want to keep watching, but some of the acting is just... ugh. I don't know. I'm gonna stick with it for now since it's just starting and might get a lot better, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I will probably watch the entire run and never know if I actually like the show or not. That's how I always feel about HBO/Showtime shows. Still, I loved that seance scene. Here's hoping for more of that.
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May 18, 2014 22:21
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Wiggy Marie posted:I will probably watch the entire run and never know if I actually like the show or not. That's how I always feel about HBO/Showtime shows. Still, I loved that seance scene. Here's hoping for more of that. Yeah it's one of those shows I guess. There's a lot about it that I like, so I'll probably stick with it. e: who did Vanessa gently caress after the seance? Was that someone I should have recognized?
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May 18, 2014 23:10
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Please keep in mind, everyone, when we discuss Josh Hartnett, that he has never been anything more than Josh Hartnett. He will never be more than Josh Hartnett.
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May 18, 2014 23:13
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eriktown posted:Lucky sod. Are you a TV critic irl or something? No, but I work in the company that does all the sound editing for it.
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May 19, 2014 00:37
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I want to hate-watch this show but I just can't. I get half way through each episode and tune out.
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May 19, 2014 01:29
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Episode 2: In trying to piece together the three different voices from the séance scene... Peter, Sir Malcom's son, died of dysentery and that part of the reveal ended with the long exhalation by Eva Green. Then poo poo got real with the possibility that Sir Malcom's daughter Mina was molested or could've been in a freaky Game of Thrones-esque consentual sexual relationship with her father and after the Amunet mention from Madame Kali and Eva Green's line 'Amunet, no. Something much older.' does that mean it's Amun-ra or a prep for Anubis reveal?  Loving the show so far but wasn't as enamored with the second episode. HEVampersand fucked around with this message at 04:10 on May 19, 2014 |
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May 19, 2014 04:05
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Wow, just watched the first two episodes and this is pretty great. Definitely going to be sticking around. It's got a nice pace to it. An odd thing to pick out, but I like it. Sets it apart from the more frantic counterparts.
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May 19, 2014 04:28
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Eva Green is pretty badass in this show and yeah while I can't tell if it will be good or not it's certainly entertaining so far. Episode 2 was a step up from one too and that ending was certainly an unexpected turn.
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May 19, 2014 04:44
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Green is amazing. I'm half ready to give her an emmy on that seance scene alone. She just seems to be able to sell anything they give her and they sure do give her a lot of stuff to try and sell. I like the show. Its moody and well acted. I've always been a sucker for Victorian horror although it may be a little to busy. I'm hoping Hartnett doesn't turn out to be anything but a drunk with a dark past because if he turns out to be the Wolfman or something it's just gonna strike me as a bit too much. I think he's a red herring and the really killer/monster is probably just Dracula, Frankenstein's first monster, Amunet, or another clear villain we're introduced to (or all of the above). But its a short season so I have hope it is fine with this pacing. The only criticism is that I straight up gave up on trying to understand Billie Piper. I've just resorted to turning on closed captioning whenever I see her on herren.
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May 19, 2014 06:14
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Wait so did they release episode 2 early and ep3 isn't until next week? Was really looking forward to it tonight. I'm a sucker for historical settings even if the story is fictional. I liked the first 2 episodes.
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May 19, 2014 06:16
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STAC Goat posted:The only criticism is that I straight up gave up on trying to understand Billie Piper. I've just resorted to turning on closed captioning whenever I see her on herren. Fire the dialect coach then tell Billie to talk in her normal voice and you'd have a fine bit of Victoriana going on. No, they were idiots and had her try on a wretched "Irish" accent. It's ghastly. My show watching friends and I were howling with laughter when she was introduced and then cringing every time she opened her yap. Lord she's bad, so drat bad. Please please please find some way to soften it or give her no more lines. It's just dreadful. Everyone else has been fine, can't wait for the next episode. MORE SIGNIFICANT GLANCES AHOY!
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May 19, 2014 07:00
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