Penny Dreadful Season 2

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

I was so excited about the second season of John Logan’s “Penny Dreadful” that I actually had the premiere date marked down on my calendar.

Combining familiar characters from 19th century Gothic literature (all of which are in the public domain) and throwing them into a story that pits them against vampires, witches and the devil himself, at first glance “Penny Dreadful” may look like a silly, pulpy experiment along the lines of Hollywood’s Van Helsing and their attempt at Alan Moore’s League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

But “Penny Dreadful” is a dark and intriguing blend of campy drama and careful character study, the combination of which makes for compelling viewing. Every Victorian Gothic trope you’ve ever heard of makes an appearance at some point (séances, opium dens, resurrectionists, spiritualism, madhouses, exorcisms, desolate moors, witch burnings) but writer John Logan usually finds a way to subvert expectations.

Vanessa Ives (Eva Green in the role she was born to play) is a troubled young woman who has spent most of her life haunted by otherworldly incidents that seem to have a particular interest in her. Last season her guardian Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) used her psychic gifts to track down his daughter Mina Murray from a nest of vampires; now he discovers that even greater powers have their sights set on his foster-daughter.

Brought into the fold are American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) and dedicated surgeon Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadwell) who lend their services to protecting Vanessa and finding out what might be troubling her. Of course, these two men have secrets of their own. Frankenstein is working under the duress of his monster Caliban, who has demanded a bride to assuage his loneliness, while Ethan (as revealed in the final episode of last season) is the Wolf-Man, whose transformations each full moon put everyone around him in danger.

Rounding out the cast is Rory Kinnear as Frankenstein’s Creature, perhaps one of the most accurate portrayals of the character as described in Mary Shelley’s novel (no green skin or neck-bolts here!), Reeve Carney as the feckless and languorous Dorian Grey (complete with portrait concealed in a secret chamber), and Danny Sapani as Sembene, Malcolm’s trusted right-hand man, who remains criminally underused.

Of particular note is Billie Piper as the Bride of Frankenstein, who spent the first season dying of consumption as Irish prostitute Brona, and who is resurrected here as Lily, the English cousin of Victor Frankenstein – at least that’s what she’s told by her creator, grooming her as the future wife of his *first* creature. You naturally expect great things from the likes of Eva Green and Timothy Dalton, but you may be surprised at just how good Josh Hartnett and Billie Piper are in their respective roles. It’s a testament to how good writing can improve an actor/actress, and there’s a particular scene late in the season in which Piper dishes out a performance that nothing she’s done previously led me to expect she’d be capable of (you’ll know it when you see it).

This season picks up moments after the last concluded, with Ethan waking up in the bloodbath of the Mariner’s Inn, and Vanessa being attacked by dark forces in a public park, moments after leaving the church she visited at the end of last season. Over the course of the ten episodes (two more from last season’s eight) Vanessa is targeted by a coven of witches led by Evelyn Poole, who want to prepare her for her destiny as the Amon-Net to the devil’s Amon-Ra, prophesied to bring about the end of the world and the destruction of heaven. Yeah, this show doesn’t play things by halves.

These witches make for much better antagonists than last season’s vampires, mainly due to a) having FAR more characterization, and b) Helen McCrory’s wonderfully sultry and elegant performance as Evelyn Poole, in which she oozes malevolence and charm in equal measure.

This makes up the main storyline of the show, but “Penny Dreadful” also has an assortment of subplots to keep track of – including Ethan avoiding the police investigation brought on by his wolf killings, Dorian’s love affair with a transgender woman called Angelique, and Victor Frankenstein struggling with his feelings toward his “children” Caliban and Lily as they begin their tentative courtship with each other.

If there’s one thing I often find myself saying to newcomers to “Penny Dreadful”, it’s that it is a show that values atmosphere and characterization over plot. If you look closely, there are actually tons of plot-holes strewn throughout the show, as well as other weird inconsistencies, pacing issues and anti-climaxes. (For example, one episode involves a lengthy montage of our heroes setting protective charms and spells around Malcolm’s house – skip forward a few episodes, and one of the witches effortlessly sneaks in without the slightest impediment).

This is not a criticism so much as a warning. “Penny Dreadful” is not for everyone – valuing style over solid continuity, it’s dark and disturbing and gory, and though it takes pleasure in subverting familiar tropes, it requires prior knowledge of Victorian Gothic literature in order for you to appreciate said subversions. But as a result, it’s one of the few shows out there that feels genuinely unpredictable.

Whew, this review is getting long, so I’ll round things off with two of my favourite components of season two: the first is the wonderful episode “The Nightcomers”, an extended flashback episode that details Vanessa learning about her abilities under the tutelage of an old woman (Patti LuPone) living on the moors. It feels like a mini-movie and – as was pointed out to me at the time – could just as easily be an origin story for Vanessa becoming a villain as it could her becoming a hero.

The second is the performance from Simon Russell Beale as curator and Egyptologist Ferdinand Lyle, a catspaw of the witches (thanks to blackmail) but a wonderful ally to the team, whose insights and bravery prove invaluable. As an eccentric closeted gay man, he could have very well ended up a clichéd or comical character, but Beale infuses him with wit and chivalry – making him one of the most memorable aspects of the show.

-R. M. Fisher

Even better than season one,,.and that is saying a lot for me..I still think it was one of my most favorite viewing of anything,ever..I love Penny Dreadful!
The acting is so good it is breathless…The settings,the gothic romantic theme so perfectly executed…everything about Penny Dreadful season two is a winner…and it’s scary,suspenseful and adventurous too…I preordered it the day it was available. Can’t wait for season three!

If you haven’t seen it,do begin with season one. It is very adult,very sexual,gruesome,frightening and all the things a person would want in a horror. But this is much more! It is intelligent! The writing flawless! And the music will make you drop to your knees!!! Beautiful,haunting and lush!
I could go on and on!

– Thomas G. Kohls

Arduous, Malleable and Transfixing is how I would describe Season Two of Penny Dreadful. The second season has permanently cemented why this is my new favorite show of all time. I’m mesmerized by anything and everything Horror related and this is right up my alley. I will begin my review and I have my review for Season One on other review sites entitled “The Bloodborne Equivalent Of A Macabre Horror Masterpiece.” if you’re interested in checking it out. I will delve into the story which takes place literally the next day after the Season One finale. I won’t divulge what happened as that would ruin the first season but without saying much it picks up very quickly with new threats and predators around every corner. The deadliest of them all would be each other and how they intermix with one another and each of them having their own agendas and emotions which play a ginormous role this season. I loved the story this season even more so then in S1. I will now move onto the acting which as in my review for S1 I cited that the acting is what really enticed me to keep watching. I never in all my years have seen such a cast of actors and actresses that could make me get so emotionally invested in each individual actor and actress as I have with this show. I should say that is also due to magnificent writing by John Logan who is also the creator. I will carry on with the action and drama segment of this review and as it stands S2 is paramount to any other show that I have ever watched and I watch a ton of t.v. along the lines of GOT and The 100 to name a few. The action is just as brutal and relentless as S1 and far more demonic. The drama is far meatier then the action but that only lends a helping hand for when the action does finally unfold throughout the season. I will round out my review with the Cinematography and Location which were superfluous and I mean that in the most genuine way possible. I mean everything is shot with such authenticity and care that you truly feel like you’re there yourself. Bravo to the production teams that deal both in the sets and the decor. I will close out my review by saying that if you have not seen this show yet then please don’t dawdle. You need to go out and buy the first 2 seasons or watch them elsewhere but buying them would support this much beloved and prodigious television show. I promise that if you love anything drama and or horror related then you will not be disappointed in the least but you will be pleasantly delighted.

– Adam Baehr

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Timothy Dalton, Simon Russell Beale, Reeve Carney
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2015
Run Time: 544 minutes