TV Retrospective: "Penny Dreadful"

Eva Green

This past Sunday, there was tragic poetic irony happening around Penny Dreadful. It wasn't that in the day to follow that the show would confirm its ending run. It was more that for a show so triumphantly chaotic and different, its two hour farewell was overshadowed by HBO's Game of Thrones; whose episode "Battle of the Bastards" remains its highest budget episode to date and currently holds a perfect 10/10 score on IMDb. What should've been a triumphant farewell for Showtime's ode to Victorian era horror ended up a footnote in the increasingly crammed Sunday night hour long drama line-ups. It's a shame because the show had its own memorable battle and death scene. It may have died as it lived - in the shadow of bigger shows - but it carries on one of the singularly great TV performances of the decade in Eva Green's often possessed and religiously conflicted Vanessa Ives, whose constant freak-outs and contortions were always a sight to behold. It was a show that broke the Showtime curse and got better as it went along. For that and many other reasons, Penny Dreadful's short yet memorable run puts it in the pantheon of the channel's all time greats. 

On paper, Penny Dreadful does sound like the type of programming that it gets its name from: cheap books detailing horror stories. In the reboot era of movies and TV, everyone is clamoring on to old properties in hopes to make some money. Disney has cornered the market excellently with Once Upon a Time while Universal Studios is aiming to start their own monster movie franchise. It could be that Showtime signed on to this series solely to compete with the period piece fantasy Game of Thrones - of which has only gotten bigger. It wouldn't be inauspicious if this were true. In fact, throwing in almost every perceivable character from literature by Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley (to name but a few) does seem like a tad lazy. However, Co-producer Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) managed to help turn it into something more interesting. Yes, it was a pulpy, violent, and sexual series. However, it was also about the internal struggle of outsiders grappling with faith and acceptance. 

At the center was Vanessa Ives, who works to keep the supernatural forces at bay with help from Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and a rogue team of helpers. Along with stories regarding scientist Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), his Creature (Rory Kinnear), and Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), the series did an excellent job of exploring British horror of the 19th century by gradually introducing new characters that embodied the strange underbelly of culture. In some regards, it often felt like a "Monster of the Week" type of series with progressively better special effects and stranger uses of characters. It can also be said that the make-up department remains one of the unsung heroes of the entire series as they brought everything from pale, deformed creatures to demonic dolls to life. It's easy to get wrapped up in the acting or writing, but the series felt more Victorian thanks to how unnerving and repulsive some of the characters looked. 

If the show had any issue early on, it was helping to establish the supporting cast as being significant. This wasn't through fault of the actors necessarily, but Green's performance could be called a force of nature and still be understated. Early in the series, she is seen being possessed at a seance. Later she is seen trying to take down a demonic doll. Even in the final season, she is given a superb standalone episode where she sits in a padded cell and contemplates her sanity as well as her beliefs and motivations. She was always going to be the powerhouse to beat, especially since Green's dedication has made such schlocky movies as Dark Shadows, 300: Rise of an Empire, or Sin City: A Dame to Kill For at least worth watching her parts on YouTube. She is dedicated to insanity in admirable ways, and it's hard to deny that she brought a certain charisma to the show by perfectly balancing drama and flamboyance. Every other character would have a moment, but Green seemed to yell from the raptors for more.

As mentioned earlier, there was a deeper core that made Penny Dreadful a far more successful show than it deserved to be. Green almost seemed to be born for the role. Harry Treadaway perfectly embodied the tortured scientist while Reeve Carney played cool and handsome with ease. As the series progressed, largely in the final season, the supporting cast was given more to do and ended up expanding the show into interesting directions. The show left England momentarily for a compelling spiritual journey between Murray and friend Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett). Maybe it helps that the series ended with the creators' permission and did so unassumingly, but it did help to make the culmination far more profound. With the show's struggle to be about acceptance, every character in the final two episodes got their moment to have a narrative hug, finding a poignant and sometimes tragic farewell for a cast of, to borrow lingo from Bride of Frankenstein, gods and monsters.

The show was raw and often a little uneven in perspective. Its surrealism and sometimes disturbing visuals made for a weekly experience that would reward those appreciative of it. Unlike the polished familiarity of Game of Thrones, the scrappy Penny Dreadful's lack of convention made it at best unpredictable and at worst too weird. Despite even its insistence on covering all Victorian horror literature may strike some as lazy, it all worked within its worldview better than it should've. Somehow characters like Frankenstein and his Creature could co-exist alongside Dracula, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, lycanthropes, Dorian Gray, and prostitutes who fought Jack the Ripper-esque fiends. Those familiar with the varying source material will be rewarded, though it isn't necessary to enjoy. Still, it's a gratifying experience, and one that isn't likely to be quite as successful in any other adaptation.

Still, the most impressive thing of all is that Penny Dreadful had the foresight to end on its terms. Yes, fans are likely saddened that it's over. However, it's the same kind of sadness that comes with catharsis in knowing that a show wasn't driven past its expiration date. It told a complete story that ended beautifully with a eulogy for Vanessa Ives' death. It was the end to a journey that was insane and often conflicting, but covered a deeper desire to become well. Considering that Ives tried to change her course, the ending is only tragic in that she couldn't escape her demons entirely. Still, it's telling that she united such a strange collective together and took them on a journey unlike any other. It may be at times familiar, but Green never let it become dull.

The unfortunate trend of Showtime series tends to be that their series decline rapidly after their first seasons. Even their banner series, such as Weeds and Homeland, have been lambasted for losing their touch. While it is subjective to argue quality, Penny Dreadful never fell into the trap of the many series that likely did better business than it. After all, The Affair and Masters of Sex both earned far more accolades early on despite becoming hit-and-miss in later seasons. It's a tragedy to think that Penny Dreadful - or at least Green - will end its run without so much as a nomination of the quality work; likely due to the pulpiness of it all. Still, it is safe to say that the show is among the best that Showtime has ever produced and works largely because it took chances and went places that seem far from orthodox. It may have not always been the best series, but it was one of the most singular, exciting series during its run. There can only be hope that the cast and crew continue to get work after this that matters. Whether or not it can be this great is another question.

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5