Penny Dreadful

Season 2, Episode 01

Episode Title: Fresh Hell

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Penny Dreadful is back with its second season. The episode starts with a quick recap of season one. We see Vanessa Ives as she is walking in the snow through the park. As she sees people and children play in the snow, Evelyn Poole (Madame Kali) appears far away and starts to speak in an old language. Vanessa hears her and a series of images start to appear in her mind.

As the credits, of the opening, start to appear, we see some changes in them. There are some scenes from last season and now the names of Helen McCrory and Simon Russell Beale join the main cast.

We see Ethan waking up in the Inn covered in blood. He notices that all the patrons of the tavern are dead. He flees the scene and goes to find Vanessa. While riding in a carriage, he tells her that he plans to go away, explaining that he has something inside him and that he is having blackouts.

The carriage is attacked by three female creatures that are naked, bald, and have patterned scars; their eyes are black with yellow irises. They try to take Vanessa away, but Ethan saves her. One of them speaks to Vanessa in that same language that Evelyn did, to which Vanessa responds in the same language.

In Dr. Frankenstein lab, he and Caliban are trying to bring Brona back to life, as the bride of Caliban. Victor asks him to leave him alone after reviving Brona, but Caliban refuses and says to him:

“We are bound by a wheel of pain you and me. I ask you, what is Dr. Frankenstein without his creature?”

Back in Sir Malcolm’s house, Ethan and Sir Malcolm pursue Vanessa in telling them what those creature were. She tells Ethan to leave as he said he was going to, but he tells her that he is not abandoning her. Vanessa asks Sembeen if he believes that the past can return. To what he replays,

“More than that, it never leaves us, it is who we are.”

We see Sir Malcolm with his wife in front of the tomb of Mina and peter. He tells her that he should sell the townhouse in London and move back with her, to be happy again. She tells him that they have never been happy and that she would stay in her house and he in the London townhouse.

In his lab, Victor wonders what the new Brona would think of him and the world she is going to live in. Caliban tries to find a new job. He finds one in a wax house museum. The owner seem to sympathize with him and he gives him the job, but only if his wife approves of him on a late dinner that day. Before leaving, the owner shows him the new attraction, the Mariners Inn massacre scene (the one made by Ethan).

There is a new inspector in the city. He goes over the inn’s crime scene and notices that there is a survivor.

Later that night Caliban is accepted by the owner’s wife, a strict woman, and meets their blind daughter Lavinia. She asks permission to touch his face, and he grants it, as that is the only way to meet him. Once Caliban leaves, it’s revealed that the owners are planning to use him to attract new clients with his “face”.

When Sir Malcolm returns home and Victor is brought to tend Vanessa’s wounds, she tells them that the women were branded by the devils mark, and the language they spoke was Verbis Diablo, the word of the devil. She tells them they were night comer, witches.

The scene changes and we see Evelyn in a bathtub filled with blood and singing. She gets out and goes to see the three women that attacked Vanessa, which are accompanied by a women that calls Evelyn, mother. The women is called Hecate. Hecate tells her mother that Vanessa has a protector; one they call Lupus Day. Evelyn gives Hecate Ethan as her mission and she would take Sir Malcolm. Evelyn kills one of the women she send for Vanessa because of her failure.

A storm arrives and it is the last ingredient that Victor needs to revive Brona. Thunder is heard in the sky as they lift an antenna to get electricity. Victor tells Caliban not to touch the tub where Brona is submerged in water, but as the thunder strikes the antenna, the blast of power throws him back. The experiment is a success. Brona stands up from the tub gasping from the cold.

The episode ends with Vanessa praying in Latin to god, and Evelyn praying in Verbis Diablo to Satan. Both using blood, but only Vanessa spilling more than Evelyn. The Witches appear for a moment in Vanessa’s room, but only to disappear again.

The second season is back and we have new characters. Helen McCrory and Simon Russell Beale are now cast regulars. In this first episode, Dorian Grey did make any appearances, maybe he is still hurt by Vanessa’s actions. I liked how the witches from their “creature” transformed back into their civilian form. It seems that even though Victor made Caliban a bride, I can see a love plot with the blind girl. Also Victor seemed rather interested with Brona’s body while talking to her, I’m still wondering how Ethan is going to react if he sees Brona back alive. Let’s hope this season Caliban and Vanessa’s group’s path crosses. Tell us in the comments, what you thought of the first episode, and what do you hope to see in this new season of Penny Dreadful.