TV Review: Penny Dreadful: Season 1, Episode 4

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Episode 4: Demimonde

SUMMARY: Vanessa (Eva Green) continues her dangerous flirtation with Dorian Gray, and Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) teams with Victor to find a cure for his daughter's affliction.

REVIEW: After an absence from last week's episode, Reeve Carney's Dorian Gray is back, with creator John Logan again graphically depicting Gray's lifestyle, showing him indulging sexually with both men and women at a full-blown orgy, only to end the teaser with Gray contemplating his yet-unseen, decaying portrait. This sets the stage for an episode which teases Gray's continuing flirtation with Eva Green's Vanessa. Is he somehow connected to the deity that wants Vanessa as a conduit to the real world? One would assume, as it's getting clear Gray is not on the side of the angels, although this has not been made explicit yet. That said, in the final scenes he seems keen on becoming Ethan's friend, to the extent that he ditches Green's Vanessa at the theater. Ditching Eva Green to go drinking with Josh Hartnett? Hmmm, now I know Dorian Gray is crazy. I bet Ethan regrets it (or – as the last scene suggests – maybe not), after the dog versus rat fight. YUCK. Loved Hartnett's reaction to the pompous aristocrat. So far I'm loving Hartnett on this. Carney also seems like a good fit for Gray, finding a nicely ambiguous tone although he’s maybe still a little too reminiscent of a university goth. He acts like my best friend's old roommate did after listening to his first “Cure” album – right down to the absinthe.

Otherwise, another familiar character from Bram Stoker's DRACULA appears in the guise of famous vampire hunter Van Helsing, here portrayed as more of an academic than the rough-and-tumble vampire hunter we've come to expect. Amazingly, Van Helsing is played by genre stalwart David Warner, who fits the part to a tee. Van Helsing is engaged by Dalton's Sir Malcolm to help Frankenstein find a cure for Mina's potential vampirism, although of course – that's a term no one would dare use here. They try to find the cure by using “The Master's” slave Renton – whose torture torments the conflicted Ethan, who now seems only invested in “Night Work” to help rescue his tubercular sweetheart, Bruona.

Compared to the last two episodes, tonight's instalment is less eventful, being mostly exposition heavy. That said, it concludes in another bravura setpiece set at the Monster's Penny Dreadful, as Ethan and Bruna take in a show, also attended by Gray and Vanessa. One bit that seems important is that Sir Malcolm is planning a trip to Africa, and wants Ethan along as his muscle, prompting jealousy from Frankenstein. Seeing this, Sir Malcolm, in a rare moment with his guard down, tells Frankenstein that his son died in Africa, and that Victor means too much to him to endanger him in the same way. Whether or not he's just playing to Victor's ego or really does care about him is left to the viewer. Frankentein seems genuine as he tries to save Sir Malcolm from Renton after he escapes, although Malcolm is more than capable enough to take care of himself. We'll see. So far Vanessa, Ethan, and Bruona are the only characters that seem uncompromisingly good, although despite his monstrous side one can't help by sympathize with Rory Kinnear's monster. This is thanks in large part to Kinnear's brilliant performance, which is incredible. To me, Logan's best moments on PENNY DREADFUL are when he inter-cuts the horror with moments of sadness and sympathy, such as Renton's anguished last words, The Monster's plight, and Bruona's illness – who doesn't seem long for this world. My bet, she's going to become the mate for Frankenstein's monster. It seems sadly inevitable, and suggests a dark direction for the rest of the season.

Like the second episode, this one ends in a shocker as Hartnett’s Ethan unexpectedly seduces Dorian Gray. Is it that Ethan’s bisexual, or is Gray just that seductive? It’s an intriguing direction, that’s for sure.

Overall, this is another good episode, if slightly underwhelming compared to last week's, which benefited from Kinnear being front and center. Still, I'm really enjoying this season so far, and am curious to see how it develops from here.