Penny Dreadful 2.02
May. 12th, 2015 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which I have a naming problem, but that's just for reviews.
To wit: how do I refer now to
a) Lily/Brona? On the one hand, as opposed to the late and lamented Proteus, she didn't choose that name for herself, Victor named her. (Which is among the less questionable things he does, actually, since he's telling her she's his cousin who had an accident he can't follow that up with "so, what do you want to be called now?) On the other, while the Creatures apparantly do have access to their previous memories (language, at its most basic; Caliban never had more that, he had to learn everything else new, but Proteus as Victor points out in this episode was beginning to access far more), the narrative so far has treated them, I feel, as new people, so a new name makes sense. So I'll go with Lily for now, with the caveat that if she accesses her Brona memories (as she will sooner or later; I recognize a build-up if I see one) and decides she's still Brona, I'll switch back. Incidentally, that was a clever way to relieve Billie Piper of having to do the Irish accent any longer.
b) Caliban/John Clare? On the one hand, "Caliban" was a name given to him by someone else (the old actor), before he himself knew about the implication, and he's been calling himself "John Clare" consistently this season towards everyone; it's clearly his name of choice now. I should accept it. On the other, writing John Clare in reference to him makes me still think "poet" not "Creature" and confuses me. Therefore, I shall stick with "Caliban" for now.
c) Angelique; in this case I'm wondering about pronouns, i.e. is Angelique a trans woman living in a time where an operation is impossible, in which case she's a she, or is Angelique a gay man comfortable in a female get up for professional reasons but still defines himself as a man, in which case he's a he? I hope Angelique will tell us herself/himself soon. For now, I'll go with "she" due to choice of name and get up, and because writing "he/she" or "hirself" all the time when one is in a hurry due to rl businesss is a headache.
These technicalities out of the way, let's go to the content.
I can't help but notice the fake backstory Victor gives the new Lily is essentially that of Elizabeth in Frankenstein the novel. This unfortunately points to a Victor-Lily-Caliban triangle which I really really do not want on so many levels. Mind you, if Lily accesses her Brona memories sooner rather than later she'll also recall Victor killed her which should end any romance right then and there, and I doubt she'll fall for Caliban, so...
Speaking of whom: the accidental Vanessa encounter worked out surprisingly well. Methinks if Caliban stops seeing women as solutions to his loneliness to pine over, he actually has a shot at (friendly) relationships. Am genuinely curious where this will go, since I'm assuming this won't be their last meeting.
Vanessa and Malcolm have their most affectionate scenes yet in this episode, which makes me assume that a fallout is imminent, because I know my tv. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying her showing up in his bedroom for comforting hugs and Malcolm's idea of how to feel less self loathing consisting of that very Victorian thing, charity work (both in the sense of financial support and in the sense of actually working in the soup kitchen), which he proceeds to share with Vanessa - and that it works (for a while). I also note he mentions his wife (as he does to Evelyn later), which are more references to Gladys we got in the entire first season and further my speculation the character will be back.
The second Evelyn and Malcolm scene - the shooting date (Malcolm has some great ideas of taking out women this episode, and I'm saying that unsarcastically, because in both cases it's actually about what they'd like/be useful to them) - was linked to me in the comments of the previous episode since the clip was online for a week. It's still great to see again in context, as was the first Evelyn and Malcolm scene. (Minus the fact she actually uses a spell at one point. Evelyn, you don't have to. He's fascinated by you as it is.) Am v. amused that Malcolm, who the last time Evelyn saw him fibbed about Vanessa ("a friend of my daughter's whom I rarely see"), in this episode point blank mentions he's looking for a gift for her. Is this a general resolution to be honest in a new relationship? Because he's also clear re: his wife, the (non-)possibility of divorce yet emotional availablility. Like I said, if Evelyn weren't a blood bathing baby sacrificing Vanessa tormenting supervillain, they'd have a shot at something more long term, pun unavoidable. Sparks fly, and they flirt like bosses.
(Evelyn being such a crack shot really by now makes me certain there'll be a duel with Ethan at some point.)
Speaking of Ethan, at last we get some hints about his encounters with wolves that presumably caused his current state - New Mexico, huh? Also Lyle pointing out the translation not being "the hound" but "the wolf" of God and that it's meant as a protective, not menacing figure will undoubtedly come back to him at a later point. Lyle, otoh, guesses nothing, though he's flirting with Ethan, as one would. Of course Lyle is distracted by the fact he's blackmailed by Evelyn into being her minion, but I wonder whether the interest in Ethan might at some later point cause him to risk changing sides or at least providing useful information?
Evelyn telling Lyle to allow Vanessa to "follow the bread crumbs" back to her made me wonder how popular the Grimms' fairytales were in England in the late 19th century, because that's a direct Hänsel and Gretel allusion, but it had been decades post publication at that point, so the answer is probably: very. Note that it's Gretel who kills the witch, though the witch has nothing to do with bread crumbs in the fairy tale - that was Hänsel's and Gretel's insurance policy to find their way back to the parents who wanted to get rid of them in the woods, and it didn't work because the birds picked up the crumbs.
Evelyn is a great supervillain with her Gothic home (now complete with dolls full of baby entrails), and her incestious daughter-kissing, and her genuine amusedness when Lyle briefly musters the strenght to sass her by insisting his hair is real, full stop, but read my continued unease with the use of witches as villains for his torical reasons as given in evey review, because it's still there.
Let's see, what else? Right: Dorian and Angelique. Dorian clearly continues to be in the show to provide us with male (at least physicallly male, I hasten to add) nudity. This wasn't quite The Crying Game, because Dorian is the least likely person to be flabbergasted by this type of reveal (as opposed to going "sure, why not?"), and I do like that Angelique was the one to approach him and showed herself as confident and witty, but as to how this will tie into the main plot, if ever, I'm stumped.
To wit: how do I refer now to
a) Lily/Brona? On the one hand, as opposed to the late and lamented Proteus, she didn't choose that name for herself, Victor named her. (Which is among the less questionable things he does, actually, since he's telling her she's his cousin who had an accident he can't follow that up with "so, what do you want to be called now?) On the other, while the Creatures apparantly do have access to their previous memories (language, at its most basic; Caliban never had more that, he had to learn everything else new, but Proteus as Victor points out in this episode was beginning to access far more), the narrative so far has treated them, I feel, as new people, so a new name makes sense. So I'll go with Lily for now, with the caveat that if she accesses her Brona memories (as she will sooner or later; I recognize a build-up if I see one) and decides she's still Brona, I'll switch back. Incidentally, that was a clever way to relieve Billie Piper of having to do the Irish accent any longer.
b) Caliban/John Clare? On the one hand, "Caliban" was a name given to him by someone else (the old actor), before he himself knew about the implication, and he's been calling himself "John Clare" consistently this season towards everyone; it's clearly his name of choice now. I should accept it. On the other, writing John Clare in reference to him makes me still think "poet" not "Creature" and confuses me. Therefore, I shall stick with "Caliban" for now.
c) Angelique; in this case I'm wondering about pronouns, i.e. is Angelique a trans woman living in a time where an operation is impossible, in which case she's a she, or is Angelique a gay man comfortable in a female get up for professional reasons but still defines himself as a man, in which case he's a he? I hope Angelique will tell us herself/himself soon. For now, I'll go with "she" due to choice of name and get up, and because writing "he/she" or "hirself" all the time when one is in a hurry due to rl businesss is a headache.
These technicalities out of the way, let's go to the content.
I can't help but notice the fake backstory Victor gives the new Lily is essentially that of Elizabeth in Frankenstein the novel. This unfortunately points to a Victor-Lily-Caliban triangle which I really really do not want on so many levels. Mind you, if Lily accesses her Brona memories sooner rather than later she'll also recall Victor killed her which should end any romance right then and there, and I doubt she'll fall for Caliban, so...
Speaking of whom: the accidental Vanessa encounter worked out surprisingly well. Methinks if Caliban stops seeing women as solutions to his loneliness to pine over, he actually has a shot at (friendly) relationships. Am genuinely curious where this will go, since I'm assuming this won't be their last meeting.
Vanessa and Malcolm have their most affectionate scenes yet in this episode, which makes me assume that a fallout is imminent, because I know my tv. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying her showing up in his bedroom for comforting hugs and Malcolm's idea of how to feel less self loathing consisting of that very Victorian thing, charity work (both in the sense of financial support and in the sense of actually working in the soup kitchen), which he proceeds to share with Vanessa - and that it works (for a while). I also note he mentions his wife (as he does to Evelyn later), which are more references to Gladys we got in the entire first season and further my speculation the character will be back.
The second Evelyn and Malcolm scene - the shooting date (Malcolm has some great ideas of taking out women this episode, and I'm saying that unsarcastically, because in both cases it's actually about what they'd like/be useful to them) - was linked to me in the comments of the previous episode since the clip was online for a week. It's still great to see again in context, as was the first Evelyn and Malcolm scene. (Minus the fact she actually uses a spell at one point. Evelyn, you don't have to. He's fascinated by you as it is.) Am v. amused that Malcolm, who the last time Evelyn saw him fibbed about Vanessa ("a friend of my daughter's whom I rarely see"), in this episode point blank mentions he's looking for a gift for her. Is this a general resolution to be honest in a new relationship? Because he's also clear re: his wife, the (non-)possibility of divorce yet emotional availablility. Like I said, if Evelyn weren't a blood bathing baby sacrificing Vanessa tormenting supervillain, they'd have a shot at something more long term, pun unavoidable. Sparks fly, and they flirt like bosses.
(Evelyn being such a crack shot really by now makes me certain there'll be a duel with Ethan at some point.)
Speaking of Ethan, at last we get some hints about his encounters with wolves that presumably caused his current state - New Mexico, huh? Also Lyle pointing out the translation not being "the hound" but "the wolf" of God and that it's meant as a protective, not menacing figure will undoubtedly come back to him at a later point. Lyle, otoh, guesses nothing, though he's flirting with Ethan, as one would. Of course Lyle is distracted by the fact he's blackmailed by Evelyn into being her minion, but I wonder whether the interest in Ethan might at some later point cause him to risk changing sides or at least providing useful information?
Evelyn telling Lyle to allow Vanessa to "follow the bread crumbs" back to her made me wonder how popular the Grimms' fairytales were in England in the late 19th century, because that's a direct Hänsel and Gretel allusion, but it had been decades post publication at that point, so the answer is probably: very. Note that it's Gretel who kills the witch, though the witch has nothing to do with bread crumbs in the fairy tale - that was Hänsel's and Gretel's insurance policy to find their way back to the parents who wanted to get rid of them in the woods, and it didn't work because the birds picked up the crumbs.
Evelyn is a great supervillain with her Gothic home (now complete with dolls full of baby entrails), and her incestious daughter-kissing, and her genuine amusedness when Lyle briefly musters the strenght to sass her by insisting his hair is real, full stop, but read my continued unease with the use of witches as villains for his torical reasons as given in evey review, because it's still there.
Let's see, what else? Right: Dorian and Angelique. Dorian clearly continues to be in the show to provide us with male (at least physicallly male, I hasten to add) nudity. This wasn't quite The Crying Game, because Dorian is the least likely person to be flabbergasted by this type of reveal (as opposed to going "sure, why not?"), and I do like that Angelique was the one to approach him and showed herself as confident and witty, but as to how this will tie into the main plot, if ever, I'm stumped.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-12 07:48 am (UTC)This is definitely Elizabeth's backstory from the novel, but unless they are still introducing a character like that in Victor's past, which seems unlikely, it's also Victor putting a spin on his own childhood and his mother, which is very Norman Bates of him. I'm not in love with this storyline, but, oh well. I'm at least hoping this won't become a fully fledged triangle, since Cal has already met Lavinia, who also seems to be set up as a love interest for him, and likely a more successful one than the actress. Between her and his interactions with Vanessa and Lily, maybe we see Cal/John developing his relationships with women into something more complex and realistic this season, while Victor regresses into some sort of fantasy life?
Malcolm and Vanessa really are very much headed for a falling out, aren't they? It's a pity, they're getting along so well right now.
For something very different: Will the Pinkerton agent who survived Ethan's attack turn into a werewolf, too? Traditionally, that would seem to be the case. Also, he's Eyepatch Guy from the trailers, so one mystery less I presume.
I think Lyle will change sides at the first chance, he seems really not on board with Evelyn's plans. Right now, he's probably mostly with her because he's so afraid of her (and the scandal she could bring upon him, granted).
ETA: I think Angelique might a way to reveal a bit more about Dorian's past and personality, but as to how this ties into the main plot, I'm as stumped as you are.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-12 01:05 pm (UTC)True that. Re: Lavinia, when they introduced her I thought that the show might go for a storyline where Caliban had always assumed no one BUT a fellow Creature could love him, but as it turns out not only does Lily not love him but he doesn't love her. It depends on whether the epiphany he had at the end of last season - that by now, people weren't rejecting him because of his looks but because of his actual deeds, and he'd acted monstrously - will stick and lead indeed to more mature behavior and relationships. That scene with Vanessa was pretty encouraging in that regard, since she's decidely NOT set up as a love interest (nor he hers).
Every time Malcolm says something like "I'll never leave you" or Vanessa says "what would I do without you?" I feel like I'm watching a horror movie where the first girl has just declared this spooky old house is lovely and nothing will happen. :) Seriously though, aside from Evelyn's grand plan involving Vanessa's total isolation, there's also Gladys "we have no more children for you to kill" - she doesn't, but Malcolm has Vanessa. Not that I think he'll kill her! But I think he'll be tempted into falling the old pattern of somehow damaging his children again, though the optimist and redemptionist in me also thinks he'll realise this just in time and come through for Vanessa as he didn't for Peter and Mina.
...meanwhile, I adore watching them being so close, horror movie effect or no.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-13 05:20 pm (UTC)This is the first time the show has legit creeped me out. I'm generally scared of things with creepy faces (like dolls), and baby entrails just makes it worse.
This wasn't quite The Crying Game, because Dorian is the least likely person to be flabbergasted by this type of reveal
That, and I don't think the audience was ever meant to think Angelique was cis. It's not 1992 anymore, after all. I like that it's explicitly not a shock and just a fun time to be had.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-14 08:26 am (UTC)There were some things in this ep that definitely made me squeasy. I don't use the word trigger lightly, but this season has some topics I don't deal with so well. Guess some selected scene watching is in order.
That, and I don't think the audience was ever meant to think Angelique was cis.
I had the same impression. I also think Dorian realized quite early, if he was ever in doubt at all; he's after all way more experienced than he appears, and Angelique won't be the first trans person he's met.