Penny Dreadful 2.04.
May. 25th, 2015 08:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWherein we find out that Ethan may know Latin but not Shakespeare and doesn't have a good mythology education, but is wise to deception nonetheless. Also John Logan manages to make table tennis oddly endearing.
At a guess, the reason why the Pinkerton man doesn't tell our good inspector about Ethan is because he plans to blackmail him and/or Ethan's father (who must be loaded). Maybe he wants personal revenge, too, but my money is on blackmail plans. Meanhile, the Inspector correctly deduces that the person who killed the couple in the London underground and took their baby wasn't the one who did the tavern massacre, and I am very curious now when his investagative paths will cross with our gang. Ethan spots the headline about the underground killings and buys the newspaper, but doesn't get to read it properly so I can't decide whether he bought it because he wonders whether he himself did it or knows he didn't (no blackouts, it's not a full moon) and wonders whether it couild have anything to do with their opponents. Either way, Hecate then enacts a damsel in distress scenario so Ethan can rescue her and pretends to be a fellow American abroad, at which point the show instead of letting Ethan swallow the bait throws in the neat twist of letting him spot she's an imposter and the whole thing is a set up, but draw the wrong conclusion (i.e. that she's another Pinkerton agent sent by his father).
Sidenote: whatever went down between Ethan and his father looks increasingly bad, given he's now threatening to shoot dear old dad if Dad tries again.
Literary footnote: Ethan's state of education really is a bit odd. Yes, Hecate isn't the most famous of Greek goddesses, but my inner humanist protests that if you're fluent in Latin you should know enough to be aware she wasn't a sea goddess, and if you know your Shakespeare you should know that, too (not solely from Macbeth, either; among other things, Shakespeare pinched Medea's incantation from Ovid for Prospero in The Tempest, and it mentions Hecate as well). Anyway, Vanessa, of course, spots the origin of the name at once, which makes me wonder why Hecate didn't bother with a pseudonym like Caroline or something like that if she meant to take Ethan in for a longer tmie.
Dorian's subplot continues to show no sign of intersecting with the main plot, but I found myself not minding; his date with Angelique was oddly endearing, complete with Victorian table tennis. Penny Dreadful: where you learn that table tennis took London by storm in the1890s! Considering Angelique asks Dorian about his secret and age again, I wonder whether the commenter postulating she may work for Evelyn isn't onto something, but I almost hope she isn't. Otoh I'm pretty sure now Angelique will be the one to find the portrait this season, and we'll get a reverse reveal scene - looking at Dorian's true shape.
Meanwhile, Caliban is in his Dickens subplot with the wax works, befriending the blind waxmaker some more, which gives Logan the chance to interject one of the more famous Victorian trivia, Gladstone and the prostitutes. It does seem as if Caliban this season actually is learning to have relationships with women as people, not objects to his "must have a mate to cope with loneliness" quest, while Victor is the one regressing into fantasy with Lily (and why didn't I think of this before, speaking of Greek myths - Victor seems to think he's Pygmalion and Lily Galatea now). Since he's just invited Vanessa for tea with him and Lily, this is about to be exploded, thankfully, because Vanessa actually has met Brona and spoken with her. (Which Victor doesn't know. Says something correct about Victorian social assumptions, btw, that it doesn't occur to Victor Ethan could have introduced his prostitute girlfriend to Miss Ives.) Much as I enjoyed - and Vanessa enjoyed - the Vanessa and Victor shopping expedition in this episode, I have to say I can't wait, because a) I really need Lily to know the truth, and b) Victor has it coming.
Ferdinand Lyle, follow your heart and tell Malcolm and the rest of the gang the truth. You know you want to. Seriously, the Lyle and Malcolm decyphering scene, complete with Lyle gently teasing Malcolm about not wanting to admit to the need for glasses out of male vanity and Malcolm ruefully admitting to it since he's "courting again after a fashion" was adorable, and then of course Lyle's face falls when he realises just whom Malcolm is courting, but he's too scared to utter more than an obscure warning. I note that Malcolm threw himself in front of Lyle during the witch attack, too.
Sembene gets more dialogue, first with Vanessa, then with Ethan (who helps with the washing up and preparing dessert, because Ethan really is earning the ideal boyfriend credentials on this show), and the later includes another hint about his past which makes me hope that we'll FINALLY get Sembene's background this season. Come ON, show. It's more than due. Part hunter, part "this is private", hmmm.
When Malcolm suggests that the text the unfortunate Brother Gregory transcribed wasn't just Lucifer's memoirs but will end in a Vanessa related prophecy, how come neither he nor Lyle bring up there is already the Amunet/Amun-Ra prophecy from last season?
How old is Hecate? Since looks don't mean anything, see: Joan and Evelyn being at least a few centuries old, if not far more. She could actually be young because of the teenage behavior with her mother and teling Ethan her true name.
At a guess, the reason why the Pinkerton man doesn't tell our good inspector about Ethan is because he plans to blackmail him and/or Ethan's father (who must be loaded). Maybe he wants personal revenge, too, but my money is on blackmail plans. Meanhile, the Inspector correctly deduces that the person who killed the couple in the London underground and took their baby wasn't the one who did the tavern massacre, and I am very curious now when his investagative paths will cross with our gang. Ethan spots the headline about the underground killings and buys the newspaper, but doesn't get to read it properly so I can't decide whether he bought it because he wonders whether he himself did it or knows he didn't (no blackouts, it's not a full moon) and wonders whether it couild have anything to do with their opponents. Either way, Hecate then enacts a damsel in distress scenario so Ethan can rescue her and pretends to be a fellow American abroad, at which point the show instead of letting Ethan swallow the bait throws in the neat twist of letting him spot she's an imposter and the whole thing is a set up, but draw the wrong conclusion (i.e. that she's another Pinkerton agent sent by his father).
Sidenote: whatever went down between Ethan and his father looks increasingly bad, given he's now threatening to shoot dear old dad if Dad tries again.
Literary footnote: Ethan's state of education really is a bit odd. Yes, Hecate isn't the most famous of Greek goddesses, but my inner humanist protests that if you're fluent in Latin you should know enough to be aware she wasn't a sea goddess, and if you know your Shakespeare you should know that, too (not solely from Macbeth, either; among other things, Shakespeare pinched Medea's incantation from Ovid for Prospero in The Tempest, and it mentions Hecate as well). Anyway, Vanessa, of course, spots the origin of the name at once, which makes me wonder why Hecate didn't bother with a pseudonym like Caroline or something like that if she meant to take Ethan in for a longer tmie.
Dorian's subplot continues to show no sign of intersecting with the main plot, but I found myself not minding; his date with Angelique was oddly endearing, complete with Victorian table tennis. Penny Dreadful: where you learn that table tennis took London by storm in the1890s! Considering Angelique asks Dorian about his secret and age again, I wonder whether the commenter postulating she may work for Evelyn isn't onto something, but I almost hope she isn't. Otoh I'm pretty sure now Angelique will be the one to find the portrait this season, and we'll get a reverse reveal scene - looking at Dorian's true shape.
Meanwhile, Caliban is in his Dickens subplot with the wax works, befriending the blind waxmaker some more, which gives Logan the chance to interject one of the more famous Victorian trivia, Gladstone and the prostitutes. It does seem as if Caliban this season actually is learning to have relationships with women as people, not objects to his "must have a mate to cope with loneliness" quest, while Victor is the one regressing into fantasy with Lily (and why didn't I think of this before, speaking of Greek myths - Victor seems to think he's Pygmalion and Lily Galatea now). Since he's just invited Vanessa for tea with him and Lily, this is about to be exploded, thankfully, because Vanessa actually has met Brona and spoken with her. (Which Victor doesn't know. Says something correct about Victorian social assumptions, btw, that it doesn't occur to Victor Ethan could have introduced his prostitute girlfriend to Miss Ives.) Much as I enjoyed - and Vanessa enjoyed - the Vanessa and Victor shopping expedition in this episode, I have to say I can't wait, because a) I really need Lily to know the truth, and b) Victor has it coming.
Ferdinand Lyle, follow your heart and tell Malcolm and the rest of the gang the truth. You know you want to. Seriously, the Lyle and Malcolm decyphering scene, complete with Lyle gently teasing Malcolm about not wanting to admit to the need for glasses out of male vanity and Malcolm ruefully admitting to it since he's "courting again after a fashion" was adorable, and then of course Lyle's face falls when he realises just whom Malcolm is courting, but he's too scared to utter more than an obscure warning. I note that Malcolm threw himself in front of Lyle during the witch attack, too.
Sembene gets more dialogue, first with Vanessa, then with Ethan (who helps with the washing up and preparing dessert, because Ethan really is earning the ideal boyfriend credentials on this show), and the later includes another hint about his past which makes me hope that we'll FINALLY get Sembene's background this season. Come ON, show. It's more than due. Part hunter, part "this is private", hmmm.
When Malcolm suggests that the text the unfortunate Brother Gregory transcribed wasn't just Lucifer's memoirs but will end in a Vanessa related prophecy, how come neither he nor Lyle bring up there is already the Amunet/Amun-Ra prophecy from last season?
How old is Hecate? Since looks don't mean anything, see: Joan and Evelyn being at least a few centuries old, if not far more. She could actually be young because of the teenage behavior with her mother and teling Ethan her true name.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-25 10:47 pm (UTC)I liked both Angelique and Lavinia a lot, again, and love that both are quite snarky. I agree with you that Angelique might discover the portrait, which unfortunately doesn't bode too well for her survival (especially if her birth name is "Basil," like I feared for a second there). I have to hand it to Reeve Carney, btw - I thought he was quite charming and sexy this episode, and I could see what Angelique saw in him, which I never managed last season.
Regarding Lavinia, there was one thing in the Putneys' conversation that made me wonder: she said if he really wanted to keep "them" in the cellar, and he responded that "they" are freaks and don't need the light. Do you think that means they are not just planning on using Caliban as a living exhibit, but Lavinia, too?
I, too, enjoyed the shopping trip, as well as Victor apologizing to Vanessa for his snarkiness about the witches (and I now expect fairies and whatever else he didn't believe in to show up at any second.). I also liked his interactions with Lily, which makes me want to hit him all the more. I hope Vanessa pulls the rug out from under him, soon.
Much as I want to know Sembene's backstory, I enjoyed his reactions to Ethan trying to draw it out of him. Here is one who really doesn't like spilling the beans.
Points to Brother Gregory/his Demon for writing the part about the angels being grabbed by their winged backs and being cast down on the dead bird. Interesting sense of humour, that.
I agree, not remembering Amunet/Amun-Ra is a failure of epic proportions. All of Alan Quartermain, Indiana Jones and Lara Croft would be deeply ashamed of Lyle and Malcolm.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-26 05:29 am (UTC)Yes, that's why I thought she really must be young.
Lavinia being confident (and a craftswoman! Maybe once this plot is through, she can work for the competition, i.e. Madame Tussaud's, and earn some real cash!) instead of a waif was very appealing. I thought that "they" referred to her as well as Caliban but I can't quite see how she could work as a living exhibit because she's not deformed - her blindness doesn't come with anything grotesque and that's what the wax show trades in.
Reeve Carney: same here, and yes, let's hope Angelique's birth name isn't Basil! Though they might go for a twist on our expectations as to what happens once she finds the portrait, i.e. instead of death and tragedy upon the reveal, she's able to continue seeing Dorian as he wants to be seen despite knowing the truth as an equivalent of him accepting her as she sees herself, not as her body is?
Fairies: nah, they won't show up until season 3.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-26 04:11 pm (UTC)One would hope that that is an option for Angelique, yes.
Fairies: maybe they can come and pick up Victor, force him to live with them for a while. I feel that would be appropriate.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-26 04:38 pm (UTC)Now you're making me wonder about a Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell crossover where Victor has to attend to The Gentleman...