Penny Dreadful 2.07
Jun. 15th, 2015 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhich was basically fanfiction, or I should say, more fanfiction-y than usual.
You know: characters going off, baring their souls to each other, having sex, or in this case not, because of Vanessa's possession fear, and plot, what plot? Now if Vanessa and Ethan had their Scottish holiday at the start of the season, I would have enjoyed it unreservedly, but here it felt like more dragging things out. John Logan, you clearly did not have enough plot for a season, pray before to rectify this next time. Well, okay, things at last happened, but not that many. And don't get me started that Vanessa STILL hasn't figured out who the witches are, which I thought was the only thing last week's faint was good for.
This being said: I liked a lot of the episode. The opening scene with Ethan and Sembene. Vanessa's and Malcolm's exchange of looks when she makes it clear she's leaving (and that she doesn't trust him anymore), Vanessa telling Ethan she misses the intensity and exclusivity of her relationship with Malcolm (though this came with her stating maybe it's just because he's happy now and that's why she resents Evelyn - Vanessa, didn't you hear Sembene on the subject of Malcolm's reaction to the Gladys news?) . And Vanessa opening Chekov's dark spell book to get her revenge on Sir Geoffrey (why was HE still alive, I wonder? I'd have thought Evelyn killed him and took his money as soon as she had no more use for him?) , not, as yours truly thought, waiting till the finale to do so in order to fight against Evelyn. That was another standout performance by Eva Green.
Mind you: Ethan's objection - that to kill someone would change her forever and what not, so in order to save her soul he wanted to do it (but was prevented) - is a tried and true trope, and I've seen it in many a show, but this time, it annoyed me. Not because I'm for killing for revenge in rl, but because fictionally speaking, this was Vanessa's decision to make. Also, for all of Ethan's insistance he knows how awful it is to live with murder (by which means he means the dead Indians, not his werewolf related kills) and that he can't.... this actually isn't true. He clearly regrets what he's done, but he lives with it pretty well, between forming new relationships (Brona, Vanessa, Dorian, Victor, Lyle, Sembene) and not intending to put up with any imprisonment.
Ethan name checked Brona, and I tried not to get my hopes raised AGAIN in vain for Lily's memories to return in this episode. Which seemed wise since Dorian gave no further sign of being aware who she was, though showing her the grave robbers among the wax works who sold those bodies to doctors for science could have been a trigger, in light what happened later. Which was... unexpected. I still don't think we're to assume Lily's Brona memories returned on a conscious level, but stopping in front of a tavern, picking up a wealthy middle aged guy and having sex with him probably was some sort of memory, and then it culminated in her strangling him. Which... huh. On the one hand, it's an equivalent of not book but movie Frankenstein's creature drowning the child he was playing with in the James Whale movie, and it certainly turns the Lily storyline around in that she's no longer just the trusting naive; instead, we get a reminder she probably has the same physical strength as Caliban now and could turn it on anyone if she wants to. Otoh, Lily looks undisturbed by the death at the end, and suddenly I get a vision where she is the Creature getting destroyed by the end and instead of her turning against Victor for the incredible crap he pulled, he gets to angst some more while destroying her for the public good. DO NOT WANT.
Incidentally, Victor benefited from having scenes with non-Lily people in this episode, because Vanessa entrusting him with her whereabouts and with Malcolm supervision makes me hope this is going somewhere, as does Lyle telling him about "the Hound of God" and the memoir-writing Lucifer fearing same. Please, Victor, put two and two together, it would help redeeming yourself if you figure out things to help.
Speaking of Lyle: saying Vanessa should not tell them where she is going as a way to ensure he can't tell Evelyn, aw. But as every week: confess, Lyle, change sides, you know you want to, and IT WOULD STOP THIS ETERNAL DRAGGING OUT.
You know: characters going off, baring their souls to each other, having sex, or in this case not, because of Vanessa's possession fear, and plot, what plot? Now if Vanessa and Ethan had their Scottish holiday at the start of the season, I would have enjoyed it unreservedly, but here it felt like more dragging things out. John Logan, you clearly did not have enough plot for a season, pray before to rectify this next time. Well, okay, things at last happened, but not that many. And don't get me started that Vanessa STILL hasn't figured out who the witches are, which I thought was the only thing last week's faint was good for.
This being said: I liked a lot of the episode. The opening scene with Ethan and Sembene. Vanessa's and Malcolm's exchange of looks when she makes it clear she's leaving (and that she doesn't trust him anymore), Vanessa telling Ethan she misses the intensity and exclusivity of her relationship with Malcolm (though this came with her stating maybe it's just because he's happy now and that's why she resents Evelyn - Vanessa, didn't you hear Sembene on the subject of Malcolm's reaction to the Gladys news?) . And Vanessa opening Chekov's dark spell book to get her revenge on Sir Geoffrey (why was HE still alive, I wonder? I'd have thought Evelyn killed him and took his money as soon as she had no more use for him?) , not, as yours truly thought, waiting till the finale to do so in order to fight against Evelyn. That was another standout performance by Eva Green.
Mind you: Ethan's objection - that to kill someone would change her forever and what not, so in order to save her soul he wanted to do it (but was prevented) - is a tried and true trope, and I've seen it in many a show, but this time, it annoyed me. Not because I'm for killing for revenge in rl, but because fictionally speaking, this was Vanessa's decision to make. Also, for all of Ethan's insistance he knows how awful it is to live with murder (by which means he means the dead Indians, not his werewolf related kills) and that he can't.... this actually isn't true. He clearly regrets what he's done, but he lives with it pretty well, between forming new relationships (Brona, Vanessa, Dorian, Victor, Lyle, Sembene) and not intending to put up with any imprisonment.
Ethan name checked Brona, and I tried not to get my hopes raised AGAIN in vain for Lily's memories to return in this episode. Which seemed wise since Dorian gave no further sign of being aware who she was, though showing her the grave robbers among the wax works who sold those bodies to doctors for science could have been a trigger, in light what happened later. Which was... unexpected. I still don't think we're to assume Lily's Brona memories returned on a conscious level, but stopping in front of a tavern, picking up a wealthy middle aged guy and having sex with him probably was some sort of memory, and then it culminated in her strangling him. Which... huh. On the one hand, it's an equivalent of not book but movie Frankenstein's creature drowning the child he was playing with in the James Whale movie, and it certainly turns the Lily storyline around in that she's no longer just the trusting naive; instead, we get a reminder she probably has the same physical strength as Caliban now and could turn it on anyone if she wants to. Otoh, Lily looks undisturbed by the death at the end, and suddenly I get a vision where she is the Creature getting destroyed by the end and instead of her turning against Victor for the incredible crap he pulled, he gets to angst some more while destroying her for the public good. DO NOT WANT.
Incidentally, Victor benefited from having scenes with non-Lily people in this episode, because Vanessa entrusting him with her whereabouts and with Malcolm supervision makes me hope this is going somewhere, as does Lyle telling him about "the Hound of God" and the memoir-writing Lucifer fearing same. Please, Victor, put two and two together, it would help redeeming yourself if you figure out things to help.
Speaking of Lyle: saying Vanessa should not tell them where she is going as a way to ensure he can't tell Evelyn, aw. But as every week: confess, Lyle, change sides, you know you want to, and IT WOULD STOP THIS ETERNAL DRAGGING OUT.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-16 12:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-18 05:12 pm (UTC)We can't, and it would be a fitting irony, given his religious issues. Incidentally, I'm glad Lyle brought up the Amunet/Amun-Ra story again in this episode, thus proving he doesn't have amnesia.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-16 03:49 pm (UTC)I do agree with you that the entire episode was not plotted as well as it could have been. The Van-Ethan plot could have happened in 2.04, as a natural follow-up to the flashback.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-18 05:10 pm (UTC)