The beginning of the end…

Before We Begin

One of the benefits of cutting the cord is that I can put my money where my mouth is in a way that I really couldn’t when I had premium cable/satellite. Which is why, when Showtime unceremoniously cancelled Penny Dreadful, leaving its fans heartbroken and its characters’ arcs/growth gutted I was able to make a decision I would not have been able to make 3 months ago: cancelling my Showtime subscription. Penny Dreadful was the only show I watched on Showtime so there’s no reason for me to keep giving my money to a channel that clearly doesn’t want it. Good job Showtime. You played yourself. Now, let’s look at this week’s episode.

Perpetual Night: The Blessed Dark Part One

What In The Actual Eff?

Ethan and the others return and London is dead, for realsies. There’s death fog everywhere (literal death, it’s killed 7000 people in the past month alone), rats scurrying all over creation, and frogs coming up out of sinks like it’s going out of style. Ethan’s face is like, ‘What the hell did you do while I was gone?’ Malcolm’s got no explanation but he knows who does, Vanessa, so they head to Grandage Place and get jumped the minute they walk in the door. Dracula is absolutely not effing around and has his vamps waiting to kill off any members of Vanessa squad who might show up. This leads to Malcolm getting bit but thankfully Cat shows up with the timely assist, saving Malcolm from the bite and filling the guys in on what she knows has gone down.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

This leads to an all star team up as Seward, after discovering and then dispatching Renfield’s nutty arse, also shows up at Grandage Place looking for Vanessa. The gang split up, with Ethan and Kaetenay going out into the fog to look for Vanessa as they’re the only ones immune to it, and the others going to interrogate Renfield whom Seward hogtied like a boss. Renfield tries to talk that shite but Cat’s like, ‘Please. I eat fools like you for breakfast,’ and you can see the moment he realizes he’s screwed.

Meanwhile at Effboy Central

Dorian, Henry and Victor are still having their circle jerk over BronaLily’s body like she’s not a walking, talking sentient creature. Dorian taunts BronaLily about how he’s going home to clean house but to enjoy her life as Victor’s obedient little bride and peaces out. BronaLily assess the room and starts working on Henry’s inferiority issues, rightly pressing that race button by assuming that he’s Victor’s assistant. Henry starts to lose his shite until Victor gets him to leave and then comes one of the most heartbreaking scenes this series has ever had. BronaLily breaks it down for Victor in the smallest words possible: Lily never existed. She was always Brona. Always. And if he erases her ‘sadness’ and will in some vain attempt to make her Lily he’ll take away her memories of her daughter. She begs him not to do that to her and Victor finally, finally gets it, letting her go.

IT’S. ON.

Ethan gets knowingly led to Dracula by one of his mini-vamps. Dracula is ever so polite in telling Ethan that Vanessa chose him, which Ethan of course doesn’t believe. Dracula then tries talking Ethan to his side and Ethan is 100% not having it so Dracula just punches his ass across the street and bounces, leaving Ethan surrounded by vamps. What Dracula didn’t notice and the vamps find out the hard way is that it’s a full moon and Ethan starts ripping through them like tissue paper. It’s glorious. Then Kaetenay wolfs out as well…

Surprise!

Ha’Penny Thoughts

I can honestly say I need a minute before I can deal with The End, at least if you guys want anything resembling a coherent recap/analysis of the show overall. Tune in next week as we say farewell to our beloved Dreadfuls.