Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Penny Dreadful”
~ by Rebecca Fisher
Introduction:
First of all, what is a penny dreadful? During the 1800s growing literacy rates in Britain increased the demand for published material, particularly among lower classes whose wages could not readily be spent on expensive books. In response, a number of magazines and newspapers ran serialized stories over the course of several weeks. Due to their lurid and sensationalized subject matter, and the fact that they were sold for a penny, they soon became known as “penny dreadfuls.”
They provide a catchy title for this show, though in actuality its story is based on the Gothic Horror novels of the 19th century, namely Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Characters from all three novels – and a couple of original ones – are combined here into a singular narrative, with elements of their individual stories merged into a greater one.
It sounds bizarre, and yet the care and ingenuity with which the episodes are crafted makes Penny Dreadful a compelling drama. It’s a show that could only possibly exist after all three novels have had time to soak into our literary culture so thoroughly that even those who’ve never read the original texts are familiar with the stories. This allows the show to introduce a set of recognizable characters, subvert existing expectations, and play around with the conventions of the genre.
Premise:
Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and his young ward Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) are on a mission to find and rescue his daughter Mina from strange creatures that lurk in the shadows of Victorian London. To assist them they enlist the help of American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) and poetic surgeon Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), two young men with dark secrets of their own.
From left: Malcolm Murray, Dorian Gray, Vanessa Ives, Victor Frankenstein and Ethan Chandler
Rounding out the cast is Irish prostitute Brona Croft (Billie Piper) and hedonistic socialite Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), both initially existing on the periphery of the action but who are gradually drawn deeper into the plot.
It’s a show that draws upon all the hallmarks of the Gothic genre and the Victorian Era: séance parties, opium dens, gas-lit streets, a fascination with Egyptology, melodramatic theatre, and of course – penny dreadfuls. From dingy backstreets to opulent drawing rooms, every set creates an atmosphere of danger and mystery, where underworld creatures seem to be after something – but what?
Story:
The show is certainly not for the faint of heart, as there’s plenty of gore, violence and sex (sometimes all at once) as well as an underlying strain of psychological horror that can be harrowing to watch. Since she was a child, Vanessa Ives has been visited by a dark entity that has a vested interest in her, and whose presence takes a heavy toll on her mental health. Across the course of the first season’s eight episodes, her backstory is slowly revealed, explaining her ordeals and the nature of the power that she possesses – the reason, for example, why a terrifying vampire would stop dead in its tracks just by looking into her eyes.
Meanwhile, Victor Frankenstein is grappling with the reappearance of the reanimated creature he’s brought back from the dead, now a lonely and embittered soul who demands that his creator make him a mate to spend eternity with – and who threatens innocent lives if he doesn’t comply. Elsewhere, Ethan Chandler is disturbed by the growing number of bloody murders in his neighbourhood, but is soon distracted by a blossoming friendship with Brona Croft, whose consumption (tuberculosis) encourages him to accept Malcolm Murray’s offer of employment.
Suffice to say, there is a lot going on in this show. Almost every frame is filled with meaningful gazes and loaded dialogue, and it can take more than one viewing to catch all the symbolism, foreshadowing, and shout-outs to Victorian literature. Conversely, this is also a show that likes to take its time, often filling a scene with mysterious occurrences or cryptic conversations that aren’t explained until much later.
Characters:
Despite the strong ensemble cast, the show undoubtedly belongs to Eva Green as Vanessa Ives, who deserves an Emmy for her work here. In her hands Vanessa is captivating: mysterious eyes, smooth smile, gliding stride, but with a palpable darkness inside her that’s terrifying to behold.
Timothy Dalton is tailor-made for Sir Malcolm Murray, a bent-but-not-broken man who has lost his entire family due to his own negligence as a parent, as is Harry Treadaway as Frankenstein who practically trembles with passion for his chosen vocation in life. Even Josh Hartnett and Billie Piper prove themselves to be surprisingly good actors after careers full of fairly lightweight roles.
Ultimately Penny Dreadful is not a horror story, but a character study about a collection of people who are grappling with darkness both internal and external to themselves. None of them are particularly nice people, but the calibre of the acting and quality of writing makes them compelling characters nonetheless.
Conclusion:
Penny Dreadful packs a huge amount of material into its short eight-episode season, and thankfully has been greenlit for a second series. The central storyline, of an Egyptian cult that may or may not serve Lucifer, Dracula, or some other entity entirely, has only just begun to be explored, and our band of damaged protagonists could well be the only ones with enough immoral fibre to deal with it. As Vanessa says: “We here have been brutalized with loss. It has made us brutal in return. There is no going back from this moment.”
Next Time: Starting A New Sub-Series—“Fantasy/Sci-Fi Films You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.”
Though I run the risk of someone contending this title every week, my next feature series will be called “Fantasy/Sci-Fi Films You’ve Probably Never Heard Of”.
Given that they exist outside mainstream entertainment, these films never quite got the attention they deserved, so hopefully you’ll find something here that otherwise would have passed you by. First up is Mirrormask.
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About The Reviewer:
Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her They’re All Fictional blog.
To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:
I watched 2 episodes of this show over the weekend. I agree with very nearly everything in this review.
However, one has to watch and listen to it to decide if it is their sort of viewing.
Thank-you for doing a very reliable review of this show.