Penny Dreadful – “Good and Evil Braided Be” Review. Ulterior Motives.

Season 3, Episode 3

Air Date: Sunday, May 15, 2016, 10PM E/P on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“She. Is. Mine! When the time is right, my Flesh; when she is abject, when she is helpless, when she begs for me, THEN we will have her.” – Dracula

The title of this episode, “Good and Evil Braided Be,” befits the content. There is light and dark, good and not so good, mingled throughout; however, the tone of “Good and Evil Braided Be” rings more of a filler episode, giving us background on a few characters and providing tidbits of what’s to come. If you are squeamish about blood, there is a scene or two that may cause you a little discomfort.

Vanessa is upset with Dr. Seward’s lack of belief.

I’ve been wondering when we would see hedonistic behavior emerge this season on Penny Dreadful and “Good and Evil Braided Be” doesn’t disappoint. Series creator and writer John Logan truly has some exotic ideas regarding threesomes. The scene involving Dorian (Reeve Carney), Lily (Billie Piper), and their new protégé Justine (Jessica Barden), relishes in the delights of the flesh. The gruesome incident prior to their orgy doesn’t give them a moment’s pause as they indulge their baser needs with fervent passion. While the sexual nature of this particular scene can be interpreted in many ways, what intrigues me most is the subject of their conversation afterwards. Lily spoke earlier of “an army” and going “to war.” She and Dorian plan on recruiting more oppressed souls to their cause but I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that is. Dorian is immortal, sort of. As the story goes, if Dorian Gray looks at his portrait, he’s supposed to succumb to all his macabre indiscretions but as we saw in season two, that doesn’t happen. And Lily is immortal because she is neither dead nor alive. Do Dorian and Lily plan on creating others like themselves or simply enlisting the aid of those who have been shunned by society? I’m eager to see how their plans fare. I understand Lily’s point of view because of who she was before Victor (Harry Treadaway) resurrected her. My confusion lies in the reasons behind Dorian’s involvement. Is it simply something to do? Is it boredom? How long has Dorian lived? I am not sure the potion Victor and Henry (Shazad Latif) are working on will prove useful on Lily. I wonder what it would do to Dorian?

The smile adorning Vanessa’s face will soon disappear.

“Good and Evil Braided Be” also elaborates further on John Clare’s (Rory Kinnear) story line. When we saw him in the season premiere “The Day Tennyson Died,” he’d left his icy surroundings in the Arctic to head back home to London in search of his family. Before he became Victor’s first creation, John was a family man. Through vivid memories, John retraces his steps to try and find the wife and son he left behind. Kinnear gives such a powerful performance every time he’s on screen. John’s plight is he wants so desperately to be accepted by society for who is now but longs to be the man he once was. John is an immortal creature, cold to the touch, and has the strength of ten men. His temperament also balances on a thin wire where anything can set him off. But as you watch John look down upon a young boy from the decaying rafters of an old building, you can’t help feeling empathy for him. John didn’t ask to be this creature nor did he ask to be ripped away from his family. But we don’t really know what happened to John. Did he die suddenly? Did Victor kill him to experiment on? I’m anxious to see the rest of John’s tale.

I don’t like Hecate being so close to Ethan. Let’s hope he can resist her and keep Vanessa close at heart.

Across the world, in the New Mexico Territory, Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) and Kaetenay (Wes Studi) make their way closer to Ethan (Josh Hartnett). Through visions, Kaetenay knows that Ethan is not alone. The way Kaetenay describes the woman traveling with Ethan leaves only one answer on Sir Malcom’s tongue—Hecate (Sarah Greene). This story arc is compelling because it’s layered with the unknown history between Kaetenay and Ethan, but also with Hecate’s involvement. She reveals to Ethan, “I want to liberate your truer self…I want to rule the darkness at your side.” Is the wolf side of him his true self or is he simply cursed? I want to know how Ethan became a werewolf. Hecate called him “the wolf of God,” or “Lupus Dei” as we learned in season two. I believe there is so much more to Ethan’s story than I ever imagined. And remember when he helped exorcise Vanessa’s (Eva Green) demons in season one’s episode “Possession?” Where did he learn to do all that, and in Latin?

Vanessa encounters one of Dracula’s minions in the House of Mirrors who tells her something quite unsettling.

Although “Good and Evil Braided Be” is a thoughtful episode, it’s not as enthralling as the first two installments this season. That said, the events surrounding Vanessa and her new friend Dr. Alexander Sweet (Christian Camargo) does pique my interest. As we learned at the end of episode 302 “Predators Far and Near,” Dr. Sweet and Dracula are one and the same. Is he the same villain that’s been after Vanessa since season one? Is he the “master” that Hecate and her mother served in season two? There have been references to Lucifer in season two, so I’m not sure if there are two evils after Vanessa now or if Lucifer and Dracula are indistinguishable. Camargo does an excellent job of playing coy and aloof with Vanessa as Dr. Sweet, but when one of his minions crosses a line and communicates with Vanessa, the wrath of Dracula is nothing short of horrifying.

Overall

Vanessa, under Dr. Seward’s hypnosis, reveals the padded white room where she may have first encountered the Master. But she also met someone else there as well.

“Good and Evil Braided Be” explores some of the characters’ back stories and pushes their plot points forward a bit more. While there are various exciting moments, the majority of this episode focuses on providing more of a foundation of what is to come this season. I did find the ending quite interesting. I wonder if John will remember ever meeting his dear friend Vanessa those many years ago. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the Dracula/Dr. Sweet and Vanessa plot progresses. I’m curious as to why Vanessa cannot sense something amiss about Dr. Sweet. And I am hungry for more information on Ethan’s past. He’s headed home to see his father (unseen) and I don’t think it’s going to be a happy reunion.

Note: Photo choices were limited as there weren’t any of the scenes with Dorian, Lily, and Justine nor any with John.

Let me know what you think of “Good and Evil Braided Be.” Should John reveal himself to his family or continue to care for them from afar? Leave me a comment below or tweet me @judybopp. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Tune in to Penny Dreadful, Sundays at 10PM E/P, only on Showtime.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.