Penny Dreadful – “The Day Tennyson Died” Review. Fresh Wonders and Diabolical Secrets.

Season 3, Episode 1

Air Date: Friday, April 29, 2016 online via YouTube, and Sunday, May 1, 2016, 10PM E/P on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“…I have climbed nearer out of lonely Hell.

Beat, happy stars, timing with things below,

Beat with my heart more blest than heart can tell.

Blest, but for some dark undercurrent woe

That seems to draw—but it shall not be so:

Let all be well, be well.” – Tennyson

Scattered throughout the Arctic, Africa, London, and the New Mexico Territory, our beloved anti-heroes return to the screen after ten long months. As the title of season three’s premiere suggests, the poet Lord Alfred Tennyson has died. Vanessa (Eva Green), however, is unaware of such news as she has entombed herself in her own wearisome malaise. Some time has passed since the traumatizing events that took place in the season two finale, “And They Were Enemies,” and with all her friends dispersed, Vanessa is unable to lift herself from her doldrums.

Penny Dreadful is by far one of my all-time favorite series. I make no secret of my affinity for the darker side of things, especially any series delving into the unnatural—be it supernatural, paranormal, or science fiction. Series creator and writer John Logan is one of my spirit animals. The way he writes these characters, and how vividly each actor brings them to life, is nothing short of exquisite.

Vanessa meets with Dr. Seward for the first time.

“The Day Tennyson Died” is layered with five stories dealing with Vanessa, Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton), Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and John Clare (Rory Kinnear). Each story reveals something much bigger that lies ahead this season. As we know, Vanessa is in a sad state, surrounded by filth and clutter, but the dearly beloved Egyptologist Ferdinand Lyle (Simon Russell Beale) comes to the rescue. Beale portrays Ferdinand with such endearing flamboyance and sincerity. The conversation between Ferdinand and Vanessa warms my heart. The light humor mixed in helps alleviate the heaviness of the situation. The friendship that has grown between these two since season one is unique, and their bond is even stronger now. Despite Ferdinand’s misgivings, all is forgiven. Let’s just hope his suggestion for Vanessa to see Dr. Seward (guest star Patti LuPone) helps her rather than exacerbating her unwanted penchant for attracting evil. Vanessa’s meeting with Dr. Seward is quite revealing, especially since Dr. Seward looks remarkably like Vanessa’s old friend and mentor, the infamous “Cut Wife,” Joan Clayton (LuPone) from season two. Vanessa also meets a new friend at the museum, Dr. Alexander Sweet (guest star Christian Camargo). I’m not quite sure what to make of him yet, but I can already see the beginnings of a connection between them.,

Sir Malcolm has an interesting conversation with Kaetenany.

Sir Malcolm goes to Africa to bury his trusted friend and loyal servant Sembene (Danny Sapani) who perished at the end of the second season. I was much saddened by Sembene’s tragic demise and even sadder now to see Sir Malcolm in such unkempt shape. But Sir Malcolm is not alone in Africa. He meets a mysterious American Indian named Kaetenay (Wes Studi), who shares a mutual acquaintance with Sir Malcom.

Ethan is not safe anywhere he goes…but help is on the way.

Ethan Chandler—or Ethan Talbot as he’s known in America—is extradited back to the New Mexico Territory courtesy of the dogged Inspector Rusk (Douglas Hodge). Ethan is a wanted man but in more ways than one, and by more than just one person. Things take an interesting turn during his train ride due to a familiar face that isn’t a welcome sight. Ethan is so self-deprecating because of his condition; he and Vanessa have that in common – they both feel undeserving of love.

Meanwhile, Victor remains tucked away in his humble hovel, hiding from the world, self-medicating as usual. He reaches out to his old friend, the curious Dr. Henry Jekyll (Shazad Latif), with hopes of ridding himself of his monstrous problems…at least one of them anyway. This is a very intriguing plot point that I’m anxious to see develop. How did Victor and Henry become friends? Why have they not spoken in so long? A very interesting arc indeed.

Dr. Jekyll calls Victor out on his narcotic indulgences.

In the frozen waters of the Arctic, one of Frankenstein’s creatures, his first born who’s taken the name John, finds himself stranded on a ship stuck in the icy depths. The scene that unfolds in the bowels of the ship is disturbing, reminiscent of The Donner Party. While calming a young child, John has a latent memory of who he was before he died and then resurrected in Frankenstein’s laboratory. This memory drives John to leave the ship in search of answers. Kinnear plays John with an icy endearment. John is embittered about his lot in life after Victor cast him aside those many years ago, leaving him with a foul taste in his mouth for all humans, and rightly so. Yet all John wants is to be accepted into society, to be accepted, period.

The end of “The Day Tennyson Died” is what intrigues me the most. The events leading up to the reveal of Dr. Seward’s secretary (Samuel Barnett) to the omnipresent being who seeks to learn more about Vanessa is quite subtle, yet shocking all at once. If you are at all familiar with the name Seward from a well-known book written by Stoker, you should be able to riddle out who the big bad is who’s come to London…perhaps living in Carfax Abbey manor.

Overall

Vanessa has been alone too long and craves human companionship. But is Dr. Sweet the right man for the job?

“The Day Tennyson Died” engages you from the moment it’s on air. From the way the camera cuts to each scene, to the dark and drab lighting we see as Vanessa skulks down to the kitchen, to the vibrant and arresting brightness of the New Mexico desert, you are captivated, and anxious to see what happens next. I loved the scene in the museum where Vanessa looks at the jarred scorpions. Her interaction with Dr. Sweet reveals a lot about his character, as well as her reluctance to get close to anyone. She misses Ethan but longs for some sort of connection.

I cannot wait to see how things unravel this season. Writer John Logan has piqued my interest with the introduction of a very well-known monster, if you will, but also a reintroduction of the creatures we met in season one.

Let me know what you think of “The Day Tennyson Died.” 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.

For more on the show, go to the official site http://www.sho.com/sho/penny-dreadful/home.

Visit the Production Blog http://blog.penny-dreadful.com/.

Penny Dreadful Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyDreadfulOnShowtime.

Twitter: @SHO_Penny, as well as these cast members: @reevecarney, and @billiepiper.

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Tumblr: http://pennydreadful.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shonetworks/penny-dreadful-modern-victorian-style/

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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.