Penny Dreadful Recap S1E2: Séance

A pretty girl tries to get warm, she’s obviously going to be tonight’s first victim. Fear oozes off her, as she listens to the clanking of the man lighting the lanterns. He’s suddenly quieted as he’s snatched, and the whore is about to go down. Down she goes, but she doesn’t drop her apple.

Ethan awakens a little rough for the wear near the docs. His hand has a bite mark. He pulls himself together and shambles to the pub. He asks for some whisky, and luckily he has the cash to pay for it.

Frankenstein sits with his monster, and finds that he should be named. He thinks to let the monster chose his own name, and he grabs a Shakespeare volume. Flipping through the pages he chooses Proteus, from The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Frankenstein leaves Proteus to go make some money, promising to return soon, but the monster mourns his creators absence.

Bronta stumbles downstairs. She pours herself a drink from Ethan’s bottle as a way acquaintance. They don’t get his kind there much, Americans. Ethan tells her that he was an actor, but not anymore. He tries to impress her with his sharpshooting skills, but she’s not impressed. She lives upstairs, because of the low rent. She came to London with a dream, but found that she couldn’t find work. Bronta coughs up a lung, a hazard of working with machines. Now fortified with breakfast, she does to finds work.

Malcolm tells Vanessa that Frankenstein is there. They ask about his research, and he’s unusually happy. They bring him down to look at the body covered in Egyptian markings, all of the skin now removed by beetles. Frankenstein asks if they’ve had it translated yet, they haven’t but they know that it its from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Frankenstein is well read, and Vanessa proves that she is as well. Frankenstein tells them that the blood he took from the body is human, or was. He asks that if they find anything pertinent in the hieroglyphics to let him know. Malcolm wants to know about all the poetry they spouted, and Vanessa tells him that the young doctor has a secret.

Bronta comes into a fine house, with an even finer man waiting for her there. It’s Dorian Gray, and he is smoking hot. I wholeheartedly agree with this casting. He thanks her for coming, and introduces himself.

Sir Malcolm and his manservant Sembene pay the inspector a visit. He wishes to know about the murders, but the inspector isn’t sure if he can be of any help. Sir Malcolm is told of the unusual murders, that their organs were removed, but they were not drained of blood. He asks if the Ripper is back again, but this isn’t his M.O. Sir Malcolm warns the inspector that if he doesn’t change his tactics he will never stop him. He’s hunting for a man when he should be hunting for a beast.

Bronta poses for some pictures as Dorian watches. Dorian asks her to remove her corset and she does with nimble fingers. She coughs, and he asks if there’s blood, if its consumption. She tells him that it is. Dorian goes to her, helps her remove her top. He leans in to kiss her, and she warns him that he shouldn’t, because she’s sick. But it doesn’t stop him. He likes the blood. He strips her down as his camera man takes pictures. He screws her against the wall. He’s never fucked a down creature he says, he asks if she feels things more deeply, if she feels pain. She asks if he does. She coughs on him, and blood goes all over his face. She horrified, and he’s turned on.

Ethan gets a letter. His father wishes him to come home, tells him that eh can put an end to his legal problems if he comes home. He demands that he stop his foolishness.

Dr. Frankenstein sketches his monster, shocked when he hears him humming. He brings him Moby Dick, asks if he recognizes it. He does in bits and pieces. He cries over the text. Frankenstein asks if he killed a whale, and the monster has more recognition. Frankenstein reasons that perhaps he was a whaler in his past life, which makes Frankenstein ponder past sins. The monster, Proteus, pours him a drink, and Victor accepts it.

Evening, Vanessa and Sir Malcolm head over to the Egyptianist’s party. He looks to show Malcolm around, leaving Vanessa to make her own introductions. Vanessa takes in the scenery when she feels eyes upon her. It’s the handsome Dorian Grey. He stalks the floor towards her, introducing himself. He’s noticed her skeptism about the room, and delights her with his notice. He doesn’t know the doctor, he gets many random invitations, none of which he turns down. She wasn’t skeptical about the room, and he knows that she’s more out of place than he is.  She doesn’t like it here, he says. He takes her hand. She is the only woman not wearing gloves, her hand wants to touch, her head wants to appraise and her heart is torn between the two. He tells her that she was skeptical because she thought it was going to be a wasted evening, but now she isn’t so sure. Dorian has her all but seduced, but before he can kiss her, the Egyptianist announces Madame Carly. The woman comes out, and they gather around her for a séance. Madame Carly asks that the men remove their jewelry, and the women their gloves. They join hands, and the séance begins. She asks for balance, for a suspense of disbelief. She tries to channel from the time before when the Old Gods spoke. Something flares in her, and Vanessa concentrates too hard, Malcolm notices. Madame Carly claims to speak for the dead, she looks up, in her own voice says that there is another here, fearlfully. Even Dorian notices Vanessa. Carly chants and Vanessa fights against.  Something speaks through her. Vanessa’s voice changes to Mina’s voice as she focuses on Malcolm. Sill holding Dorian’s hand along with one other Vanessa goes over Mina’s final words to him. Malcolm doesn’t say a word, and she lashes out, causing all of the candles in the room to extinguish. Mina begins to die. She sings softly to herself, as Vanessa sheds a tear. Mina says that he knew she was dying, asks if he named the mountain after her. Malcolm is in tears now, as Mona dies and Vanessa goes still. Vanessa takes a deep breath, and turns her attention Carly. She cracks the table. Mina is now a very bad girl. She tells him that Vanessa saw him fucking something, calls him a betrayer, a creature. She describes the thing that has her that is has blood red eyes, begging her father to find her as she climbs atop the broken glass table. Vanessa begins to chant, her body contorting back. The women scream, and finally the doors fly open. Vanessa leaves, and does not look back. The rain pours down around her, and a man runs into her in the rain. She rips open his shirt and throws him against the wall. Malcolm sits at the ruined séance table. Vanessa has sex with the man amidst the garbage of the alley. Dorian spies her.

Malcolm comes home. Vanessa is home. He pulls the blankets over her.

Ethan sits drinking the morning away. Bronta joins him. Employment isn’t easy to come by. She admits that she’s been taking some naughty pictures. Ethan has been playing maritime supervisor. He asks her to breakfast, but she turns him down. Ethan is persistent, asking her to dinner. She agrees to dinner, anywhere but the pub. He doesn’t know London well, luckily she does.

Sir Malcolm goes to see the Egyptianists. He will not have Vanessa back, she put Madame Carly to shame. He admits its was titillating, even though it was a bit much for his wife. Malcolm has brought more photographs for him to look at. One picture strikes his interest. There is one that he has never seen before, that no one has. He begs Malcolm to walk away for this project, but Malcolm has to know more. The Egyptianists tells him a story about a God that fed on souls, and should he be united with the right Goddess the two would be unstoppable and it would be the end of mankind, they would be devoured by beasts.

Vanessa smokes.

Proteus and Victor prepare to head out in the darkness. He reminds the monster that it will be the first time out of the room, and tells him to remain calm. The two head out, and he instantly has a panic attack. Victor calms him, and he takes it all in, it is a lot. The monster heads out into the crowd slowly in awe. He inspects the sights, and wishes to touch everything. Simple sounds give him great joys, and common tastes are beyond extraordinary. Victor explains to him about the gaslamps, but he sees them as fairy lights. The ships catch his attention. He knows all of the pieces of the boat, which brings him joy, but he also remembers his wife, which fills him with great sorrow. He questions what he is. Ethan interrupts Victor and his monster as he introduces Bronta. After an awkward introduction, the pairs part ways.

Victor goes over all the things that Proteus learned. Proteus calls Ethan and Bronta friends, but Victor clarifies what a friend is. Proteus decides that he will have many friends, more than ten. A hand shoots through Proteus’ body, ripping him apart. Frankenstein’s first born has returned, and someone doesn’t like to share.