‘Penny Dreadful’ season 3, episode 9 review: A Vanessa shocker … and a series finale?
For its season 3 finale of Showtime, “Penny Dreadful” delivered what may just be one of the most insane hours of anything that we’ve had a chance to witness for quite some time. We’re not entirely sure how they come back from this, and that may be precisely the point.
We imagine that there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss the renewal for the show moving forward (if there is a renewal, that is), but the card reading “the end” at the end of the hour has us fearful. The same goes for the notion of losing Vanessa, who was shot by Ethan at the end of the hour as she proclaimed that there was no way for the spirit of the world to be preserved with her still on it. There was nothing more devastating that he could have been forced into doing, and yet, he made the move.
Now, is there something to take from the Creature being at Vanessa’s funeral in the closing minutes? Maybe, but we feel like this could be a fitting end to the series if Showtime deems it so. After all, Ethan does not have something resembling family with Sir Malcolm, and there may be a further chance at peace.
Prior to this we had a fearsome showdown with many of our heroes and Dracula’s familiars, leading ultimately to a battle against the famed vampire himself. We do think that this led up to the episode’s billing, and gave us the showdown we so needed moving into the finale.
Overall, we’d say this was a heck of a great conclusion to the season, in between the Lily – Victor sequences, seeing Dorian’s next moves (though we do think his story this year was weak overall), and of course the Vanessa reveal at the end. This proved that this is a GUTSY, fantastic show, and we’re super-curious to see what happens next in the event there is a renewal. Grade: A-.
What did you think of tonight’s episode of “Penny Dreadful”? Leave us a comment and tell us your thoughts.
American Geode 1
June 20, 2016 @ 8:12 pm
Really surprising that Dorian Gray’s big dining room table was from Rent-A-Center. That room got cleaned out big time after the dinner party! It was like the Rent-A-Center van pulled up to the mansion and hauled out all that fancy dinner party furniture!
Brenda
June 20, 2016 @ 12:41 pm
Please don’t end this show! I watch it religiously and felt this was a great season. But I believe there is so much more that can go on with it. While it was devastating to see Vanessa die at the end, it was even more devastating to feel like this was the very last episode. It’s only been on for 3 seasons! You reel us in then snap the line! Love, love, love this show! I have been a horror fan forever, and finally, here’s a show that encaptures them all, Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Jekyl/Hide, Dorian Grey…and manages to weave in the original lore around these characters in a new light! I mean, I can’t even find a good book that does all this any more! Gotta keep it on the air! There is so much more that can happen, so many ways to keep it going.
Serai 1
June 20, 2016 @ 9:19 am
I found it abrupt and unsatisfying, to tell you the truth. For one thing, Ethan’s story was severely truncated. The denouement with Vanessa felt forced and rushed. Too many characters just kinda walked off the stage. The fear of not getting renewed was all over this episode, and frankly, I’d rather have had a more organic season ending and an uncertainty of the future, than this “jam everything left into one episode” ending. It tastes too much of might-have-beens.
As far as whether Vanessa’s really dead? Meh. She’s a vampire now, remember. Ethan didn’t cut her head off (and Catriona’s sneering aside, it seems to me that would probably be a sensible precaution), so I say it wouldn’t be difficult to bring her back.
Niko Okamoto
June 20, 2016 @ 6:17 am
I can’t believe the ratings have been lackluster. The show is phenomenal, so much better in all ways than so many other “new” shows. If SHO doesn’t renew it, we won’t resubscribe; we only signed on because of Penny Dreadful!
Serai 1
June 20, 2016 @ 9:19 am
You should email them and tell them that.
Diane Branson
June 20, 2016 @ 3:29 am
God damn, there had better be at least one more season of PENNY DREADFUL! It’s my hussband and my favorite series at the moment! We need to to see more! I was devasted tonight after the last episode of season three but there’s still more to tell…PLEASE SHOWTIME! Don’t give up on such a sinfully well done tale.
Sandra B
June 20, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
I agree – I have NEVER had a show keep me literally on the edge of my seat – LITERALLY!!!!
I would like to say this is the best horror with humanity and life lessons show I have ever seen – and the richness of the characters – they feel like family – especially the creature. I have a picture of Putney and the Creature with the dialog printed on it talking about evil – Putney asking the Creature what his favorite of the wax figure is… he explains how evil overcomes us and ends with what would be in Pandora’s box – A Mirror. Emmy worthy at the very least. The Creature, of all the characters, best describes humanity and we saw ourselves in his every scene. WAKE UP – do not discard the show of the century!!!!