Above the Vaulted Sky - Penny Dreadful Mini-Review and Recap

So pretty much all of the cast is getting some tonight! We're now halfway through the expanded season of 'Penny Dreadful'. After the attack on the townhouse last week, Ethan has warned that they're under siege and they prepare their defenses. And then... they all wander off and go their separate ways. Except poor Sembene, who is left to stand guard at the townhouse.

Not that these individual errands aren't interesting. Vanessa joins Victor and Brona for coffee. Rusk brings in Ethan for questioning about the Mariner's Inn massacre and ends up with more questions thatn answers. Caliban has an awkward first meeting with the woman his creator made for him, only to discover that she doesn't have feelings for him.

Later, Vanessa goes back to the cholera ward and meets Caliban. They talk about poetry and Vanessa shows Frankenstein's Monster how to dance. Cut to night, and the group have still gone their separate ways. Dorian takes Angelique to the opera and the latter meets a former customer. Malcolm and Evelyn go to the opera as well, and Malcolm soon falls for Evelyn even harder thanks to a drugged needle. You go, Timothy Dalton! And Brona cowers in Victor's bead during a thunderstorm.

This all adds up to lots of sex in a final montage. Interspersed with scenes of Malcolm's wife hallucinating her dead children coming back to haunt her thnks to some magic voodoo performed by Evelyn jabbing hot needles into a puppet fetish of the woman's brain. Why? Because it's 'Penny Dreadful', of course!

Although there's a storm at the end of this episode, the episode is really the calm before the storm. It looks like things are really going to heat up as the witches complete their fetish puppet of Vanessa. Evelyn has ensnared Malcolm, and Roper is on Ethan's trail and skulking around London wearing a Phantom of the Opera-style mask.

While the episode drags a bit, the show is always welcome to drag when it's developing its cast of characters. It would be nice if they get Dorian together with the rest of the group so his storyline is currently a dead end of sorts. Hopefully they'll finally bring him in.

Overall, a pleasant filler episode of the series, with the promise of more to come.

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Evelyn works on another puppet resembling Gladys Murray while the Vanessa puppet sits nearby. The elder witch taps a needle into her new puppet's forehead and chants an incantation, and the forehead finally cracks open. Evelyn pries apart the skull revealing the human brain inside, just as Hecate comes in. She holds up the strands of Vanessa's hair that they took from her and then asks if she can do it. Evelyn smiles and hands her a pick, and Hecate pokes them into the Vanessa puppet's head. Meanwhile, Evelyn heats a needle in a candle flame and jams it into the other puppet's brain.

Gladys wakes up screaming in pain and clutching at her head.

After boarding up the front door of Malcolm's townhouse, Ethan tells the others what a siege is like. He explains that he fought with an Army unit that lay siege to the Apache, and describes how his unit surrounded a group of the Indians and some of them infiltrated the village. The Apache underestimated the ruthlessness of their enemies, and they were wiped out to a man in fifteen minutes. Ethan warns that they can't let themselves be infiltrated and surrounded. Vanessa explains that the Nightcomers are making a fetish using her hair. Sembene says that they must consume the flesh of their enemies to take their power, and Vanessa says that the Nightcomers don't venture out in the day. Ethan says that they must gather every weapon and ritual to defend themselves.



The group mounts iron doors to the outside and prepares weapons. Sembene and Ethan cast rituals, while Ferdinand goes to the basement and performs a Jewish ceremony. Vanessa inscribes her scorpion mark in blood on the doors, and Sembene stands guard.

Later, Vanessa goes to her bedroom and prays. She hears something moving in the room but looks around and sees nothing, and continues praying. When she opens her eyes, Vanessa sees the witches surrounding her. She runs to Ethan's room and interrupts him praying, and tells him that she thought that the witches were there, but she can't tell anymore what is and isn't real. Ethan assures her that she's safe, but Vanessa says that she'd rather be locked up. She asks if she can sleep there and Ethan immediately agrees, and assures her that he knows what it is to be scared of the dark. As Ethan goes to the couch, Vanessa says that she knows he believes in God. The American comes over and says that the blood is on their hands, not God, and they make themselves into what they are. She wonders if Ethan killing is part of God's play, and he tells her to talk to him when she has killed someone. Vanessa says that they are together for a reason and she accepts Ethan no matter what he's done, and he tells her to get some sleep.



At the lab, Caliban tells Victor to turn Brona over to him. Victor angrily tells his creation to do with as he wishes, and Caliban chokes his creator and reminds him how different their lives would be if Victor had created his "child" with kindness. When he releases Victor, the doctor tells him to go. Suddenly nervous, Caliban asks what Victor has told Brona of him, and Victor says that Brona believes Caliban to be her fiance before the accident. Other than that, he told Brona nothing of her feelings for Caliban. Victor admits that Brona asked if she should love Caliban and he said that it was up to her. Caliban agrees and asks if Brona spoke of his face, and Victor says that she's seen no one except the three of them. He says that he'll be glad once both of them are gone from his life, and Caliban agrees.

Victor leads Caliban up to Brona's room and she hesitates when she sees Caliban. The doctor says that he has work downstairs but promises to come back later. However, he sits at the base of the stairs and listens as Brona says that Victor picked out her dress. Caliban says that they were friends once and then their friendship grew, and makes up an incident of how men mocked him for being with Brona. He says that Brona then took his hand and kissed it, and Brona says that it was someone else. She says that she can only start by being friends with Caliban, and Caliban has no choice but accept her request.



The next day at the townhouse, Ethan wakes up and discovers that Vanessa has gone.

At the Murray manor, Gladys writhes in pain and the maids hold her down as Evelyn continues to torment her with her spells.

As Ethan leaves an ammo shop, Inspector Rusk approaches and introduces himself. The American notices a bobby nearby and agrees to speak with Rusk.

Victor brings Brona to a tea house to meet with Vanessa.

At Rusk's office, Ethan says that he's given up his career as a showman  because it didn't suit him. Rusk questions him about his skill with weapons and Ethan claims that he only knows about guns from his show. The inspector has Ethan's name on the Mariner's Inn register and asks if he knows about the recent trouble there. Ethan feigns ignorance and Rusk notes that every resident has been accounted for except Brona and Ethan. Rusk assures Ethan that he's free to leave, and then points out that the recent series of deaths correspond with Ethan's arrival in London. He asks why Ethan is buying bullets and Ethan points out that the murder victims weren't shot. The inspector says that one man survived the massacre at the inn, and then says that they have been unable to find out anything about Ethan's background. Ethan says that he's leaving and Rusk goes with him.



At the tea house, Brona compliments Victor on his generous nature and awkwardly employs the napkin and silverware. Victor helps Brona through the conversation, much to Vanessa's amusement. Vanessa soon excuses herself for another engagement and hopes that she'll see Brona again. Once she's gone, Victor assures Brona that she was perfect and kisses her hand. Vanessa watches them briefly from the doorway and smiles.

As Rusk walks with Ethan back to the ammo shop, Rusk talks about his service in the military. Ethan notices the junior inspector shadowing them. When the inspector asks him about the Indians, Ethan claims that he's from the East but Rusk identifies his accent as being further west. Rusk admits that the U.S. War Department hasn't provided him with Ethan's records, but promises that he'll keep at it. Once Ethan walks off, Rusk nods to his junior to continue following the American. Ethan ducks out the back of the nearest shop and loses his pursuer.

Vanessa is working at the cholera ward as Caliban arrives. She greets him and they talk about John Clare, the poet that Caliban has took his alias from. Caliban recites from Clare and Vanessa echoes the words, She then talks about how she took small pleasure in seeing Victor with Brona, even if Victor doesn't yet know that he's in love with the girl. Vanessa admits that she's never been lucky at love before, and Caliban talks about how he met a woman recently but doesn't know how to behave. He admits that he knows nothing of social graces, including dance, and Vanessa invites him to dance with her and see the other woman in him. Surprised, Caliban takes her hand after and they dance.



Ethan returns to the townhouse and Sembene lets him in. The leather-masked Rusk watches from across the street.

That night, Dorian takes Angelique to the opera. They go to the lobby during the intermission and one man recognizes Angelique. He points her out to his friends and says that Angelique mislead him and took 40 pounds from him. Dorian kisses the humiliated Angelique's hand and the man spits on her, When Dorian starts to go after him, Angelique holds him back and he wipes the spittle off of her cheek. Nearby Malcolm is with Evelyn sharing tales of his travels. She "accidentally" pricks him with her drugged ring while getting him a glass of brandy.

At the townhouse, Ethan looks out at the storm and then turns back to where Ferdinand is translating the relics. The Egyptologist has found a repeated reference to "Lupus Dei": "The Hound of God." However, he vows to continue his search for a solution.



Dorian takes Angelique home and she changes into Dorian's clothing. He says that he's being what he is, but Dorian says that isn't what Angelique is. Angelique admits that his parents ignored him so he came to London and made himself over as Angelique, but was fit to no trade but whoring. Dorian admits that he hasn't known such humiliation, but says that he knows what it's like to be different. He assures Angelique that he's not fighting alone and cares for who Angelique is no matter how he dresses. Dorian kisses him and after a moment, Angelique kisses him back.

Malcolm and Evelyn go to a nearby hotel and kiss beneath the awning. He apologizes after a moment but then kisses her again and insists that he needs to be with her. She agrees and they go inside.

Dorian and Angelique make love.

Ethan goes up to his room and finds Vanessa in the hallway. She steps aside to let him pass and they stare at each other.



Malcolm and Evelyn go to their hotel room and kiss.

Dorian takes Angelique from behind.

Malcolm carries Evelyn to the bed.

Gladys crawls to the end of her bed and hallucinates the graves of  Peter and Mina on the floor. Her children crawl out of their graves as Gladys screams in horror.



Vanessa strokes Ethan's face for a moment and then continues downstairs past him.

The drugged Malcolm has sex with Evelyn, who pricks him again with her ring.

Peter and Mina advance on their mother, and she finally grabs Malcolm's razor and cuts her throat to escape the pain.

Frightened of the thunder, Brona finally goes to Victor's bed and cowers beneath the sheets. He assures her that she's safe and awkwardly puts his arm around her. After a moment, Brona kisses him and draws back, and then they kiss each other. Victor pulls away and Brona pulls him back and unties her nightdress. Victor gives in and they make love.