128 replies to this topic

[coco1997]

Penny Dreadful renewed for a 10-episode Season 2

http://insidetv.ew.c...adful-season-2/

What have you thought of Penny Dreadful thus far, tdalton?

[tdalton]

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I've only seen the first episode.  Catching up on Penny Dreadful, as well as a few other shows, is on the docket for this weekend.

[Orion]

Glad this has been recomissioned, it has been brilliant so far - only Billie Piper's irish accent is...um...questionable, and even that improves come episode 3 (the fact the director of 3 and 4 actually is an Irish woman probably isn't a coincidence)

[byline]

So thrilled to see this series has been renewed for a second season! (I know, American vs. British terminology. But if what we call a season is a series ... what do you call a series? A show?)

 

Anyway, I've been loving every episode. I still mourn the loss of Proteus. He was the only joy in an otherwise (predictably) bleak show. I should've known that little spark of light was too good to last.

[Matt_13]

Almost all caught up. I've never seen Rory Kinnear in anything other than Bond, but what a magnetic screen presence he is. Very, very fun show.

[Orion]

Anyone see Sunday's episode? Eve Green takes centre stage in it and the narrative never moves away from her, in fact the only other regular cast member who appears is Dalton. Incredible episode with INCREDIBLE performances from both actors.

 

Almost all caught up. I've never seen Rory Kinnear in anything other than Bond, but what a magnetic screen presence he is. Very, very fun show.

His Iago was similarly magnetic. He's also in season 1 of the Toby Stephen's starring Vexed, which is enjoyable, but doesn't give Kinnear an awful lot to work with. If you can find it, his performance in the first episode of Black Mirror is incredible. He's also going to be in the BBC's adaptation of JK Rowlings "The Casual Vacancy" though i imagine itll be more like Vexed in giving Kinnear very little to work with.

[Matt_13]

Cool thanks for the heads up!

All caught up now. If Eva Green doesn't win an award for her work on this show, I'll be stunned. Penny Dreadful has seen some of her finest acting.

[coco1997]

I'm amazed it took Eva Green four full episodes before getting naked. That must be a record for her.

[Odd Jobbies]

Dalton is great in PP - really makes you sad that he hasn't had more great leading roles.

Piper's accent is laid on with a shovel so thickly she can barely express any emotion through it. But i'm guessing that's because she'll become 'the bride of Frankenstein' sans the thick accent, thus helping to get across the same memory loss exhibited by the late mk2 monster Prometheus (i.e by having a new, softer English accent we can see that she doesn't initially remember her past).

This will give her love affair with Josh Hartnett a dramatic arc as she slowly remembers over subsequent episodes that she in fact loves Josh Hartnett.

Cue melodramatic tension and confrontation between her new man Rory Kinnear and old love, Hartnett.

Predictable fun.

ETA: forgot to mention that Hartnet will be more than a match for Rory Kinnear's immortal monster when it's 'shockingly revealed' that he's the Wolfman (responsible for the mutilations occurring around London).

At least, that's what I'd bet on

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 16 June 2014 - 08:39 PM.

[Odd Jobbies]

Dalton is great in PP - really makes you sad that he hasn't had more great leading roles.

Piper's accent is laid on with a shovel so thickly she can barely express any emotion through it. But i'm guessing that's because she'll become 'the bride of Frankenstein' sans the thick accent, thus helping to get across the same memory loss exhibited by the late mk2 monster Prometheus (i.e by having a new, softer English accent we can see that she doesn't initially remember her past).

This will give her love affair with Josh Hartnett a dramatic arc as she slowly remembers over subsequent episodes that she in fact loves Josh Hartnett.

Cue melodramatic tension and confrontation between her new man Rory Kinnear and old love, Hartnett.

Predictable fun.

ETA: forgot to mention that Hartnet will be more than a match for Rory Kinnear's immortal monster when it's 'shockingly revealed' that he's in fact here hunting none other than The Wolfman (responsible for the mutilations occurring around London).

I'm guessing that while dispatching his prey with silver bullets from his 6-shooter he'll be bitten and himself become a werewolf and in the process become a much more powerful, if unpredictable ally to sir Malcolm in his war with Dracula (a little lime the Hulk in the Avengers movie.

Wither Hartnett is The Wolfman or he's hunting it, at least, that's what I'd bet on

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 16 June 2014 - 09:25 PM.

[Orion]

Dalton is great in PP - really makes you sad that he hasn't had more great leading roles.

Piper's accent is laid on with a shovel so thickly she can barely express any emotion through it. But i'm guessing that's because she'll become 'the bride of Frankenstein' sans the thick accent, thus helping to get across the same memory loss exhibited by the late mk2 monster Prometheus (i.e by having a new, softer English accent we can see that she doesn't initially remember her past).

This will give her love affair with Josh Hartnett a dramatic arc as she slowly remembers over subsequent episodes that she in fact loves Josh Hartnett.

Cue melodramatic tension and confrontation between her new man Rory Kinnear and old love, Hartnett.

Predictable fun.

ETA: forgot to mention that Hartnet will be more than a match for Rory Kinnear's immortal monster when it's 'shockingly revealed' that he's in fact here hunting none other than The Wolfman (responsible for the mutilations occurring around London).

I'm guessing that while dispatching his prey with silver bullets from his 6-shooter he'll be bitten and himself become a werewolf and in the process become a much more powerful, if unpredictable ally to sir Malcolm in his war with Dracula (a little lime the Hulk in the Avengers movie.

Wither Hartnett is The Wolfman or he's hunting it, at least, that's what I'd bet on

Hartnell IS the wolfman surely after that bit in the zoo (ep 3 i think?). Pipers accent is actually quite mild for Northern Irish, Im from there so can definitely say its much slower and enunciated than the Northern Irish accent generally is...but yeah i'd agree she is probably going to become the bride of Frankenstein but i think that'll be more of a lead in for her and Kinnear's plot in season 2 than a set up for a faceoff this year. 

[Odd Jobbies]

Hartnell IS the wolfman surely after that bit in the zoo (ep 3 i think?). 

Well remembered! Indeed, Josh is The Wolfman. Hence the looks he got from an onlooker at the murder scene which he seemed to interpret as accusing looks. Guess we'll find out on the next full moon (which i'm sure they'll save for the series finale).

[Lady Rose]

I'm really enjoying this show. Eva green has been phenomenal. It's certainly all coming together as a story.

[byline]

Eva Green gets quite the nod in this article: http://www.toplessro...ny_dreadful.php

[Odd Jobbies]

Eva Green gets quite the nod in this article: http://www.toplessro...ny_dreadful.php

Nice article, but where it says that "it puts the gothic back into gothic", i have to disagree. It's more exotic than gothic, with it's lead vamp coming from ancient Egypt (i recall Sir Malcolm mentioning that the Balkan vamp legends were based upon these Egyptian origins).

 

I like this attempt to reimagine the vampire mythology, as it gives it a new unpredictable spin. Egypt is after all the next big vogue, with a couple of big movies on the way, including Ridley Scott's Moses  and the new tv series Hieroglyph.

 

Maybe we'll finally go on Malcolm's much spoken of African expedition to root out the vampire source? To these more globe trotting ends i believe this series is ultimately heading towards the League of Extraordinary Gentleman.

 

Wonder how they'll get Nemo  into the mix? 

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 19 June 2014 - 09:23 AM.

[Matt_13]

Decent finale, though just about every fan theory turned out to be true which admittedly did take some of the fun out of it. All the same, things have been set up nicely for what I imagine will be a bigger and better season 2. I don't think there is a better cast on television nor a more passionate show runner than John Logan. Can't wait to see more.

[Lady Rose]

Decent finale, though just about every fan theory turned out to be true which admittedly did take some of the fun out of it. All the same, things have been set up nicely for what I imagine will be a bigger and better season 2. I don't think there is a better cast on television nor a more passionate show runner than John Logan. Can't wait to see more.

I agree. I think a lot of foundations were being laid with this series.

I think series 2 will be terrific. Logan can really go to town we have everyone's back story.

[Odd Jobbies]

Series 2 needs to expand or die, like the similarly located BBC series Ripper Street, which was recently cancelled after series 2 which despite being far better than series 1 was just more of the same in terms of story and location.

 

In other words i think series 2 needs to get on with the League of Extraordinary Gentleman thing it's obviously heading towards, finding new exotic locations as it does so (introducing Nemo would facilitate this very well).

 

It seems 'the master' (undoubtedly Dracula) is still yet to be introduced. I'd have Nemo take them to Egypt to locate the vamp source, as well as Green's demon (referenced earlier in Egyptian hieroglyphs. And of course there's Transylvania and Mr Vlad Dracul to encounter.

 

If it expands it's horizons in this way it can grow as a series - see the excellent US series Da Vinci's Demons as an example of this. But i fear they are trapped in London by the 'Bride of Frankenstein' storyline, which i don't see a good traveller and i don't see 'The League' adventuring off without Dr Frankenstein.

 

Finger's crossed, though that Logan finds a way of cross-cutting between overseas and Billie Piper in London, or else, like Ripper Street it won't get passed series 2.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 03 July 2014 - 10:17 AM.

[Royal Dalton]

They renewed Ripper Street in the end. They're shooting the third series now.

[Odd Jobbies]

They renewed Ripper Street in the end. They're shooting the third series now.

Thanks for pointing that out. The BBC cancelled it due to dwindling ratings in series 2. However, they've done a deal with Amazon Prime to fund series 3, but it means that'll be an 'On-Demand' service (Amazon Prime subscription) and air on the BBC at a later date (i assume that's a significantly later date to secure Amazon's funding).

 

So in effect it still has been cancelled by the BBC and will only air on the Beeb as repeats. So i still think that if they'd been more ambitious in scope for series 2 they may not have lost the viewers and cancelled it.

 

http://www.denofgeek...ng-for-series-3

[Royal Dalton]

The BBC are still co-funding it. The only difference now is that people with money to burn will have the option of watching it a few months earlier via Amazon.

[Lady Rose]

I have seen so many comparisons between Ripper Street and Penny Dreadful and I have no idea why. Apart from being set in Victorian England and the odd mention of Jack the Ripper they are totally different!

 

I have a feeling Penny Dreadful will continue in the quest to find 'The Master' but may focus more on Egyptian mythology than vampires.

 

 

(as an aside I love Ripper Street)

[Odd Jobbies]

The BBC are still co-funding it. The only difference now is that people with money to burn will have the option of watching it a few months earlier via Amazon.

Indeed they are. But my point was that continued funding depends upon ratings. If they'd had higher ratings the Beeb could've justified the budget. I believe that the ratings dwindled because the show became a slave to it's location and format (as is so often the case in modern UK drama, where 'format', i.e. repartition, is king).

 

Had they been more ambitious in scope and story they may have kept, or even improved upon the ratings. The producers are well aware of the 'playing safe' gamble they took and that it failed them. I hope Amazon Prime are less blinkered.

[Matt_13]

Penny Dreadful will have a panel at this year's Comic Con, hosted by the absolutely wonderful and marvelously entertaining Aisha Tyler (the voice of Lana Kane on the animated series Archer and host of the revitalized Whose Line Is It Anyway?). http://www.ign.com/a...comic-con-debut

John Logan will be in attendance. Hopefully a fan will ask him about Bond, though I'd be surprised if that yielded much of anything. Still, this is excellent exposure for the series. It's mindblowing that the Bond producers don't go in for this sort of thing. It's such good press.

[byline]

Decent finale, though just about every fan theory turned out to be true which admittedly did take some of the fun out of it. All the same, things have been set up nicely for what I imagine will be a bigger and better season 2. I don't think there is a better cast on television nor a more passionate show runner than John Logan. Can't wait to see more.

Hear, hear! I enjoyed the finale, and had a feeling it really was the finale without knowing it till hubby read about it after watching. I have so enjoyed this program ... though "enjoy" might be the wrong word. The previous two episodes were among the most emotionally intense and riveting television viewing I have ever experienced. Eva Green really brought it home. The entire cast is extraordinary, but she stands out in a very fine crowd. Looking forward to Round 2!

[tdalton]

A short teaser for Season 2 of Penny Dreadful

 

[tdalton]

Apparently Penny Dreadful has been given a new premiere date for Season 2:

 

Showtime to premiere Penny Dreadful Season 2 on Sunday, May 3 at 10pm

[byline]

Bawled my eyes out while watching tonight's two-parter. I haven't been so moved by a television show in ages. Timothy Dalton and Eva Green, and all involved with this amazing series, acquitted themselves beautifully.

[Dustin]

I only just discovered this, marvellous show!

[Blofeld's Cat]

It's been cancelled now hasn't it?