Recap/Review: Penny Dreadful's 1x04: Demimonde

Now we're at the half way point of the series and this episode was certainly a turning point for at least several characters.

Written by John Logan
Directed by Dearbhla Walsh

You Play Your Part: One of the least expected things about this episode was the final scene where Ethan ended up kissing and (assumedly) getting more physically intimate with Dorian Gray. Suddenly Ethan became a lot more interesting in this episode (along with the increased evidence that he's the Wolf Man). So has he been playing the part of a heterosexual gunslinger all this time or are Dorian's powers of seduction so great that no-one is immune to his charms? Either way, along with Ethan's disgust over some underground animal fighting and his interactions with Dorian, the character suddenly got a boost and all the better for it.

Dying Girl: Speaking of Brona, this was not her episode. Sure we learned a bit more about her past but what should've been a great night out at the Grand Guignol turned out to be a disaster when she dumped Ethan and demanded he paid her for sex. Was it just because they bumped into Vanessa and Dorian that set her off? She seemed alright until meeting the two of them with Ethan. With her current predicament, I have a feeling that a certain someone might be getting a new bride fairly soon. Right now, it does seem to be the speculated outcome for Brona.

No More Fenton: It was a fun two episode stint for Olly Alexander but when Fenton wasn't eating a cat supplied by Sembene (can we get something on him already?), he tried to escape and one last confrontation with both Victor and Sir Malcolm resulted him in dying in this one. Then again, it also got pointed out that Fenton deliberately had gotten himself captured by Sir Malcolm and company in general. It's kind of a shame that we didn't get to see more of the character but I suppose we're at the point now where we really do need to learn more about Fenton's master and of course, Mina's fate.

The Daughter I Should Have Had: Another interesting episode for Vanessa, though arguably she didn't do a great deal here. I mean, she had a slightly cryptic conversation with a little girl about dead people, flirted a bit with Dorian, was polite to Brona, teased Victor and Ethan but it was her scene with Malcolm where he talked about wishing that he had a daughter with her cruel streak that intrigued me the most. It's kind of clear that Malcolm holds Vanessa responsible for whatever has happened to Mina but still retains an affection for her. Add Fenton's fixation with Vanessa and Dorian's character assessment of her to Ethan in private and she continues to be a rather fascinating character.

The One And Only: Van Helsing as played by David Warner. He might have only had one scene in this episode where both him and Victor were studying blood and discussing something he named after his wife, Hannah but Warner is excellent casting and it doesn't take much to assume that Helsing will be more of a prominent presence in the second half of the season as well. The one thing I did like about this episode was when Victor wasn't being called a 'bloodless dandy' by Ethan and threatened by Caliban for a bride, we got to see him being accepted by both Malcolm and Vanessa as well. That was nice, especially in the scene where Malcolm made it clear that he mattered a great deal.

Next week we finally get to get some backstory on Vanessa's past with Mina.