Recap/Review: Penny Dreadful's 3x02: Predators Far And Near

I know the reviews so far have been a little later but I wanted to see this episode a second time before I did a review for it. 

Written by John Logan

Directed by Damon Thomas

The Ice Truck Killer Is Bloody Dracula: In the most blatantly predictable of twists, the rather lovely Dr Sweet not only got closer to Vanessa this week by her actively and romantically pursuing him (coffee offers and movie trips) but he was also revealed to be Dracula during the closing moments with the hooked Renfield. I'm not disappointed by the twist. I really like it and the Vanessa/Sweet dynamic works so well because of the chemistry between Eva Green and Christian Camargo as well. Speaking of chemistry ....

Chops, Spuds & Bedlam: While I'm still not keen on the idea of Victor getting Jekyll to help him 'tame' Lily (seriously man, she's just not that into you), the chemistry between the two reunited friends has been a lot of fun to watch. This week we learned a bit more about Jekyll's family situation (a father he despises, dead mother) and we got to see some of his work this week, which impressed Victor along with that massive laboratory. We also learned that Jekyll has Victor on a healthier diet to try and curb his other addictions. 

Taking Out The Johns: This week also saw the return of mildly evil duo Lily and Dorian whose only 'bad' act was to slaughter a group of abusive johns and rescue a young prostitute named Justine. Justine seemed to be understandably wary of her rescuers, even though Lily did manage to get Justine to her way of thinking fairly sharpish. I like the complexity with Dorian and Lily's plan and that they're not being depicted too broadly as monsters. I also enjoyed the rather bittersweet scene where Lily told Victor to move on. Victor really should heed her advice.

Everyone Wants The Wolf: Ethan Chandler/Talbot really is a popular man. You've got Rusk who is determined to make sure that he's brought into justice, Hecate who offered her help during a rather violent situation (still mixed on her but she's less annoying without her mother around) and of course, both Malcolm and Kaetenay are also on their way to 'rescue' Ethan as well. The scenes in America continue to be gorgeous and offer new scope to the series and I'm also enjoying the connection that Ethan and Kaetenay have along with Malcolm talking about his own complicated relationship with Vanessa as well. 

A Record Of Our Voices: The therapy sessions between Vanessa and Dr Seward continue to be a masterclass in acting excellence between Eva Green and Patti LuPone. I love how merciless to a degree that Seward is with Vanessa while at the same time, is actually helping her too. There's some great moments with the two but I do wonder how much bigger Seward's role will get as Renfield is under Dracula's spell and the Count himself has Vanessa coming to her of her own free will.

Next week, Ethan teams up with Hecate, Vanessa confesses some more and Lily and Dorian strike out with Justine.