Penny Dreadful Review: “Night Work” (Pilot)

Penny Dreadful has been a show shrouded in as much mystery as its storyline. All we had to go off of was its name. A penny dreadful was a work of fiction that was usually written in an extremely graphic fashion that was released over a course of a few weeks, costing a penny. Whatever that meant for show I had no idea, but as the pilot episode “Night Work” unfolded, I realized the sinister intentions of the show.

The show begins on a… well, dreadful note. The cold open shows a woman and her child being attacked by something. Then, following a fittingly creepy opening credits sequence (somewhat reminiscent of an American Horror Story opening credits) we are introduced to a frightened woman praying to a cross who is possessed by… well, something. See a pattern here?

I haven’t even heard one line of expositional dialogue and I could already tell that this is going to be a bats**t crazy show.

The praying woman, whose name is Vanessa Ives (played by Eva Green), offers gunslinger and performer Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) some night work in London. Being the daring man he is, Chandler accepts.

He meets Vanessa in a dark and gloomy London where he meets Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton). The trio goes to a dark passage where we get our first encounter of the creatures of Penny Dreadul. I would characterize these things as vampires, but according to a scientist (played by Harry Treadaway), it is either a man with hardened skin etched with hieroglyphics, sharpened teeth, and an exoskeleton or something else. SIDE NOTE: If I were you, I wouldn’t look at anything regarding the series or this character until you watch the episode.

While in the passage, which Vanessa describes it as a “half world between what we think and what we feel,” these monsters attack the group, which unsettles Chandler. Vanessa tells him that one of the creatures took Murray’s daughter and they are trying to find her. She asks if he will continue on with them. “A wiser man would say no,” but Chandler isn’t a wise man.

Eva Green kills it as Vanessa Ives. She has the character’s expression and underlying sexuality so refined that it feels like she has been playing the character for years. She is truly phenomenal.

Terrifying in its storytelling, beautiful in its portrayal, and intriguing in its premise, this show is a strong addition to Showtime’s line up. The series is meant to terrify you, plain and simple. Not with jump scares (although there are a few), not only its unflinching depiction of the horrors in the world, but with its ability to make you think about what is known and unknown and life itself.

Penny Dreadful is definitely a series that will keep you coming back for more solely for its story and its mysteries. However, its impeccable style, strong writing, and masterfully acted characters (the ensemble is something to marvel at) will take it from being a guilty pleasure to a truly captivating series.