Penny Dreadful

:

Season 2
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 210 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 185 out of 210
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 210
  3. Negative: 12 out of 210
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  1. llossow
    Jun 27, 2015
    10
    The story is compelling and Eva Green is amazing! I think the creepy dark atmosphere of the series
    is what shows like Wayward Pines were aiming for but unable to produce3. The 2nd season of PD is even better than the first!
  2. TheQuietGamer
    Jun 9, 2015
    8
    Penny Dreadful steps up it's second season by giving viewers a villain with a face. One whose motives are clear and is actively working against our protagonists. Add in some expanding side-plots with the characters Victor Frankenstein and Ethan Chandler and you have a more satisfying season overall.

    The performances are still incredibly strong. The show's many storylines range from    Penny Dreadful steps up it's second season by giving viewers a villain with a face. One whose motives are clear and is actively working against our protagonists. Add in some expanding side-plots with the characters Victor Frankenstein and Ethan Chandler and you have a more satisfying season overall.

    The performances are still incredibly strong. The show's many storylines range from emotional, mysterious, to dark and disturbing. The show has really stepped up it's horror game. There's more dark lore and gothic imagery. There are more scenes where the show is genuinely trying to scare you. While I personally don't find it scary I still appreciate the atmosphere.

    The only areas where this season stumbles is that it does push some characters and plots to the back. This wouldn't be so bad is their plots wouldn't just pop up for brief bits at a time and felt so disconnected from the main story at hand. This mostly applies only to Dorian Gray's story. He and his new love interest only appear in brief scenes every now and then. It makes it hard to care about what is going on in his life, especially when the main plot is moving forward at an interesting pace. The shows also still can't make flashback episodes interesting. Thankfully it's only had one episode like that as opposed to last season which used an entire flashback arc.

    While still ultimately flawed season 2 of Penny Dreadful is step up. It's probably the best horror show on television. That is due to the fact that no matter how many evil creatures it has pop up it knows that the real monsters lurk inside of us. The shows attention to detail in revealing the flawed side of humanity is what helps make it so enjoyable. The show makes us question if there's any light in the world at all and will keep you thinking long after the episode has ended. That's a powerful strength it possesses. Overall Penny Dreadful is still a great show worth watching despite having some flaws.    … Expand
  3. GreenGoblin215
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    Arduous, Malleable and Transfixing is how I would describe Season Two of Penny Dreadful. The second season has permanently cemented why this is my new favorite show of all time. I'm mesmerized by anything and everything Horror related and this is right up my alley. I will begin my review and I have my review for Season One on other review sites entitled "The Bloodborne Equivalent Of AArduous, Malleable and Transfixing is how I would describe Season Two of Penny Dreadful. The second season has permanently cemented why this is my new favorite show of all time. I'm mesmerized by anything and everything Horror related and this is right up my alley. I will begin my review and I have my review for Season One on other review sites entitled "The Bloodborne Equivalent Of A Macabre Horror Masterpiece." if you're interested in checking it out. I will delve into the story which takes place literally the next day after the Season One finale. I won't divulge what happened as that would ruin the first season but without saying much it picks up very quickly with new threats and predators around every corner. The deadliest of them all would be each other and how they intermix with one another and each of them having their own agendas and emotions which play a ginormous role this season. I loved the story this season even more so then in S1. I will now move onto the acting which as in my review for S1 I cited that the acting is what really enticed me to keep watching. I never in all my years have seen such a cast of actors and actresses that could make me get so emotionally invested in each individual actor and actress as I have with this show. I should say that is also due to magnificent writing by John Logan who is also the creator. I will carry on with the action and drama segment of this review and as it stands S2 is paramount to any other show that I have ever watched and I watch a ton of t.v. along the lines of GOT and The 100 to name a few. The action is just as brutal and relentless as S1 and far more demonic. The drama is far meatier then the action but that only lends a helping hand for when the action does finally unfold throughout the season. I will round out my review with the Cinematography and Location which were superfluous and I mean that in the most genuine way possible. I mean everything is shot with such authenticity and care that you truly feel like you're there yourself. Bravo to the production teams that deal both in the sets and the decor. I will close out my review by saying that if you have not seen this show yet then please don't dawdle. You need to go out and buy the first 2 seasons or watch them elsewhere but buying them would support this much beloved and prodigious television show. I promise that if you love anything drama and or horror related then you will not be disappointed in the least but you will be pleasantly delighted.… Expand
  4. PoeticDumpling
    Jul 4, 2015
    10
    Show has fully come into its own this season. Billie Piper, Eva Green, and Rory Kinnear all deserve Emmy noms. :). Finale is Sunday and I believe it will be a great one!
  5. PatheticMr
    Jun 10, 2015
    9
    After managing to save the second half of season one, season two of Penny Dreadful has exceeded expectations in every way. Interesting characters playing out an intriguing plot and boasting quality over quantity. You can guarantee a few more seasons too observing the clever hints of stories yet to be told. One of the best shows in recent years.
  6. Lukehat
    Jul 1, 2017
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First episode the weak as cats 'new evil witch look like vampire women' push the cart over, take down 2 horses, and are super fast, but are too weak to overcome hand to hand combat with miss Ives and Chandler. Terrible start, and it doesn't improve. As sporadic as season 1, but more boring: Containing more nonsensical social drama. It's hard to empathise with the pains of characters when the story seems ingenuine. The frankenstein backstory was more interesting to me than the main plot again, but once again didn't immalgamate well, and just feels like episodes are being made off the cuff. Eva Green and John Clares very short conversation was compelling, but every other dialogue just inconsistent, wierd and mostly boring.
    I like that Billie Piper now has an English accent after rebirth. It was nice to see her naked on a few occasions as well.    … Expand
  7. th3uglytruth
    May 12, 2015
    8
    Screw the debbie downers! If Eva doesn't win any awards...I'd be shocked. Great acting and production. I was absolutely pleasantly surprised. this show has a lot of story potential on a moving forward basis. I am surprised that it has not be marketed more.
  8. willlol
    May 3, 2015
    10
    Penny Dreadful é uma série com potencial de sobra. Só esse primeiro episódio já demonstra a grande mitologia que os produtores e roteiristas tem em mãos.
  9. Ravens1294
    May 26, 2015
    9
    A really good start to season 2 and it shows no signs of slowing down. The rest of Season 2 looks really good and I'm excited for it. It looks to be better than season 1 and I'm not surprised.
  10. Knighthawk81
    May 5, 2015
    7
    I was on the fence about this show during its first season. Sometimes the storytelling felt a little uneven. But toward the end of its initial batch of episodes, it seemed to find a way and tie things together. That continues with the second season premier, which was a moody episode that was beautifully shot and put together. I'm excited to see how the characters and the world grow this season.
  11. Octomort
    Jul 13, 2015
    1
    why has my original review been pulled and how often does metacritic do this? It seems that I can no longer trust this site is truly about critical understanding and has acceded to the pressures they have been under to be more favourable i.e pseudo marketing engineers.
  12. Amigian
    Jun 28, 2015
    0
    The great thing about this show is how apt the title is, just drop the Penny

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  13. Bo33y
    Jun 11, 2015
    2
    This season has little story, little pacing plodding along that in often quite bizzare in an utterly boring story. Excluding episode 3 where the show actually took a break from this ridiculous story. The season has been utterly uneventful.. Last season built up towards a 5 minute ending, a gapping anti-climax that was over in most of those 5 minutes. This season builing 5 minutes towardsThis season has little story, little pacing plodding along that in often quite bizzare in an utterly boring story. Excluding episode 3 where the show actually took a break from this ridiculous story. The season has been utterly uneventful.. Last season built up towards a 5 minute ending, a gapping anti-climax that was over in most of those 5 minutes. This season builing 5 minutes towards the ending.. The rest of the time is about everything else that most do not care about at all, containing plotlines and characters that serve no functioning purpose.

    12 century monks had clay tablets, not feces, engraving on metal could have translated better, stenciling.. The wonderbra hasn't been invented so quit using a bicycle pump for padding. Those catsuits are grim.. Who makes the dolls I mean where does she go shopping for the moulds. The devil a puppetmaster makes **** So they get naked and make dolls. WTF    … Expand
  14. wjpike1
    Jul 28, 2015
    10
    This show is so well done and the acting is perfect from many of the characters. Characters are real and raw and human. This is the way it's done American Horror Story.
  15. outraaageous
    Aug 23, 2015
    9
    This was the season Penny Dreadful kicked things up a gear. A promising if disjointed first season with some stand out performances warranted going back for more, and man am I pleased I did. The upshot in quality in Season 2 is remarkable. The irrepressible Eva Green gives another inspired performance but this time it's Josh Hartnett who surprises the most - a performance of such darknessThis was the season Penny Dreadful kicked things up a gear. A promising if disjointed first season with some stand out performances warranted going back for more, and man am I pleased I did. The upshot in quality in Season 2 is remarkable. The irrepressible Eva Green gives another inspired performance but this time it's Josh Hartnett who surprises the most - a performance of such darkness and danger that you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a different actor from that of his Hollywood output. The writing excels again and shows this is a show not only of gothic horror, but of tenderness and heart. But perhaps the biggest star of this season is a man called Abel Korzeniowski, who scores and composes the episodes. The music this year has been bewitching, and in certain emotional moments, utterly arresting. This is much-see TV.… Expand
  16. Moo-vies
    Feb 2, 2017
    3
    This is not horror show but a boring soap with characters that scream construction and emptiness and only exist in artificial disjointed scenes.
    The most boring result ever.
    It is telling that the most interesting episode is the one of the first meet of Penny with a witch, in the past, where all other characters are thankfully absent from the episode. The rest is pseudo fantastical    This is not horror show but a boring soap with characters that scream construction and emptiness and only exist in artificial disjointed scenes.
    The most boring result ever.
    It is telling that the most interesting episode is the one of the first meet of Penny with a witch, in the past, where all other characters are thankfully absent from the episode.
    The rest is pseudo fantastical religious mumbo jumbo based on latin words and a myriad of objects and symbols that are ridiculously void of any weight to any person wit the slightest bit of critical thinking.    … Expand
  17. magnisky
    Jul 11, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So where should I start...Although, this is type of Victorian era, fantasy, genre is right up my alley; there are some inconsistencies in this overall OK show. Cinematography should be A++. Art direction is absolutely beautiful in this show. And editing is over all pretty good; flow of scene to scene will generally make sense. I realize just like Once Upon a Time, this show can edge on the cheesy fast if it lets it. So, I watch each scene with caution and awaited somber disappointment. Gosh, that scene where one of the witches hisses to show rage, I might as well be handing out the cheese plates. As for the main characters, they are all approved to playing their roles well enough, these actors (I imagine) are simply following the direction of their script and nothing more, right? When Sir Malcolm Murray totally gets beguiled under the witches spell knowing fully well that Penny Dreadful's world is already filled with horror and that he really shouldn't trust anybody, his character goes right ahead and joins Tinder to find some action. Next is Vanessa Ives. NOW, I want to make clear, the producers did do a great job picking her out, her face is made for such a role. And I would like to give her a standing ovation in all of her possessed scenes. However, whenever she is acting normal and not possessed, I cant distinguish her expression from disinterest or passion (it seems she might only know the Mona Lisa smile, but nothing else). The only main character that seems to be wholly acceptable is the werewolf guy (Ethan Chandler). His expressions and subtle acting make him believable and crazily relatable. The next problem i have with this series is all the over-sexualized visuals. Everybody is sleeping around with everybody, exchange of sexual partners, everyone is hot for everyone including mother, daughter, father figure, wolf, witch, cousins, etc. I get it, sex sells. So what the story line isn't completely consistent, as long as people have sex. Season 2 is better than Season 1. So in that hope, perhaps Season 3 will keep the characters relatable and consistent with the type of people they truly are. The show is beautifully grotesque but come'on don't make me use the second word of the title as a pun please.… Expand
  18. zilion
    Jan 10, 2017
    10
    Perfect dialogues, scenes and pictures. You become one with this dreadful world. Don't expect horror, its not scary and it is mostly a spiritual dreadful journey in a world of famous characters. It is just one of a kind. Season 2 is simply perfect.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best TV Season of 2015
81
#81 Most Discussed TV Season of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    May 4, 2015
    75
    Things are about to get a lot worse on Penny Dreadful, and for viewers, that is a very good thing indeed.
    Read full review
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    May 4, 2015
    80
    This is a sumptuously produced, beautifully executed show, and if the story doesn’t always make sense, the metaphysics always does.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Jonathan L. Fischer
    May 4, 2015
    70
    There are times when I wish Penny Dreadful were baser, lower-brow, and more exploitative than it is apparently willing to be. And yet I can’t quite dismiss it, thanks to winning, carefully modulated performances by Billie Piper—as a woman who fears the man whom she was brought back to life to wed--and Helen McCrory, whose full-bodied incantations are even scarier than Vanessa’s.
    Read full review
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