TV Show Review

TV Review: PENNY DREADFUL: Season 2, Episode 4: Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places [Showtime]

Showtime’s Penny Dreadful Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places TV Show ReviewPenny Dreadful: Season 2, Episode 4: Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places contained many reveals. One of those reveals was the multi-talented Hecate Poole (Sarah Greene). Hecate speaking in a American accent was entertaining to listen to as was her bloviation about her adventures: past, present, and future. She reminded the viewer of Ramsay Bolton, when he was pretending to be civilized as subterfuge for a sinister purpose.

Hecate’s American-accent scene would have been more entertaining if Hecate had contingencies ready if she were caught in one of her lies. “I don’t have that accent because I went to this boarding school in this state,” something like that. Most-likely, it was Hecate’s first time employing ‘trade craft’ in the field thus the mistakes.

Her “overreach” moment showed Evelyn Poole (Helen McCrory) and the viewer that Hecate in not content in her current position in the witch hierarchy and wants more, much more. Hecate was a fool to show her hand to Evelyn though. Now Evelyn is aware she has to watch her back around her own daughter.

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The viewer saw how physically attracted to Lily (Billie Piper) Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) was when she was a corpse in his resurrection tub. Now Lily is living, breathing, and a vision to him. On some level, I believe Lily sensed his attraction to her. Perhaps she thought it was familial love, perhaps incest lust. Whatever she deduced it as, it was there.

When the shop keeper assumed that Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) was Victor Frankenstein wife and Victor protested, Ives was stoic and amused (instead of insulted). Victor could not see that with all of his quirks and secrets, that he would be lucky to garner the attention of a woman half as intelligent, adventurous, well-educated, and as beautiful as Ms. Ives. What Vanessa had endured would have destroyed 99% of the women in London and half the men yet she survived and persevered. That type of mental and physical fortitude would greatly benefit Victor yet he was so blinded by his Creatures that he couldn’t see it.

Warren Roper (Stephen Lord)’s singular scene gave the viewer a partial glimpse of his disfigured face and introduced enormous questions into the show: What will Mr. Roper do with the information he now holds? Will he inform his employer, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency? Will he tell Ethan’s father? Will he call for back up? Or will he do as he said and leave the city, never to return? Since this is a drama TV series, I doubt Mr. Roper is going to leave London and if he does, it wouldn’t be for long. It’s not work any longer, its personal.

Mr. Putney thinking Lavinia Putney (Tamsin Topolski), his daughter, was a freak (because of her blindness) was a character moment, a glimpse behind the affable facade he presents to the world. Of The Creature (Rory Kinnear), Lavinia, and Mr. Putney, it’s Mr. Putney who is the real monster.

Regarding the bond The Creature and Lavinia are forging, will it stay friendship or will it become something more? Has Lavinia ever been in love? Like The Creature, she has “a cross to bear” yet hasn’t given up on life. That drive and message may rub off on The Creature in positive ways.

As the episode progressed, the viewer could feel Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places building towards something and the camouflaged witch scene was it. Evelyn Poole told Hecate earlier in the episode that she didn’t care about Ms. Ives’ companions, just Ms. Ives. Since that was the case, the witches’ continuous ‘push attack’ was unnecessary, repetitive, and short-sighted. The witches had the drop on all of Ives’ compatriots. They could have left Ives with no one (like after the Cut-Wife’s death), defenseless yet they did the complete opposite. It was counter-intuitive. Ms. Poole and Hecate spoke (in the episode entitled Fresh Hell) about how Ives had a unusual protector, Lupus Dei. Hecate had him, had that creature in her grasp. Why didn’t she break his neck or slice it open?

If keeping Ives’ protectors alive was part of a greater scheme, the witches and Penny Dreadful‘s writers are keeping it a well guarded secret. On the surface, however, it looked like a opportunity that no real adversary would have squandered.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Penny Dreadful below in the comments section. For more Penny Dreadful reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Penny Dreadful Page, our Penny Dreadful Google+ Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on TwitterTumblr, Google+, or “like” us on Facebook for quick updates.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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