Penny Dreadful got off to a strong head start in its first time of year , boasting a unusually detailed reality , deeply complex characters and an exciting core story . But to be fair , as Godhead John Logan pointed out at the show ’s Ballroom 20 Comic - Con panel , he ’s been working on this thing for 10 long time .
set about by revealing how the show came to be , Logan explained that the approximation develop from reading wads of romanticist poetry , which finally led him to Mary Shelley ’s Frankenstein . “ I read it and I wept . ” He tot up that he was so propel by “ those two grotesque creations that are partly holy person and partly Beelzebub ” so equally that he thought , “ Well , this is a fascinating world . ”
However , even though Logan had a slew of smashing source material for character like Dorian Gray , Dr. Frankenstein and The Creature , he did n’t need to be a hard worker to the iconic works . In fact , that ’s part of the ground he kill Van Helsing . “ I did that as a provocation of sports fan to sports fan , to say in a manner , ‘ Yes , I treasure the sacred text , but we ’re not creating or hearten the sacred textual matter . ” He continued , “ [ Killing Van Helsing ] was a joyous turn because I think to the audience it say , ‘ We are liberated . We respect what we have , but we are free . Come with us . ' ”
Logan also pull a lot from his own spirit to recrudesce the original character and then fetch them all together . For example , almost all of what we ’ve encounter is rooted in Logan ’s experience being a gay valet before it was wide accepted . Logan noted , “ I realized the very thing that made me different , also made me who I am , ” and from that , came what the show ’s all about . “ The monster in all of us , the thing we must hug , the affair that frightens us , the thing that makes us who we are . ”
But that ’s not all . Logan also drew divine guidance from the definitive Universal horror films , and specifically the second generation , because that ’s when all the monsters come out amount together , forming a cosmogeny . In Penny Dreadful , this cosmogony is key , but what ’s even more significant is family .
Logan ’s Twisted Family : Ethan , Dorian and Frankenstein
Ethan ’s another chemical element of the show that ’s profoundly connected to Logan ’s living . Logan recalled going hiking , seeing coyotes and the episodic wad lion and mentation , “ Alright , well , there you go , he ’s a loup-garou . ” Josh Hartnett added that the fact that Ethan is a werewolf was central to him correctly from the start . He explained , “ It made me feel more engrained in the actual world because everyone else , they had their secrets ; I wanted mine . ”
Logan pointed out that Dorian Gray was a peculiarly toughened role to cast , but when he met Reeve Carney , he immediately knew he ’d be perfect . But they did disagree on one matter . Whereas Carney find oneself it authoritative to be inform and read The Picture of Dorian Gray , Logan specifically postulate him not to incorporate memories from the novel into the type ’s psyche .
As for the relationship between Ethan and Dorian , Logan refuse to put a label on it . It ’s not about call Ethan gay , unbowed or bisexual , but rather about him doing what feels true in the mo . Logan notice , “ As a gay homo I thought it ’d be corrupt and inorganic not to deal with all forms of sexuality on the show , ” and that includes the romantic , the sexual , the psychological and the horrific , too .
Whereas Carney study up a bit , Harry Treadaway did nearly the exact antonym . He knew a scrap about Frankenstein courtesy of popular finish , but he specifically only read the share of the novel that ’d be useful for the character reference . Logan also pointed out that Treadaway is masterful with props . “ You give a prop to Eva Green , she shake off it and breaks it . Harry is so specific . ” The cutaway drawing shot of Frankenstein ’s hands doing operating theater ? It ’s all Treadaway !
What ’s to Come
So we now know Ethan is definitely a wolfman , but it ’s still indecipherable how he ended up that fashion . Is it a lineage thing or was he bitten ? Logan would n’t discover any concrete details , but he did say that something bechance in Ethan ’s past that make this curse — or perhaps we should call it a blessing . Could it have something to do with this “ monstrous ” father Logan described ? Hopefully we ’ll dive into that presently enough because Logan say it ’s something he ’s especially concerned in explore . In fact , he ’s take his oculus on an Ethan flashback episode . He does n’t know if they ’ll fit it into season two , but at some point , Logan want the chance to give birth backstory for all the primary role beginning with at least one person next time of year . Logan brought up episode 5 , Vanessa ’s flashback instalment , and said , “ Next season , we will do something similar . ”
As for Dorian , if you ’re not glad that we have n’t overhear a glimpse of his portraiture just yet , do n’t worry ; it ’s hail . But until that come about , it ’ll just be a calamitous screen and some dark-green tape recording on set in its place for Carney . And who even do it what ’ll hap to Dorian next ? Thus far , his connection to the group was through Vanessa more so than anything , but Logan signal out that it ’s Ethan and Vanessa ’s human relationship that ’ll get beefed up most next time of year , not Vanessa and Dorian .
talk of our leading lady , we ’ll get the hazard to learn more about the nature of her self-will the next metre around , too . At the remainder of season one , we ’re left wonder did she invite this thing in or did it take her ? Season two will explore that and , as Logan report , it ’ll be done in a way that has “ her stand on the cusp and having to make determination ground on relationships with the other characters . ”
Logan is also hoping to tap into Dracula a minute more as the show goes on as well . In fact , in the second season , we ’ll get together a type that ’ll pass us into passably of a Dracula origin level .
The Deleted Scene
Roughly half way through the Q&A , Logan paused the session to show us a little something they germinate from the first time of year that they decide not to use so that they could contain it into the second . It ’s a conversation between Ferdinand Lyle ( Simon Russell Beale ) and the second time of year scoundrel , Helen McCrory ’s Madame Kali .
The scene take home in a rather warm and cozy looking at mansion , but once we ’re inside , it ’s clear that Madame Kali is on a snatch of a rampage . She ’s not a fan of Vanessa ’s at all . She recoil off the conversation by coerce a very uncomfortable Mr. Lyle into tell her whether or not he call back Vanessa ’s pretty . When the conversation moves beyond way and toxicant eye drops , she gets to the point , Vanessa is her enemy and between the two of them , “ Only one will hold up and one will go . ”
McCrory sell Madame Kali ’s distasteful side super well , and all in just a single scene . We caught glimpses of Madame Kali double this season and while she may have hinted at a secret schedule in one of those scenes , it ’s absolutely nothing compared to her all - out pixilated demeanor here .
time of year one was an impressive first go , but if Logan ’s goals for season two pan out , we ’ll get even more layered role , more complex relationships and a grander supernatural threat to go with them .
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