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Hope others post here and let us know if they liked it. I don't like horror in general, but this looks intriguing.
That, and it has such a big lineup of Bond actors that it would be a shame to miss out on!
It has 8 episodes so not overlong either. (You listening '24',Grimm etc ?)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2720680/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3
I was going to post this, I saw the trailer this week in Denmark and was very impressed.
I completely agree, the Green/Hartnett scene is a replay of Casino Royale, especially since Eva Green plays it exactly as in CR and does not take her eyes off Hartnett throughout her sharp analysis.
And regarding the "Lovers" card: I have the impression that elements out of LALD are currently being elevated to cult-status by Mendes and his team. First the Komodo dragon/alligator parallel in SF, now the Tarot set with the Lovers card. Not that I would mind, I always enjoyed LALD on every re-watching.
Glad I'm not the only one who saw it.
I barely managed the first episode, and while that is my opinion, I've stopped seeing all discussion of it on Twitter, on this site, on film/TV sites, and I don't believe I've even seen it advertised recently anywhere online or on TV.
I hate for it to be true, but I don't see the show carrying on past a second season.
I still haven't gotten around to watching it, too many TV shows I want/need to tackle.
I would flaunt its 8.6/10 rating on IMDB, but:
A.) It's IMDB.
B.) Less than 10,000 people have voted.
However, it must be doing pretty well if it got renewed for an even bigger season two.
The series became two things for me that I find quite negative: too gory
I readily admit I am not a fan of gory horror. I was hoping for this to be eerie, mysterious, some blood and gore, exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, with a great story ... but that is not what it is turning into.
I feel this series had great potential to be a favorite of mine. I still love the dark, brooding Victorian atmosphere of it. I still want to know how they end it and will probably check back on it periodically. But it really feels like they don't know what to do with it, are lost, and rather than being fascinating, it is just a hodge podge of things thrown on the screen.
It is a hit, I am certain. The second series is already assured. I am happy for the actors. I love that Eva Green is in a hit show, as well as this show showcasing the wonderful Timothy Dalton. Nice to see Josh Hartnett in something again. But my interest in the story, the development of what is happening to the characters and where they are going ... all that has been washed away.
I expect there will be a third season, too, but I hope they can get more on track in some way. I would like to come back and enjoy this series. I haven't given up completely, but I have been let down at this point.
It was fairly clear the writers expected a fair few Bond fans to tune in - as well as fans of Victorian Pulp literature.
I liked the old fashioned, somewhat theatrical style (thunderclaps on queue, intense speeches from Mr D). Really gave the show a bit of atmosphere.
Dalton was very good with his dramatic performance but Eva felt a bit too much like Vesper to me.
Has promise though. Got another 2 before I am up-to-date with it.
I do like the actress. And she has some strong scenes, to put it mildly.
If anyone is interested, I suggest they watch at least the first 3 episodes, and I guess probably the 4th. I don't expect others to have the same experience I had.
I looked thru the 4th episode but freely fast forwarded. It is on a totally other track than episode #3, which you may know. But again, I felt it was just okay - and at least not
But the Victorian and gothic atmosphere is good and I like the actors so much, I will try to watch it in bits now and then. Glad you are enjoying it. :)
I am watching, with my fast forward handy.
I must say that episode 6 was back to decent storytelling and a far more enjoyable episode for me. I caught #7 this week; the title of it says it all. So it was ... okay. I want to say that
I'd like to read others' opinions, too, if you have the time to post some.
About your spoiler
Why in the world isn't Dalton a bigger star?? He's just too damn awesome. And he punched more people in the first episode than in both of his Bond movies!
The biggest problem is that the show is far too cluttered. There are at least 5 or 6 main characters and a number of supporting roles and the show struggles to give them all interesting material. It also means that the main characters of the show; Ethan, Sir Malcolm and Vanessa are massively underserved. Despite being the central characters of 'Penny Dreadful' there is very little to them beyond the initial veil of secrecy that prevails over their characters. Once that mystery is revealed (ignoring the fact that it's extremely predictable) there is nothing interesting to be said about these characters.
The other major problem with the show is John Logan's writing. Despite being a very literate show you can't help but feel Logan speaking down to his audience and often the dialogue is tremendously pretentious and overwrought. I'm glad that Logan won't be flying solo on Bond 24 as his dialogue here is often cringeworthy and insufferable.
The show is redeemed mostly through some great performances. In particular Eva Green is standout as Vanessa Ives and by far delivers the most compelling performance of the series. Timothy Dalton is great (it's worth watching 'Penny Dreadful' just to hear Dalton's silky tones), but despite being the main focus of the show his character is sadly under-developed. However, the best performance on the show comes from Rory Kinnear as Frankenstein's Monster. Kinnear is brilliant and brings menace and vulnerability to the role, his part is probably the most developed of the series and Kinnear brings such nuance and heartbreak to the monster. Having seen what an immense talent he is on the show and given his rising star status in the UK I really hope Mendes figures out a way to use him more in Bond 24.
The cinematography, art direction and costume design are also top-notch but none of it can really save 'Penny Dreadful' for me. My hope for series 2 is that Logan can tame down his eccentricities and really place his focus on those three lead characters and develop them into interesting characters. Examples like 'True Detective' and 'Breaking Bad' have shown how great long-form narrative television can be when done well, I don't think 'Penny Dreadful' deserves to be listed amongst those shows (yet, at least).