Penny Dreadful Season 2, Now on DVD

The second season of Showtime’s Gothic medley of the
supernatural is even more exciting than the first (which had already demonstrated impressive writing and a commitment to the macabre that puts most other vampire or werewolf franchises to shame).

With the characters and their relationships established, the plot begins to move forward with more clarity and world-in-peril purpose. The mysterious Vanessa Ives — played potently by Eva Green (pictured) — becomes the focus of increasingly satanic attentions. Her allies, including a werewolf played by Josh Hartnett and Timothy Dalton as an adventuring gentlemen, circle to defend her as wild cards like Dorian Gray, Frankenstein’s monster and his would-be bride continue to spice up the mix. Out of several notable supporting performances, the great English stage actor Simon Russell Beale deserves a special nod. Happily, he appears a great deal more often this season as the group’s dandy historian, uttering lines such as “Never underestimate the power of a queen with lovely hair, my dear!” with panache. THE WORD: In addition to things that go bump in the night, Penny is rewardingly loaded with gay and gender-bending characters. COMING TO: Home Video