The original Penny Dreadful was a very entertaining series with a bunch of mythical characters and creatures and a compelling plot. This new spin-off is nothing like the original. I don't even understand why they decided to use the same "Penny Dreadful" brand, probably just to trick users into watching this disappointing show.
The plot's villain is a sort of female demon or demoness that wants to make humanity fight itself and create horrible chaos in our society. There is another supernatural character from the Mexican culture called Santa Muerte, Holy Death would be the proper translation into English. The plot is about all the devious plan the demoness has prepared and the human resistance when it comes to avoiding succumbing to them even though almost no one realizes there is a demoness present in the community.
There are also conflicts involving American police and Mexican criminals, and personal as well as family drama of a Mexican who is a member of the police. These circumstances certainly provide ample opportunities for the demoness to encourage the development of hostility and violence but this is not enough to make the show an interesting watch.
The most interesting part of the series is the demoness character. In the beginning, it was interesting seeing her different manifestations but this doesn't last much. Her German character has an obviously fake accent that can get annoying and in one silly scene in episode 9, another one of her manifestations that is manipulating the Mexican criminals participates in a stupid dance that made me cringe hard. I think episode 9 is the most disastrous of all. The worst part of the series is all the tiresome drama with the Mexican family and community.
I remember cool moments in the original Penny Dreadful like the time where the werewolf is revealed as a big surprise and this show doesn't have anything similar. It is really boring and the writing doesn't feel right.
If you believe this series is as cool as the original Penny Dreadful then forget about that, this show is totally mediocre in comparison. It can't even be recommended to the original show fans. It has some family drama, Mexican criminals, Nazi conspirators, and supernatural entities but sadly it is not an enjoyable show.
The best
- There is 1 intriguing entity played by Natalie Dormer that is manifested through several characters.
The worst
- Awkward mix of Mexican and American folklore.
- Awkward fake accents in a couple of important characters.
- The performances from the Mexican cast wasn't convincing.
- The plot is a mess. It feels like 2 different plots and then the producers decided to join them together.
- It shouldn't use the Penny Dreadful name.
More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10361016/
Review: AA
In numbers: 5.5/10
Uhmmm I actually finished the series a week or two ago and I quite enjoyed the show but then again I have watched the original Penny Dreadful. Will check it out when I can.
And yes I agree, Natalie does carry the whole cast tho I don't they weren't as terrible as you think.
You really need to watch the original Penny Dreadful mate. There is no comparison. I still think this show shouldn't have the Penny Dreadful name and it is crappy compared to the original.
Hhhhh I'll definitely look it up and do the comparison.
hahaha absolutely agree on the whole mess. I plan to do a review, I don't know when, but I will.