[JTM45]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

What exactly is this about?

Apparently 'Penny Dreadfuls' (also known as 'Bloods') were inexpensive, serialized violent crime novels popularized in mid to late Victorian era England which were usually released in 8-page regular installments. They were known for their highly sensational horror/gore/slasher type themes and also featured fictional mythical beings such as Vampires, Werewolves and Ghouls and that kind of thing.
That sort of describes the whole feel of the show and the origin of the title but the show has a lot more to it besides these themes.

The main characters are (possibly retired ?) Explorer Sir Malcolm Murray, played by Timothy Dalton, and his sidekick Vanessa Ives, played by Eva Green. They appear to live together (i think ?) but aren't related or in a relationship. It almost feels like she could be his niece or something.
Sir Malcolm is on a deeply personal quest to find his daughter Mina who, it would appear, has been kidnapped in deeply mysterious and as yet unexplained circumstances.
It also features well known fictional characters of the time like Victor Frankenstein (and his 'creation' of course!), Dorian Gray and we've also seen some rather interesting Vampire based creatures too.
Another one of the main characters is a bloke called Ethan Chandler, played by Josh Hartnett, who we first see working in one of those Wild West American touring shows they used to have back then. He's a trick-shot Gunslinger type of performer. He ends up being offered work by Sir Malcolm as his hired gun-toting muscle to assist him and Vanessa Ives in their search for his daughter.

That pretty much covers the basics of the show i think. It's definitely aimed at the adult audience with lots of 'F's' (the swear filter has gone into overdrive here these days!) and even a liberal smattering of the 'C' word in the second episode this week (i was quite pleasantly surprised by this, it being a Showtime/Sky TV production and all). There's also a certain amount of nudity as well (a nearly naked Billy Piper this week!), which is always good!
The first episode was entertaining but i was unsure how it would shape up but i personally thought this week's second episode (called 'Seance') was really excellent, highly entertaining viewing!!!

I'm a longtime fan of Eva Green anyway (i know there's a lot of people who aren't) but so far in this i think she's been absolutely brilliant!!!!
The look of the show, particularly some of the outdoor scenes depicting the (no doubt somewhat exaggerated for dramatic effect) smoggy, grey and eerie Victorian Gothic feel of 19th century London are really fantastic i think. The look of the busy London harbor/dock in episode two was as good as, if not better than, anything you see in big-budget Hollywood movies these days!

Hope that goes some way to giving you an idea of what the show's all about. I tried to explain it as well as i could without giving away any actual plot Spoilers etc..

I'm quite excited to see where it goes from here!