
Hello Beautiful Dreadfuls!
Our Penny Dreadful adventure continues and this episode Memento Mori opens with Lily lovingly talking to her one night stand, who’s busy being dead.
“You’re a very silly boy. That’s what I like about you. Men should always remain boys at heart. Filled with childish games, with Snakes and Ladders and blindman’s bluff. How sad that boys feel they must grow up. You’ll never grow up now.”
Later our favorite emo child wakes up his creator with a bucket of cold water and asks him where Lily is.
Victor has no idea.
John’s really jealous of Lily so he takes his anger out on Victor by turning his favorite weapon against him.
And then he leaves with a threat. After he settles down with Lily, he’ll come back for Victor.
Nothing like family.
Evelyn Poole and our beloved Ferdinand Lyle are chatting.
That’s like his whole storyline so far.
Evelyn asks about Vanessa and Lyle tells the truth, he doesn’t know where she is.
She threatens him but then stops because she knows he isn’t lying.
Then because she has to do something gross, she assaults his mouth.
She insults him just to break his heart, calling him a fat little man…because obviously she’s the worst.
Speaking of the worst, Hecate’s a runner up.
Like mother, like daughter.
She wants Lyle to tell her everything about Ethan Chandler. Looks like someone has a crush and that’s something she has in common with Lyle. Can you imagine these two cutely sipping tea as they go on and on about Ethan? That’s the show I want to watch.
Meanwhile, Inspector Rusk tries to get under Mr. Malcolm’s skin.
Malcolm misses his facial hair.
Later Lily returns and tells Victor a story about falling asleep on a bench.
“Could have been murdered in my sleep.” LOL
They talk about Dorian’s weirdness (they don’t know the half of it) and then Victor mentions leaving London but Lily tells him she’s safe with him there and they’re home.
Notice the hands? You’ll be seeing another scene just like this.
Victor’s happy for the moment.
Dorian’s sent Lily beautiful white roses and she puts them in a vase.
Victor talks to Malcolm.
(I’m sorry, I just love that song.)
I like that Victor finally confided in someone, there’s a lot of shame attached to addiction and it must be difficult to admit but Victor says it’s no great terror to him. Malcolm can’t offer wisdom and instead starts talking about his own change which clearly bothers him.
Malcolm: “We’re in the same unknown jungle, my friend. We have to thrash our way out alone. Isn’t that what love is? […] We become strangers to ourselves. But it can’t go on forever. Finally, we must look in the mirror… On the day of my wife’s funeral… I was dancing at a ball. Who is that man, Doctor?”
Lyle reads from the Devil’s diary.


And Sembene saves Malcolm with a hug attack.
He drags him to a room.
He shouts “Know who you are!” and suddenly The Murrays are there.
The family reunion is heartwarming.
They’re the cutest and Malcolm remembers who he is through his love for his family.
Meanwhile Sembene, Victor and Lyle are watching him dance and talk to no one in an empty room.
But it works and his love breaks the spell. (I love this scene.)
Aww.
Later Hecate blames her mother’s age for everything. Ageism is clearly a problem among the witch youth.
Back at the Murray’s, Sembene is the caring mother of the family as always.
Angelique is feeling lonely at Dorian’s as he goes out to meet Lily.
When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in, in thy breast
When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in, in thy breast
Remember me, remember me, but ah
Forget my fate
Here’s my favorite version by Jessye Norman, which is truly haunting.
Dorian does what he does best as John watches him and Lily from the shadows.
Sembene lets the gang know Malcolm left.
Angelique, no.
Vanessa’s basically photoshopped into that portrait.
Later Dorian notices Angelique’s absence and finds her in his portrait room.
She’s visibly worried.
And he poisons her.
*Sigh* Dorian… I wish Angelique could survive you. I was disappointed in the show for letting her die. There were so many ways for her to survive even though I know it’s meant to point out how incredibly selfish and twisted Dorian actually is. All the same, why give her so much hope and then destroy her for nothing? WHY?
At the Poole Mansion of witchery:
How did he expect that to go exactly?
John visits Lily and decides to ask her why she doesn’t love him.

John: “There is no Victor! There is no young man! There is thee and me!”

More shade.
Then this epic speech comes, and I say that for its honesty and pain.
“You tell me how. We flatter our men with our pain. We bow before them. We make ourselves dolls for their amusement. We lose our dignity in corsets and high shoes and gossip and the slavery of marriage! And our reward for this service? The back of the hand… the face turned to the pillow… the bloody, aching cunt as you force us onto your beds to take your fat, heaving bodies! You drag us into the alleys, my lad, and cram yourselves into our mouths for two bob when you’re not beating us senseless! When we’re not bloody from the eyes, and the mouth, and the ass and the cunt! Never again… will I kneel to any man. Now they shall kneel to me.”



True love.


And then not.
FAMILY REUNION! (again)
There were so many parallels and important confrontations this episode. Which was your favorite part?
Meet me in the next recap and let’s see what happens!
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Kaydet
“Don’t we make a beautiful couple, “thee and meâ€? Shall we wander the pastures and recite your fucking poetry to the fucking cows?â€
The genius that is John Logan has elevated my literate life. And Billie Piper being the vehicle to deliver the goods could not have found a greater cargo. This episode has started the Penny Dreadful train truly rolling. The veils have dropped. We see Dorian, we see Brona/Lily, we see all the monsters with awakened clarity. Thank you Ozge for illuminating their stories for our pleasure. To quote Rod Serling’s original introduction to The Twilight Zone:
” It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.”
How I love Penny Dreadful!
It’s my pleasure to share the beauty of this show with you. I’m so happy to have found such a wonderful story with amazing characters and such a great audience. So grateful for it. ♥
Your recaps are amazing1 I laughed so hard at every single one of them “it’s peter father” lol. You’re awesome. Keep up with the good work! :*
Thank you!