‘Penny Dreadful’: Right Time to End Gorgeous Gothic Series?
By Joey Click
On Sunday, Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful’ ended its three season run with an epic two-part finale. But was it the Best time to end the beautifully gothic drama or was it the perfect time for the Universal Monsters to say goodbye?
If you’re a fan of Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, you surely know that the gothic drama concluded on Sunday, after 27 episodes, with a two-part finale in episodes titled Perpetual Night and The Blessed Dark. But the question on every Dreadful’s mind, other than where else can we see the beautiful Eva Green in the future, is surely should the gorgeously dark series have ended after only three season?
More from Horror on TV
- Recap and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 9: A Weekend at Morrigan Manor
- 31 Days of Horror: Netflix’s Dear Child is a twisty turney German mystery thriller
- Recap and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 8: The Roast
- Classic SpongeBob episodes to binge for Halloween
- Highlights and review of What We Do in the Shadows season 5 episode 7: Hybrid Creatures
To every member of the Penny Posse, it’s a hard question to answer. With many classic literary characters to draw from, I’m sure every fan has already imagined what could have been done with classics like The Wolfman (here the always awesome Ethan Chandler), Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and Dorian Gray. Not to mention the two-sided manic that is Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.
While the thought of seeing more of these characters in the world Penny Dreadful is highly tempting, personally I feel it was the perfect time to end the dark series and here’s why.
For starters, do you really want the series to drag on way past its prime. Do you really want to see the great show, like the milk in a long forgotten fridge, spoil past its shelf life. I’m sure some of you have at least one favorite series that’s done this in the past.
I’m sure you have a show that you truly love, but when thinking of the later seasons, the though of the show in question begins to get gloomy. Examples of these, in my opinion, are fellow Showtime show Dexter (2006-2013), FX’s Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), and sadly for myself, Cinemax’s Banshee (2013-2016).
Christian Carmargo as Dracula in ‘Penny Dreadful’- Courtesy of Showtime
Furthermore, once Penny Dreadful used Dracula, as was the case with its third and last season, there’s nowhere else to go that’s going to top the Dark One. Played amazingly well by Christian Camargo, Dracula is not only one of the most legendary creations in the history of the written word, but he’s one hell of a badass. Once series creator John Logan used the Father of all Creatures of the Night, anyone else used after was certainly going to seem like a huge downgrade.
Moreover, the finale that we got was so boldly beautiful, blaring off all our screen like the desperately needed fire of an Apache tribe, that fans of the series will no doubt look back on with fondness for years to come. While I, like many of you, have the desire to see more after such an epic closing, it’s much better to go out with a beautiful finale than to let the gothic drama peter off to a slow death. If you’ve seen how breathtakingly brilliant the show went out, you know certainly share my sentiment.
Next: ‘Penny Dreadful’: Creator Thanks Fans In Heartfelt Farewell
So, should the Showtime series, Penny Dreadful, have ended after three season of should the dark drama continued on? Let the other Penny Posse members know how you feel below and let’s keep the memory of John Logan’s sensational series alive.
R.I.P Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)