Penny Dreadful - And Hell Itself My Only Foe - Review

The episode title, 'And Hell Itself My Only Foe,' is based off a line in the poem, 'A Vision,' by actual poet John Clare, who wrote it while he was in an insane asylum. The poem talks about his loss of identity being locked up, parallel to the end of this episode where most of the main characters find themselves also locked up; the hell being referenced to, not just Evelyn Poole's home, but the hell within - the demons inside each of the characters that they are forced to confront in their isolation.

The episode as a whole encapsulated what has made this sophomore season so thrilling. We start off with the end of Vanessa and Ethan's sojourn at the Cut Witch's cabin, which saw a rather abrupt end to the Warren Roper arc, after many empty threats and vows of vengeance throughout the season. The scene was so humorously brutal, with Ethan kicking a downed Roper in the face, while Vanessa repeatedly stabs him. All this following a struggle which saw Ms. Ives get her face elbowed and slammed into a table, and Mr. Chandler, while shackled, stabbed in the shoulder. The scene was vicious, and it was quite unexpected to see the Pinkerton agent reduced to just a mere obstacle at the very start of the episode.

After Ethan and Vanessa bury Roper's body they find themselves picked up by Frankenstein on their way back to London to rescue Sir Malcolm. With the team back together again, we see some furthering of friendships - the bonding and this feeling of family among the characters is what has made this season such an improvement over the last season. The shopping trip between Ms. Ives and Frankenstein a few episodes back had developed quite a special bond between the two outcasts, and their friendship is furthered along in this episode as Vanessa discusses transcendence with the doctor as she watches him use heroine. In the kitchen of Sir Malcolm's house, Sembene gives some brotherly advice to Ethan urging him to open up to Vanessa about his secret, and Mr. Chandler expresses to Sembene how proud he is to call him his friend.

In other storylines we see Lily give an almost rehash of last week's speech to John Clare to Dorian Gray this time around. Biting off his ear and forcing him to heal himself, she once again claims her dominance over another man. Billie Piper has delivered a terrific performance these last few weeks gradually turning the character of Lily from an innocent, lost soul to an intimidating villainess. Is this building towards her becoming one of the main antagonists next season?

Elsewhere, the creature finds himself in a bit of a pickle, as he is lured into a cage by Lavinia. The creature is to be a live attraction in the Putney's hall of freaks. All of this happening shortly after Clare describes evil as beautiful and seductive, referring to Lily, but unbeknownst to him, foreshadowing the true intentions of the blind daughter.

The conclusion is an interesting one with Vanessa deciding to sneak out alone to confront Evelyn Poole. Upon interaction, the animosity between the two is kept below the surface and Ms. Ives is introduced rather graciously by Ms. Poole into her abode. In contrast to Poole is her daughter Hectate, who greets Vanessa with a snarky remark and a kiss on the lips, similar to how she confronted Ethan earlier in the episode. Hectate's ambitiousness and her need to plant her dominance on others makes her as an intimidating of a force as her mother. The contrast between the two witches and how they interact with their foes and each other creates a very interesting pair of antagonists. It will be sad to see them written off, if they are next episode, as there is much more than can be done with either of them, especially Hectate. In fact, I could see the young witch somehow making an interesting pair with Lily.

Eventually, the whole team ends up at Evelyn Poole's house, resulting in a series of cliffhangers playing on the backstory of 'A Vision.' Vanessa, who finds herself in Evelyn Poole's voodoo room, is confronted with her fear of dolls, and is accused of being a murderer by her effigy. Sembene and Ethan are trapped in a staircase with the full moon rising. Sembene stops Ethan from killing himself, reminding the American that he is the wolf of God, not just a mere human like himself, and thus has an important role to play. We are left with poor Sembene getting a chunk bitten out of him by wolfman Ethan, his fate left in the air. Lastly, Frankenstein gets locked in the same room as Sir Malcolm and is confronted by his own family: his three creations, a reflection of his own demons.

Beginning in the midst of action, next week's finale is sure to be an exciting episode as we see how each character escapes their predicament. Tune in next week for 'And They Were Enemies.'

What are your thoughts on the episode. Leave your comments below!

About the Author - Kollin Lore

Kollin is an entertainment writer and a film and television, in particular genre TV, freak having grown up during the 90s and early 2000s a dedicated fan of Buffy and Angel. Current shows like Person of Interest, Supernatural, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful, Grimm, The Blacklist, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other shows are currently occupying Kollin’s nightly hours. His reviews for Into the Badlands and The Expanse will be coming this fall!

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